Mannerisms

The next morning I woke up early, reviewing any and all the information I could remember for the test. I reviewed the dances, looked at the songs that were done for the dances, and set up an imaginary tableware set in my head over ten times. Conversation rules were drilled into my head as Sophia and I walked together to breakfast down the overly adorned hallways.

"The number one rule is to always direct the conversation to the other person, and don't forget that being indirect is your goal. Also, refined words are the way to go- bigger the better. It wasn't 'fun', it was enjoyable," she said. I nodded soaking in any more reminders or last minute information she gave me.

"And Eleana," she said, stopping and turning to face me, "Remember, even my five years of cotillion is no match for a noble's upbringing. They are trained from birth how to act around royalty, go to balls and social events practically every weekend, and can't even imagine not using table manners. I've taught you everything I can, it's up to you to do well. We'll be lucky enough to survive at this point."

"Got it," I said. I looked at the worried look in her eyes. "Sophia, I'm gonna be fine. You taught me everything I needed to know and more. If I get out of this alive, I'll have no one to thank but you. Let's aim for blue together, ok?"

Her worried expression softened and she smiled lightly, "Ok."

We opened the door to the Dinning hall, welcomed by the chatter of the other girls. Everyone wore dresses predetermined by the castle's staff, including mine. Not that I appreciated it since I would have much better liked to be wearing my simple t-shirt and skirt that I came here in.

Sophia and I split off to go to our respective tables, sitting down at an open seat. My table seemed to only have the seat closest to the King open left.

He's not a disease, guys. Why is it always the one closest to him that's open. I need to start coming earlier.

"Good morning, Eleana," the king greeted.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Did you sleep well last night?" I asked getting the pleasentries out of the way.

"I did. How about you? You didnt stay up too late studying up on mannerisms, did you?" He asked slightly smirking.

I thought about our dance last night getting a little embarassed.

"No, Your Highness. I got plenty of sleep, thank you."

"Are you confident about this test then?" The King asked, sipping his wine.

"I wouldn't say that I am confident, but I believe I at least have a chance," I stated.

"Quite modest are we?"

"I just believe that there are many more nobles in the pool of candidates that are more suited for this test, that's all, Your Majesty," I said, brushing off his comment.

"I see. And what household are you from again? You said your last name was Allenvure , but frankly I don't remember a noble having that family name," he inquired. I laughed in my head.

"I'm not a noble, Your Highness. I was sent on the basis of not being able to pay the fee commoners must pay."

The king was silent for a moment, looking at me in a surprise. It was probably the first time I had seen him show such a blatant display of emotion. He quickly returned his expression back to normal.

"I have yet to see a commoner make it this far into the ball. With your results so far, I hardly believe anyone would take you for one at this point. I guess that explains the plain outfit and yarn on the first day here."

"I'm quite surprised I have made it this far myself," I admitted.

"Your family must be proud," he said.

"I hope so. Even becoming a servant of the castle would be a honor for my family," I said.

"Surely you aim higher. If you were to be married into a noble family, or if you became queen for that matter, your family would be given a noble title and prestige," he said.

"I don't believe a noble would take lightly to a commoner becoming queen let alone being married to one, Your Majesty," I said.

"Well if it's by my decree then they will do it unless they wish to receive capital punishment,"He said simply but with an underlying threat.

"Yes, of course, Your majesty, but I must look further than just the marriage and title when making goals for my future. Your promise does not include how I might be scorned or mistreated after the ceremony."

He was silent for a moment, unable to deny what I said.

"However,"I continued,"a commoner becoming a servant in the castle has been done before, and it's a job only given to those who have proven their worth. Even if I become one of low ranks, I would still be have a small amount of prestige given to my name, and I would be known throughout the town I live in. Not to mention, I would be able to financially support my family while carrying a normal life style." I thought for a moment before adding, "This is all of course assuming that you find one of us suitable to be queen. If you don't, than I don't have to worry about any of this at all."

"Yes," he said with a thoughtful expression,"...indeed."

Breakfast was served and we continued our conversation while eating.

"How were you educated?" He asked.

"I was taught by a childhood friend that would come over from time to time," I said.

"A childhood friend?"

"Yes, he was a noble who went to a boarding academy. He would sneak out and teach me what ever he was learning in school," I explained.

"My mother is also a letter deliverer, so she could fill in the blanks of reading lessons. We would also have extra paper come home from rejected letters that I could practice on from time to time," I said.

"Letter deliverer? That's not a bad paying job, how were you not able to pay the fee?" he asked. I was silent for a moment, considering if I should even tell him.

"...My father passed away as of late, which caused our income to drop dramatically," I stated hiding my emotions about the topic, keeping a flat tone.

