The morning breeze blew as the crystal clear dewdrops slid down the leaves and jumped happily. The green grass woke up under the gentle morning light and the birds sang a happy song. I jumped out of the bed and quickly changed out of my nightgown. I'm planning on making a sweet potato burger and some chocolate chips cookies to bring to the palace today as I remembered that Sir Calisto will be there. So I went to the kitchen while humming happily.
I have three hours left to prepare everything and get myself ready. I usually didn't take that long to get ready. Even in my original life, every time we went out as a family, I'm always the plain one among my sisters. Believe it or not, I didn't even know how to use an eyeliner, though I am an adult already. It's not that I didn't try to use it, it's just that I'm used to looking like this, so it felt different, and also I find it difficult. This is one of the times that I would say change is hard. For me, the basic three was more than enough: moisturizer, sunscreen, and lip balm. Sometimes I would put a bit of lipstick on my lips.
Now it's all done and ready to be packed. Since I got time left, I wrapped my cookies perfectly with a cute ribbon as I have been meaning to do it every time I baked cookies. Now it looks cute as I've finished wrapping all of it up. I felt a sense of accomplishment.
Then Laura came rushing to the kitchen and she seemed out of breath.
"My lady, why are you here? We should get you ready, why you didn't tell me you're going to the palace today?"
She asked as she reached for a cup of water.
"It's fine, Laura. It wouldn't take long for me to get ready. Thirty minutes is more than enough," I said with a smile.
"No, my lady. You're going to the palace. P.A.L.A.C.E. You have to look your best. Do you want others to look down on your father?" she said, with her hand on her waist.
"Pardon me," she said as she reached my hand.
Then she grabbed my hands to the room and started rummaging my wardrobe. I followed her silently. Then she took out a light blue dress and asked me to put it on. As I put it on the dress, she then took out high heels and jewellery to match my dress. I don't prefer to wear high heels, but I feel like it's alright, as she was the one who chose them. I know some people would call me short, but I feel like I am just at the right height. She looked so happy, and I could understand why. This has never happened before. I bet nobody knew I existed. All the love letters and proposals were only sent to Eliana. There's none for me. Someday I wished I could write a love letter as well and feeling happy when I got a reply from the person I love. Whoever he is.
Then she sat me down in front of a mirror and started putting make-up on me. She looked happy and serious at the same time. I felt joy. I thought to myself that once in a while, feeling pampered was not bad at all. I closed my eyes as I felt relaxed and loved. Then I felt her hand ran through my wavy black hair. It felt nice.
"My lady, do you prefer it like this or tie it up?" she asked. As her head tilted with confusion.
"Choose for me," I said with a smile on my face.
"Hmm.. Then should we do a crowned braid? We can put on hair accessories on the braid," she said as she playing with my hair.
"Okay, Laura," I said as a sign of approval.
She started doing my hair in a half-up crowned braid hairstyle, as she said it's a shame to braid it whole. She thought it's better to let it roam with the wind. I thought to myself, why can't we just leave it be. However, as I saw her face glow up, I couldn't say it but just smiled.
As I look in the mirror, I feel beautiful from my head to my toe. People kept on saying that beauty from the inside that's matters, or beauty is in the eye of the beholder. We know ourselves, that we tend to look at appearance first, but kept on denying it. Moreover, I know some people would say, how could they think like that as they were not as beautiful as them? I'm furious of the way they're thinking. There's no one who could bring us down except ourselves. If they talked about you, do you think you should have cowered down and let them win? We are stronger when we believe we are, and nobody can change that. I know it's hurtful and you will be in pain, but as time passed, you moved on. They don't define you, but you are. Hence, I always reminded myself that beauty begins when you start to be yourself. Don't spend your time thinking about others, you have your own life to live and be incredible.
Now I am done and ready to go. I saw my father standing handsomely near the carriage as he was waiting for me to arrive. We greeted each other with a smile. He extended his hand to help me ride this stunning horse-drawn carriage. The journey to the palace was about half an hour ride. I tried to create a friendly atmosphere as I didn't like an awkward feeling throughout our journey.
"I bake this for you, father," I said as I passed him my cookie, which I put inside my small basket.
"Thank you," he said as he reached the cookie.
"I hope you would like it. I reduce the amount of sugar and I used dark chocolate in it," I said with beaming eyes, hoping he would like it.
