Unwarranted Meeting

"I didn't bargain for all this." Audrey frowned. It was already hard for her to believe she wasn't at the top of getting the prince's attention. Now, she had to compete in some stupid contest. It was difficult to comprehend that her beauty wasn't getting her everything she wanted like it did in her father's home.

Ms Peep smiled at them like she was about to tell them the best news of their life. "Good morning, ladies."

They smiled back at her, "Good morning, Ms. Peep."

Audrey wasn't smiling back; there wasn't anything good about the morning. She had to wake up earlier than expected, and now they were all standing as if they were being punished for something.

"Welcome, beautiful maidens. It's a tinted knowledge that the contest is purely based on beauty. This is no ordinary contest but a selection of the future queen of this kingdom. It means the future of our kingdom relies on this contest. It's a selection for the partner of this noble kingdom's future king. We've all met the crown prince, and if there is one thing we can agree on, he deserved the best. Right, maidens."

"Yes." The responded.

Ms Peep loved the response she was getting, "Great. On that note, we're starting the first contest on etiquettes. The future queen had to be someone with great etiquettes as she would be in charge of hosting numerous balls and other kingdom. It might not look so important to most of us, but it's very important. Now, you ladies would show me what you have got."

Audrey sighed, thanking her mother for those forced etiquette classes she had made her attend, although it was the last thing on her mind then. She couldn't be more thankful now.

It was funny at first, as she hadn't expected maidens from prestigious families to make silly mistakes in etiquettes, but some had performed woefully, leading to an instant disqualification. Ms Peep didn't see the need to keep ladies who couldn't hold themselves properly in front of few people. How were they supposed to represent their kingdom as the future queen? There was no excuse for that.

It was Mia's performance that had baffled Audrey; it was perfect. It was like she had been practicing for this long ago, or she was just that good. The princess's performance wasn't far from Mia's, but no one had expected that many maidens would all be disqualified at once.

After all the disqualification, they were left with ten maidens. It was a huge blow to Audrey, making her realize she couldn't rely on beauty alone in the palace.

Ms. Peep had announced how disappointed she was and didn't think the crown princess contest would hold for a long time if they kept disappointing her. Afterward, she released the maiden to have fun around the palace before the next day's contest.

Still thinking of meeting the crown prince, Audrey hurriedly moved out of the hall. She already knew the palace was a maze from the few moments she had spent walking around last night, but she never knew it was that big.

She moved around aimlessly, hoping to catch the crown prince's attention, but that seemed impossible as she saw different maids moving around. She knew she should have come with Phina but didn't want anyone to know of her movement. If she could familiarize herself with the crown prince, it would make it easier for him to pick her when she got to the top five.

Nothing could deem the bright smile on Mia's face as she navigated the palace; she knew she had made an impression on Ms. Peep; her mother had always told her the importance of making an impression wherever she went. She had engaged her maid, Lisa, making it easier to carry out her mission. She moved towards the maids, gossiping with a huge smile.

"Good day, Ladies."

The maid bowed immediately, "Good day, my lady." One of them took it upon herself to continue the conversation. She might be the senior maid amongst them all. "How can we help you, my lady?"

Mia smiled, "Thank you. I was summoned by the crown prince, but I got lost on the day. Can anyone help me get to his quarters?"

The senior maid bowed. "It would be my pleasure, ma."

Mia's smile widened; she hadn't thought achieving her goal would be easy. Now, all that was left was making an impression on the crown prince. Although she had come from one of the lowest noble families in the kingdom, she had been inspired by having the greatest magical power, and this was her way of changing her fate.

At first, she had been intimidated by Audrey's beauty, but knowing it had more to do than beauty had put her at ease.

When they got to the crown prince's quarters, the maid asked one of the guards to lead Mia to his room while she did her duties.

The guards didn't doubt the request, as the crown prince had ladies in his quarters, especially during his spare time.

"Follow me, my lady."

The crown prince furrowed his brow at the parchment before him; he hated dealing with issues involving the kingdom. It was the work of the Lords, but his father thought he needed to start getting involved with it and had given him this particular task. It wasn't as if he had any competition for the post of crown prince, so he had no idea why he had to prove himself to his father.

His little attention was cut short by the guard and a beautiful maiden who walked in. Alex closed the parchment and fixed his attention to them.

The crown prince bowed, "Good day, Your Highness. You requested for her."

He didn't remember requesting a maiden, but he dismissed the guard. After the guard left, he raised his brow at Mia.

Mia smiled, "Good day, Your Highness. I'm Mia Trent, one of the contestant of the Princess contest."

Interesting, Alex thought. Most of the maidens had found ways to meet him after the welcome party, but none had found a way to his quarters. This maiden in front of him interests him. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting familiar with my future husband?"

Alex smirked; he had never met someone that bold, "How are you so sure?"

She moved a bit closer to her, "That's why I came. I knew I would make it to the top five, I just need you to pick me as your princess."

Alex chuckled, "Why will I do that? What do you have to offer me to do that?"

Mia wasn't naïve; she knew things. She had opened her ears to their older maid's conversations and knew what excited men. One of the maids had mentioned her husband giving in to all she wanted once she gave herself to him. Hopefully, it would also work on the crown prince.

"I'd give myself to you."

The crown prince smiled, "That's inevitable. My princess is expected to give herself to me."

Mia frowned, "I mean like right now."

She stood straight in front of him, looking serious and desperate. Alex furrowed his brow; she looked like the parchment he had no idea what to do with. He was certain she had no idea what she was talking about.

"Do you know what it means to give yourself to a man?"

Mia thought about it; she had only heard about it. She had no idea what to do, but there was no way she was admitting ignorance in front of the crown prince. "Of course, just let me know how you want me to give myself to you."

Alex laughed; she looked like a free offering, and he wasn't in the habit of passing off a gift, especially if it was a beautiful maiden. He had always wanted the best beauty for himself, so she might be lucky to be his bride if she was the prettiest. He didn't care for family or whatever. He had the prophecy backing him up as the most powerful king in the kingdom.

"Sure. Let me see what you can offer."

She smiled; it had worked out. "What do you want?"

"Strip." His eyes danced in excitement.

Mia hadn't bargained for this; she had thought all he would need was to command her. She had never been naked in front of a man before. Her eyes moved around,

Alex raised his brow, "You can't. I guess you can't give me all of you like you said. You're dismissed." He waved her off like some ants."

Mia frowned; she had worked hard to get here. She was lucky enough that her father hadn't gotten her married before the royal invitation came, and she wasn't about to lose this opportunity now.

She raised her head, "I'll strip if you promise me one thing."

Alex cocked his head sideways. She looked pretty, so he didn't mind bargaining with her. "You pick me once I made it to top five."

Alex laughed again. "That's easy. I am the crown prince and get to pick whoever I want."

Mia smiled, "Great. I'll strip."