A/N: Happy update day! Hope you enjoy it

Melissa frantically tore through her closet and chests in search for the perfect dress. It was only a few minutes ago they had received an invitation for the upcoming ball, along with some other information. Prince Lucas was to play tennis with the Marquis de Limoges tomorrow at noon. Although she should have been focusing on how to gain Lucas' attention at the tennis match, her mind was focused on finding the perfect dress for the ball.

"What about this one?" Rodmilla asked, holding up a pastel blue dress.

"It's blue," Melissa groaned.

"But Lucas loves blue!"

"Yes and fifty other girls will be wearing the exact same color," Melissa reasoned.

"Right you are my dear," the baroness proudly stated as she set the dress down.

Maya shook her head as she stepped into the room, hearing the last bit of the conversation. If this was indeed 'Cinderella', Missy didn't have a chance, but it was rather entertaining to watch her try and get that chance. "Any luck yet?" she asked.

"No!" Melissa snapped. "Can we focus, please?!"

"Sweetheart, perhaps if I knew what you were looking for?" Rodmilla asked as she stood up, hoping to please her daughter in whatever way she could.

"Something fit for a queen!" the older daughter shouted as she dropped into a nearby chair.

An idea popped into the Rodmilla's mind, and the corners of her mouth turned up into a selfish grin. "Come with me ladies. We must not speak of this to anyone."

Both Maya and Melissa followed their mother into her bedroom, the same smile spreading across Melissa's lips. She led them to the chest by the foot of her bed and said, "Waste not, want not," as she lifted the heavy lid and untied a silken cover, revealing a beaded white, flowing gown. As the baroness lifted the dress out, the small grin that was upon Melissa's lips turned into a huge smile.

"Oh, perfect!" she purred.

Maya reached into the chest and took the matching beaded glass slippers in her hands. "Look at these shoes! Where did you get these?" she asked, not remembering this dress at all in the memories the book had given her.

"They're Riley's… for her wedding," Rodmilla replied, scoffing the thought.

"Cinderella, married? Who would want to marry that girl?"

Maya instantly dropped the slippers back into the chest. If this plan involved stealing something that was clearly Riley's, she wanted nothing to do with it. "If this is Riley's dress, then maybe she'd like to wear it to the ball."

"Since when does a royal function include commoners?" Melissa scoffed.

"Never, but the invitation did say, 'To the ladies of this house'," Maya argued, knowing full well what Riley's position should be, and tried to remind the others of this.

"She's not of noble blood."

"And who would notice?" Rodmilla asked. "No one."

Footsteps sounded behind them, followed by a soft voice asking, "What are you doing?"

Rodmilla and Melissa both jumped as Maya turned around to see Riley standing just inside the doorway, holding some firewood in her arms.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Rodmilla spoke. "Airing out your dress," she lied as she held the dress out in front of her a few inches. "For the masque."

"Her dress?" Maya asked quite stunned. "But you just said—"

"I suppose for a commoner it will have to do," Melissa said, interrupting Maya. "I mean, look at it. It's practically an antique," she finished, brushing her fingers lightly over the silver beading, doing everything in her power not to snatch the dress out of her mother's hands.

"You want me to go to the masque with you?" Riley asked, very surprised at their words.

"But of course Riley! That is if you finish your chores and maintain your behavior until then," Rodmilla replied.

As Riley nodded, she saw Maya roll her eyes and stalk out of the room. This action confused her. If anything, Riley would have thought that Maya would have been thrilled. "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh," Melissa started. "She doesn't want you to go."

Riley raised an eyebrow at Missy's comment, but didn't say anything more as she set the wood down and left the master bedroom. What could she say? That she knew Maya would want her to go because they were best friends in another universe? That would go over well. Then again, maybe she didn't say anything because of this book. Riley sighed and rubbed her hand over her forehead. She felt like she couldn't tell which of her actions were made by her or the book anymore.


Lucas stood at the edge of the river, skipping stones over the calm water while Signore Da Vinci was doing something with one of his latest projects behind him.

"Do you really think there's only one perfect mate?" Lucas asked as he tossed another stone, his cloak flowing in the gentle breeze that blew.

