Chapter 10

            Ivy spent the better part of the week convincing herself that in no way was she attracted to the prince, and she did a pretty good job of it, too. The palace was in a flurry preparing for the Galinion princess to arrive.  It was the day before, and the queen had just made an announcement that the prince wanted to hold a ball in honor of the princess' arrival. Ivy was entirely unsure of whether that was actually what the prince wanted, but she was thrown into preparations and it was driven from her mind.

            She had just finished setting up some tables in the courtyard, and went to clean herself off. She washed her face and hands in a nearby basin, but froze when she heard a voice.

            "You were not in the garden today."

            She turned around, trying to subtly dust off her simple work gown.

            "Sorry," was all she managed to say. Adrian, however, looked worried.

            "Are you alright?" he asked.

            "Yes, I'm fine," she said, a little too brightly.

            "You seem…tired."

            "Well, I didn't get much sleep last night. It was dreadfully hot," she said, beginning to walk away. He caught her hand and brought her back.

            "Do you ever dress properly?" he said, with a hint of a smile.

            "I don't care for it," she said simply. There was a pause.

            "Are you sure you are alright?"

            "Yes."

            He nodded. "Then I suppose you've heard about 'my' ingenious idea," he said sarcastically.

            "The ball?"

            "That would be the one."

            "It sounds fun."

            "Fun? Are you kidding? Fun to spend five hours having your parents throw you at some girl who probably will talk about herself the whole time?  You're right, that does sound fun." He sighed and sat down on a bench.

            "Well, maybe this one is different."

            "Yes, and maybe she isn't."

            Ivy sighed, but didn't have anything to say.

            "It's just…" he began.

            "It's just what?"

            "What if I've become so cynical about love that I don't even realize it when it's there?"

            Ivy shrugged. "I think you'll know. It's usually rather obvious."

            "You think so?"

            She smiled at him. "I do."

            "Well, Miss Scarlett, I should probably leave. As always, it's been… enlightening to talk to you."

            "I think I'll take that as a compliment," she said. He smiled, bowed, then left.

****

            Adrian lay awake that night. He thought of Scarlett, and a smile crept onto his face. She was so… different. And yet she was so beautiful, both inside and out. He thought of her chocolate-colored hair, and her insistence on wearing simple clothes. He thought of her smile, and how her whole spirit seemed to shine through when she smiled at him.

            He awoke the next morning to a frustrated knot in the pit of his stomach. Today was the day.  He sighed and got out of bed, dressing himself and going for breakfast.

            "Adrian, darling," his mother said as he sat down at the breakfast table. "Do you feel it? That feeling of luck, I mean, love, in the air?"

            He only smiled vaguely and began to eat. The feeling of dread was returning, with every utterance that came from his mother's mouth.

            "Galinia is really a lovely country," she was saying. "The rolling fields, always green, and lovely clear blue skies, and such mild temperatures all year. I doubt that anyone could live in that country and not be perfectly lovely themselves!" she said, to which many people politely chuckled. Adrian had the insane urge to plunge his head into the porridge in front of him.

            His mother made him take a bath and put on some finer clothes. The Galinions were to arrive at noon, which was becoming increasingly closer.

            At last he was primped and pressed, and standing in the front hall with his mother and father.  He wished that the floor would just open and swallow him up, he wanted to not be there so badly.

            Just think of what Scarlett said, he reminded himself. Maybe she will be the one. Maybe you will fall in love with her.

            But I don't want to fall in love with her, he thought.

            His thoughts were cut short by the sound of trumpets. The doors opened and the king and queen of Galinia stepped in, their air of majesty apparent to everyone present.

            But behind them was what took Adrian's breath away. A vision in a blue gown stepped forward.

            All thoughts or feelings were driven from his mind except one: love.

***

            The day of the princess' arrival was completely crazy for Ivy. Servants were running every which way, and Ivy was pretty sure the princess hadn't even arrived yet. By noon, however, she heard trumpets sounding, and knew that the Galinions had come.  Filled with curiosity, she slipped from her place in the ballroom, setting up flags, and crept onto the staircase.  She could see the king and queen welcoming the princess, whom Ivy couldn't quite see.  She quietly went down a few more steps, and now the princess turned toward Adrian, and Ivy could see her.

