Maid For You 2

Chapter 46

Soon it was back to Chloé Dubois. I was stripped of my green gown and makeup and my hair and face were once again assaulted to bring about a new style for my final look for the evening—my ball look. Hair extension clips matching my exact hair color were clamped onto my bangs and other clips were thrown into my hair in various places to thicken it. By the time they were done with me, I looked more glamorous than I had in my entire life. My hair looked glossy and sleek as it cascaded over my shoulders in gorgeous curls. My neck looked elongated by a pair of long, dazzling silver diamond earrings. For my makeup, my eyelids were dressed with a glittering eyeshadow and impeccable eyeliner while my lashes were fringed with a pair of fake lashes that thickened and lengthened my lashes in a natural looking sort of way. Of course, this look was paired with a red lip. However, the dress was perhaps the most spectacular part.

The color was somewhere between scarlet and crimson. The silk dress had a heart-shaped neckline that stretched into sleeves that began at the edges of my shoulders and were four or five inches long. The torso cinched at the waist before flaring out into a huge skirt billowing into folds of gorgeous silk. The dress was paired with a pair of matching gloves that just kissed my elbows. I couldn't help but twirl and watch as the silk skirt fanned out and brushed the edges of the mirror and my bed.

"Oh, it's simply wonderful!" I cried. I felt like Cinderella just before she caught her pumpkin carriage for the ball. Did that make Chloé my fairy godmother?

"You look quite marvelous," Chloé said with a satisfied smile. Chloé and her crew had just finished taking dozens of pictures of me when the door to my room opened revealing Queen Klara standing in the doorway in a sparkling emerald mermaid dress. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up—I had the sinking feeling that by choosing her daughter's intended groom, I had incurred the wrath of the Queen of Aregano.

Instead, she beamed. "Miss Carmichael! Why, you look simply breathtaking." She turned to Chloé Dubois. "Mademoiselle Dubois, ton travail est magnifique."

"Merci, Reine Klara." Chloé bowed her head. "J'ai de la chance qu'elle soit une jolie femme."

"C'est une belle femme, non?" The Queen answered her. She then walked up to me and to my surprise took my gloved hands in her own. "You are fantastic, my dear," she said.

"Oh, thanks," I stammered. Chloé and her crew started to leave. "But really, it's all this dress. It's truly amazing."

"Yes, the dress is lovely," she said hurriedly. "But I'm not referring to that."

"Oh?" I braced myself for a lecture.

Queen Klara dropped my hands. "Choosing Prince Nikolas?"

My heart plummeted as the last of Chloé's helpers left the room. "Yes?" I croaked.

"You truly could not have chosen any better," Queen Klara told me, beaming from ear to ear.

I studied her countenance very carefully searching for traces of blatant sarcasm or passive-aggressiveness. "Um," I started. "Are you...really? You're...you're being serious?"

She laughed jovially. "Of course I'm being serious, darling. Your choice was...unexpected, yes, but wonderful all the same. What a fun surprise it turned out to be."

"Um, okay. I'm glad you think so!" I tried to relax, though the corset and the giant ballgown made that a bit harder.

"You must tell me, Miss Carmichael, why did you choose Prince Nikolas to be your prince for the day?" she suddenly asked me.

I stood quite still. This whole thing felt like a trap. Also, how was I supposed to answer that question?

"I must admit, I had a hunch you were going to choose my son," Queen Klara said.

"Well," I said, smiling awkwardly. "You know, he—your son, that is—he didn't seem so keen to spend any sort of time with me. So, why should I choose him?" The humiliating memories of his blatant disregard for me flashed before me, and I suddenly looked Queen Klara dead in the eyes, certain that my own eyes were burning. "So I chose someone else. Why shouldn't I?"

Queen Klara's smile slithered across her face like a snake. "I told you—didn't I?—that there are ways to deal with your problems other than breaking out in angry bursts. I'm glad to see you are learning more covert ways to approach frustrating situations."

At this point I had no idea what to make of Queen Klara.

"Well then, I'll see you later in the ballroom," she said. "Good luck." And with that, Queen Klara turned around and left the room.

So...she isn't mad at me?

A few minutes later, two crisp knocks rapped at my door. It had to be Prince Nikolas, this time. I walked to the door and flung it open to find that very Prince standing before me. He wore a white coat with a blue sash, the Autumn Prince silver crown, and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Hello, Prince Nikolas."

He said nothing for a moment. "Forgive me," he finally spoke. "Your appearance rendered me speechless. You look quite stunning."

I wondered if my blush that followed was as red as my dress. "Oh, thank you," I said. "You, of course, look very handsome."

"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm.

I smiled. "Let's do this thing."

When Prince Nikolas and I entered the main hallway on our way to the ballroom, we found dozens of couples and singles walking across the red-carpeted hall while the flash of dozens of cameras lit up the space. Prince Nikolas navigated us into the line of people walking to the ballroom, and suddenly the flash assaulted my eyes, though I tried my best to smile to not look like a dingus. We finally made it to a pair of open ballroom doors, and when we stepped through them, my eyes widened at the scene. We stood at the stop of a marble staircase which branched out onto a top balcony level that went around the room before descending onto the floor of the ballroom, where a sea of tuxes and handsome coats and gorgeous ballgown glittered under the huge crystal chandeliers. The colors mostly seemed to reflect the autumn season—all the ballgowns were a various shades of green, orange, yellow, or red.

Another man off to the side stood by us on the top of the staircase, and I turned to find it was none-other than Isaac in his formal guard attire. He smiled at me for a second, before turning to the audience and boldly announcing, "The Queen Maiden, Cassandra Carmichael, and her Autumn Prince, Prince Nikolas Nikotovich." Everyone on the ballroom floor turned to stare at us, and suddenly I felt like Cinderella once more but in a red dress, especially with Prince Nikolas wearing a white coat and sash that reflected Prince Charming's outfit. We descended down the stairs; I used one hand to hold onto Prince Nikolas's arm while I used the other to try and hoist up my giant skirt. I safely made it to the ballroom floor, when behind me I heard Isaac call out, "The first dance will now commence." At his words, orchestral music began to play.