"I do," he heard Da Vinci say.

"Then how can you be certain to find them? And if you do find them are they really the one for you, or do you just think they are? And what happens if the one for you never appears or you're too distracted to even notice?" Lucas babbled as he continued to debate over finding his only one.

"You learn to pay attention!"

Lucas sighed as he clutched the last stone he had in his hand. "Then let's say, God puts two people on Earth and they are lucky enough to find each other. But, one of them gets hit by lightning. Then what? Is that it? Or perchance you meet someone new and marry all over again, is that the lady you were supposed to be with, or was it the first? And if so, if the two of them were walking side by side, were they both for you and you just happened to meet the first one first, or was the second one supposed to be first?" he rambled as Da Vinci approached the young prince, giving him a puzzled face as he tried to sort out what Lucas was saying. "And is everything just by chance, or are things meant to be?"

Da Vinci shook his head and smiled. "You cannot leave everything to fate, boy! She's got a lot to do; sometimes you must give her a hand!"

Lucas shrugged as he turned to face the inventor. "What's this project?" he asked, looking at the two wooden pieces that looked like small ships without their sails.

"Would you like to see if they work?" Da Vinci asked as he began to take off his shoes.

Both of them laughed as Lucas tossed his final stone into the river.


Riley walked about the woods, trying to find as many truffles as she could for tonight's dinner for the baroness. She got down her knees and picked a few more. Once the last one was in her basket, she looked down at her hands. They were covered with dirt, and Riley felt as if the rest of her was covered in grime as well. Her eyes drifted to the river which flowed right near her.

Perhaps a quick swim, she thought to herself as she took off her overdress and headed down to the water.

Once she reached the pebble shoreline, Riley waded towards the deeper center and let out a relaxed sigh. The water was the perfect temperature to help cool her down on the hot day. Riley closed her eyes and let her body drift downstream. If only every day could be like this, she thought.

Riley didn't know how long she had been drifting, but the sound of a man's voice forced her eyes open.

"Looks like rain," the voice said.

Once her eyes were open, Riley saw an older man standing above her. She let out a startled scream, causing the old man to lose his balance and sent him tumbling into the water.


Lucas saw the event happen from where he was standing, but wasn't quite sure what happened. Once Da Vinci was close to the shoreline, he rushed down to meet him. "Signore Da Vinci! Are you alright?"

He nodded as he and Riley walked up to the shore. "I should leave walking on water to the Son of God, but lucky for me I stumbled upon an angel."

Lucas' eyes focused on the young lady that accompanied the thinker. "Comtesse!" he exclaimed as his face brightened at the sight of seeing Riley again.

"Your highness!" Riley replied as she felt her knees buckle underneath her, sending her back into the water. Lucas looked at her with concerned eyes as she stood back up. "Careful, it's, uh, very slippery right there," she explained as she walked out of the water and began to wrap her arms around her body, trying to warm up.

"Here," Lucas said as he took his cloak off and wrapped it around Riley. "Allow me."

"Oh, thank you."

Da Vinci smiled at the two. "Well, if you'll excuse me. I'll let you two talk," he announced as he took his water walking shoes and headed off to dry his clothing.

Both Lucas and Riley made their way up the pebble beach and sat down in the sunshine. Now that they were together again, Lucas felt that he could look at her forever.

"How have you been?" Lucas asked.

"Alright, considering the circumstances of not always being in control of your own actions. How about you?"

Lucas bobbed his head back and forth. "Still getting used to people addressing me as royalty. I am no prince, nor do I want to be."

Riley bit her lip. Well, I like to think of you as my prince.

"Where are your attendants?" he asked, eager to get to know her more.

Riley bit her lip as she tried to come up with an explanation. "I… gave them the day off."

"A day off? From what, life?"

"Don't you ever tire of people waiting on you all the time?" Riley asked, knowing that she was tired of waiting on people.

"Well… yes but, they're servants. It's what they do."

Riley shook her head. "Well I wish I could dismiss mine as easily as you dismiss yours." She rose to her feet and began to walk away. "I must be going," she said.

Lucas stood up and walked after her. "You're mad at me," he observed.

