"Why can't I go tonight, Gen?"
Genevieve heaved a deep sigh as she explained for what felt like the hundredth time. "Because, you are not out yet, and this is a very formal event. You'll be in the nursery with Princess Sophia and Princess Regina, you like them, don't you?"
"I do. But this is a family event! And you picked me as your familial companion. Should that not require an exception?"
"The compromise was that you would help me get ready for tonight. And you'll still be at the wedding with everyone else."
Isabella exhaled sharply and flopped down on the bed, sulking. After a few moments of Genevieve patiently sifting through jewellery and ribbons, Isabella made her way over to her side, her curls bobbing as she leaned over Genevieve's shoulder.
"I rather like this one," Isabella said, pointing to an ornate diamond necklace.
"You don't think it's too much?" Genevieve asked, holding it up to her sternum.
"It is your engagement ball. I think it's impossible for anything you wear to be too much."
As Genevieve looked in the mirror, tilting her head while watching the diamonds glitter, there was a knock at the door. Colette entered and curtsied to Genevieve.
"The island girl is here, my lady. She says you invited her to help choose your dress for tonight."
"I did. Send her in please, Colette."
Colette nodded, curtsying again before leaving and reentering with Ro just behind her, who curtsied as well. Genevieve tried not to laugh at how Ro had tied her robe a la francaise like a dressing gown. Isabella however, was not so tactful.
"Good god Ro, why does your dress look that way?"
Ro glanced down, brow furrowing. "How is it supposed to look?"
Isabella giggled and rushed forward to untie the ribbons, with the help of Colette and Genevieve. Soon Ro's dress looked like a normal robe a la francaise instead of whatever she had done to it.
"I suppose it is more comfortable this way. I just thought the gown didn't fit!" Ro confessed, running her hands over the fabric. She looked up and met Genevieve's eyes. "Speaking of gowns, you wanted help choosing one?"
"I did. Colette laid out all of my evening gowns. We'll choose yours after we choose mine."
"At least one of us gets to go, Ro." Isabella pouted.
Ro caught Genevieve's eye and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. Genevieve tried and failed to hide her smirk from Isabella.
"This is my reward for making peace between the two of you? Betrayal!" Isabella said as she pretended to sob, but was unable to control her giggles.
Genevieve sighed, smiling at her sisters. Sister, she corrected herself, shaking her head.
"I was thinking of green, for the Palladian flag. Or should I wear blue to honour the Apollonian flag?"
"What blue? I only see green evening gowns," Ro said, picking up a sage green dress with floral detailing and passing it to Genevieve, "this would look lovely on you."
"Do you think the diamonds would go? Or shall I wear the silver necklace instead?"
"The diamonds, definitely." said Isabella, nodding vigorously.
"Ro?"
"Do you like the diamonds, Genevieve?"
"Of course I like them, I'm just concerned they'll overwhelm this particular gown."
Ro shrugged. "Then I think you should wear the silver."
"All right. Silver it is." Genevieve agreed, a little taken aback by how simple Ro made getting ready for a ball. What she'd worn to every party and dinner hosted by her parents, or by anyone else at court, had always seemed to her like a most urgent matter of state, and everyone's opinions on her outfits mattered. To Ro, they were simply clothes and shoes, and the only opinion that should matter was Genevieve's.
"Oh," she heard Ro breathe from the bed where the gowns were displayed. Genevieve turned and saw Ro eyeing a silk gown, which happened to be the exact shade of blue as Ro's eyes.
"You can wear that one if you like." Genevieve said, indicating the gown with a nod of her head.
Ro shook her head vigorously. "I couldn't, it's too lovely." As she said it, however, her hand reached out and stroked the delicate fabric.
"Ro, come on. Please?"
"It would be a crime for you not to wear it when you clearly like it so much!" Isabella chimed in, plucking up the gown and holding it up to Ro.
A slow smile came over Ro's entire face. "Oh all right!" she said, hurrying behind the dressing screen.
"Help her with the ribbons please," Genevieve said to Colette once her gown was properly adjusted and tied.
Genevieve had been right about the colour of the gown. It brought out Ro's eyes wonderfully. And it was lucky that Genevieve and Ro were so similar in height and figure, because the dress looked as though it had been made for Ro specifically.
"Oh! I have an idea!" Colette exclaimed, running to Genevieve's trunk. She produced a comb with a singular peacock feather attached to it, and placed it in Ro's hair. "It'll look different once we style your hair and everything, but the blue goes so nicely, doesn't it?"
"Do people wear feathers in their hair to these things?" Ro asked, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
Genevieve nodded. "They're very fashionable. I won't, as there's a headpiece that matches the silver necklace, but I suspect many people there will."
"And. . .did it hurt the bird? To get this feather, I mean."
Genevieve shook her head. "Not this one, at least. Our royal menagerie has a peacock, and this feather just happened to fall off one day. But most of the time the birds are killed to make the feather accessories."
Ro nodded. "I'll wear this one then. But I won't buy any when I'm your lady-in-waiting."
A few hours later, Genevieve's hair had been teased to nearly three feet high, with three sandy blonde curls at the base of her neck. The silver of her jewellery was accentuated even more by the fact that she'd opted to wear less powder in her hair than usual
Ro's hair was styled in a fairly simple egg-shaped hairstyle, which was much more popular in Barengad, to the north of Palladia.
Isabella had convinced Colette to put some rouge on her cheeks and lips, and Genevieve let her borrow the diamond necklace she loved so much with the promise that she would take good care of it. (Though Genevieve didn't expect much caution would be needed in the nursery).
She took a deep breath, then turned to Ro. "Shall we?"
Ro nodded, then paused, looking at her. "Are you nervous?"
Genevieve almost plastered on her courtly smile and shook her head, but something made her pause. "Terrified," she confessed in a whisper, "what if the Apollonians don't like me?"
Ro took her hand, giving it a little squeeze. "They'll love you. This is what you were born for."
And this time, Genevieve did plaster on a smile. Because although Ro was exceedingly kind, and her words were encouraging, she knew they weren't true. She wasn't born for this.
She was just the understudy.