10

As the days dragged on, The Welcoming Ball drew nearer. The Welcoming Ball was the ball in which the Nobles' Daughters were properly introduced to the court. They danced, socialized and most importantly- tried to catch the Prince's attention- 3 things I was horrible at. Dread filled my stomach as the hours inched closer and closer to the 'Big Day'. For starters, I had never actually been to a proper ball- only a few mock ones at Finishing School. As well as the fact that I didn't know how to dance and couldn't hold a proper conversation with a stranger without them walking away, bored or annoyed. 

It was exactly a day before The Welcoming Ball and Fiona was trying to teach me simple dance steps to ensure I didn't make a complete fool out of myself. The Ladies' salon was were most of us spent the day when we weren't prepping for one big event or the other. Most times, it was full to the brim with Ladies doing all sorts of activities. I normally steered clear of it, for the estrogen levels were much too high but this time, there was nothing I could do about it. 

"Focus, Madeline," Fiona groaned, trying to maintain her warm personality which was very hard to do when coaching me. I was told I could turn an angel into a monster, which seemed like what was happening with Fiona. 

"I'm sorry," I let out a breath, trying to clear my head. We had been at it for almost 2 hours and I proved to be completely helpless. It didn't help that the girls in the Ladies' salon were watching my every move, not bothering to hide their giggles at my failure. 

"Okay, one-two-three one-two-three," Fiona let out a breath and clapped. I tried my best to remember all I'd learnt, not for my sake- but for Fiona's. 

"That's-actually good!" Fiona laughed, breathlessly. 

"Why do you continue to lie to her, Fiona?" Esme snarled, her perfectly plucked eyebrows arched. "She dances like a blind cow." 

"Weren't you in the middle of a conversation, Esme?" I rolled my eyes, folding my arms across my chest. 

"Ashley eventually gets boring. Watching you hopelessly fail is more interesting," Esme laughed, gaining a few tentative giggles from the other girls. 

"I mean, is there anything you're good at?" Ashley echoed, the Ladies laughing. 

"I'm sure I'm good at throwing a good punch," I was prepared to lunge at them but Fiona held me back. 

"If you misbehave, they could ban you from The Welcoming Ball- or worse, send you home," Fiona warned. 

I let out an annoyed breath. "We wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours. Because then you'd just be a waste of space." 

Esme's eyes darkened and her fists clenched. "I don't remember them allowing animals into The Choice." 

I rolled my eyes, prepared to get back to dancing but Esme stood up and walked towards me. She grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin. 

She put her lips near my ear and it took all my restraint not to tear her hair out strand by strand. 

"You do not want to mess with me, Madeline Prowess. You couldn't fathom what I'm capable of," Her strawberry-scented breath clouding my face. 

"Let go of me," I seethed, pulling my arm from her grip. Her nails had dug into my skin, leaving red bruises. I could kill her. "Unlike these other girls, Esme, you don't scare me. I might not be as pretty or as graceful- but I do have a brain." 

Esme scoffed before walking out, her posse not far behind her. 

"Maybe you should really start listening to Lady Ursula," Fiona whispered.

"Come on, Fiona. What's the worst Esme could do to me? I'm not even a minor threat to her," I huffed. 

"Whatever...let's just get back to practice," Fiona mumbled. 

*** 

I woke up the next day to the sound of Imogen and Lucy bustling about. I stretched, yawning until it felt like my mouth would tear. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Instead of taking my mandatory beauty sleep, I was praying I wouldn't make a fool of myself at the ball. 

"What's going on?" I asked, my eyes still droopy. 

"We're getting you ready for the ball," Imogen explained, like it was obvious. 

"The ball is in the evening. It's barely noon," I yawned. 

"Lady Madeline, preparation for the ball takes almost a full day and we're already behind schedule," Lucy sighed, exasperatedly. 

"Do I at least get to eat first?" I asked. My head was pounding and I certainly wasn't ready to spend the day preparing for the ball on an empty stomach. 

"Of course," Imogen motioned to the covered tray of food that lay on the small table in the room. 

My stomach grumbled in agreement as I threw off the bed covers and practically leaped towards the table. My mouth watered at the sight of the toast, marmalade and fruits. Maybe the day wouldn't be too bad after all. 

"So what's the itinerary for today?" I asked, between mouthfuls. 

"We need to prepare you for the ball- from the tip of your head to the sole of your feet," Lucy said. 

"Your dress arrived yesterday but we haven't looked at it yet," Imogen nodded towards a trunk. 

"I'm excited, really," Lucy squealed. 

"I doubt it'll be anything splendid. Just a basic dress for a basic girl," I said, before downing my tea. 

Almost immediately, Imogen and Lucy dragged me off to get cleaned up and were soon working their magic on my hair as time seemed to move at lightning speed. 

"We want to make you look your absolute best. You're not only out there to impress Prince Charles, you're to impress the Nobles, the royal family and the Aridian court- as well as diplomats from other countries," Imogen explained. 

I sighed, "I know, I know." 

"What do we do with this hair...?" Lucy bit her lip, staring at my hopeless hair through the mirror. 

"She's always had her hair up," Imogen shrugged. "Maybe curls." 

"Curls it is," Lucy nodded, determined to make me presentable for the evening to come.