"No."

"Admit it," he said.

Riley stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. "Well yes if you must know!"

Lucas felt his heart fall. "Why?"

"Because you are trying to bait me with your snobbery."

"You are a walking contradiction, and I find that rather fascinating."

"Me?" Riley asked. He finds me fascinating?

"Yes, you. You spout the ideas of a utopian society yet you live the life of a courtier," he explained.

"And you own all the land there is yet you take no pride in working it. Is that not also a contradiction?" Riley asked him.

"First I'm arrogant, and now I have no pride. However do I manage that?"

Riley gripped the cloak around her a bit tighter. "You have everything and the world to you has no joy. And yet you make fun of people who would see it for its possibilities," she explained.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "How do you do it?"

She returned the expression. "What?"

"Live each day with this kind of passion," he explained. "Do you ever find it tiring?"

"Only when I'm around you," Riley admitted. "Why do you like to irritate me so?"

"Why do you rise to the occasion?"

Both of them looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and burst out into laughter. After their laughter had settled, Riley heard a faint voice calling her name. She turned to see Maya off in the distance, holding her basket in her hand. Riley turned and faced Lucas again, who appeared not to have seen Maya to her luck. "Forgive me your highness," she replied as she took off his cloak and handed it back to him. "I have lost track of the hour," she finished and headed up the small hill.

"But the wind," Da Vinci said, holding up a flying contraption that looked much like a kite Riley would see back home, "it's perfect."

"I'm sorry," Riley apologized and continued on her way.

"I'm playing tennis with the Marquis de Limoges tomorrow at noon," Lucas called out after Riley. "Will you be there?"

Riley increased her pace to a soft jog and waved her hand in the air. "I must go!" she shouted back to him.

Lucas raised an eyebrow and faced Da Vinci. "Why does she keep doing that?"

OoOoO

The baroness looked down at the pathetic excuses for candles sitting on the table in front of her. They were sitting on small plates instead of their usual candlesticks.

"Paulette," she called to the servant who was standing by the wall to her left. "Where are the candlesticks? I can barely see what's in front of me!"

"They're missing, my lady," Paulette said. "I've searched everywhere for them and they're nowhere to be found!"

"The painting in the upstairs hallway is missing too," Melissa added as she pushed her food around her plate with her fork. "Looks like we have a thief in our midst."

"Is this how I'm repaid?" the baroness asked. "Stealing my husband's prized possessions? I shall garnish your wages until the items have returned," she said to the servants. "Perhaps I'll even ship you off to the Americas," Rodmilla threatened as she took a small bite of her dinner.

Maya swallowed what she had in her mouth and shook her head. "Oh, didn't you hear? The prince when to the king and had him release all of those men!"

"He didn't!" Riley exclaimed.

"Mm," Maya responded. Rodmilla shot a disproving glance at both Riley and Maya, but Maya didn't back down and continued. "Now by royal decree, everyone that sails must be compensated."

"Compensated?" Rodmilla scoffed.

"What I want to know is who this Comtesse everyone is talking about," Melissa said as she lifted her glass up, motioning for Riley to come fill it. Riley nodded and walked over towards her. "There must have been five or ten courtiers talking about her today and how the prince fell all over himself."

"Well we must find out who she is and bury her," Rodmilla declared as Riley reached for Melissa's cup. When the baroness' words registered in Riley's mind, she knocked over Melissa's cup thanks to the distraction, but was able to recover it quickly. The action didn't go without notice from the baroness, as she shot Riley a surprised look as Riley filled up the glass.

OoOoO

Lucas stepped up to the line and served the ball off the side wall, aiming it directly at the Marquis. His opponent hit it and sent it back to Lucas' side. This volley continued for a number of minutes with the eager crowd watching every movement. The Marquis hit the ball with a great amount of force, forcing Lucas to run to the back corner to try and hit it back. He was successful, but he ended up tumbling into the crowd of many women, who were all too eager to help him back up.

Once Lucas was on his feet, he walked out of the crowd, somewhat flustered, and brushed the dirt off of him. He headed back inside of the court and crouched to a ready position, awaiting the Marquis' serve. But instead of serving, the Marquis stood up straight and pointed to something behind of Lucas.

