The days passed, and the long-awaited day that everyone had been eagerly anticipating finally arrived. Early in the morning, Irene was awakened by a loud knocking at her door. For the first time, an unusually large number of servants entered her room
. An elderly woman with stern features and neat attire stepped forward and introduced herself: "Good morning, Princess. I am Annie Warson, responsible for preparing the princesses for the debutante ball, and I will be in charge of your preparations today."
Irene's preparation began
. She was ushered into the bathroom, where she was treated like a doll, scrubbed rigorously with the finest perfumes under the overseer's orders. Once finished, the dress chosen for her was brought out; it was a light pink gown, prepared with extreme care and embroidered with precious stones to showcase the pride of the kingdom to the public.
The servants busied themselves styling her hair and applying makeup, with every step carried out under the overseer's strict supervision. Finally, the jewelry sets designated for the day were presented to her; Irene deliberately chose the least ostentatious pieces among them.
When they were done, the overseer ordered her to stand so she could inspect her. Irene was insanely, excessively beautiful, to the point where even the maids who used to mistreat her could not hide their admiration. The overseer said formally, "Excellent, you are ready," then gave orders to the servants to inform the King.
Irene's heart began to race against her will; despite her psychological preparation for this day, her first public appearance made her feel a terrible pressure. A few minutes later, the order to exit came. The maids moved quickly behind her, and the overseer led her with a formal gait. Irene was trying to calm herself and take a deep breath.
The overseer noticed this and said without looking at her: "Your feeling of tension is normal; all your sister princesses felt the same pressure. Relax your body and walk straight; do not forget that you are representing the most powerful family to the other kingdoms, and it is not proper for you to appear weak in a situation like this." Irene sighed and simply nodded
They arrived at the location, and the overseer bowed to King Arexon, who was standing opposite the door: "I greet the Sun of the Empire, King of the great Kingdom of Ischard." Arexon turned and looked at Irene, who was bowing beside the overseer. His mouth hung open slightly at the sight of his daughter, as if he were seeing her for the first time. That little girl who had entered his palace like a soulless body now appeared as a woman of undeniable beauty.
Only then did Irene raise her eyes to meet his. Suddenly, the image of her mother, whom she resembled in his eyes, appeared. His eyes widened slightly and he felt a bitterness in his throat, so he quickly regained his coldness and stepped toward her. He scrutinized her from head to toe with disdain, then looked at the overseer and said, "Well done." The overseer bowed and moved away.
Then, he extended his hand to her in application of the royal protocol for the debutante appearance, where the King holds his daughter's hand and presents her to the public. Irene looked at his hand and finally took it, as if she had no right to refuse
. Both faced the door, and the guards stepped toward it, waiting for the King's signal. He whispered to her strictly, "Behave with poise and avoid speaking as much as possible, as I commanded you before." Irene nodded, and the two moved with measured steps until the large doors to the Royal Garden were thrown open.
The commotion in the garden fell silent, and all eyes fixed eagerly to see the King's illegitimate daughter for the first time. Finally, she appeared to the onlookers. Everyone was astonished by King Arexon's imposing presence and Irene's unique beauty, which resembled no one else in the royal family; she looked like a perfect painting by a master artist. Synthetic applause began, and whispers rose among the attendees.
From afar, the three queens watched the scene with bitterness
. Queen Melanie asked, "my god!, look at this! Who would believe that this scene is real?" She paused for a moment and then said, "I cannot stop thinking about what the King is planning this time to cause all this fuss about that 'maggot' knowing full well that she brings shame to the honor of his name!"
She turned to Elvira, the First Queen, who was close to the King, and asked, "Oh First Queen, you are the closest person to the King; did he tell you what he is planning with this move?" Elvira did not answer and simply gave a look of disdain toward the scene that annoyed her.
Melanie said, "Oh, what a rare situation; it seems you are also ignorant of what he is planning this time."
Melanie then looked at the youngest queen, Leora, whose face was so flushed with anger that even heavy makeup could not hide it. She said mockingly, "Leora, your face is so red that the heavy makeup can't hide it!" Melanie laughed, and Leora looked at her with burning eyes and said, "How can you laugh like this while you are the cause of this chaos! If it weren't for your sharp tongue and lack of experience, the King would never have turned his attention to that lowly girl! You are the reason for everything that is happening now."
