~ Control ~

"Oh my," One of the girls chimed adoringly, batting her eyelashes from behind her fan. "Lady Catrina's dress is gorgeous, it will definitely be the dress of the night!"

"Yes," Another girl agreed, eyes admiring the skirts of Catrina's flamboyant gown. "There is no one with better taste than she."

Catrina smiled, fanning herself with a steady wrist. Her long auburn hair had been tightly placed into a bun, except for several curled strands which were let loose to frame her heavily decorated face. Her maids had spent several hours on her makeup, using only the best products to highlight her beauty.

Marquis Laurente, her father, had spent a fortune on her dress. It was heavily adorned with several layers of glittering fabric and jewels. It was a bright shade of pick, catching the light every time her skirts swirled. She was the star of the banquet, as expected.

Catrina felt the hand of her mother tighten on her shoulder. She flinched as her mother's long manicured nails dug into her sleeves.

"Catrina," Her mother whispered to her, blocking others from seeing her mouth with her luxurious fan. "You know what you must do, right? You must get Her Highness to invite you to enter the Palace."

Catrina nodded, heeding the words that poured off her mother's painted lips. She held her head up confidently, reassuring herself that tonight would be her night. She was the prettiest young lady at the ball. Surely even the Princess would want to be in her good graces.

"Now entering His Majesty, King Caderyn Del Silvermond, and the Royal Princes and Princess!"

The chatter and conversations were silenced as everyone turned their heads expectantly to the doors of the ballroom. The towering golden encrusted doors opened, allowing the Royal Family to enter from the raised platform at the front of the hall. The guests bowed their heads in unison upon their arrival.

Catrina peeked her head up slightly, searching the platform for the Princess. She clicked her tongue upon seeing her. The Princess was wearing a gown of dripping rose petals that stood out vividly against her snow-white skin. Her ethereal silver hair fell in ridiculously long waves, making Catrina's stomach churn with annoyance.

"You may rise," The King said coldly.

"Oh my," One of the ladies from earlier whispered to a group of young women, "Do you see the Princess? I've heard tales of her beauty, but I believe the rumours weren't able to capture her true rapture. Her beauty is beyond words."

The women dripping in emeralds and diamonds nodded, eyes lost in a daze at the sight of the Princess. Catrina rolled her eyes, raising her feathered fan to cover her clear semblance of jealousy.

"Her dress is quite simple and elegant," Another woman said, eyes admiring the gown of roses. "I must have one made just like it! She looks just like a spring fairy."

"Yes, yes," A lady with a short stature said, fiddling with her brooch. "Now that I think about it, simpler dresses are nicer than heavily adorned ones."

Catrina clenched her fist on the fabric of her colourful skirts and listened to the praises the noble women whispered. Her eyes gazed dangerously at the Princess, who sat elegantly on a jewelled throne beside the King.

The Marchioness cleared her throat, leaning towards her daughter's ear. "Wipe that look off your face. You must praise the Princess equally if you intend to win her favour."

"Thank you for coming to celebrate the ninth birthday and coronation of the twins," The King said, clearly not in the proper mood to give a heartfelt speech. "Let the banquet commence."

The sound of sweet violins and a piano cut through the heavy silence as the ballroom began to buzz with excitement once more. Catrina glanced around. Most of the guests were either admiring the third Prince and Princess' appearances, or were flocking towards the throne platform to offer their gifts and greetings.

The Marchioness grabbed the arm of her daughter tightly and began to follow the flow of the crowd. She glanced up, making eye contact with a sneering man from a distance.

~***~

"What's happening now?" Aiden asked from his seat beside Winter, fiddling with the rose on his jacket. "Why are people lining up?"

"They're going to introduce themselves," The King explained coldly. "If you don't like the gifts, we can throw them away."

Winter rose from her seat and fastened a fresh rose on the King's jacket. "You can't just throw the gifts away in front of them, Your Majesty."

The King flicked an eyebrow up at her words, hiding his smile as his daughter adjusted the flower. "I was talking about the people."

"What?"

"If you don't like the gift someone gives you, we can throw the person away."

Lysander and Alexion stifled their chuckles, watching Winter's face contort in confusion.

"Sit," The King commanded. He grabbed his daughter and placed a squirming Winter on his lap. "Aiden, come here."

Aiden, unlike Winter who struggled against the King's grip, paraded over to the largest throne and took a seat on the King's other leg. Winter blushed in embarrassment, hiding her face behind the King's cape.

Winter tried her best to stay awake as several people whose names she didn't remember introduced themselves and offered them luxurious gifts. She watched as Aiden lit up excitedly at the boxes and boxes of jewels and items, smiling softly at his reactions. He looked truly happy and it warmed her heart.

"My my," An annoyingly animated voice chimed. "Look how adorable Your Highnesses are. I greet the esteemed Royal Family."