With a questioning look, Lucas straightened himself and turned around to see what the Marquis was gesturing to. Standing right behind him was Melissa, with the tennis ball in hand.

Lucas slowly walked up to her and took the ball from her. Out of respect, he greeted her. "You are looking well, Melissa."

She bowed her head slightly and responded, "You're welcome to look, your highness."

Lucas let out a nervous laugh and returned to the game.

OoOoO

After the tennis match, and upon Rodmilla's request, Lucas joined the de Ghent's around the market area. Most of the time was filled with small talk between him and Melissa which he wished would end. Every time he spent with this family, minus Maya, he wanted to get away as fast as he could. Lucas knew what they were pressing for, and he knew that the marriage between and Melissa would never happen. But if I could find Riley again, he pondered.

The thought was soon pushed out of his mind thanks to Melissa speaking up again. "These are our servants, your highness."

Lucas looked around at the stand they were coming up on. "Really? I'd love to meet them."

Melissa nodded and brought him closer to their stand. The first two women he saw looked to be in quite a shock once they saw him. He didn't know why that was, but he simply smiled and said, "Good day, ladies."

He turned to greet the next servant, but was met with a clucking orange ball flying towards his face. He brought his arms over his face to protect himself as he heard the other two ladies gasp and start to scramble around.

Hurried footsteps came from behind him. "What are you doing?!" the baroness shouted. "Trying to scare the prince to death?!"

Lucas lowered his arms and saw the two ladies standing just in front of him. Both of them were wearing guilty expressions on their faces. "We were startled…" one of them explained.

Lucas stepped towards them and raised an eyebrow. "Were there just the two of you?" he asked.

"And the chicken… your highness," the other lady explained.


Riley cowered behind a tall barrel as she heard the baroness yelling at Paulette and Louise for scaring the prince. She covered her face with her hands and drew in deep breaths, trying to calm her pounding heart. Riley couldn't believe how close she came to Lucas finding out who she truly was. Throwing the chicken in his face was the only way to get away, and she felt rather bad for having to do that. Why must he keep popping up? she wondered. He keeps searching for Comtesse de Lawrence, someone who existed for ten minutes to save a man's life. Riley peered around the barrel to see that Lucas and everyone else had left. She let out a relieved sigh, but leaned her body back behind the barrel; she didn't know how much more of this she could take.

OoOoO

Riley bent near the fire and pushed the logs around, trying to make the flames come back to life as the baroness talked behind her. "We must press for a quick engagement," she declared. "Paris at Christmas! Can you imagine?" she daydreamed.

Riley turned from the fireplace and smiled at her stepmother.

The smile that was on Rodmilla's face fell. "No, I don't suppose you can," she replied, causing Riley's smile to fall as well.

The baroness stood up from her bed and walked over to her chair. "My mother was hard on me too, you know," she said as she sat down. "All she wanted was for me to be the best I could be… and here I am, a baroness. And Melissa shall be queen."

Riley continued to brush the baroness' hair, but her stepmother grabbed ahold of Riley's hand and brought her around to face her. "It's a pity you never knew your mother…" Rodmilla trailed. "There must be a little of her in there somewhere."

Riley bit her lip. "I do wish I knew her."

Rodmilla nodded. "Yes, but we must never feel sorry for ourselves. No matter how bad things get they can always be worse."

"Yes ma'am."

The baroness looked at Riley. "I see so much of your father in you."

Riley's eyes brightened. "Really?"

Rodmilla nodded. "It's like he's looking out of your eyes. Your features are so masculine. No wonder you're built for hard labor," she commented, "being raised by a man and all."

Riley let out her breath. She didn't like the baroness' comment, but she did appreciate that she looked like her dad. "Did you love my father?" she whispered.

Her stepmother closed her eyes and appeared to think about it for a moment. "I barely knew him," she responded in a low tone. "Now go away… I'm tired."

Riley nodded and headed out of Rodmilla's room, trying to control her mournful tears for her father.

A/N #2: Hope you liked it! If you could leave a review before you head out that would be great :) See you next week!