Chapter 4: The Masquerade

I was offered an iPad with an HBO Max subscription and two scoops of chocolate mousse ice-cream. The only natural thing to do next was to throw myself a bubble-bath and enjoy a few minutes of rest and relaxation. Luckily, the bathroom was packed with all sorts of bath salts, foam bath liquids and scented candles. Once I made sure the water was warm and bubbly, I hopped in without a care.

Except that I did have a lot of cares. As I watched Monica propose to Chandler, I wondered what it would be like to vie for Harper's hand in marriage. I am all for being a modern woman chasing after her dreams, but marriage? Future Queen of a foreign land? Is this what I really want? 

The more I thought about it, the more I find myself going back to last night's kiss. I felt something. Something I have never in a really, really long time. Therefore, I couldn't say no to Sebastian's offer. It was worth travelling across the world for; that sensation that started brewing in my chest ever since Harper's lips collided with mine.

A quick glance at the time reminded me that I needed to head to the palace's boutique to pick an outfit to wear for The Masquerade. I slipped into a pair of dark jeans and a black flannel shirt and made my way to the palace's boutique which was – funnily enough – inside the palace.

I pushed through the heavily gilded doors to find myself face-to-face with a dark-haired woman in her lacy, pink underwear. She was trying to pull up a beautiful, sequence turquoise dress. 

'Sorry', I apologized, and started to walk away before she halted me.

'No, I'm sorry. I don't have an appointment. I just needed the seamstress to tuck in my dress a little bit. She's gone to get some pins. Can you help me with the zipper?'

'Sure', I said and helped the polite stranger.

'I'm Lauren Eristavi, by the way', she offered.

'Nice to meet you Lauren. I'm Emma Wilson. You look stunning in that dress', I complimented her.

'Thank you. You're the sweetest.'

The seamstress walked in and introduced herself to me before showing me some dresses. All I kept thinking was, if Lauren was one of the girls I was competing against, there was no way I could win. She was simply gorgeous, polite and had a body that would get any man falling to his knees.

'Miss Emma', the seamstress, Judy-something, snapped me from my trance. 'Would you like to try this red one?'

I looked at the dress, and it looked just as ridiculous as all the other dresses she's shown me. None of them were remotely close to anything I would wear, ever.

'I think the white, angel dress at the corner over there would be perfect for her', Lauren pitched in.

'White? Me? We were closer with the red. At least I wouldn't have to worry about spilling my wine', I said and chuckled nervously.

Both ladies looked at me displeased.

'You seem to hide behind all these dark colors. With your natural blonde hair and gorgeous hazel eyes, Harper should definitely see you in white. It will bring out your best features. Trust me', she said and winked.

When I was offered the dress, I understood what she meant by my best features. She called this an angel dress, but it looked more like a devil in disguise. It was fitted, with one side slit open until a few inches below my hips. The back was bare, and the dress was held together by thin straps at the back and the collar would easily rest on my neck. It wasn't black, but it was perfect.

I immediately took off my clothes and tried it on. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt feline confident and dangerously sexy. Lauren then put on a feathery, white mask on my eyes and the look was complete.

'Thank you for helping me out', I told her.

'You seem new, and not a rich, royal brat. You could use a friend.'

'Even if we're competing for the same guy?'

'That's all the more reason for us to be friends. We need to show the royal world that women supporting women is the new sexy', she said as she rubbed my shoulder. It was intimidating how nice she was.

Each one of us took her dress, stilettos and matching masks and headed to the salon next door to get our hair and make-up done. The only other girl in there was a petite Arab-looKing lady named Leilah Osman. 

I wondered why it was only the three of us in here, then Lauren explained that the other princesses came with their own entourage of stylists and make-up artists. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. 

Once we were all dolled up, Sebastian came to pick me up and the rest of the girls and I parted ways, promising each other to meet at The Masquerade.

'You look stunning', Sebastian couldn't stop drooling. 'Harper is one lucky son of a Kingdom.'

I couldn't help but smile gleefully, but the mention of Harper's name only made me nervous again. Will he be happy to see me? Would he even want me here? There was only one way to find out.