Winter glanced down at the Marchioness and her daughter from her place on her father's lap. She watched as the gaudy lady pushed her child forward. The girl dropped into a low curtsy, but Winter could see the look of pure hatred hidden behind her eyes.

"I greet Your Royal Highnesses and Your Majesty," The girl said. "My name is Catrina Laurente. It is truly an honour to be here in celebration of the Empire's third Prince and first Princess' birthday."

The King said nothing.

The Marchioness cleared her throat, crinkling her eyes and fanning herself extravagantly. "We would like to offer the third Prince this custom made shield from my husband's business. It has been carefully designed to match the Empire's emblem and was made from our finest materials."

Aiden's eyes lit up upon seeing the golden shield. The Marchioness sneered at his reaction, raising her chin in a standoffish way. Winter clicked her tongue at the sight of the lurid woman. She made her feel sick.

The Marchioness gently tapped Catrina's arm, hiding her smirk carefully behind her fan.

"For the Princess, I have personally chosen these gifts." Catrina said with a clearly feigned smile. "A few yards of our finest silk and an extravagant tea set from the capital's most popular designer."

Catrina's mouth hurt from smiling, but the Princess' cold facade didn't waver even once. Catrina swallowed nervously, reciting her lines in her head. Her mother had made her practice until she collapsed heaving with a dry throat.

"The truth is," She started, raising a hand to her mouth in a shy manner. "I have always adored Her Highness' eminence from afar. I wanted to personally select the Princess' gifts in hopes of demonstrating my loyalty to the Empire. I heard that the Royal garden is a sight to behold during this time around, so I chose this tea set in hopes that Her Highness may use it while admiring the flowers."

"Oh, yes!" The Marchioness added, nodding her head excessively. "My little Catrina adores gardens. She always speaks about the Royal garden in hopes of seeing it one day."

"Oh mother," Catrina said, faking a shy mien and batting her eyelashes. "It is true that I have always held an appreciation for nature. Nevertheless, I do hope that Her Highness will accept my gifts."

Winter practically spat at their words. If she was truly nine, then perhaps it would have been different. However, she could fully understand their intentions. Their actions had been deliberately planned from the start. It was obvious that Catrina wanted to be invited into the Palace for tea.

Winter smirked, observing their act. This'll be fun, she thought to herself.

"Oh my," She said in a sickeningly sweet tone. "These gifts are truly precious. I shall accept them gratefully."

The King hid his smirk behind Aiden's shoulder. The one person who possessed a tongue sharp enough to cut the tyrannical King was Winter. The King was originally going to interfere. He knew the nobles would do anything possible to win the favour of his new children and he had every intention to shield them from high society as much as possible. Winter, however, refused to hold her tongue. He snickered, thinking about how funny this situation would turn out to be.

Catrina's smile wavered. "Ah, I'm so glad! I've always wanted to make friends with Your Highness from the moment I heard you returned safely to the Empire."

"How sweet," Winter smiled, mocking Catrina's disposition with her icy eyes.

"If Her Highness wishes," Catrina said beginning to sweat nervously. "I would be more than happy to show you how to use the tea set, since it is a new design in the capital."

Winter tilted her head. "Are you insisting that I am not capable of deducing how to use a tea set by myself?"

Catrina froze, rubbing her sweaty palms on the skirts of her sparkling dress. She glanced at her mother nervously, fearing the consequences of failing to get invited to enter the Palace. She thought the Princess would be stupid since she was raised by mercenaries, but her wishful thinking was soon shot down.

The guests listening in on their conversation began to whisper.

"Oh dear, it does sound like she is belittling Her Highness."

"How disgraceful. To offend the Princess on her birthday in front of the King!"

"Princess Winter was so kind about receiving the gifts. To think the Marchioness and her daughter would imply such a thing."

"Isn't Her Highness only nine? To think Lady Catrina is targeting such a young child."

The Marchioness clenched her fists, panic rising within her stomach. "Your Highness, my daughter did not mean to offend you. I truly apologize for her insolent tongue. Catrina only wishes to befriend you since it has been her dream ever since you entered the Palace."

"Yes!" Catrina added in a panic. "I could never imply such a thing. I only wish to be close to Her Highness!"

"I understand," Winter said, feigning graciousness. "Please be more careful with your choice of words next time, Lady Catrina. You are addressing a Royal, after all."

Catrina's nails pierced her skin as she clenched her fists. A single stream of crimson red blood dripped down her thumb as she walked away from the platform and disappeared amongst the crowd. How could the Princess be so arrogant? She was just a little girl with an ill upbringing. How could she embarrass her like that? She shivered, feeling the angered grip of her mother's hand.

The Marchioness hid her face with her fan. She saw the frown of an angered man in the distance and recoiled even further behind her feathered shield. She bit her painted lips, coming up with a new plan. Gaining control over the first Princess was going to be a lot harder than she thought.