Chapter Text
Clara
It was that time of the year for people to come together at a certain place. No, it wasn’t a family reunion of aunts, uncles, or grandparents. It wasn’t an event to chat about our daily lives. Instead, it was an annual ball to impress certain people especially in the high class families.
Many families were excited for the ball. It took place in a city called Oriadon, where rich families reside. Women were dressed in fancy dresses, while men wore tailored tuxedos. Mothers would be more tensed, planning and panicking about what to do, and my dearest mother was no exception.
“Clara!” My mother shouted as she barged into my room with our two maids, Beatrice and Phoebe, behind her. Both of them had dresses draped over their arms, nervousness written across their faces. “Bloody hell. Why are you still dressed like this?” She scoffed, widening her eyes as soon as she saw me in my regular clothes.
“Mother,” I tried to speak politely. “Don’t we still have some time before the event starts?” She rolled her eyes at my response, obviously thinking I was being a total ignorant of what was coming ahead of us. This was the event that she cared about. It’s not any regular meeting. It was where she could brag and meet other high class families.
“You obviously haven’t realized how important this is. Your father is a well-known businessman for the jewellery industry. We have to arrive early to greet his partners. If we’re late, they will look down upon us, and it will ruin any chances of you marrying a good husband.”
“I’m still young, mother. I’m not in a rush to marry.”
“That’s what you think. I don’t want any mistakes for this ball, Clara Moreau. Hurry up. I need you to try on these gowns that I got designers made for you,” she ordered Beatrice to come over and grabbed the dresses from her arms. My mother stepped towards me, holding the pieces over my body. She hissed then complained until it was a good thirty minute for the perfect piece.
Phoebe stood behind me and helped remove my night gown. After a great struggle of knots and strings, I slipped on a pink ball gown that flared out at the waist. Silver sequins were embroidered over the sweet heart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves. The remainder of the dress was in pink tulle that came in multiple thin layers.
My mother wanted to make me some sophisticated woman that knew her manners and roles in life. She did came from a high class family where all the women turned out to be the same. So, here she was with me as her successor. It didn’t turn out that way though.
I stood in front of the mirror as Beatrice and Phoebe finished with some light touch ups. I was quite impressed, considering that my mother usually picked out very eye-catching clothing for me to attract male attention. This gown would considered to be less of her usual tastes.
I added the floral headpiece on once Phoebe finished braiding my hair. Beatrice placed a silver necklace around my neck, one that my father specially made for me and for tonight. With all the final touches done, my mother seemed to be very pleased with my appearance especially how she believed I could capture some attention
“Augustine,” My mother exclaimed as we entered the living room.
My father turned around and spotted me instantly. His blue eyes observed me, his lips curving into a satisfactory smile as my mother fixed his black bowtie.
“Clara,” he acknowledged. “You look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you,” I smiled back at him.
“We need to get going. Where’s Silas?”
“Silas is taking his time to prepare, Augustine. Be patient,” my mother answered.
I was somewhat annoyed by my mother’s double standards. She’d always preferred my brother over me in many ways, and even the smallest things, she wouldn’t yell at him. As for me, she would find ways to criticize and whine. She explained how it was for my own good, but I still believed it was only an excuse for her bias.
Silas came down after a few minutes had passed. A grey suit vest covered over his white dress shirt that tightened over his board shoulders and chest. The lapels of suit jacket was folded down with the fabric being straightened and ironed perfectly for the occasion. Silas came to stand beside me, a few centimetres taller after I wore my heels.
“Here’s our handsome son,” my mother beamed, hooking her arm around my father’s arm.
“I’m sorry for being late, father,” Silas said. “I had problems with my vest, but Beatrice was kind to help me,” he stared over at the young maid whose cheeks flushed crimson. She smiled, not like any typical kind one. It was the one out of love, even more so admiration. My mother stepped to Silas and fixed his navy blue tie.
“Silas,” she called, her voice suddenly cold and venomous. “You need to be very prepared for this occasion. Many wonderful woman will be around, and you won’t have time to deal with other nonsense.” Her eyes snapped at Beatrice who instantly looked down, afraid. I felt sympathetic because Beatrice and Silas had always shared a connection for over two years now.
My brother, who was only eighteen, seemed to like Beatrice, and whenever my mother introduced him to other women, he would decline or brush them away. Beatrice was the same age as him, and she came to our family when she was rather young.
Her mother was sick back in town, and Beatrice needed money to support the family. It was only the two of them left. Beatrice did become like a friend to me, but my mother disapproved any class lowered than ours. She only accepted high class people.
