Royal Pains by CN Thornton

Author:CN Thornton [Thornton, CN]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-05-27T18:30:00+00:00

. . .

The nightmares and crying continued every night for thirteen nights. It got so bad that my ladies started checking on me several times during the night, just in case I needed someone to talk to.

At one point, Moana even suggested we talk to the prince about getting me a sleep tonic, but I quickly declined. The last thing I wanted was to give Theodore another reason to be upset or disappointed with me.

Especially after our last dance lesson, when he had been trying to teach me proper turns for the waltz… I hadn’t exactly done too well, and his constant criticism about how I was overthinking the steps had pushed me over the edge. The lesson had ended half an hour early, after I completely lost it and stormed from the ballroom in tears.

That had been four days ago.

My lady Peyton, whose parents gave dance lessons to all the royal and notable families in Linacre, was kind enough to practice my turns and rises and falls with me every night, which really helped.

The day of the masquerade ball came too soon. I stood in front of the mirror in my dressing room while Layla laced my corset. Every tug to tighten the strings made my sides ache as it constricted me.

Hanging behind me, my ball gown was big and beautiful, a golden yellow. It reminded me of the dress from Beauty and the Beast, only not as full, and more regal with its intricate gold patterns.

When I put it on I easily noticed the difference in the weight of the fabric. It fit snug over my corset and flared out a bit, making my waist look small. The sleeves were made of a silky, sheer fabric that hung off my shoulders in a Linacrean-modest way.

Even I thought it was beautiful.

"Your mask, Emmaline," Justine said once they had finished my makeup.

Because my skin still showed traces of heavy sun exposure, they had to powder my body to make it look paler.

When they had tied on the mask and finally finished my hair in a complicated up-do, they pushed me back towards the mirror so I could see myself.

The mask itself was laser-cut steel in a beautiful golden color. Diamonds around the edges gave it a bit more feminine appeal, and it matched well with my dress.

"You look amazing, Emmaline," Moana said.

"Yes, like a real princess!" Justine said, with a dreamy expression. "All eyes are going to be on you tonight!"

I rolled my eyes. "Exactly the opposite of what I wanted. If I mess up, everyone is going to see."

Peyton placed her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. "Emmaline, listen. We've been practicing for days, and each time you have been nothing short of perfect."

"Yeah, but that was while I was practicing with you. Whenever I practice with Theodore, I stumble and mess up. He makes me so nervous." I bit my lip. "I can't do this—yeah, there is no way I can do this."

Peyton looked up at Moana as I heard a knock on the door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.