1711, Aethiel Palace, Kestramore City

           "Papa, how am I supposed to live with only two servants ? I need all six of them !" a loud, nasally voice cried.
Catarina snuck a glance at the young lady who stood several rows ahead of her, horrified by her terrible attitude. At first glance, Lady Lavinia Olivier seemed like a decent lady, albeit having rather questionable fashion choices.

            "Winnie, you must do as the Princess says," the Count of Levere said soothingly, although his face was burning hot with embarrassment.

             "I don't want to !" she shouted, and Catarina was forced to cover her ears due to how shrill it was.
Truly, she had never seen such behaviour before, and Catarina was rather impressed by how horrible this 'Winnie' Olivier is.

The Count of Levere turned towards the Princess, his face impossibly red, hoping for her to grant leniency.

Instead, Demitria only said, "Do reprimand your daughter, Lord Olivier. Her behaviour is outstandingly flagrant."

The person standing in front of Catarina let out a soft chuckle, and she turned around, smiling charmingly.

            "If I had acted that way, my father would have tied me to a tree," she said, her voice deep and sultry with a slight hint of mockery.

The lady standing in front of Catarina was strikingly beautiful, but not in the traditional sense. She was bold and tough, a stark difference from the usual demure and delicate act that most ladies put up.

             "A shame indeed that her father hadn't," Catarina replied. "Otherwise she would not have ended up like that."
The lady's smile widened, her forest green eyes curving like crescent moons. "I am Jessamine le Comte. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

             "Le Comte ?" Catarina subconsciously repeated. "The first female general in this kingdom's history, that Jessamine le Comte ?"

It was not too hard to notice that Jessamine le Comte stuck out like a sore thumb among the soft and delicate young ladies. Her fiery red hair was cropped short, barely touching her shoulders, and her bearing was like that of a mighty soldier, not a debutante, which made the pink silk dress that she donned look very odd and unsuitable.

             "That would be me," she chuckled. "I'd rather be guarding the Calacian border than being in this room, if you ask me."

Cosmina Breckenridge, who was standing close to Jessamine let out a scoff. "Do you not want to make your family proud, Lady le Comte ? Becoming a Crown Princess is a great achievement."

                "I already have made my family proud," Jessamine retorted rather snootily. "But thank you for the information, Lady...?"

                "Breckenridge," she answered swiftly. "I am Cosmina Breckenridge, the Grand Tutor, Marquis Archibald Breckenridge's daughter."

Catarina and Jessamine's eyes locked for a split second, before the former replied, "Neither of us asked, but alright, I guess."

Cosmina's steely grey eyes widened in contempt upon hearing Catarina's words, and she simultaneously rolled her eyes while letting out another scoff. "Ah, Lady de Fontaine. Have you heard that punctuality is one of the most important aspects of learning? It encourages discipline and molds you into a more proficient student."
Catarina could clearly tell that this Lady Breckenridge was trying to pick a bone with her, but even when having a war of words, she still could not abandon her 'holier-than-thou' attitude.

             "I see. Thank you for telling me that. Oh, what shall I do without you ?" she retorted humorously, and once again, Cosmina was ready to give her a lecture, but before a single word left her intelligent little mouth, Princess Demitria's voice boomed throughout the vast hall.

              "Now, every one of you must change into this dress, and the dress that you are wearing now shall be brought home along with the rest of your things," she declared while holding out a plain beige dress, and looking at the dull and easily wrinkled fabric, Catarina knew that it was made with cheap linen.

It was precisely a dress that a mere menial maid would wear, and Catarina could not tell why they were forced into wearing such lowly clothing.

Nonetheless, she wordlessly headed to the spare room at the end of the hall with the other ladies, and with Rosie's help she stripped off her extravagant dress and silk hat, and slipped into that frumpy linen dress.

              "This dress is so awful, Miss !" Rosie cried out. "Even the laundry maids at the estate wouldn't wear such a thing !"

    For a split second, Catarina did think of throwing a tantrum like Lavinia Olivier did previously, which would surely end up with her being shipped back home. But in the end, she still had some dignity and pride left within her, so she obediently did as she was told.

             "Now, lords and ladies, do bid your daughters farewell, for you will not see them until the ball at the end of summer," Princess Demitria announced.

That was almost three months away ! Catarina wanted to protest, but in the end she had no choice but to kiss her father goodbye, and as she hugged her cousin Rafael, he whispered into her ear, "No worries, Nina. I will still find a way to see you."

She smiled upon hearing this, but her heart was filled with discontent. She had never been away from her family for so long, and as she had a horrible experience at Breckenridge Academy these past few years, Catarina had a phobia of new, foreign places.

Right beside the de Fontaine clan were the Breckenridge family, and compared to House de Fontaine's display of power and splendour, the Breckenridge were more low-key and scholarly.

               "I will make you proud, Mother. I promise that to you," Cosmina said while embracing her mother, the Marchioness of Avionne, Miriam Breckenridge.

There was a fleeting sense of melancholy in Catarina's chest, and she began to long for the person whom she had no recollection of. Her mother, the deceased Duchess of Lorewell, Lucia de Fontaine. Aside from her looks, Catarina knew nothing of her late mother. Her likes and dislikes, her favourite food, her favourite book, she would never know.

She blinked away the tears in her eyes and glanced at the tall, dark man standing to her left. A small smile appeared on Catarina's red lips, smeared with rouge. There was still her father.
               "I too will make you proud, Papa," she declared laughingly. "I will be the most mischievous creature to ever walk on this Earth, you'll see."
      
         "Just don't burn down the palace, Nina," Elliott reprimanded playfully.
     
          "I can't promise that," she chuckled.

Goodbyes have been said and tears have been shed. It was now time to leave. As the de Fontaine clan walked out of the hall, loneliness and helplessness filled Catarina's heart.
Julian noticed this and wanted to approach her, but before he could, Jessamine le Comte appeared and seized Catarina's hand, dragging her over to the rest of the ladies.

When they joined the crowd of ladies, Catarina could see little Lavinia Olivier, now wearing a scratchy and rather dirty linen dress and softly sobbing into her hands. She also noticed Marguerite le Prince standing slightly away from the rest of the crowd, and Catarina hatefully remarked how the servant's dress suited her perfectly in her heart.       
 
          "Perfect !" Princess Demitria said cheerfully as she walked over towards the crowd. "Now, everyone is equal !"

Equal. Indeed, when they all donned the same dress, no one would be able to tell which of them was higher-born nor lower-born. No one would be able to flaunt their wealth, and no one would have to lower their head in shame.

They were all the same now. It was as if they were a blank slate, and the only thing that could set them apart from the others were their abilities and attitude. Catarina could finally see the meaning behind  Princess Demitria's game.
They were sent here to be judged, and no amount of pearls and brocade can fully hide a rotten heart. But if one were to abandon them completely, wouldn't the task be so much easier ?

Please vote and comment if you liked this chapter! Also, do check out my other story, The Usurper's Queen!