Papa III, Cinderella AU

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The evening was growing more dull and tiresome by the second. The youngest Emeritus brother stood with his arms at his sides in the center of the room, seven grand thrones behind him, and hundreds of people standing in the ballroom in front of him. Each of his brothers, and their wives, his father, and Sister Imperator sat behind him, he though, looking just as displeased as he. It was tradition, you see, for the castle to hold balls in search of a suitor for the young prince. His eldest brother had already completed his necessary rein, and with the second brother nearly finishing his, it was time that the youngest prince found himself a bride. He tugged at the bottoms of his black suit jacket nervously. Waiting made him nervous. Boredom made him nervous. This was the second time the castle had hosted such an event to find him a suitable partner, and he'd met hundreds of women, but none of them caught his eye. None of them quite had that special spark he was looking for. His father, the long since retired Nihil, thought he was being too picky, but Emeritus The Third always thought it best that love was something to fall into the laps of those who were not looking, rather than something to be caught by it's tail in the grasps of whoever was the fastest. He thought, if a small perfect seed of interest could happen to drop into his life - if just the smallest dose of fairy dust could be poured into his dinner wine which he drank upon meeting eyes with the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen - that his relationship would have a much better chance than one forced upon him by bloodline. He didn't want to catch love. He wanted to be caught by it. "Miss Augustina Du Bois, the daughter of General Pierre Du Bois." The announcer called from the side of the room, from the lengthy parchment scroll in his hand. The woman by this name parted from the crowd and proceeded down the red carpet towards the young prince, pink ballgown swaying around her feet with every step she took, and the large purple sash tied around her waist into a bow at the back casting an interesting shadow on the floors. He hair ebony hair tied neatly around the back of her head with ribbon, a very curled strands hanging down at the nap. Her eyes matched the color of her hair, her lips and cheeks the color of her dress. 

"My lord." The Augustina woman picked up the sides of her dress and crossed one foot in front of the other as she curtsied, keeping her eyes trained on that of the prince as she lowered herself to the ground and back up. The prince wore a polite smile as he bowed to the woman. 

"A pleasure to meet you. Have a wonderful evening." His voice was low and soft. He had repeated this action too many times, with too many strangers, for it to mean anything to him anymore. Behind him, his father sighed to Sister Imperator. 

"The boy isn't cooperating." The woman placed her hand over that of the old man's gently. "It's almost as if he doesn't wish to find a bride. There must be at least one woman in this room who would make a suitable mother." The old man bleated. 

"They'll hear you, Papa. He will find a bride, I trust it." The woman replaced the strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear, and adjusted her position in her throne. She wondered briefly if anyone else's bottoms were beginning to grow roots into their chairs. The Agustina woman returned to her place in the crowd as the announcer called the next. The old man dumped his face into his hands, barely able to continue with the charade if his son wasn't going to at least play the part. 

"Sisters Anastasia Tremaine, and Drizella Tremaine, daughters of Lady Tremaine." Two woman emerged from the crowd, the first in pink, and the second in green. The trampled down the carpet towards the prince, each stepping on each others gowns and slyly pushing each other out of the way, vying for the prince's attention before even reaching his presence. The prince sighed out loud and looked to the sky, his eyes merely falling on the ceilings of the ballroom so high he found nothing but darkness. Please lord, may these proceedings be over soon, the prince prayed in his mind. The Tremaine women stopped before the prince, both picking up their dresses a bit to far, and curtsying just a little too low as they glared up at him. 

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