"Oh, come here, my dear," Mother said, and before I could steady myself, she pulled me into her embrace.
Her arms wrapped around me tightly. I breathed in the familiar scent of flour and rosemary that always clung to her clothes. For a moment, I was no maiden invited to a royal ball. I was only her small daughter again. Safe in her arms.
"I knew you would not let fear steal this from you," she murmured into my hair.
Fear. If only she knew.
Ariel, standing beside us, could not hide the bloom that spread across her lips as she watched mother and daughter. Her eyes softened, almost wistful.
"You see?" she said brightly. "This is how grand stories begin. Two village girls summoned to the palace. One of us will marry the prince, and the other will pretend she is not jealous."
Mother laughed softly, pulling back just enough to cup my face in her hands. "Jealous? My daughter?" She brushed her thumb beneath my eye. "Who would dare outshine her?"
Heat crept into my cheeks. "Mother."
Ariel placed a hand dramatically over her heart. "I already feel underdressed in her presence."
I rolled my eyes, but a small laugh escaped me despite myself.
Mother stepped back, her expression turning thoughtful now. "We must begin preparations at once," she said. "There is much to do."
"Mother," I began gently, "you need not trouble yourself so much."
"It is no trouble," she replied firmly. "It is a blessing."
Ariel nodded eagerly. "My aunt says seamstresses in town are already overwhelmed. Every household with a daughter is in chaos."
I glanced back at the small dying flower near my feet. The petals drooped further under the sun's climb.
Mother followed my gaze. "That one may not survive," she said softly. "But the others will."
I swallowed.
"Yes," I replied quietly. "The others will."
Ariel slipped her arm through mine. "Come. Let us go into town this afternoon. We shall see what can be done. Even if we must rent the gowns or buy in installments."
Mother brightened at once. "That is a fine idea."
I forced a smile, allowing myself to be carried along by their plans.
"You should go. And come back soon," Mother said, gently taking the watering can from my hand before I could protest.
Ariel was already tugging me toward the narrow path that led from our cottage to the main road.
"We will be back before sunset!" she called over her shoulder.
Kaira waved at me, and I lifted my hand and waved back.
For a moment, I stood there, watching her small figure framed by the cottage doorway. She looked so hopeful. So certain that something good had finally chosen us.
Then Ariel gave my arm another impatient tug.
"If you stare any longer, you will begin to cry and ruin the mood," she teased.
"I do not cry so easily," I replied.
She arched a brow. "You cried last month when Mrs. Dorian's goat died."
"That goat was kind," I defended.
Ariel laughed, and the sound followed us down the path like sunlight.
The village road was already alive with murmurs. Women gathered in small circles gossiping. Men stood near the well speaking in lowered voices.
Every now and then, someone would glance at us.
And then whisper as if we are the only one goodness remembered.
Ariel leaned closer to me. "They know."
"Of course they know," I muttered. "Invitations do not arrive quietly in a place like this."
As we passed the baker's shop, Mrs. Henley leaned out the window. "Adeline! Ariel! I heard the news!"
Ariel waved grandly. "Pray for us!"
"I shall pray one of you remembers this village when you become royalty!" the woman called back.
I forced a polite smile.
Royalty. The word felt foreign in my chest.
We moved further into town, where bolts of fabric had already been displayed outside the tailor's shop.
Ariel stopped abruptly in front of one particular roll of pale silver silk. "Oh," she breathed. "Imagine this beneath candlelight."
For a fleeting second, I allowed myself to picture standing in a grand hall, chandeliers blazing above, music swelling through marble walls.
And then… a faint heat brushed against my neck suddenly, and my heart began to race for a reason I could not name.
My fingers rose instinctively to the mark.
Ariel noticed at once. "Is something the matter?"
"It is nothing," I said quickly.
She studied me for a moment, her brows drawing together as though she sensed more than I wished to reveal. But before she could press further, the bell above the door chimed and the seamstress 'Mrs Elowen' emerged from behind a curtain.
"Girls," she greeted, already assessing us with sharp, calculating eyes. "You have come about the ball."
Ariel straightened proudly. "We have."
And before I could reconsider, she dragged me into the dressmaker's shop.
The moment we stepped inside, I was met with a sea of silks.
The shop was larger than it appeared from outside, its walls lined with fabrics in every shade imaginable, ivory, rose, emerald, sapphire.
Half-finished gowns hung on wooden forms like waiting dreams. Mothers murmured urgently about prices and deadlines.
And so many maidens. Girls I had known since childhood suddenly looked different, eager and competitive.
Even Mrs. Dorian's prideful daughter stood before the tall mirror at the far end of the room, her posture stiff with practiced elegance as another seamstress adjusted a rich burgundy gown around her waist. The fabric clung to her form like poured wine.
She caught sight of me immediately. And her brow lifted. The faintest curl of disbelief touched her lips.
I could read her thoughts as clearly as if she had spoken them aloud. What is she doing here?
A lowly maiden from a small cottage.
I did not blame her entirely. She was the daughter of our village's head tax collector. Her father could afford any gown in this room, perhaps even two.
After all, much of this village's coin had passed through his careful hands.
I looked at her once. Then I let my gaze drift away to the dresses nearby. I had no luxury of time for silent competitions. Not when I already knew how this story would end for me.
My fingers brushed lightly against a row of gowns.
They were beautiful in ways I had never imagined. Beautiful in a way that did not belong to a girl like me. Beautiful in a way that felt almost… temporary.
"Adeline," Ariel whispered excitedly, tugging me toward a red gown that shimmered faintly beneath the lantern light. "Check this out."