We made it to the grand entrance that led down to The Great Hall where The Masquerade was hosted. Sebastian halted me just before we made our way down the stairs. 'I forgot to tell you. As soon as you enter, you'll need to tell the herald your name and title so that you can be announced to the party.'

'I don't have a title.'

'What's your last name?', he asked.

'Wilson.'

'Oh, right. I forgot you're the heir to the Wilson empire. Alright, since you'll be representing the Novak family, your title will officially be Lady Emma Wilson of House Novak.'

'Yeah, okay. I can live with that', I said, and we started descending the stairs into the massive Great Hall that was filled with ladies in overflowing dresses and men in sharp, designer suits. Everyone was in masks of course, so it was still hard to make out who was whom.

The herald asked for my name and I told him I was Lady Emma Wilson of House Novak, just as Sebastian had asked. The herald gave me a long look-over from head to toe, and after he seemed pleased with me, he announced my arrival. It was weird to hear my name sounding so regal and royal, even though I felt lightyears far from it. 

As soon as we hit the landing, Sebastian excused himself and asked me to mingle with the crowd while he went to get us some drinks from the bar.

I didn't make it two steps before a man in a navy, blue suit and a matching mask cut me off. 'The dress agrees with you', he complimented.

'Thank you', I said politely.

'Well, at least you're off to a great start. I doubt you will last long, though.'

'Excuse me?', I couldn't believe the audacity of that man. He took off his mask and revealed his identity.

'Henrik! Would you cut me some slack? I am just as worthy of being here as you are', I didn't hold back.

'You think you can survive these people like I have? These royals are vicious. Once they get a sniff that you're an outsider; a commoner, you will be begging to get on the next flight to New York.'

Just as I was about to give him a piece of my mind, and maybe my fist, someone grabbed me by the arm and swirled me around. The maneuver took me by surprise.

'Lady Emma Wilson, I have never heard of you or seen you before so you must be new here. I make it a point to know all the ladies at court. You're representing House Novak, so they must be sponsoring you. I am Lady Sabrina Habsburg, Duchess of Liechtenstein.'

I turned around to face this so-called Lady Sabrina to find myself face-to-face with a stunning pixie-looKing, platinum blonde beauty in a purple, mermaid gown and a matching mask of purple and green feathers. She looked out of this world – like a long-lost Targaryen.

'Nice to meet you Lady Sabrina. Yes, I am new here.'

She didn't respond immediately. Instead she seemed to be scrutinizing every cell on my skin. I felt violated. Just as I was about to excuse myself, she started talking again.

'Since you are new here, you should know that once you meet the King you should bow at his feet… and kiss it.'

'I have to kiss his feet? There's no way', I protested.

'It's Monegasque custom to show deep respect and reverence for the monarchy. Don't say I didn't warn you', and with that she left.

Sebastian came back with the promised drinks and I swiftly chugged mine in one-long sip – very un-lady like.

'Are you ready to meet the Prince?', Sebastian said as he pointed his finger to the far right. I followed his finger and that's when I saw him. He was wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a sad smile on his face as he was greeting lady after lady.

Like he sensed I was staring at him, he whipped his head so that his eyes would meet mine. I couldn't resist but grin from ear-to-ear like a love-struck teenager. To my heart's demise, he reciprocated the smile, but looked like he was having a hard time figuring out who was really staring at him. 

He wasn't alone. The King of Monaco was seated on a raised dais alongside him, and a lump started forming in my throat at his sight.

'I'm going to present you to King Josephus first. You have to make a good first impression, so he'll consider you a worthy match for Harper. Once the King dismisses you, then you're allowed to talk to Harper. Are you ready?', Sebastian whispered in my ear.

I swallowed hard to dissolve the lump in my throat and nodded my consent. Sebastian then steered me over to the King who looked intimidating but serene. His salt and pepper hair only made him seem charming in a respectful kind of way. He was dressed in a blue, navy uniform that had honorary badges all over his shoulders and chest.

'Your Royal Highness, may I present to you Lady Emma Wilson?'

'Of course', he said in a deep, course voice that made him sound older than he looks.

