The party was at night, and yet Tatiana woke up when the rest of the world was still asleep.
The sun had not even risen yet, but Emma came crashing through her doors, startling her awake. She looked around with her half-opened eyes to see if the palace was on fire, but it wasn't. When she was going back to sleep, Emma forced her to sit and woke her up saying that it was the day of her party and she needed to prepare.
"Emma, don't you know what time it is? The party doesn't start until late in the afternoon!" Tatiana complained. She barely had enough sleep last night because she and Elliot kept talking. Even Elliot was sleeping and softly snoring beside her, with a stuffed bear in his arms.
Emma pulled her up and shook her. "Princess, there are still a lot of things to prepare! We need to bathe you in milk and rose petals so your skin will be in its best condition before Sir Miguel arrives to fit and alter your gown!"
Tatiana groaned and complained, but knowing Emma, she would never be able to go back to sleep. Her mood wasn't quite good and she envied Elliot, who was still sleeping in her bed. Lucky for him, he's not going through this painful process. Why is her sixteenth birthday so special anyway? People come to the palace and celebrate her birthday, even when she doesn't even know them.
It took an awful lot of time to get her bathed, dressed in a robe, and do other things that would make her look pretty and her skin healthy. She had trouble keeping herself awake until Emma made her wash her face with cold water, as it makes the skin firm, she says. That stuff woke her up in seconds.
By this time, the sun was up in the sky and Elliot was escorted by his servant to go to his chambers and also prepare. Miguel also arrived with the other assistants that he hired especially for this day. They were pulling a large trolley full of suitcases that Tatiana assumed had makeup and accessories inside.
Usually, she uses her own accessories, but since she sold most of them to raise funds for the orphanage, she had to borrow from Miguel.
It took hours to do her make-up and hair. Her butt was becoming numb because of sitting too long. And even though she was hungry, she was only allowed to eat a few pieces of berries just to suppress her hunger.
"Today, you will officially debut into society, your highness," Miguel reminded her, "You need to be extravagant when you face them. You should be the standard of beauty at the party."
"I like being called pretty, but what I don't like is sitting in front of people without eating because my dress is too tight."
"Beauty comes with a price, princess." Miguel gently turned her head to face the mirror. "And as a future queen, you should get used to making sacrifices."
Miguel never failed to impress her. He always found ways to make her even more beautiful than before. She thought that maybe this was the peak of her beauty. She can't even recognize herself in the mirror.
"Woah," she gasped.
"I know right," Miguel said, smiling with satisfaction. "You can take a break and we will fit your gown later."
"Thank goodness!" Tatiana sighed and stood up. She stretched her body and felt the release of her tense muscles. It felt so good to be able to stand up and move after hours.
Suddenly, they heard a loud bang from the outside. Tatiana turned and ran towards the window, where Emma immediately pulled her back.
"The party is only a few hours away," Emma told her. "You should be careful, princess."
"But didn't you hear that bang? Shouldn't we be concerned?" Tatiana looked around all confused.
"Oh that," Miguel sat down and poured himself a cup of tea and crossed his legs, "Maybe the hunt has ended already."
"The hunt?"
"Hunts are popular here in Aragon," Emma said. "During extravagant parties or festivals that last for days, hunts are always a thing for nobles. After your coming of age ceremony, you will also be attending the hunts and other events."
Tatiana sat down on her bed. "What hunt? You mean they hunt animals?" she asked.
"It depends on the host. Sometimes they hunt animals, but the most common is that they hunt for monsters. It's also a great way to eliminate threats and make it fun."
Tatiana remembered a scene in the book where Agatha, along with the other male leads, attended a party. The original Tatiana tried to bully and sabotage Agatha during that time, and she was so confident that Bjorn, who was still her fiancé at that time, would give her the biggest monster hunt. In the end, Tatiana embarrassed herself because Bjorn and the other male leads gave their hunting to Agatha, who was the center of attention.
She stared out the window and into the blue sky. She wonders what kind of hunting they're doing now or if they have someone to give their hunting to.
Tatiana shrugged it off. She doesn't expect anything from them. Bjorn and her are on good terms, but at the end of the day, they hate each other. As for Morgan, he's still taking his sweet time to adjust and is still quite distant from her.
"I want to participate in hunts," she suddenly blurted out of nowhere.
"Princess!" Emma immediately interrupted. "Hunting is notâ"
"Hunting is not fit for princesses! I get it, Emma." Tatiana chuckled. She and Miguel locked eyes, and Miguel rolled his eyes and shook his head. Even Miguel knew that Tatiana wouldn't listen to what Emma said.
"I need to find other things to make a hobby," she continued. "When I become crown princess, I won't be able to visit the orphanage often since I will be busy with the lessons and other field staff. I'll travel more too."
"And that is your duty as the crown princess." Emma nodded in agreement. "You will soon rule Aragon, and you need to prepare yourself to become a good wife and an elegant mother."
"A what?" Tatiana asked as she suddenly turned deaf.
"A trophy wife, you mean. The princess here will be busier because she will train and study how to become a good wife," Miguel snickered. "You know how these things work. Aragon strives for patriarchal power."
"I forgot about that part." Tatiana had a sudden realization. Being queen is not something that she should look forward to. She may be the queen, but she will have no power. She will have no control over the kingdom, and she will have no power over her own life.
After the coronation, she will study how to become a good mother and wife. She will be forced to attend several social events among nobles to strengthen her status and support. And then, suitors from different families will come to ask for her handâassuming that she breaks the engagement with Bjorn. She will be trapped in the palace for eternity and be unhappy about it.
And she definitely doesn't want that. She won't allow herself to become a prisoner of her own life.
"Your highness, why do you have that face?" Emma asked her. She also started to feel nervous.
"What face?" Tatiana asked her thoughtlessly.
Miguel also looked over at the princess, who was staring into space as if she was thinking about something deeply.
"You make that face whenever you're thinking about something strange," Emma answered. She looked over at Miguel and tilted her head, trying to tell him to do the work before the princess decided to run away.
"Oh!" Miguel finally caught up, "breaks over! Let's get back to work!"
He guided Tatiana towards the portable and foldable panels of the mirror and made her step on the pedestal. The princess was still in deep thought.
Miguel and Emma looked at each other with anxiety and uncertainty. The princess was not saying anything, and her expression was hard to read. It's times like this that Emma feels nervous about what's going on in the princess's head.
"Emma, Miguel," the princess murmured.
"Yes, your highness!" they both answered in unison. This time they were fully alert, and Emma even readied herself to run towards the door to block it off. There is no way that the princess will be allowed to run away from her own party. Because if she does, everything will turn into chaos.
"I read a book," she started off, "the main character was supposed to be married to her prince charming in that book. But what if the villainess ended up marrying the prince instead?"
"Well, did the villainess steal the prince away from the main character? That's what villainesses do, right?" Miguel asked her.
Tatiana shook her head while staring at her own reflection.
"No, the villainess and the prince knew each other before the main character entered the story. And the villainess is not evil this time, but she needs the prince charming to save her from a painful life going forward."
"If they both fall in love before the main character, then I see nothing wrong with it." Miguel nodded. "But where did you read that story? That's a unique style."
"Even if the villainess 'sort of' steals the main character's supposed-to-be love interest?"
"The main character can find herself someone else then. I heard second leads are usually better than prince charming."
Tatiana let out a shaky breath as she stared at herself in the mirror.
The villainess and the prince charming, huh?
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END