34 Mirror, mirror

Mika swiftly got up, brushing the dust and dirt off her clothes. Due to her mother's constantly warning, 'Mask yourself. The more cards you hold, the weaker your opponent becomes.'

Mika played the docile sister well. From when she was young she has always apologized first, given first, and spoke last.

When confronted with the women of the Amara clan, Mika has stayed quiet and away from conflict. Being the youngest with no strong maternal backing, it wasn't worth their time to be her opponent. If it wasn't for her beautiful face they wouldn't even look her way.

Displaying her meek persona, Mika bowed her head in a respectful matter.

"Sisters, mothers... sorry for not paying attention." Head still lowered, Mika missed the smirks on all their faces.

Kamryn and Sienna saw their classmates coming out of the store, quickly changed their facial expressions. Sienna acted first, pulling Mika away and to the side.

"Leave now. Don't shame us with your presence, in front of our classmates."

Mika knew the real reason why she wanted her to leave. Ever since she was born they have been jealous of her looks.

It had to be said the Fae delighted in all things beautiful. This didn't just deal with their vanity. The more beautiful a Fae was the more powerful they were. For a Fae to have remarkable beauty before their gifts have developed, shows potential. With the other prestigious young ladies and madams of the high clans in the area, Kamryn and Sienna as the older sisters didn't want to look inferior to their youngest sister.

To hide this secret they would spend all their allowances on beauty charms, to enhance their beauty. Because of this factor father has been cutting down their allowances.

"Yes, second sister." Sulking off Mika turned the corner, straightening her back she waited. Her facial expression became one of boredom with this perpetual play she has with her sisters.

'Cinderella....she only had two step-sisters and one step-mother, and she was complaining. I have three step-sisters and six step-mothers to cater to. Cinderella has nothing on me.'

Once her family went their separate ways, Mika retraced her steps and entered the shop.

Young misses and madams from all over Kaia Kingdom were getting their measurements taken. The shop's seamstresses exerted every ounce of energy they had to met the demands of the patrons.

The wait was long, and no matter how many shop hands they bought to help there was never enough. With all the important guest and her by herself, Mika knew she will never get the attention of the shop's staff. Buying her time, she decided to be a fly on the wall.

"Did you see Amara women. Kamryn and Sienna are supposed to be up for the title of Celestial Queen." One of the girls who saw the Kamryn and Sienna leave earlier said to her peers next to her.

"Tsk...Impossible they aren't even gifted enough, everyone knows they've been wearing beauty charms." Another counter.

"Really! I couldn't tell."

"Yes....one of my classmates was a roommate of Sienna's and caught her using them." the second one whispered to the surrounding misses. As if it was the juices gossip ever.

"Well...what's the problem everyone uses them nowadays." the first girl re-challenged.

The whole circle nodded in agreement with her words. They themselves held pieces of 'beauty' charms on their bodies. Some of their mothers had beauty charms on their bodies, even at their age.

"Yes...but how many and how strong are they. Plus they go around acting as if their better."

The whole group once again nods in agreement.

Leaving behind the gossip about her sisters, Mika move on to the next group of ladies.

Inconspicuously stationing herself in a dark corner, Mika listens in.

"Hey have you heard.... the King and Queen have been looking for wives for the third and fifth prince."

"What!? I didn't hear anything of the sort."

This time it was a group of madams waiting for their daughters to finish.

"Yes...well the King has passed on marriage arrangements for his favorite third son, onto the others for years. But now that the first, second, fourth, and sixth princes can no longer take any more wives, he hopes to find a wife for his third son. While weeding out the ones he doesn't like to the fifth prince."

"Isn't the fifth prince, the prince born under the dragon star."

"Mmm."

"This is wonderful news. What family wouldn't want the fifth prince rather than the third?"

"That's just it. The fifth prince is not favored by the king and queen. Any outstanding females who seek to marry the fifth prince will automatically be sent for the third prince choosing. The king would never let the fifth prince get a gem, only a rock."

"Oh my..." The group of madams thought on this.

"But still...the third prince is not bad." Seeing their daughters having a chance at being Queen, the wheels in their heads started turning.

Mika listened around the shop for two hours until one of the attends was able to help her.

'I should go shopping more often.'