"...I see," he said. He showed no emotion in his tone or face but I could tel he was apologetic for touching a sensitive topic.

The conversation died and we continued to eat in silence. Eventually, the meal ended and all the girls were directed and split into different groups. I pushed the thoughts of my father away, focusing on what's in front of me instead. This test was the last thing I needed to pass to survive. There's no room to mess up on this one. I heard my name called and entered the room with a determined look on my face. We started off with conversation, before going into table manners as well as common etiquette. I focused on recalling all the rules that Sophia gave me, not letting my posture go for even a split second. Soon enough, the dance portion came up and my dance partner, who was one of the knights, led me to the middle of the ballroom floor.

I curtsied, getting into position, letting my thoughts wander as the music flowed. I was immediately brought to the dance the king and I had in the library. I imagined his highness guiding me through the dance, leading me with the warmth of his hand and the unwavering steps that were perfectly in sync with the music. Smiling lightly at the memory of getting the dance right for the first time, I performed the dance just as before. I was roughly pulled back to reality once the music ended, leaving me to curtsy once more before being dismissed back into the line of girls waiting their turn.

From what I was told, the girls were put into 7 groups, each group with 10 girls except for one with 15. Each group is responsible for eliminating 3 girls—one responsible for 4. Everyone waited in anticipation for the girls to take their tests, some came out confident, some even came out crying. I was on edge, not knowing where I stood in a room full of nobles. As soon as the last girl came out, so did the guards. One of them was holding a clipboard with the scored of all the girls that passed and those who were eliminated.

"Peri Kiander, Juliet Hillards, and Oranda Gain. You three are eliminated," he announced. The three girls burst into tears, while others empathized. Tears fell while I sunk into the chair they provided for the writing room. I silently cried, letting their screams seep into my bones, but also in the relief that no one else has to die.

I made it.

I couldn't hold back, letting out a few sobs and releasing the built up fear. I didn't have to worry about a test sending me to my death bed anymore. All I had to do was fail the next test and live life peacefully as a maid.

"To the rest of you, since this is the test before the ball, we will not be assigning anyone to red," he continued. He listed my name, giving me a blue choker. I was dismissed and led to my room by Annabell.

"I guess this is good bye for now, Miss," she said.

"Probably not for long. I plan on failing the next test and becoming a servant in the castle. Although I don't think I'll have to try hard to fail."

"Really? Don't you want to at least try to get married to a noble? Surely, you'll live an easier life there," She said.

"I've lived my live as a commoner, so having a job and earning my keep is more comfortable for me," I spoke honestly.

"Well, if you do end up as a servant, than I look forward to seeing you again. If you become Queen, then I look forward to serving you," she teased lightly.

"Annabell," I whined. She laughed a little before saying bye and leaving. I entered my room and saw Sophia. We both ran up and hugged each other.

"I'm so glad your alive," I said squeezing her and letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad your alive too,"She returned. We let each other go and laughed happily.

"Looks like we're roomies. I guess 'less than comfortable living conditions' meant sharing a room," she giggled quoting the king on the first day.

I laughed, "I would hardly call sharing a room 'less than comfortable'."

Sophia agreed and we sat down, chatting about the test. Eventually the subject of the ball came up.

"Are you excited for the ball? I heard that the servants are already preparing for it," Sophia said.

"Is it happening so soon? We just finished the mannerisms test," I said a little disappointed that I wouldn't get a break.

"I don't know. I guess it depends on how big they are planning the ball to be. I've heard that some balls can take as long as 3 months to prepare for. But since it's the king's orders, I highly doubt it will take that long," she explained.

"I see. It's my first time going to these things. I know what I'm supposed to do manner wise, but I guess I can't shake off the feeling that I'm going to accidentally offend somebody," I confessed.

"If you stick by me the entire time then I'm sure you won't cause any problem. Just let me do most of the talking—all you have to do is enjoy the tons of sweets and gourmet food they're gonna make," she reassured. My attention was immediately caught by the mention of sweets.

"Sweets? What kind of sweets?"

Soon enough we got carried away conversing about deserts and cakes of all kinds. We talked about all of the things we've heard of but never have gotten to try and about others we've had but still looked forward to eating.

It wasn't long till one of us looked at the clock and had to hurry to the dining hall for lunch. For the first time I sat at the blue table and enjoyed eating lunch freely.

"You were in Gold before this, right?" I heard. I looked to the blonde who looked at me with curiousity. A few other girls started to pay attention as well.

"Yes," I said, smiling nervously.

"You must have been scared out of your wits," One commented.

"If I had to be that close to the king during meals I wouldn't be able to eat," another stated.

The girls that were listening nodded their heads.

