Lioness

Chapter 1- Palace Life

Dear Diary,

Being a princess sucks. Yeah, I know what you're going to say. "It's way better than being a starving peasant." It is true that food is one luxury I have, but you are told what to eat, when to eat it, how much to eat, how to eat it, what to say when eating it, which utensils you use, and so on, it becomes less of a luxury and more of a punishment. 

You may also believe that fancy dresses are something nice. Trust me, they're not. Yes, you look beautiful, but you are also told what to wear, when to wear it, how to wear it, which accessories to go with it, how tight those god awful corsets should be (it's always much too tight), and more. 

 How about power? That must be something lovely about being royal! No. I have no power. My father and my eldest brother, Ferdinand (who is the biggest prat you will ever meet) have all the power. I just have to sit around, look pretty, and marry Prince Leonardo Romano of Italy when our fathers find the time to arrange a wedding. Princesses aren't much good to kings unless they're forming blood alliances. A sick fact, but a fact nonetheless. 

So no, shiny tiaras, dutiful maids, constant loyal guards for protection, elite nobles, and handsome princes are not fun. Tiaras hurt your head after a half-hour, maids are invasive to your privacy, guards are overbearing and intimidating, prissy nobles in tights are obnoxious and perverted, skirt-chasing princes want nothing more than a girl who will worship everything they do in the court, the town, and the bedroom. Being a princess sucks. A lot.

Anyway, I have another meeting with Prince Leonardo today, a meeting I'm dreading. He's such a jerk, honestly! He's snooty and thinks that he is better than everyone else. Plus we both know that he doesn't love me. It was an arranged marriage, after all. I guess I can't hate him for that, though, since I do not love him. 

Ah, someone just knocked on the door. I shall write later!

Sincerely,

Evony

The knock on my door sounded again, rapping intently. 

"Come in," I hollered as I slid the diary beneath my bed. If a maid ever read it, they'd be horrified at the awful things I've said about my brothers, father, and Leonardo in it. I'd get in loads of trouble.

The great wooden door to my chamber swung open on its rusty metal hinges as my maid, Matilda, stepped in. "M'Lady. May I take your chamber pot?"

"Please, it's been stinking for ages," I replied, settling down in a chair by a window. France truly was beautiful in the early mornings when the sun rose over the peaks. If there was one thing I was grateful for when it came to royalty, it was the view from the castle. 

Matilda hurried about, dusting this and that before running to my closet. She selected a dress and bustled back over to me. "M'Lady, if you wouldn't mind, please step onto the stool."

I did as I was told as Matilda fiddled with the strings on my nightgown and helped me step out of it. She found a corset, bloomers, and a hoop skirt from the closet and put them on swiftly. She finally slid a rose-red dress on over it. The dress itself had swirling, spinning rose patters over it and a golden rose along the waistline. Beautiful, yes, but very itchy. 

Matilda messed with my chocolate hair until it was half-up half-down in some sort of odd braid and threw on a few accessories. She then proceeded to fidget with everything for what seemed like decades. When she was finally satisfied with her work, she stepped back and said, "Done. You look stunning M'Lady." and helped me down from the stool. "Now, Prince Leonardo will be arriving very soon-"

A trumpet blared in the distance, signaling Leonardo's arrival. 

"We must hurry! The royal family has to greet the carriage!" Matilda sprinted off, leaving me to waddle awkwardly in the goofy dress after her. My sister Marie was running/stumbling as well and we began to journey on together.