The Princess's Bodyguard

6. THE MISSING PRINCESS

I cleared my throat uneasily. “Prince Alexandre, I’d like to introduce you to Prince Philippe of Charmant,” I said, hoping my voice wouldn’t tremble. “Prince Philippe, this is Prince Alexandre of Allore.”

Philippe looked surprised. I guess he hadn’t expected to meet another prince from another kingdom. I hadn’t told Alexandre either, but he did a better job of hiding his surprise. Or maybe he just didn’t care. I could never tell by his cold expression.

Philippe spoke up first. “A pleasure to meet you, Prince of Allore,” he said with a trace of smugness. “Princess Elena here was just expressing how happy she was to see me.” He stepped in front of me to block me from the other prince’s view. No one could mistake his gesture for anything else. He was staking a claim. On me.

I don’t know if that made me feel good. I guess it annoyed me a little.

As always, Alexandre seemed unaffected and kept his face blank when he spoke. “Likewise, Prince of… Charmant, was it?”

My mouth dropped open. He knew Charmant was a minor kingdom compared to his, and he was hinting at it with subtle, passive aggression. As if it was too small to even be memorable.

“I shall be on my way, then. Have a good day, to both of you,” Alexandre continued before either of us could respond. I thought I saw a slight smirk on his face just as he turned around to leave.

Philippe was scowling. His hands were balled up into fists. I stepped in front of him to block him from glaring at Alexandre’s retreating back.

“Philippe,” I said gently. “You must be hungry. Come. I’ll have a meal fixed up for you.” I smiled at him, hoping to appease him. I hated that look on his face.

His jaw bulged one more time before his face relaxed, and the ugly expression disappeared. “Indeed, I am. Thank you, Princess,” he said, putting on his charming smile.

I sighed in relief. For now. I just have to make sure the two princes don’t accidentally bump into each other. The next few days are going to be on edge.

Turns out, it wasn’t that hard. Alexandre spent his time within the palace. He kept to himself. He was fond of going to the library. He likes to read. One time, when I couldn’t find Philippe, I stumbled upon Alexandre sitting in a secluded nook by a window, absorbed in some book he had brought down from the library.

Philippe, on the other hand, enjoyed going outdoors. Something we have in common. I gave all of my time to him. The more time we spent together, the more infatuated I was with him. He just knows all the right things to say to charm me senseless. We were still being chaperoned, though. But I was looking forward to my birthday celebration where we could finally sneak away amid the crowd and be alone.

I told Cece about my plans with Philippe.

My father had instructed me to be officially escorted by the two princes, our distinguished royal guests, during the celebration. So I enlisted, or rather, begged for Cece’s help. I asked her to distract Alexandre so he wouldn’t notice when I went missing. She was hesitant, but she finally agreed after I promised her a lot of favors in return.

For the first time, I wanted to look beautiful on my birthday. For Philippe, of course. Cece and I dressed in the finest fineries. I even lent her one of my most lavish ball gowns.

Minute pearls and sparkling stones were threaded through my hair that fell in loose curls on my back. I wore a cream and gold long-sleeved brocade dress with a sweetheart neckline and a bouffant skirt. Over my dress, a matching corset was cinched so tightly on my waist that I could barely breathe.

“Princess Lena, you look lovely!” Cece complimented.

“So do you, Cece,” I replied. She looked amazing as always. I selected a small box from the pile of unopened gifts in the corner of my boudoir. Inside was a pair of diamond-studded teardrop earrings. I held them out for her. “For you. It'd look good with your dress.” I knew she’d appreciate it more than I would. Besides, it would help to butter her up for the favor I would be asking her later.

“Oh my, thank you, Lena!” she said happily as she put them on.

When we were ready to go, we headed towards the grand staircase. I suddenly stopped walking and leaned against the wall, panting.

“Lena, are you okay?”

I tried taking a couple of deep breaths before I answered. “Yes, I’m fine, Cece. But… it’s just… I think it’s too tight.”

“Nonsense. You look absolutely dazzling,” Cece said dismissively.” She checked the tightness of the lacing on the back of my corset. “It’s perfect. Any looser and the entire look of your dress will be ruined. Beauty has its price, you know,” she added with a dainty laugh.

I smiled weakly. “Right.” I silently disagreed, wondering why women had to put up with this kind of thing just to embody the standards of beauty. I loathed that little piece of garment constricting my breathing.

But I also wanted to dazzle my prince. So I put up with it.

“I must go ahead, Lena. I’ll be watching you from downstairs. Good luck with your grand entrance!” Cece gave my shoulders a squeeze before she exited through a different passage, leaving me on top of the grand staircase.

You’ll be okay, Lena. I told myself. Just don’t forget to breathe.

The herald announced my name, and I stepped forward to reveal myself to the guests below. I smiled and made my way down.

There were a lot of people, the highest number of guests I’ve ever had on my birthday. People I didn’t know personally, but were the usual attendees of every royal gathering. Plus more. Turning eighteen called for an extra special celebration, I guess. I saw some familiar faces in the crowd. Suitors belonging to the nobility who had visited me previously. But nobles as they were, they were still beneath royalty.

The two princes were waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs to escort me. Prince Alexandre on the right, and Prince Philippe on the left. They both extended a hand to me as I reached them, and I received them gracefully, although I did move closer to the left.

The great hall had been decorated lavishly. Aside from an open space in the middle, the normally empty hall had been filled with long mahogany tables to accommodate the guests. Crystal vases of fresh flowers and tasseled silk table runners showcasing our kingdom’s colors of blue, black, and gold decorated each table.

An ensemble of musicians played soft music as we dined. I barely touched my food, fearing I would faint if I added more mass to my overly constricted waist. Philippe kept throwing meaningful gazes at me, but I was too distracted trying to breathe.