I dropped in a low curtsy, momentarily looKing at his feet. Should I kiss it? Hell, no. I don't care what part of the world we were in, I am kissing no man's feet. Even if it was the foot of the King of Monaco, and possibly my future father-in-law. I stood back up and smiled at him politely, and he reciprocated.

'I didn't know you were hiding quite a gem Lord Sebastian. It'll be a pleasure to get to know whom you've chosen to represent your house. I hope you enjoy your time in Monaco – it certainly looks like it agrees with you', he said as he eluded to the smiling Harper next to him.

'Thank you, your Royal Highness', I said politely. Sebastian then escorted me away to fall in line behind some ladies who were waiting to see Harper. I was nervous all over again and started to feel a little competitive as I saw how smitten the ladies before me were when they talked to Harper.

'So, you're a lord', I told Sebastian, trying to distract myself whilst I waited in line.

'Yup. That's my title. You can also address me by 'His Lordship' if you prefer'.

I rolled my eyes as I walked a few feet closer to Harper. 'Dream on, kid. You'll always be just Sebastian to me.'

'Just Sebastian. I've never been called that before. It's interesting.' We both laughed.

The line before me diminished, and it was just me and Harper. Sebastian subtly excused himself, and I was left to the mercy of Harper and his dreamy, grey stare.

'I bet there's a beautiful, mysterious woman behind that mask', Harper started. My cheeks immediately flushed.

'Oh? And how do you greet such a woman?'

His smile deepened before he continued. 'A kiss… on the hand, perhaps?'

The butterflies in my stomach were doing somersaults and hula-hoops with every syllable he spoke. I offered him my hand and as promised, he planted a soft, sweet kiss on it.

'I can't stop wondering who's behind the mask. An aristocrat from a distant country? A wealthy woman of the world? A waitress with connections from Manhattan?', Harper started fooling around. 

If he only knew…

'Why don't I remove this mask and we can find out together?' 

I removed my mask and he looked like he was catching himself from sweeping me off my feet. 

'You are one, incredible woman, Emma Wilson.'

'That's Lady Emma Wilson to you', I corrected him. That earned me a hearty laugh, and I couldn't help but giggle in return.

'You travelled across the world for me?', he asked, suddenly looKing serious, and oh so handsome.

'Crazy huh? But enough about me. How are you holding up?', I asked, concerned. He didn't seem too thrilled about this before leaving New York.

He sighed deeply and looked aimlessly around. 'This whole thing… you would think the Prince of Monaco would have a say in who he gets to marry. I knew what I was getting into, but sometimes I wish I were a normal commoner.'

I looked at him sympathetically. I didn't know how to comfort him, so I simply rubbed his shoulder.

'The entire series of events are set up to so that my parents, the counsel and the people of Monaco get to know their future Queen. You need to get into their good graces before you do mine. I'm sure you'll easily charm them as you charmed me. But I must warn you, everyone will be watching you. If the pressure ever gets too much, let me know and I will get you out of here.'

'Wow, it's like I'm living in a cross-over between The Bachelor and Keeping up with the Kardashians', I tried to lighten the mood.

'What are Kardashians?', he asked innocently. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. He frowned at my reaction.

'Are you trying to tell me that the future King of Monaco doesn't have access to reality TV?'

He smiled and shook his head fervently. 'Between language lessons, polo and fencing, I had truly little time to catch-up with reality TV growing up.'

Someone cleared their throat behind us. It was another princess waiting for her seven minutes in heaven with Harper. We both looked at each other disappointedly.

'The receiving line isn't the best place to talk. I hope I'll get to see you later tonight. Save a dance for me?'

'You bet.'

Harper signaled for Sebastian to whisk me away as he started maKing small talk with the next princess in line.

'Harper looked really happy to see you', Sebastian said when we were a good distance away.

'I think so too. I only wish I had more time with him.'

'And you will, but for now you need to start getting to know the other ladies. Feel out the competition', he advised.

At the corner of my eye, I saw Sabrina head out into the garden and suddenly Sebastian's advice made perfect sense.

'I will get right on it', I told him and followed Sabrina outside.