Withering Petals

Chapter 3: Royalty

"A kingdom is only as strong as its people."

"Members of the imperial family arrived a few minutes ago. Just before I went to fetch you," Frederick informed you, not sparing you a glance as he led you down the quiet hallway. Nearly everyone was in the ballroom. "Their Majesties didn't come, did they?" You remembered that they hadn't. They claimed that they had to attend political meetings, but you were sure that it was just an excuse. They never cared.

"No..." Your brother said slowly, probably wondering how you made the correct assumption. You were smarter than he thought you were. At least, smarter than before. He holds you in a high regard, even after the two of you quarreled. For the rest of the walk you were both silent, one enjoying it, while the other nervously looking back to check on you once in a while to see if you were possessed by a demon. He really thought you were since you were acting so cold and distant. Well, so was he.

"Young master, here you are! The Lord was looking for you!" You inwardly groaned, while your brother gave the servant a nod of acknowledgement, and quickened his pace. You were just a few steps from the ballroom, and you couldn't wait to meet your best friend--from your previous life of course. You suddenly remembered that you would meet her during this ball as well.

As Frederick opened the grand doors to the ball room, you felt a surge of excitement and dread. You wondered what the night would have in store for you. No matter what happens, you just hoped that fate would be kind to you, and that you wouldn't end up dying (like last time).

You were used to the ball room of Duke Fernsby's mansion and the imperial/royal palace, so the size and grandeur of the ball room of your home didn't instill a sense of amazement. You had changed--a lot.

You scanned the room for your best friend, and you immediately found what you were looking for. Sure enough, she was amongst other nobles, talking and laughing, wearing her favorite purple dress, with pretty white laces decorating it. It had long flowing sleeves, with white flowers embroidered on it. Just like you remembered. However, when you started making your way to greet her, and your other friends-to-be, your annoying brother held you back, gesturing his head in the direction of the food table.

He had to notice the people who you desperately wanted to avoid: the imperial family. You bit back a scowl, forcing a smile and marching over to them, your brother hot at your heels. "Princess, wait!" He called, gently pulling you back. You rolled your eyes, not caring if anyone noticed. You were on the verge of snapping. You let him take the lead, taking the chance to have a good glimpse of the people around you. Thankfully, the Duke of the North was nowhere in sight. Probably still in the garden.

Then, as you went closer, you nearly screamed out loud. She was there! Princess Roisin, also know as "the would-be murderer of Lady [Name] de Luna". You were so intent on thinking about the duke that you forgot that she was also in the imperial family. You openly stared at her, unaware that your gaze was full of hatred. Only when your brother cleared his throat did you notice your mistake. The two of you came to a stop in front of them.

"Your Highnesses," Frederick bowed, side-eyeing you as if urging you to follow his example. Well, you didn't need it. As a matter of fact, you had been doing that most of the time in your previous life. "Rise," a smooth voice commanded. Your insides curled with disgust and hatred for that man. You would recognize his voice anywhere. Although he spoke like a gentleman, deep down, he was just like his sister. Sinister and brutal, with sweet words spewing out of his mouth and a fake smile plastered on his face. He was Crown Prince Ciarán (pronounced KEE-ron), the only son of Empress Laoise (pronounced Lee-sha), and the light of the empire. In your opinion, though, he would most likely be the downfall of the empire, given his disregard of his people and his impetuosity.

However, you didn't care if this great empire fell. No, you didn't at all. This empire and the laws that govern it was what had caused your downfall. So, you decided to be smart and only focus on protecting your loved ones (aka your family, really, there's no one else you could trust) and preventing your own death.

It was amazing how you could think so much in merely 1 second. In your periphery, you could see that your brother was about to open his mouth to muster up some sugar-coated words to throw at the imperial family. You know very well that he didn't mean it, though, as he hated the imperial family almost as much as you did. Well, save your saliva, Brother. I've had enough.

"We are honored by your presence, Your Highnesses," you lied, a smile playing on your lips, while ignoring the glare that Frederick sent you. You had learned how to control your expression and tone to make it look genuine from your previous life. Your worst enemy had to choose that very time to answer to you. "Mm," she agreed, opening her fan. It was the one that she took everywhere with her, white with blood-red designs on it. You didn't know how to play your cards at this moment. After all, this never happened in your previous life. You were basically changing history. Thankfully, she didn't seem to have any hatred for you. Yet, you reminded yourself. She would once you start talking with the Duke of the North.

The four of you stood there, the silence hanging in the air like a dark cloud. Although you dread talking to them, the silence wasn't any better. You almost wished that they were firing you with questions. How ironic.

Just as you couldn't bear it anymore, Prince Ciarán broke the silence. "Where is your father?" He asked in a bored expression. Ugh, how you hated him. "Your highness, he is greeting the other guests," your brother answered. "Shouldn't you be doing the same?" Roisin frowned, arching a perfect eyebrow. "Y-yes that's right. I'll take my leave now, Your Highnesses." You noted the hint of panic in his voice, but the prince and princess didn't seem to notice. Frederick turned to leave, but not before leaning towards you and whispering lowly, "Princess, I'll help Father now. Hold the fort while I'm gone." He didn't say it out loud, but you could've sworn you saw Princess Roisin perk up, staring at you wordlessly. Well, you couldn't blame her. Your brother literally called you a princess in front of a real princess.

And just like that, he left you. Alone. With the two people you hated most. You sighed, vowing to settle scores with him later. For now, you were glancing around you, trying to find someone whom you could use as an excuse and escape to. Well, it wouldn't really help, since none of the nobles knew you yet, although you knew most of them.

"It wouldn't do to stand here all day, princess. You're the hostess, aren't you?" You glanced at the prince, annoyed. The nickname he had just called you almost made you throw up in disgust. That nickname can only come out of your brother's mouth. At least Ciarán dismissed you though.

You gave a slight bow, then hurried away. Man, you wanted to be as far away from them as possible. You soon spotted Eva, your best friend-to-be, at the corner of the ball room and made your way towards her.

However, with your luck, you didn't get far.

You felt the air shift behind you, and before you knew it, the voice of the man that you had tried so hard to avoid came drifting towards you.

"Lady de Luna?"