I should stop peeking

As Princess Emma and Princess Anne approached me, I couldn't help but see how beautiful they looked. They were both dressed in elaborate outfits, very different from my simple dress. I smiled at them politely and they nodded to me as they took their seats. I noticed that they were waiting for me to start the conversation, but honestly I had no idea what to say.... 

I know that every woman loves to receive a compliment. So I figured I would start the conversation by complimenting both girls in some way. So I thought a little and I was trying to think of the perfect way to describe them...I didn't want to just say something boring and generic... 

As I started the conversation, I managed to compliment the two girls in a way that was both sincere and unique. We began to talk about many different things and I began to hear many rumors that were being spread around the ball. I could tell that Princess Emma and Princess Anne were very interested in the different gossip going around and I was interested too..... 

As I was listening to the rumors that Princesses Emma and Anne were talking about, my attention started to wander. My eyes wandered around the room and I saw a beautiful woman standing near a table. She was talking to a few noble boys and I noticed her bright blonde hair and her bright brown eyes. Immediately, I was curious about who she was. So I turned towards Emma and I asked her "Do you know who that woman is?" 

Emma starts winding herself with her fan, looking towards the woman "She is the daughter of a duke, I don't know her last name but I know her name is... Evelyn. I think Prince Alexander and she are very close." 

I took a deep breath and I tried to stay calm when Princess Emma said that the woman's name was Evelyn and she was very close to Prince Alexander. I felt my heart sink a little bit. I knew that if she was talking to Alexander, it meant she was likely going to be the woman he would be dancing with tonight. I had no idea what to say now.... 

I took a sip of wine, trying to forget about everything. I didn't want to dwell on the fact that Prince Alexander would be at the ball and that he would likely be dancing with Evelyn. I wanted to enjoy my time here, even though I knew it was probably better that I was keeping my distance from Prince Alexander. Somehow he brought nothing but trouble to my life.... 

I was glad that Alexander wasn't going to become a tyrant like he had in the book. I had avoided that tragedy at least. I couldn't avoid Robert's tragic death...But I knew that there was still a lot of pain in my future and I probably wouldn't be able to change the outcome of everything that was about to happen. Now I just had to live with the regret and the fear.... 

I was pretty tipsy by now and this was a good thing in my opinion. I had already drank a few glasses of wine and I started to relax more and more. I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of calmness right now. I walked into the palace garden and I sat down on a bench. I let the cool air flow over my face and I let the alcohol take over me... 

I was enjoying the calmness of the garden when I heard a sound. The sound was faint but it was definitely coming from somewhere deep in the garden. I tried to follow the sound and I couldn't help but feel a little bit curious.... 

I peeked around the corner of the garden and I saw Queen Elizabeth and Prince Alexander. I couldn't believe that Queen Elizabeth already knew about Robert... It seemed like yesterday's events were becoming public knowledge so fast and the world was about to change. I kept peeking around the corner, trying to catch as many fragments of that conversation as I could.... 

I was shocked when I saw that Queen Elizabeth slapped Prince Alexander hard. She was clearly very angry at him and she was blaming him for the death of her beloved son. I couldn't believe the sight I was witnessing... 

I expected Prince Alexander to fight back, but instead he just stood there, shocked by Queen Elizabeth's slap. He didn't say anything to defend himself. I could tell that he was taken off guard. He still didn't seem to know anything about Robert's death... In the book, Alexander didn't know he had a twin brother, until the very end..... 

I felt terrible for Alexander. His mother had just slapped him hard in front of everybody. She was angry and she was blaming him for his brother's death.... But I couldn't help but wonder if Prince Alexander even knew about his twin brother's existence... 

I was still a little bit tipsy and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. As I tried to leave the scene, I fell down. The alcohol had lowered my coordination and if I had been sober, I likely wouldn't have fallen... 

As I opened my eyes, I saw Prince Alexander standing above me. His right cheek was red and had scratches. I guess I fell in the right place... I hoped no one saw us. I was still feeling pretty tipsy and I felt really embarrassed seeing as Prince Alexander was looking down on me...