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July 8, 2017
The Palais is coated in opulence. Possibly grander than any palace in England, but she feels a sense of coming home stepping in. Like she's in a dream world built upon stone and gold. Amelia clutches to her hand, tiny feet dragging as she ogles every inch of the room she can get her greedy eyes on.
There are murmurs that follow them through the halls along with shadows and soft footsteps. She is a legend in these halls, a woman grander than she deserves to be, but tales are spun again and again until the truth is wrung free from the story altogether.
Alice and Victor tell her how revered her concours videos are, how she's the standard for emotional execution, and how the girls swoon over her story. The tragedy of it is safe because she got the happily ever after. The girls will wear their hair in her signature side parted low bun to emulate her for their exams, and dress in oversized and vintage layers to fit the aesthetic that was never actually in when she was their age. As they flit around her she doesn't have it in her to tell them her life has never been that glamorous.
She was a blubbering mess of angst and teenage hormones when she met William which led her to make a series of rash and bad decisions. Her twenties were spent crying, pining, and constantly unsure of her decisions. Even now she doesn't get to wear a tiara because she wants to, but because she's a tool for others to push around in their pursuit of control.
The photo call is on the stage, and it takes all her self control to not leap on Victor and Alice. She does hug them, calmly but passionately squeezing them both while expressing her elation to be back. Official photos go quickly, her friends are done up in their Sleeping Beauty costumes and pose around her, and she even drags Mia into a few.
By the time they're done Mia is vibrating and jumps into Alice's arms. "Aunt Alice I've missed you!"
The jewels in the corners of Alice's eye squish up as she smiles, squeezing Mia to her chest lovingly. "I've missed you too." Jaclyn embraces the both of them, feeling the burning lens in her back. It's all a show and a farce, but it's not at the same time, and she has to focus on the warmth and familiar sisterly touch of Alice's hands or she'll go crazy deciding between the two.
There's a split second, right as she pulls Mia away, that her eyes lock with the cameraman as he pans the stage. Mia jumps slightly, her shyness returning as she tries to gracefully scramble over to Victor's hulking form.
"I love this outfit," Alice gushes, biting into her red painted lips to keep from laughing at the tear in Jaclyn's purse. So far she's managed to hide it from the cameras, but it's surely only a matter of time before they spot the peeling leather that's mostly hidden tucked by her side. It's a purse she picked up years ago in a small thrift shop, Alice being with her when she got it, and it helps set the tone.