I waited for his response as he opened his mouth for a bite of the cookie.
"It's delicious. It's just the right amount of sweetness, he said as he continued to have another bite.
"I'm glad you like it, father," I said and smiled as bright as the afternoon sun.
"Deanna, will it be alright if you go home first? I have some works that I need to do," he said.
"It's fine, father. Father, is it okay if I go and meet Sir Calisto after meeting the king?" I asked.
"Sure, but for what reason?" He asked.
"Last time we met I promised him my cooking. So I bring this for him," I said as I showed him the basket.
"Alright, we will meet him together later," he said.
"It's fine if you are busy, I can go by myself," I said.
"No, it's fine," he said.
I didn't know why he's like this. His voice sounded soft and gentle, but the words felt like an order. Hence, I just agreed with him politely.
Though at the same time, inside the Duke's head, he was thinking why his daughter was eager to meet Sir Calisto when they just met. He worried that he would lose his daughter when he just started to build this relationship. So he decided to see how Sir Calisto acted around his daughter.
We've arrived at the palace. I stood there feeling amazed and excited. It feels like it was conjured out from a fairy tale book that I used to read while growing up. The castle stood tall beyond the blue sky above. It was mesmerizing. I pinched myself to make myself believe that I am here. Then my father broke the silence, although I didn't realize since when he stood beside me.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? This palace was the home of our king, since the beginning, strong and bold," he said, with a smiling face and shining eyes.
"Yes, it's beautiful," I said with awe.
"We should go now," he said as he started walking.
I walked beside him, quietly and gracefully. We walked through a beautiful garden filled with colourful flowers. I couldn't deny that it was a truly enthralling scene.
"Over there is the royal library and beside it is my office," he said as he pointed to the building.
"Can I visit the library?" I asked him.
"You may only enter the first floor of the building as the second floor only for the royal family," he explained.
"Ok. Maybe I should visit it later," I said.
I can't wait to go to the library and see how the royal library looks like. I always love the smell and the ambiance of a library. It calms me down and brings joy to my life. Furthermore, the library was the only place I felt like I could run to and be alone. I wanted to be alone, but I never wanted to be lonely. Hence, because of this reason, some would always seek someone to pull them out from lonesome. Though we didn't have to look far as the person we were looking for is ourselves. To be honest, sometimes I felt more alone when I am around people. I believed that being alone doesn't have to be lonely when we change the way we see it. There are many activities that we could do—for instance, drawing, singing, or even baking. I always think that when you love yourself, being by yourself wouldn't feel bad at all.
Even when we've passed the garden, the soothing smell of the flowers still floats surrounds me. It felt nice despite the situation that I am about to experience. I walked closely beside my father. I could feel my heart beating wildly. I took a deep breath. However, this anxious feeling wouldn't go away. I didn't know what to expect in this situation as I'm now heading towards where the King of Quirinus, the most powerful person throughout the kingdom was. How could any person relax in this situation?
"Any mistakes that I make, would the king go for my head?" I said inside my head.
"Argh!!" I shouted silently as my heartbeat grew louder.
"How to relax my poor heart? Breath?" I asked myself inside my head as I'm doing a breathing exercise.
"Argh! Not working! Should I hold my breath?" I said inside my head. Then I started holding my breath until my face turned red.
"I gave up. Let's just stay quiet. Maybe with that, I wouldn't make a stupid mistake," I said inside my head, as to convince myself.
I couldn't help myself feeling excited and amazed. It feels like I'm inside a game, trying to explore its world. It felt surreal. The beautiful high-arched windows lined up as it leads the way to where the king was. From outside the windows, I could see the butterfly danced happily as it worshiped the flowers. The polished stone floor and the clean white walls make the hall brighter as the sunlight breaks through. While the glamorous vase which holds the beautiful red carnation brings colour to the room. As I continued walking forward, I saw a big, tall door, which carved elegantly with pride and honour, the emblem of this kingdom.
"We're here, Deanna. Are you ready?"
My father asked as he knows that this was a big step for me, for a person who never attended any event or even making any contacts with the nobles and, most of all, the king. So as a father, he needed to act like one and supported me. He felt that he had neglected me for the past 17 years of my life, so he had to be better for this relationship to grow. Nothing changes if nothing changes. So now it's time to write a new story and grow as a person.