~7~

~♛~

I dashed to the castle entrance and pulled Aki into a death grip hug, causing her to drop her bag. "Woah

(Y/N)! Good to see you too!" She managed to say even while I was practically suffocating her.

"I'm so glad you're here!" I chirped. "Heh, I told you that you would be picked, didn't I!" She chimed back.

"James, take Aki to her new room," Adrian addressed, causing the guard to stand attention. The guard picked up her bag, that she previously dropped without any hesitation.

I realized I had recognized the voice of this guard from somewhere, then it hit me. He's the guard that warned me about the prince being 'ill' .... but he seems fine to me so far...

The guard, er, James began walking down the hall and Aki scurried to follow him. I smiled as I watched her walk down the hall, maybe I won't have to be so alone now.

Lost on thought, I just noticed the pair of arms surrounding me into a hug from behind. My immediate response was to push them away, but I realized it was in fact Adrian, and that wouldn't be such a good idea on my part. His arms rested on my sides respectfully, and not to low.

"So (Y/N), since you're going to be royalty, it's custom for young princes and princess to take cotillion classes, though seeing as you didn't grow up in a castle, you probably didn't take any classes of the sort." Adrian addressed while still holding onto me.

I stood still for a minute trying to process what he said, mostly because I wasn't paying attention. "Co...Cotillion? What's that?" I asked with confusion.

"Ah, Cotillion is a class where you learn proper royal etiquette, such as dancing, manners, and anything of similarity. It's quite easy, and necessary for all royalty." He described nonchalantly.

"Er, how long does that last for?" I replied. "Nothing too long, thought I depends on the person, it usually ranges from weeks to months, rarely does it last years, but I believe you can learn quickly," He finishes with a smile.

"So, when does that start?" I asked trying to keep the conversation going. "Well, I was hoping this morning, but seeing as your friend has come so soon, maybe it should be postponed..." He said trailing off. "I think we should start today, you know, to get it over with." I decided.

His eyes lit up with excitement when I finished my sentence. "Splendid! So we can have the wedding even earlier! Great thinking my love!" He chirped.

"Er, that's not what I, nevermind. Yes, we should start today." That's definitely not what I intended... I thought inside as I mentally slapped myself.

"I shall prepare the class within the hour! Don't go too far!" He said as he hastily left. Might as well find something to do.

~♛~

I found my way to the servants and workers quarters, with the help of a maid I found on my hopeless search by myself. It had taken me at lease twenty five minutes to get there, so I just hoped the prince or  someone would be able to find me when the whole 'royal etiquette' thing was starting.

I quietly knocked on the door before I peering inside, checking if I had the right room. Before I could speak, the door handle fidgeted and slowly inched open. Aki's face peeked through the door, and was immediately illuminated as soon as she recognized me.

"(Y/N)!" She squealed with excitement, still taking in the fact she was inside the biggest room she's ever slept in, even for being a servants room. "I still can't believe you're here, or that I'm here! This is amazing!" She continued. "I know we only met a few days ago, but you're the best friend I've ever had. You're genuine, unlike others, and I still don't know how you landed me this job!"

"It's nothing Aki, don't work yourself up so much! I'd do anything for you," I cut in interrupting her rambling. "I know I know, you just mean a lot to me, and don't forget it!"

"So, on a different subject..." Aki began as a vague smirk spread across her face. "How's the prince...?"

"Er, well, I don't really know..." I replied meekly while I looked down to the floor to hide my hopeless embarrassment. "Hmph! That's no fun!" She pouted. "Atleast tell me something about him!"

"I don't really know anything yet! I mean he seems nice, ugh I'm betrothed to a stranger, a prince whom I don't even know!" I exposed.

"Well I'm sure you'll get to know him eventually, things like that don't happen right away." She assured.

"Well it happened all in one night for me," I murmured more to myself than Aki, but I guess she noticed because she tilted her head to the side as if asking me to explain. "I mean, I went from rags to riches, figuratively speaking."

"And quite literally," she said eyeing my casual dress I had found inside the oversized wardrobe in my room. "I would kill to afford fabric like royalty, it's much easier to use than the cheap, bunchy fabric from the town, if only..." Aki mourned as she wiped a non-existent tear from her eye.

"Alright alright, you work in the castle now, so you'll have access to those kinds of things," I stated slightly chuckling at her dramatized performance.

"I know right!" She giggled as her spunk immediately returned to her face. "What if I could be your personal seamstress! Like, dressing you in gowns and such, oh I'm imagining it now! The silk, the lace! Magnificent!" She gawked.

"That would be amazing! Oh I'm so happy your here! I feel like a shining light just entered my life since you've walked through the door Aki," I praised. "Wow, you mean that? You know I feel the same way! Thank you for everything!" She responded.

