MAKE THEM GOLDEN, caius volturi

all eyes on me ⸻ 018

I sighed gently as the final stroke of makeup was applied to my face.

Prionka, who had been kind enough to lend me her skills for the night, smiled and put the brush down, turning around to grab the mirror.

"Tada!"

She placed the mirror in my hands so that I could look at myself and see the final product of my makeup. And when I did, I nearly gasped at how stunning it turned out.

"Do you like it?" Prionka asked expectantly, biting her red lips.

Wordlessly, I nodded.

My usual pink lips were coated with nude lipstick, and my eyes were painted with accents of gold. It was all subtle yet I looked like I was radiating when it was put together. And to top it off, my hair was left down and curled, a golden crown laying above the waves.

Standing up, I felt pride swell in my chest as I looked at myself in the full length mirror with my dress and makeup on. In my opinion, I had never looked so...royal before. But now, for the first time ever it looked like I truly deserved the title of Queen.

And it was the first time I had began to believe it, too.

"I love it," I told Prionka in awe as I turned back to her, my jaw still dropped in disbelief. "You did a wonderful job, thank you. Truly."

"It was no problem," She hesitated for a moment, looking like she was debating something, before bowing slightly and giving me another smile. "I was honored when you asked, Your Grace."

"And I was honored when you accepted," I replied.

I was a little surprised at how she addressed me, knowing that she preferred to only call me by my name or 'Your Grace,' as a joke. But today she actually sounded genuine, and I decided to just take it a sign of our growing respect for one another.

I stepped away from the mirror and walked so that I was standing in the center of my bedroom, anxiously staring at the door. Nerves grew like weeds in my stomach; for I knew that just beyond that door were people that were waiting to celebrate me.

Caius was waiting to celebrate me. And thinking about it made my nerves increase by a ten-fold.

I touched my lips, and found that they still tingled at the sensation of his against mine. The kiss, which was only a night ago, still lingering and fresh in my memory.

I felt a blush rise on my cheeks, my heart speeding up just thinking about it.

What would he say tonight? Would he like my dress? Would he kiss me again? Would he-

"Your grace," I was snapped out of my thoughts  by the door opening and a woman with red eyes entering. "The King has told me to tell you that everyone is ready for you," She said, bowing.

I nearly forgot how to breath at her words.

"Nadine?" Prionka frowned as I stumbled back slightly, all confidence leaving me. And suddenly, I didn't feel like a Queen anymore as I thought about all of the people that were going to be there, of the eyes that were going to be watching me for the rest of the night. "Are you alright?"

"Your Grace? Should we call someone?" The woman panicked.

'No,' I wanted to say to both of them, but the lack of air prevented me from saying anything. It was that I realized that I had been holding my breath for far too long, my vision beginning to get blurry. In and out I breathed until the feeling of bile rising in my chest went away slightly, and I felt like I could finally function again.

"I'm alright," I told Prionka and the worried woman, stuttering slightly. The feeling of anxiety faded but I was still shaking a little. "I-I'm just nervous, that's all," I confessed, my hands twirling together.