Crown Princess

Audrey returned to her room in annoyance; nothing was going exactly as planned. That was why a gardener could look down on her. She expected Mia to be back, but she wasn't. She felt extremely bored. Was this how life would be when she moved into the palace? She never thought she wouldn't win the contest.

As she settled on her bed, hoping a good rest would improve her mood, Mia walked in with a big smile. Audrey sat up instantly, ready to listen to the gist.

"How was it?" She didn't bother hiding her eagerness.

Mia smiled widely, "It was amazing, Audrey. I was able to dine with the king, queen, and the crown prince. For a moment, I felt like I was part of the family, and they urged me to feel comfortable in their midst. The royal family is unlike what people had tagged them as."

Audrey sighed. "You're so lucky. Were you able to meet the crown prince, alone?"

She nodded. "Of course, I was. The crown prince is such a gentleman, and he's looking forward to the five final selections. With just eight of us left, I think that would be sooner than we expected."

Audrey had thought about it, too. Soon, she was going to know if her dreams would come true or not. Yet, her mind went to that beautiful gardener she met earlier that day. She shook her head. She needed to be focused on her mission and not get distracted by some gardener.

Throughout the rest of the day, Mia was in good mood. She whistled all through the room, doing little things her maid could have done. She fixed her luggage as if she were ready to leave their room. 

While Audrey lay down again, she thought of her mother. Would her mother be disappointed if she didn't win the contest? Her mother had never supported her dream of becoming royal. According to her mother, living a royal life was dangerous, and she didn't want her daughter to engage in anything dangerous.

The rest of the days went uneventful for Audrey. She visited the garden, hoping to meet the gardener again, but he was never there. Mia became busy. She rarely stayed in the room to keep her company like other ladies. She had no idea what Mia was doing, but it seemed important as she had never missed a day.

Sometimes, Audrey wished she knew the gardener's name. She was surprised by the level of courage he had speaking to her like that. But she couldn't ask anyone in the palace.

The eight ladies were seated before Ms. Peep, who looked distraught. Her lips pursed in a thin line. "I know you ladies are eager to know what task I have for you today, but unfortunately, there won't be any today. There would be an eviction of three ladies, and we will move to the final selection of the crown princess contest. I know you will be curious to know why this is happening. War is upon us."

Audrey's face paled. War. It had been eons that their kingdom engaged in any war. Her father had told her about the last war and how lives were lost. It had drained the then king's power to win the war. One of the king's powers was to foresee a person's plan whenever he got close to someone. Luckily for them, he had gotten hold of one of the enemy's generals then and had foreseen how the enemy planned to attack them. 

The king had to use his power to change the general's thoughts before releasing him. Changing a human's thought had drained him of all his power, but they had won the war.

Audrey couldn't help but think about what would happen if the enemies were stronger than the current king. According to rumors, the current king possessed no special power but was still more powerful than most nobles.

Ms. Peep continued as if she hadn't dropped such a dangerous topic on them, "We all know or have heard of the prophecy. The future king is going to be the strongest king ever. So, we need to hasten the crown princess selection and get the crown prince married, so he could unleash his magical power. The crown prince needs to be in charge of this war. The queen is already making preparation for the marriage, as it would take place immediately after the selection."

Audrey felt blood rush into her head; everything was happening so fast. She hadn't met the crown prince, and now they would evict anyone they found unpleasing to them. She didn't have the time to think it through as Ms. Peep pointed at them randomly. She called three of the maidens out, but thankfully, she didn't include Audrey.

Audrey sighed in relief. The ladies who were evicted hid their tears, but one wept bitterly. Audrey felt sorry for her for a moment, but that was just competition. Someone's loss is another one gain.

"You all should prepare to meet the crown prince tonight. He would be making the final selection, and the marriage will be taking place tomorrow. An incitation would be sent to everyone today."

Audrey frowned. "How? No one knows the winner, yet."

Ms Peep nodded, "Yes. But, we are taking drastic measures because of the drastic situation. The crown prince needs to be available to strategize how we would win this war. And I hope whoever becomes the crown princess would help him win this war."

Audrey nodded. Ms Peep didn't want to bid them goodbye before rushing out of the hall. For the first time, the maidens came together.

One of the maidens cried, "Do you think our family would be saved in this war? I hate war from the tale I had heard from my father."

Audrey sighed, "That's why they are rushing this selection. I'm certain the crown prince would have a plan before the war expands. After all, it's his duty to protect the people in this kingdom."

Everyone contributed, showing their grief about the upcoming war. The ladies wished themselves the best of luck. It was surprising to Audrey, but she didn't say a word.

She saw Mia lying on the bed when she got to the room. She hadn't waited behind. Then she remembered Mia had packed her bag as if she knew what would happen.

"Did you know about the war?" Audrey asked; she wasn't the type to pretend when she saw things happening.

Mia didn't rise from her bed, "No. I was just arranging my stuff so Lisa could rest."

Audrey couldn't point out exactly what it was, but there was something fishy about her. It looked like she was trying to hide something from her. But Mia had been her friend from the first day they met. She wouldn't accuse him because she packed her bag earlier.

"Sorry. I think the news about the war is getting to me. I can't believe it, yet. War has always been stories I heard from my father. To me, it was just stories. I have no idea it's possible until now."

Mia smiled, "Thankfully, we can protect ourselves a bit with the little magic in us."

"But what about the commoners?"

Mia shrugged; it wasn't any of her business if they hadn't learned to fight for themselves. She turned around, ending all discussion between them.

Audrey sighed. She wasn't bothered by the nobles but the commoners. She remembered how most of them had lost their life in the previous war, according to her father's stories. The commoners also deserved to live. They didn't deserve to die because they weren't gifted with magical power.

It was such a shame.

She called Phina in to help her with her luggage. Tonight, she was going to know her fate. Either she returned home or moved to the crown prince's chamber.

Unlike other times, the west wing was busy with activities, as the maidens sent their maids around looking for a way to present themselves perfectly to the crown prince. Amidst the chaos, Mia slept like she had no bother. She had played her part daily; it was left for the crown prince to play his part.

As the sun withdrew into the sky, the west wing became noisy, anticipating the crown prince anytime soon. The maidens gathered in the hall in their most beautiful dresses; some had plaited their hair and placed a beautiful flower beside it. Some had applied make-up to enhance their beauty.

Audrey dressed simply – her mother had always told her that true beauty is simple. So, she planned to remain simple.

The hall went silent as the crown prince, and his mother came into the hall. The queen had already set her eyes on the daughter of the Duke of Philo; with war upon them, she needed all the alliances she could get. She had pointed her out to the Crown Prince before, but knowing her son, he might disappoint her. 

But the moment the crown prince saw Audrey, he knew she was the one. He didn't waste his time portraying in front of the other maidens. He selected Audrey as his crown princess and picked Mia as his concubine.

Audrey, over the moon, hugged Mia, who wore a frown behind her. She swore it wasn't going to be the end. The queen had also risen from the post of a concubine to the queen; Mia knew she could also achieve that. She refused to remain as the concubine of the crown prince forever.