Three months after the Kassandra tour, Fielle received an invitation to yet another party in a completely different kingdom. Despite her high renown as the Priestess of Healing, Fielle by all rights was still a princess of a small, backwater kingdom, so she normally only attended parties in the various countries in the same western region as Daeman. However, this party was being held in a kingdom closer to the center of the continent. Fielle was not keen on going, being that the party was so much farther from home than normal and that this kingdom had close connections with more prominent nations, but her parents readily accepted the invitation on her behalf.
Thus, Fielle unwillingly attended, finding to her dismay that the party was completely packed with the royal family, local aristocrats, and many guests of honor from neighboring lands who were all here for one reason—to see the unparalleled beauty with miraculous powers that was Princess Fielle. The princess was rarely seen outside of little Podunk western countries, so aristocracy from the central and far eastern portions of the continent flocked to see her in this more metropolitan venue.
All eyes trained on her the minute she arrived. Oh no, she thought. This is nerve-racking. Fielle’s inner feelings were blanketed in storm clouds, but to outsiders (to her misfortune, perhaps), she looked as dignified as a country girl surrounded by big city folk possibly could. Fielle let the teeming crowds approach her and strike up conversation, only offering the occasional “uh-huh” and “that’s nice” in return, when suddenly, through the throng, she spotted a familiar face.
Oh! she thought. That’s Prince Tomas! What a surprise to run into him here. Tomas had ditched the apron in favor of formal dress and looked every part the prince. It went without saying, but his outfit suited him very well.
Fielle stared at him from a distance for several moments as he laughed and chatted with other partygoers. I had a feeling he’d be popular, Fielle thought. Fielle was popular at this party as well, far more than Tomas, so much that she had become the center of the whole affair, drowning in the sheer number of people congregating around her. However, all these people clung to her purely because they thought being close to the Priestess of Healing might somehow work out in their favor. Everyone who spoke to her kept their agendas hidden behind smiles and inane chatter. They were never interested in Fielle herself; her reputation and the resultant boon from associating with her were their only concerns.
Compared to them, the people surrounding Prince Tomas belonged to another species altogether. Tomas stood along the wall far removed from the center of the party with a little group that chatted amiably among themselves. The group never fully seemed to dissipate, as whenever one person left to talk with someone else, another naturally took their place, striking up a pleasant, animated conversation with the prince. That, Fielle thought, must be what it was like to talk with people when you were well and truly liked.
Additionally, Prince Tomas sought out those who were alone and likewise roped them into conversation. At first, many of these people were confused, but the pleasant chatter gradually brought smiles to their faces, and before long they were talking and mixing with the rest of the prince’s friend group. How nice, Fielle thought longingly as she watched him with the others.
For a moment, she was happy to have encountered a friendly face at this party, but the crowd of people around her prevented her from approaching him, leaving her without the chance to actually talk with him. Fielle envied all the lucky people who could walk up to Tomas whenever they wanted more than she envied the prince himself.
In her distraction, Fielle didn’t notice a noblewoman attempting to get her attention. “Your Highness, I simply adore your dress,” the woman said. “That gorgeous white fabric looks just like Your Highness’s... Your Highness?”
Fielle finally realized someone was addressing her, snapped back to reality, and hurriedly tried to cover her mistake by plastering on a smile. As she mentally scrolled through the list of party attendees in her mind to find this woman’s name, she said, “Oh, yes, thank you. Your dress is wonderfully becoming as well, Your Highness Princess Marcy. That deep ocean blue indigo brings out the lovely black of your hair just marvelously.”
Princess Marcy tittered in a ladylike way. “That it does. I commissioned this dress from a masterful artisan here over a year ago.”
Princess Marcy didn’t seem to have noticed what Fielle was looking at. Fielle breathed an internal sigh of relief. Princess Marcy was the younger sister of the local king, and so it wouldn’t do to ignore her. Fielle rallied herself, shooed away her desire to watch the prince, and struck up a polite conversation with the princess.
Once Princess Marcy was satisfied and departed with a smile, Fielle allowed herself a moment to look back at what Prince Tomas was doing. Her heart stopped. Tomas was smiling and talking to a girl! She had beautiful, long black hair, captivating, deep crimson makeup, and eyes as dark blue as the night sky. Her height complemented Tomas’s well, and she brimmed with mature charm. Fielle knew who she was. Everyone in the whole region knew who she was. This was Lady Renéeth, she of the scandalous love affairs. Renéeth was five years Fielle’s senior and well known for courting many different princes and assorted aristocrats from around the continent; in fact, it was said she once had as many as five beaux at a single time.
Now Renéeth and Tomas seemed to be having quite the pleasant conversation with one another. No way, Fielle thought. They can’t be. Are they? Are they boyfriend and girlfriend? Now her interest was piqued. How did these two know each other? Were they close? What kind of relationship did they have? She whimpered internally.
Though she hoped no one else noticed, Fielle could not take her eyes off of them for the rest of the party.
During a lull in the party, Fielle, feeling mentally exhausted, took a break in the room set aside for her. Sure, she had been to lots of crowded parties before, but this one was so much more...more...
Okay, it was the fact that she couldn’t stop worrying throughout the whole party over Prince Tomas and Lady Renéeth. Fielle kept a watchful eye on their conversation for most of the event as she desperately tried to conceal her concern from those around her. Thanks to her practiced and perfect responses, the other partygoers didn’t notice her preoccupation with the prince, but Lynette knew something was up. After all, she had served Fielle for four years by then.
“Is something the matter, Your Highness?” she asked.
Fielle trusted Lynette as much as she did Fie. Maybe, Fielle thought, it would be a good idea to tell Lynette about this situation, and these feelings that she couldn’t wrap her head around.
Lynette listened to the story in shock. “Are you in love with him, Your Highness?” she asked. Lynette had never been in love herself, but this checked out with what she knew from romance stories.