A Kingdom of Tales

Chapter 26

The closet is the same size as the room itself. Rows and rows of dresses line its walls, taking my breath away. This might just be my heaven.

All sorts of colored shoes are arranged on the floors as well, and judging by how they look, they all seem to be my size. I try on the pair nearest to me.

They are blue and glittery—not my style, but beggars can't be choosers. I was right; they are my size. I wonder how they knew what my shoe size was

I rake through the dresses to find one that suits me. I notice a pink dress that looks like a ballroom dress. I keep note of it in case I stay long enough to attend a ball.

I chose a midnight blue dress that hugs my body tightly in all the right places. Those workouts Bash made me do sure did help me build a figure I'm proud of.

I also chose a pair of matching heels. They don't give me as much height as the ones Marilla gave me, but they will have to do.

Jude helps me dress while Alisa takes to brushing out my hair. She braids it in an Edessian style that I immediately hate. The braids themselves look great, but it's the concept behind them that makes me shiver in my seat.

Does he mean to present me as his daughter? He must've told Alisa and Jude to braid my hair this way.

"Do remove the braids, please, Alisa." I tell her; the thought of wearing them makes me feel nauseous.

She does as I ask, but she has a worried look on her face, like the emperor will punish her. "If he asks, I'll tell him that I took them out myself."

It eases her terror slightly, but not entirely. When she's done taking the braids out, I stand up and walk to the floor-to-ceiling mirror next to the bed to study my reflection. I look too skinny, almost sickly. I'll have to eat a lot tonight to make up for the last two days.

With one last look in the mirror, I make my way out of my room, where I find Yuri waiting for me with her hands behind her back. She's wearing a dress now, not the military uniform I'd seen her wearing earlier.

Her gaze takes in my hair with approval and respect. She's wearing a blue dress just like I am, but hers is much shorter.

"Let's go." She doesn't wait for me before she starts moving.

I follow her down the stairs and into a big room—the formal dining room. It looks just as majestic as every other room I've been in in this palace. The gold lining the walls seems to be the theme of the entire castle.

At the head of the table sits the emperor, and to his left is a girl with curls just as blonde as mine. When Yuri goes to sit on his right, he motions for her to stand up.

She does as asked, with a confused look on her face. "Jasmine, darling, sit on my right." He points to the seat he told Yuri not to sit in. His smile makes me grimace at Yuri.

I choose the seat next to the one he pointed to and sat in it. I stare straight into his eyes, daring him to make me stand up. "Crown Princess Yuri. Please sit next to me." I gesture to the same seat she was going to sit in.

She sits in it with a thankful smile, making me bow my head to her slightly, in respect. I'm not here to take her place. In fact, I don't want to be here at all. I won't have my idol hate me for something I don't want.

The emperor is practically seething based on his jaw, which keeps clenching and relaxing in a continuous manner. He must hate the title I used for her. She isn't the crown princess of anything, but it's fun to see him get so riled up.

"Eat, Jasmine. I had our cooks prepare a feast for you." He forces a smile on his ugly face.

I take in all the food on the table. It truly does look like a feast, enough to feed a small village. I take some of everything in an elegant way, just like Cerise taught me. I'm sure even she would be proud of my composure tonight. The thought makes my heart clench in longing.

The moment the food touches my tongue, I almost let out a moan. It might be that I'm ravenous, but this food is amazing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Yuri snickering in amusement. Then I remember the girl who is sitting on the other side of the table.

Since this seems like some sort of intimate family dinner, I assume that she's Princess Kyoshi. She's just as pretty as they said she was. My eyes narrow on her very deliberate movements when she's serving herself food.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think that she doesn't want to be here. She looks like she has somewhere to be. From the little I've heard of her, she's the court's darling. She's probably the nicest person in this country, but she hasn't even greeted me.

I brush off the thought and continue eating, relishing the feeling of a full stomach.

"May I be excused, father?" Kyoshi asks. So I was right; she does have somewhere to be. That's why she was eating so fast.

Cerise must be rolling in her grave; I'm acting more like a princess than an actual princess.