Melanie's expression turned serious in a second: "Hey, how dare you blame me when I am older and of higher status than you? Do you think this wouldn't have happened if I had remained silent? You are truly naive! Do you think the King kept her alive only to cover up that scandal from back then? If that were his goal, he would have gotten rid of her long ago, but now that he is showing her by his side in public, there is no doubt he has a profitable interest in doing all this."
Leora said with a sarcastic laugh, "What kind of vulgar thinking is this? Do you think the King needs this charade? You must have forgotten that he still has Celine, and my daughter Adeline, of pure blood and high standing. So what need does he have for that lowly mixed-blood girl!"
Melanie replied with disdain, "Oh, you will never understand these things. Every time, you prove that you are just a pretty face; your perspective is very limited and does not befit your status as a queen. What is even more ridiculous is that you are angry just because your maid's beautiful daughter is now standing in front of your husband; look at her, she resembles her exactly, as if she is telling you that she is still alive!"
What Melanie said was true; Irene's face reminded her of her maid, Luisa, whom she had despised deeply, which made her jump from her seat. Without realizing it, she shouted audibly: "What did you say?! How dare you say that!"
Everyone looked at the source of the shouting in astonishment.
The First Queen, Elvira, shouted forcefully: "Enough! What do you two think you are doing! How dare you quarrel in front of people like this! Aren't you ashamed of your ugly behavior that does not befit your status as queens! I do not want to hear a single word."
The two fell silent in fear of Elvira. She rose suddenly and walked away from them. Despite that situation, what angered her more was that she was thinking to herself: "For the first time since I married you, I have no idea what you are planning."
After the pleasantries ended, the King and Irene headed toward the garden exit, where royal carriages were waiting. The debutante ball was a tradition when girls came of age, where virgins of noble families were presented to assert their place in high society, and also to attract the best marriage offers around the Queen. After the ball, the girl would choose the person she favored and the right time to marry. Sometimes several debutante balls were held in one day.
But for the Royal Family, the matter was complicated, as all movement in the capital would stop, everyone would focus on the Princess's procession, and any other debutante ball was forbidden
. Irene's debutante ball was very exceptional, as it was held for her at an older age than usual.
The crowds were larger than ever; people had come from all over the kingdom to see the princess whom the King had hidden for years.
This increased the pressure on her, as she had never seen such a number of human beings before, and she could not hide the trembling of her body due to the shouting.
Arexon felt her trembling in his hand, so he looked at her angrily and shouted at her: "What are you doing! Come to your senses and compose yourself immediately!" Irene shuddered at his shout and tried to pull herself together.
Each took their place. Irene rode with her father in an open carriage decorated with flowers. After she sat down, she adjusted herself, breathed slowly, and drew a forced smile. Then she began to wave to the people whose gazes pierced her face, exactly as she had learned in the few days prior, while the guard's horses moved in circles around the carriage.
The accompanying carriages of the procession finally moved. Every minute passed slowly; Irene felt dizzy. The eyes were piercing her.
Suddenly, as the procession reached the city center, angry screams began to escalate, and a torrent of insults toward her and her mother poured down on her. The people's faces looked angry, as if they were about to pounce on her to devour her mercilessly. The situation worsened and became catastrophic!
The captain of the guards approached and said seriously, "Your Majesty!" The King replied, "Yes, this is enough; let us return to the palace immediately." The captain replied, "As you wish."
The procession changed its path, returning to the palace. King Arexon had expected the people's reaction of rejection, as Irene was known as the daughter of the spy maid who had seduced their King and carried the blood of treason that polluted the pure royal lineage.
Irene hid her head, and the feeling of nausea increased, so she kept her mouth shut.
Arexon looked at her coldly and said: "You are pathetic! What is all this weakness you are showing now! This is just the beginning; you will face things much harder than this in the future. Remove these expressions from your face immediately!"
Irene closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and sat up straight again.
To be continued...