"Heh, it's no problem! I'm just so excited you're here! Hey, maybe later we can-" I began but was rudely cut off by a sudden knock on the door.

"Yes, what is it?" I asked trying to sound authoritative. A boy with raven hair, no older than me, quietly opened the door and started speaking as soon as he saw me.

"S-Sorry Your Highness! I didn't mean to interrupt, but His Majesty requests your presence immediately in the dining hall, and has asked me to lead you there," He affirmed.

"Alright I see, I'll speak with you later Aki, a pleasure to accompany you!" I beamed and bowed dramatically. "And I you! Until we meet again, Miss (Y/N)!" She chirped and curtseyed with elegance as a response to my bow.

"Right this way Your Highness," the servant boy addressed. "No need, you can just call me (Y/N), or Miss (Y/N), if it makes you more comfortable to use some sort of title, but there isn't no need for formality with me," I encouraged and gave him a warm smile. His expression was a mix of worry and doubt, but also appreciation. I assumed he wasn't actually going to call me anything other than 'highness,' but I get the hint that he appreciated the fact I tried to make him more comfortable.

The rest of the journey was silent, and all that could be heard was the soft echo of tapping shoes against the tiles of the castle. She had descended into the dining hall where the Prince and another woman whom I didn't know was standing and speaking with Adrian.

The servant left my side to return to his duties around the castle, so I was alone for the time being. I took a deep breath and slowly staggered awkwardly to where the two of them were standing.

Adrian quickly turned to me and his face was filled with joy, and a hint of relief. "(Y/N)! I'm so glad you made it! This here is Miss Florence. Miss Florence has been dear to our kingdom for a long time, and she will be in charge of your courses," he addressed the woman. I peered at her, still unsure of who she was. Her hair was white, though she didn't seem that incredibly old at all. Her face was kind, and she reminded me of Aki in a way, only this woman was most likely a few decades older.

Before I could greet the unfamiliar woman, Adrian quickly spoke up. "I have business to attend to, so I must leave this lesson, so go on as usual. If you need me Maire, you know where to find me." He finished as he sauntered off, leaving me alone with the woman.

"Such a mystery that child," Miss Florence muttered breaking the tension. "What do you mean?" I asked suddenly curious by what she meant. "I've been here long enough to see all of His Highness's phases, and he never ceases surprise me. But this last one has been quite a hard code to crack."

I was going to ask another question about what she meant by that, but I bit my tongue. She inhaled and sighed deeply, then returned her gaze towards me.

"So, you're the lucky girl aren't you? You may call me Florence, it's wonderful to meet you, Lady        (Y/N)," she spoke with such kindness.

"A pleasure to meet you Florence! I'm also very knew to this whole 'royalty thing,' so I apologize in advance," I affirmed slightly embarrassed for being so inexperienced.

"No need to apologize! It's completely understandable. Here, we will start our first lesson, it's fairly simple so I believe you will catch on quick...." She began. My fears and doubts about this whole thing started to subside after a while. Maybe this whole thing won't be so bad...

~♛~

Three hours. Three hours of knowledge I'm pretty sure was made up by some perfectionist who wanted to make everyone suffer. Who knew there were so many different kinds of the same utensil for numerous purposes? And don't even get me started on the whole manners part. I didn't even know there was a certain way to hold a fork or a spoon, or how it's considered a problem or a form of disrespect to do it any other way.

I put on my best facade of appreciation and I waved goodbye to Florence and left the dining hall. I glanced over to a grandfather clock on my left to check the time. 7:50... maybe I still have time to talk to Aki..?

I decided to go see Aki anyways, completely disregarding my curfew. I set off towards the servant quarters, going based off the memory of the paintings that littered the castle walls. I was going in the right direction, until I stumbled across a painting I didn't recognized. At first I shrugged it off, assuming I had just not payed attention to it, but the further I traveled the more I realized I was going in the wrong direction.

"Darn... I knew I should of payed more attention to where I was going. I guess I'll have to wait until a servant passes by, or attempt to retrace my steps." I thought out loud. Today was already confusing enough, so I didn't feel like taking the time in getting even more lost, until I saw something moving at the end of the hallway.

"Hm?" I hummed in curiosity. Maybe it's a servant, I should catch them before they leave so I can ask them for help!

I quickly changed my pace to hurry down the curved hall to catch up with the assumed servant. "Hey wait!" I called out to them. As soon as I whipped around the corner, there was no one in sight, only a dimly lit hallway, causing me to realize how dark it was outside. Huh? Where'd they go? And I've never seen this part of the castle... Maybe I just haven't wandered here yet.

I took only a few steps, until a strong force latched onto my arm and pulled me into a room by the wall. I began to scream, but a hand was quickly placed over my mouth, and the door was shut behind me.

"Curiosity is what killed the cat, (Y/N)."