"Weren't you nervous that the King would kill you?"

"I was... But at the same time I wasn't? It's hard to explain," I said, unable to express myself.

"What about his interests? Did you find out what he likes?"

"...Um... Perfection? Hm... books maybe?" I said but then added, "All I know for sure is that he hates dumb people, although his definition of dumb is still a little vague."

They nodded listening intently to what I had to say.

"Even though I was in Gold, most of my time was spent in the library learning politics, so I don't know too much about the King," I said.

The only time I spent with him was always during a lesson of some sort...

"I guess even the girls in Gold can't get close to the King," the blonde said.

"Did you notice if the king likes anyone? Someone he would choose as Queen?" The one next to me asked.

"...Not really, sorry," I apologized. They responded in understanding.

"It's fine. We can't expect much since the King is so scary. Maybe we'll learn more from the future tests," they said.

The hall's chatter quieted as the King stood up, cutting our conversation to an end.

"First off, I give my congratulations to everyone who made it this far. You have proven yourself to be truly noble women. Secondly, I shall announce the details for the ball meant to celebrate your success. It will happen in one week's time, starting at the sixth bell during the afternoon. Designs for ball gowns must be submitted to the seamstresses by the end of tomorrow, or you will be forced to wear what you wore when you first arrived. Also, numerous noble families are invited to this ball, as this is also a opportunity to meet possible suitors. Please enjoy the time dancing and prepare properly. That is all," he said before sitting back down. Chatter had returned and our table broke out in excitement.

"I can't wait. I'll have to start planning the fabrics tonight!" I heard.

I leaned over to Sophia, "I wonder if I'm allowed to coincidentally have a gown made that looks exactly like a maid uniform. That way I can eat all the snacks I want while escaping the doom of a corset."

She laughed, "If so, do you mind letting me join? We could serve people unnoticed while sneaking food along the way. If anyone notices, we'll just feign innocence."

We both giggled.

"Truthfully speaking, I don't think any seamstress would allow such a thing. But I'm awfully horrible at designing dresses, so maybe I should go see the seamstresses myself and ask for advice," she said thoughtfully.

"Why don't you go there after this? It bound to be crowded, so you should get a head start," I advised.

"What about you? Do you have a design in mind?"

"Not really. I think a simple dress would work just fine. Just make it a little more poofy so it resembles more of a ball gown I guess. Since you're already going there would you mind telling them? Simple blue dress, with a little extra poof," I said.

"Alright, I'll tell them. I might add a little bit more to the description since 'simple' is a little boring for a ball though." she said, cunningly.

"Just don't go too overboard, ok?" I asked.

"Ok," She singed, probably already think of ways to alter my gown along with hers.

Lunch soon came to an end and we parted ways. I decided to return the book I had borrowed on mannerisms to the library. I didn't know if I was allowed to use the library anymore since I wasn't in gold, but I'm pretty sure his highness said I could during the time I was here. Hopefully 'here' meant the castle and not Gold. In whichever case, I had to return the book.

I walked into the library, roaming the stacks until I got to the portion I was at before. I looked for the small piece of paper that I left, and safely returned the book to it's proper place. Another book caught my eye and I took it out, placing the paper, and went to the perfect reading chair I discovered on my first trip here. I got past the first chapter on common courtesies when visiting someone's home before I was interrupted by the King's voice.

"Reading again, I see," he said. I stood up from the seat immediately, curtsying.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty," I greeted.

"Shouldn't you be busy designing a gown instead of reading a book?" The king questioned.

"My friend decided to seek advice for her gown, so I asked her to give the seamstress what I had in mind," I explained, keeping my head down in respect.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked.

"A simple blue dress, Your Majesty. Although, I don't know how simple it's going to turn out with my friend in charge of it," I admitted.

"First impressions are quite important at a ball, Eleana. If you wish to find a suitor, than it would do you well to put more effort into your dress," He warned slightly amused.

How do I tell him that I'm only going to the ball for the food and to have fun with Sophia and the other girls?

"I'm sure my friend has it covered, Your Majesty. I'm sure I've told you before, but I will most likely become a servant, so finding a suitor will be the least of my worries," I stated.

"Yes, but one should always be prepared in the event of the unexpected."

"Should the unexpected happen, I would like to find a suitor that enjoys seeing me in a simple dress regardless, Your Highness. Is this wrong of me?" I asked turning the tables.

"No, I suppose not," he said. I smiled slightly.

He took a step forward.

"Well, since it seems you're free from preparing for the ball, you can help the staff with organizing it. It would even give you a chance to meet some of the servants you wish to work with in the future," he said.

"...As you wish, You're Majesty."

"I look forward to it," he smirked.