I was never one to get all excited when it came to parties and occasions or anything that involves relating with people outside my small circle, events happening within the palace or any where for that matter, which was why I had tried to convince mother that I would not be able to attend but today I had no choice. I could not request to sit this one out, mother, and most especially father would hear none of it.
"You need to and you should socialize more," mother had advised when I walked up to her after the announcement father had made at the dinner table a week before. "This is a good opportunity to get to know your age mates and find a new crush." Mother joked, winked and then laughed. I had just smiled.
“Am I to find a crush or a soul mate, mother?”
“A crush, a soul mate, whatever it is, you are turning eighteen next week and at that age, you get to find your soul mate. Are you not excited?” Mother asked, pulling me to sit in front of the mirror while she loosened my hair.
I gave a sigh of relief as the hair pins came off, I had felt them trying to pierce into my brain all throughout dinner and there way no way I could have shown up looking all shabby and “un-princess-like” at the dinner table because the Duke of Brigham had shown up, unannounced late in the evening and he had brought along his eldest son. Father had said it was impromptu and unarranged but I had been much wiser than that, I knew it had been for an alliance marriage but to which of the princess? that I could not tell, but one thing I knew was that it had better not been a marriage to me.
The young man, Eric Dumieres, was handsome, to say the least but he was chubby and I knew that he had felt uncomfortable in that armor he had on throughout dinner and he sweated a lot. He was a daunt, I could tell but he had stolen glances at me a lot during the meal, which had made me uncomfortable as he had made it very obvious but I had sent him my own stares which told him to back off. I did not like him. And then father made it much worse.
“Eric, I can see that you like my daughter?” He had asked. “You have been stealing glances throughout dinner.”
Eric had choked instantly on the mashed potatoes and I had frozen, exchanging glances at my two sisters also seated at the table. Mother chuckled and placed a hand on father’s.
“Now, now. Don’t frighten the young man.”
“Are you by any chance proposing a marriage Your Highness?” The duke had asked, smiling widely and shaking his son by the shoulder. Eric kept his head low and chuckled nervously, he looked up and met my angry stare which made him put his head back down. It did not help the matter that I had to be sitting opposite him.
“Marriage hmm…?” Father seemed to contemplate, then he smiled to mother and back at the duke. “Doesn’t seem...