To Aurum With Hate

Six: Princess Sirena

Six

Princess Sirena

    There was a knocking on my bedroom door. “Who is it?” I asked.

    “It’s Thea, Princess,” a girl’s voice said, “your maid. I was told to come help you get ready for the day.”

    “Oh,” I said, “alright. Come in.”

    The door opened, and in came Thea. She had a round face, jet black hair that was slightly curly, and wore a simple, black work dress complete with a white apron that was tied around her waist. She went to the closet.

    “You’re being presented to court today,” she said, “it was supposed to happen yesterday, but of course, there was that terrible incident with The Argenti so we couldn’t have done it then. But we will be doing it today. The Prince has requested that you wear pink.”

    I frowned. “Why does the Prince get a say in what I wear?”

    Thea turned to look at me. “Because you represent him, and you are here at his request. So, pink it shall be.” The closet was one of those walk-in closets, and each time Thea disappeared down it, I wondered if she would come back or not. She went in and out several times.

    “It’s summer,” said Thea, “and it will be hot, so I think a nice, Spring dress. Then I’ve got these lovely shoes for you. You’ll want a little handbag to carry things in.”

    “All sounds fine.”

    The truth was, I didn’t care. I could have stayed locked in the room and withered away until I died and that would have been fine with me. But it seemed that Imperator Zale wanted his fiancé seen and known, and so I was to be shown off like some kind of prized horse.

    Thea placed the outfit she had chosen for me on the chair of the vanity in my room. “Up, please,” she said.

    I forced myself up out of the rather large, four poster bed. Thea then went about helping me change. Once the dress and the shoes were on, it was then time for hair and makeup. I was shoved into my vanity and then plucked and prodded at until I resembled whatever the Aurum Princess was supposed to resemble.

    I had coverup, eyeliner, lipstick, blush, and whatever else they could squeeze onto me.

    “What now?” I asked.

    “Now, I am to take you to breakfast,” she said, “you’re supposed to dine with Imperator Zale, and then your schedule for the day will be disclosed with him.”

    “Wonderful,” I said, not even bothering to hide my bitter sarcasm.

    I didn’t want to spend the whole day with Zale. In fact, I didn’t want to be there at all. But what choice did I have? Could I really say no to an order given to me, and lock myself in my room? What would they do if I chose not to come out? I didn’t want to think about it.

    The maid led me down to the dining room. There was a long table, and it was normally filled with courtiers, but that day it was simply Imperator Eric, his wife, and Prince Zale.

    “And Sleeping Beauty awakes,” said Zale, “why don’t you come, have a seat? You didn’t get a chance to eat yesterday. You must be starving.”

    I didn’t know what I was anymore. But I took the empty seat across from the table. It was filled with everything that one might want as far as breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, waffles, muffins, bagels, potatoes, complete with all of the condiments as well. I took a little bit of everything. I didn’t know that I was hungry but I didn’t want to imagine what would happen if I decided that I wouldn’t eat.

    “It was all tested this morning,” said Zale, “I watched the boy do it. So you needn’t worry about being poisoned.”

    I frowned. “Did I say that I was worried about being poisoned?”

    “No,” said Zale, “but you have made it perfectly clear how you feel about my family. I suspected you might not eat your food if you didn’t think that it was safe.”

    I put down the fork that I had just picked up. “I might still not.”

    “Oh?” he said. “Why? Because you think we’re lying about the poison?”

    “Yes,” I said, “and because maybe I’ve decided that I’m not going to eat at all. Because I’m going to let myself wither and die before your very eyes, all so that I don’t have to marry you.”

    “That would be a very foolish thing to do,” said Imperator Eric.

    I glanced at him. “Why is that?”

    “Because if you don’t marry my son, we already have arrangements with your brother to marry off your dear, sweet sister Neri to him,” said Imperator Eric, “and they did so hit it off at the races last Spring.”

            Prince Zale smiled. “Its true. She was quite charming when I met her. She might be more obliging than you.”

            “You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed.

            “We most certainly would,” said Imperator Eric, “you might be intent on seeing this alliance fail, Princess, but we are not. We are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that it continues. Even if that means swapping out Princesses.”

            “Please don’t,” I begged, “Neri deserves more than this. She deserves to marry someone she loves.”

            Prince Zale smirked. “Play your role, little Princess. Be the doting fiancé. Marry me. Give me an heir. And we shall leave your darling sister alone entirely. However, if you insist on withering away and dying, we will be forced to resort to option b, which involves me replacing you with the understudy.”

            I glared at him. The idea of him being even in the same room with Neri made my stomach squirm.

            “I think you’ll enjoy the waffles,” said Zale, “they’re excellent with strawberries and whipped cream.” Then, before I could stop him, he grabbed my plate and spooned some on there, completing it with strawberries, whipped cream, and syrup.

    He handed them back to me. “Eat up, darling. We’ve got a full day of events. Plenty of places to go, and people to meet.”

    I glanced at the fork that lay before me. For one moment, I thought of taking it, reaching across the table, and stabbing him in the hand with it. Instead, I took a sip of the orange juice next to me, and then I dug into my breakfast like the role of the good girl that I was supposed to be playing. I could be a good girl if it meant keeping the monster away from my sister, no matter how much it pained me to do it.