I wasn’t surprised that Beatrice had feelings for Silas. He did mature into an attractive young man. Thick brown curls were newly trimmed over his narrow face, and some strands covered his forehead over on the left side. Tall nose bridge featured at the center of his face, in between the soft brown eyes which were twinkled like stars. He was at five feet eight for his age, a decent height that he inherited from my father.
The limousine arrived on time, and my parents sat in one, while Silas and I stayed in the other. We sat directly across from each other as he stared out at the window, full of thoughts.
“You have feelings for Beatrice, Silas. Why didn’t you tell mother about it?” I asked him curiously.
“You know why, Clara. The word feelings doesn’t exist in her dictionary. It’s more like the words class or fame,” he glanced at me, helpless at our mother.
I muffled a laughter, and he lightly smiled back. Silas did have a sense of sarcasm, but it’s rare that he will use it in front of our parents. Most of the time, it will be around me.
The limousine came to a halt, and the door opened. My brother exited first before he held out a hand to help me out. The night already drew over the horizon, painting the sky with warm colours as people started to walk towards the extravagant house. It was extremely large, glass windows surrounding almost every side of the place. I slowly followed my parents inside and hooked arms with my brother.
“It’s very nice here, don’t you think?” Silas whispered.
“Yeah, the place is different from last year. I wondered what changed,” I replied, observing around the room, especially at the details.
“I heard from father that a few surprise guests are coming today. They were the ones who sponsored this ball and added more funds for a better place. Maybe that’s why.”
I nodded in agreement while we entered the grand ballroom filled with hundreds of men and women. Each one of them were dressed in expensive wears like diamonds and gold. Others had artistic hats covered their heads. It was almost like we had to impress someone, and this was the night to show everything we had.
“Oh God,” My mother chirped. “Look at how many successful men are here, Clara. You better impress a few of them tonight.”
“I will try, mother,” I responded with a weak smile.
“Remember not to be desperate,” my father added. “It’s not a good impression for anyone.”
“I know.”
“That’s good.”
I wandered out far and wide. My eyes glued onto the surroundings, the decors of this lovely room. Chandelier lights hanged from the ceilings as people walked around the hardwood floor. Women were laughing and flirting around, like they were pretending not to be in search of a wealthy husband.
I trailed behind my parents like an obedient animal as they spoke with some people who I had never seen before.
“Edmund, let me introduce you to my son, Silas, and my daughter, Clara,” my father spoke, and both of us approached forward to his friend.
“Oh, Adelaide,” the wife smiled. “Your son is very handsome, and your daughter is gorgeous too.” Both of us thanked her compliments and stood near our parents. A young woman came forward. A smile displayed on her lips.
“Is this Ida?” My mother questioned with a pleased look. “Oh, I bet you and Silas would make a great couple.”
Ida glanced over at my brother as he nodded to greet her. She looked over at me then nodded. They were both young adults who were yet in preparation for marriage, but in our country, it was very keen to have marriage at a young age especially for women.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Moreau,” Ida softly introduced.
“Ida,” my mother cooed. “You’re all grown up now. How lovely.”
“Thank you.”
“Silas,” my mother called. “You and Ida should communicate more. Why don’t both of you walk around together?”
“Of course, mother,” I pulled away from Silas as he held out his arm to Ida. She carefully hooked her arm around his before parting from us. I sent him a teasing glance that he shrugged back, defeated.
We made more rounds without Silas, and I managed to meet several men around the room, though it was easy to say that none of them had impressed me. I was aware of my future, and I was only nineteen. In our country, many women didn’t married until they were around twenty one or twenty two.
My mother married to my father when she just turned eighteen. She helped my father around until she became pregnant with me at twenty. By the time she turned twenty one, I was born, and my parents were ready for another child.
My grandmother told me that age was not just a number. It was a weakness of women because the older we become, the less attractive we would be. Men were different in our country. Age was only a factor to contribute to success. Once they built their wealth, women would be on their knees pleading to be married to the men.
That’s why my mother was still supporting the thought, even if I wanted to take the opposite direction of choosing when to settle down.
The country of Nascadia wasn’t an ordinary place. It was a full of people that wanted to climb the ladder of success. It was about fame and how your reputation would be. Mothers would push their daughters to find a good husband. The sons had to work hard to earn status. There was no in between, and no source of how men chased after women. Women were like puppets being controlled by their parents then being played by their husbands.
That was how our country worked.
The grand doors opened loudly, interrupting our thoughts and actions. Two servants pushed the wooden structure aside, and all eyes settled on the entering guests. Gasps began to tumble out of people’s lips as they recognized the specific group of people walking inside.