            The princess was more than beautiful; she had long, cascading golden hair, she was tall, and wore a glittering blue gown. Her blinding smile glittered even to where Ivy sat. Ivy heard her say,

            "Good day," to the prince. Adrian, however, couldn't seem to answer.

            "Goo—good day," he choked. "An honor to make your acquaintance," he said, kissing her hand. Ivy felt a slight sting of jealousy she had never felt before. She went back to the ballroom. On the way, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror.

            "I am definitely no princess," she said to herself. Her brown hair was a mess, partially hidden under a dirty rag. Her face was dirty and slightly sunburned, and her eyes seemed more dulled than usual. She sighed, but straightened up, smoothed out her dress, and marched onto the ballroom.

            After her work was done, it was past dinnertime, and she felt somewhat down, so she decided to go visit Evelyn. She changed, scrubbed herself clean, brushed her hair, and left the servants quarters. She decided to walk outside since the late summer night was so beautiful.

            "Scarlett! Scarlett, wait!" It was the prince. She stopped, took a breath, then turned around.

            "How is everything going?" she asked.

            "You will never believe it." His expression was hard to see in the dark.

            "What?"

            "I mean, I don't even believe it."

            "What? What is it?"

            "I think I've fallen in love," he said, with a goofy smile.

            "What?" she said, surprised.

            "I know!"

            "And she's not conceited, or selfish or…"

            "No! She's intelligent and funny and clever and…well, beautiful." He continued to smile, and practically jumped, he seemed so excited.

            Trying to think of something to ask, Ivy said, "What's her name?"

            "Violet."

            "That's pretty."

            "It's the most wonderful sound in the world." He sighed. She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. That sting of jealousy from before now felt like a blow to the stomach.

            "Well, then I shouldn't keep you, should I?" she said weakly.

            "Oh, well, I just thought I'd tell you. I wanted to thank you."

            "Thank me? For what?"

            "For making me realize that maybe it was alright to fall in love."

            "Oh. Did I do that?"

            "Yes!"

            "Oh, well you don't have to thank me for it," she said, silently cursing herself.

            "Yes, well, I guess I should go."

            "Have fun," she said.

            "I will," he said, and then left, practically skipping.

            Ivy sighed, and had to sit down on a bench to keep herself from falling over. What had just happened? Oh, admit it, a voice said in her head. You were hoping that this princess would be a bore so he would fall for you instead. 

            "I did not!" she said, feeling very confused. She stamped her foot on the ground, and got up. Instead of going to Evelyn's though, she went to bed. I'll sleep on it, she thought.

*******

            The next day, Ivy was set to work outside, setting up for the ball. She was working on lining plants along the staircase when a voice interrupted her.

            "Your country is very beautiful," it said. Ivy turned around to see the princess, staring out at the landscape. Up close, the princess was even more flawless than Ivy had imagined. She tried to quickly smooth her hair.

            "Thank you, your highness," she said, curtsying.

            "My name is Violet," the princess said. "Like the flower?"

            Ivy forced a smile; she resented being talked to like she knew nothing just because she was a servant. She curtsied again and returned to her work.

            "Your prince is rather charming himself."

            Ivy made no answer.

            "What is your name?" the princess asked with a false kindness.

            Surprised, she replied, "Ivy." She paused. "Like the plant?"

            The princess laughed. "Touché."

            "The prince seems rather taken with you," Ivy said, an edge to her voice. The princess didn't notice.

            "Yes, he does. I must say, I wouldn't mind living here. It is gorgeous."

            Ivy continued to set up the plants.

            "Well, I suppose I should be going."

            "Have a nice day, your highness," Ivy said, curtsying.

            "You too, Ivy."

A/N – Yay! That was a faster update than usual for me. So anyway, the prince is in love with the princess and Ivy is jealous. What next? Well, the next chapter will probably be entirely the duchess, so it may not be that long. Then the ball. :)