Then the dancing came. The music turned upbeat and people started rising from their seats to assemble in the open space in the middle of the hall. I rushed up from my seat, too. I find it a tad easier to breathe when I’m standing.

Philippe immediately approached me and invited me to have the first dance of the evening. We danced alone for a while before the guests, two-by-two, started joining us on the dance floor.

“I can’t wait to be alone with you, my beautiful princess,” Philippe whispered invitingly in my ear. “After your last dance, I’ll steal you away.”

I smiled. “I wish I could dance with only you, Philippe.”

He laughed. “These pitiful souls may dance with you tonight, but they will never conquer you in the end,” he said, giving me a sly wink.

Pitiful Souls? Conquer? An interesting choice of words. And a little overconfident. But, whatever.

The song ended and Philippe gave me a bow as he gave way to my next dance partner. “I will see you soon,” he said, before disappearing into the crowd.

After a lot more dancing, I started feeling slightly dizzy from the exertion. I could’ve endured it longer if it weren’t for the tight corset. I vowed to have the stupid thing burned after the party.

Alexandre was the last one to dance with me. We smiled politely at each other and began our dutiful dance without talking. Honestly, his indifference was welcome. I was tired of the intolerable stares and the constant stream of pontifical compliments and attempts at small talk from my previous dance partners.

“You don’t look well, Princess Elena,” he said quietly.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, a little surprised that he noticed. “Just a bit out of breath from dancing is all.”

“Then, I won’t take much of your time,” he replied. “You should take a breather.” He bowed, signifying the end of our dance, even if the song hadn’t ended yet.

I scanned the crowd and locked eyes with Cece. I nodded at her and she quickly came over.

“Prince Alexandre, I’m not sure if you’ve both met before, but this is Cecelia, my lady-in-waiting, and a very good friend,” I said, taking Cece’s hand and offering it to the prince. “She would very much like the honor of dancing with you.”

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Cece said, flashing a very pretty smile.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Cecelia,” Alexandre said politely. He glanced at me, almost questioningly, but then he took Cece’s hand. “Shall we?” he asked her.

I gave Cece a do-your-best look, and she threw me back an I-can’t-believe-you’re-making-me-do-this look, before she turned around to dance with the cold prince. I smiled to myself as I melted into the crowd.

Someone grabbed my hand.

I looked up into Prince Philippe’s glinting green eyes. Without saying anything, he pulled me deeper into the crowd and out of the great hall, successfully sneaking past the watchful but bored eyes of the guards.

~~~

[ANDRE]

Lady Cecelia danced with me for a couple of songs, and when I finally, and respectfully, ended the dance, she offered to keep me company for the rest of the night.

A little clingy, if I may presume.

I didn’t refuse. My gallantry dictated to me to accept this woman’s offer of companionship for a while longer. I’ve seen her with the princess a lot in my short time in the palace. I had a feeling she was the one keeping the princess in check from her former rumored rebelliousness.

Lady Cecelia was beautiful, confident, and carried herself gracefully, but I’ve seen her type oftentimes from the ladies in court. She perfectly fits in the aristocratic niche. She could even pass off as royalty. Even more than the princess did, who was still childish and a little scheming.

I couldn’t help but wonder what Princess Elena was up to. She was quick to get rid of me after I cut off our dance short. I didn’t see her after that. I hate to admit it, but I tried looking for her in the crowd.

But she had simply disappeared.

That arrogant prince from Charmant wasn’t there either. From the moment I saw him, I could tell that he was up to no good. It’s not because he occupied the majority of the princess’s time. I couldn’t care less if the princess had fallen for his fake charms. But I also hated to think about what he might do to her, should they ever be left alone.

An uneasy feeling came upon me.

“Lady Cecelia, have you seen the princess?” I asked.

For a second, she looked unnerved at my question, but then she quickly recovered. “Oh, she must be in her room, resting. The dancing probably wore her out,” she said with a forced laugh. “Would you like some wine, Prince Alexandre? We have the best kind, imported from Argente Capital. Come! I’ll get you a glass.”

I allowed myself to be steered to a table while Cecelia ordered a servant to bring us wine. She kept up a stream of conversation while we waited. I’m good at reading people, and I had a sense of what she was doing. She was distracting me. Or, at least, trying to keep me occupied.

I scanned the hall again. Still no sign of the princess.

No one seemed to notice her absence. The party was in full swing. The guests were dancing and having a generally good time. The King was busy drinking and talking with a group of nobles. Guards were standing by, overlooking the party, but none of them seemed to realize that the princess was missing.

I excused myself to use the lavatory. But instead of going, I stopped a passing maid and ordered her to check if the princess was in her bedroom and be quick with it. Then, I went back to sit beside Cecelia and waited.

I didn’t have to wait for long. I spotted the maid hurrying down the stairs and I called her over.

“Your highness,” the maid said agitatedly. “Her Highness is not in her room!”

“Maybe she’s in the bath?” Cecelia supplied half-heartedly.

“She isn’t there either, My Lady. I checked everywhere!”

“Hush. Relax,” I said. “Thank you for the information. Don’t worry. I’ll find her. But please don’t cause a scene.”

I handed the maid a gold coin. She nodded gratefully and left. I turned my attention back to Cecelia and raised my eyebrows.

She winced and held her hands up in resignation. “She’s fine! Lena’s just… please don’t worry about her, Your Highness.”

“Is she with the Prince of Charmant?” I asked calmly.

She said nothing and looked guiltily away.

I stood up. “Enjoy the party, Lady Cecelia. I shall take my leave now,” I said before heading out of the great hall to search for the missing princess.