“It’s King Marco and Queen Gianna,” a woman whispered to her husband. “I can’t believe their family is here.”
“I heard that King Marco was one of the secret people that organized this event. His eldest son, Prince Arnaldo, is still looking for a duchess. I guess that’s what they are here for,” the man answered quietly.
My mouth fell wide open, surprised at the guests. Our country was ruled by royalty for thousands of years. We had alliances with other countries, and Verdeniao were our neighbours. King Marco and his family was from there, and to see them here tonight, I almost thought I was dreaming.
“Your highness,” A man greeted. “It’s an honour to have you join us tonight.”
“Thank you, Hugo. The pleasure is ours,” King Marco looked around, his sight intimidating to the population around us. He followed Hugo and stood on the staircase along with his other family members.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re very fortunate to have King Marco and Queen Gianna joined us today with their family. They are one of the families that supported us to host annual balls, and this ballroom is built with their donations. Please if you can give an applause to show our gratitude.”
All of us clapped in sync, loud sounds filling the room. King Marco smiled happily while his brown eyes lightened by the mood. If we weren’t aware, I wouldn’t recognized him clearly. He was missing a crown as well as Queen Gianna.
“Thank you, citizens of Nascadia,” he settled us down. “I’m very pleased to be here tonight. Nascadia had always welcomed us with warmth, and this was the best way to show my appreciation. I understand this ball is full of wonderful people that my family would love to meet. We don’t need any formal manners which is why our crowns are not on our heads tonight. Just treat this as an event to build more connections.”
They descended from the stairs as we clapped again. People already rushed upwards to the royal family and started introducing themselves. My parents and I stayed behind since we weren’t fans of crowds. We remained at our spots and spoke with the people in our class.
I went around, hopefully on the search for Silas. He had been long gone with Ida, and I was certain he needed to be save, but the room became more populated, making it extremely difficult to push through.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to marry into the royal family?” A woman gossiped nearby. “All the reputation you could bring into your family.”
“I know right,” the other woman smiled brightly. “As long as we capture Prince Arnaldo’s attention, he might be interested in us.”
“Don’t you think he’s too old? He’s already thirty three.”
“I don’t care about his age. He’s the apparent heir to the throne, and if we get married to him, we become the future Queen of Verdeniao. How is that not tempting enough?”
“You’re right. I haven’t even thought about that.”
“Come on, let’s meet him, Pansy.”
They scattered away, and I just rolled my eyes at their conversation. It was full of nonsense like what my mother would say. Royalty sounded like a trap to me. I rather find a man I love without thinking about his success or wealth.
Silas and I managed to find each other eventually. He took Ida back to her parents, then we returned to ours. I instantly paused at my steps when I took a clearer view of King Marco when he stood in front of them.
King Marco had long white hair that covered slightly over the side of his forehead. Thick eyebrows had been trimmed, and his captivating brown eyes glanced back and forth between my parents. A small stubble formed around his chin, enhancing his face to be more mature and manly.
His straight posture defined his confidence as a ruler. His tall frame carried out the black expensive suit, displaying his prominent body. People said that he was in mid-sixties, but he could easily pass as a fifty-year old man.
“Mother,” I called, and she turned back to look at Silas and me.
“Oh, there you are,” she was delighted. “King Marco, Queen Gianna, this is our son, Silas, and our daughter, Clara.”
“Your highnesses,” Silas and I bowed down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise,” King Marco replied. “You’re absolutely beautiful tonight, Clara.”
“I agree,” Queen Gianna praised. “Such a lovely girl for the eyes.”
“Thank you,” I tried to place on my best smile.
Queen Gianna’s thin pink lips curved into a genuine smile. Her bright red hair were curled at the ends, covering over her collarbone. Diamond earrings dangled above her shoulders, and she had emerald green eyes that were framed with long natural eyelashes. Her white conservative dress covered her entire body, but the light colour made her facial features appeared more vibrant.
“Clara is a beautiful name,” a deep voice interrupted. He stepped forward, his darkened jade eyes looking over at me as he licked his lips. “Pleasure to meet you,” he held out his hand. “I’m Prince Arnaldo.”
“It’s an honour to meet you, Prince Arnaldo. Thank you for the compliment,” I shook his hand. My eyes trailed over to how similar he looked to King Marco.
Prince Arnaldo’s dark hair was cut on the sides and back but was longer at the top. His face was clearly shaven, showing his youthful features. The larger nose above his pink lips. Thick eyebrows over his eyes.
“If you don’t mind, Clara,” he grinned, somewhat devilishly, sending shivers down my spine. “I would love to have a dance with you.”