Lady Illea (Lady Illea #1)

Chapter Thirty One

   I woke the next morning from a blissful dream of a Prince on a beautiful horse and a secret passage that lead to a room of enchanting music. I woke smiling for the first time in weeks but that smile faded quickly when I saw my girls in my room. They working oddly, stiffly, and quietly getting ready for the day.

    They dressed me in a beautiful silk green dress and Esmeralda did a quick simple braid while Alma tucked a rose behind my ear like she always did. Tiny and Cecilia stopped by to pick me up from my room and we walked to breakfast together.

   After such an oddly silent morning Cecilia's cheerful tone and dazzling smile was a bit too much to handle.

Cecilia spoke animatedly about her date with the Prince yesterday afternoon. "Oh it was so lovely," she cooned in her soft, melodic tone. "I'd never had that much fun over tea before. Hmm"

   She smiled, holding her delicate hands to her heart and there was this strange, but soft, feeling twisting my insides. It was easy to ignore I just wondered what it was.

"You know we're down to eighteen," Tiny said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. "Milly and Martha got sent home this morning"

Cecilia's eyebrows came together in sincere shock, the corners of her mouth falling in sympathy. "Oh, those poor things. I suppose it's for the best"

"I don't know," Tiny insisted, as we turned down the hallway and approached the dinning room, the smell of pancakes filling my nose. "It just seemed weird I thought the prince liked them. At least Milly."

Cecilia shrugged as we walked in. "I suppose you'll never really know"

    I saw Krystal and Ora sitting, laughing at something hysterically while Vanessa, with pursed lips and a sour face, was reading a magazine. Kara and Maddy walked by looking a bit frustrated, and Constance sat with her swarm of girls that seemed to dwindle in numbers by the day. Constance didn't seem to notice though. She was too busy having Fran file her nails for her.

  Cecilia seemed to glow as she flashed a dazzling smile at someone across the room. A few workers passed by me and I didn't see who it was. My braid was flung over my right shoulder and I started twisting the locks escaping from my do.

   It was no use, really. My hair refused to be tamed.

 Tiny skipped over to the girls as quickly as she could, for, I don't know what reason. I walked at my normal pace but for some reason felt like someone was staring. 

   I looked up at what seemed at precisely the same moment Will looked up to reach for something and out stares crossed paths. He winked at me, and I being the idiot unable to do anything else, just blushed and gave the tiniest smile I could before hurrying to my seat.

  I could just hear his laugh, musical and deep, echoing in my head. I bet he was laughing at me right now. Oh well. I shouldn't care anyway.

Right?

  Ora glowed at the sight of me and stood to embrace me, her usual smell of vanilla filling my nose, the lacey fabric of her sleeves brushing against my arms. "I was waiting for you all day, babes"

I laughed and sat in the seat between her and Cecilia. "Ora, honey, its just the morning"

"You know," Vanessa dropped her magazine on the table. "We have a photoshoot tomorrow?"

I frowned at her and turned to Ora and Krystal for a clarification. Krystal beamed and spoke quickly. "It's going to be a photoshoot with the prince that's going in the September issue of The Illean and we're all going to be taking pictures with the prince looking really gorgeous in these awesome dresses and-!"