The Preparations

Getting ready for the dinner turned out to be more difficult than anticipated.

The simple dress was less simple than she thought, and she got stuck for a full minute in an awkward position trying to pull it over her head, only to finally manage to shimmy it down on her form properly and collapse into a chair panting immediately afterward.

...As she stared at the ceiling, she did consider whether the dress was supposed to be stepped into...

But the cinched waist was so severe there was no way it'd get over even her hips.

She had to redo her hair again after that.

She clipped it up in a bun, but she really wasn't sure what the best look was for her...complexion.

She'd never been a fashion or makeup expert in her past life, and what little she had picked up was for someone with dark hair and skin at least a few shades darker than the moon on a cloudless night.

Maybe she should have taken notes from Airie on how to handle her hair and style, but she hadn't been paying attention on account of the shock and horror of the situation at the time.

And she could have noted what her hair looked like after Airie had her servants make her look like the princess, hairstyle included....

But she collapsed before seeing a second mirror, and so she only had a vague recollection of what it generally looked like from...

Days ago. She wasn't even sure how many now.

She definitely didn't have sufficient memory of how to make her hair look that way, at any rate.

And all this was done on a strict timer, because if she was going to be late, then she could have had servants helping her in the first place.

When she was finished, she slumped down in a chair, utterly exhausted.

Not for long.

But she definitely took a few moments to gather her strength.

Even if she'd recovered under Laine's careful care, it felt like her body kept relapsing more and more.

That was...

Probably her being dramatic, but there was no question she was exhausted from getting ready, at any rate.

Still, she had no choice. She pushed that all back, stood up, and strode out of the room.

Upon doing this, she immediately realized that the servant who left her there had neglected to actually tell her where the dining hall was supposed to be. Especially in relation to the random room she was in.

After all that work making herself look good, she didn't even remember the path she'd taken to get to the room from where she'd woken up, so she couldn't even retrace her steps to go there if she wanted to.

But that was fine.

Because she could find some guard or soldier or servant, and they'd no doubt be able to point her toward the great hall or whatever room the king and prince dined in.

...Ideally with time to spare before their meal was done.

From the outside, the castle was imposing, dark, and sculpted out of black stone. Every thought put into its construction was clearly meant either for its defensibility or how powerful an image it made in the mind of every citizen who looked upon it - either up close or in the distance.

She wasn't some kind of architect who could tell this by looking, she knew it because that was what the book had described it as.

From the inside...

It certainly wasn't cozy and warm, but it did manage a certain...lived-in feel to it. As sparse as her own room's decorations were, there were actually decorations - tapestries and vases, statues and suits of armor - scattered throughout the halls.

Sconces were set up along both walls often enough to avoid shadows pooling anywhere, which somewhat made up for the lack of any windows in the hallway she walked through.

Although not as plentiful as what she'd observed in Aurania, there was some modest engraving work along the support pillars, as well.

And throughout it all...

She really found it hard to find anyone!!

Aurania's palace was full of people - most of the time - aside from the time she got herself abducted by the guard, she often passed by people of all kinds while in the halls.

She couldn't have missed them, because every person who walked by her were all doomed to be....

But this place.

It took her an annoyingly long amount of time - taking random turns in the corridor - to find a soldier.

At least her expectation of the guard's knowledge was right, though. The man was immediately able to point her in the correct direction, and even give a detailed explanation as to which path to take.

There was...

Only one minor issue.

As she walked, muttering the instructions to herself over and over under her breath to avoid forgetting and getting lost, her vision kept blurring and her head felt...

Dizzy.

Light.

She blinked a few times, but the blurriness refused to leave, and she felt a prickling of panic.

She swallowed, and it felt like it got lodged in her throat.

What-

What was-

Her mouth was dry.

She reached out, and-

Reached out?

What?

What was she reaching out for-

Her vision blurred.

A very un-princess-like word slipped past her lips, as everything went black.

***

Rache awoke feeling warm.

Warm.

And with a headache.

She groaned and pressed a hand to her head.

"So you've survived?" The low voice of Donncahd made her freeze.

And snap her eyes open.

The man leaned against one of the pillars of her bed, watching her with those cold, unfeeling red eyes.

"Donncahd." She didn't mean to say it out loud, but. In her defense, her head was still spinning a little.

His lips quirked in a half smile. It would have been charming if not for the sarcastic, cold look in his eyes.

"Ah. The future queen walks the razor's edge of propriety after missing a dinner invitation?" He hummed softly. "Or does my future wife not think such rules apply to her?"

Her heart froze in her chest.

Not only had she missed the dinner entirely - thanks to, apparently, fainting - but she'd immediately followed up with such a familiar address.

It made sense, of course. To her, the dangerous man in front of her had been a word on the page until...

Very recently.

But that was hardly an excuse she could actually use.

She bit her lip.

Those red eyes were still on her. Watching. Scrutinizing. Judging.

"I...am a princess." She settled her hands in her lap to hide any shaking they might make. "The rules of propriety do not apply equally."

His eyes narrowed.

She braced herself for the fury he might unleash-

But, surprisingly, his expression just turned amused.

"The captive little rabbit has fangs, does she." He hummed, watching her with an expression she couldn't read. "Careful not to bite through your own lip."

She stared up at him.

"Aurania hid their princess' fragility well."

"Your spies failed to catch that?"

His smile sharpened. "I wonder about that."

She. Didn't like whatever it was he was implying.

For an indeterminable moment, silence stretched between them.

Finally, he spoke again, gaze turning away from her all at once. "...I will ensure a more competent servant is sent to summon you to dinner tomorrow."

And then.

He just swept out of the room.

She gasped, letting out a breath she hadn't even been aware she'd been holding.