At last, the day of the ball had finally arrived. While everyone was busy with the preparations, my stomach wouldn't stop twisting. This would be the first time I would be out of the estate, and I don't know if the etiquette I had read in books was enough. The last thing I want is to embarrass this body by slipping up on some noble custom or say the wrong word in this strange language. One thing I like about myself is that I learn fast. Thanks to my effort, I was able to cope easily from etiquette to language.
"Oh you look beautiful, my lady. That shade of crimson and gold becomes you marvelously. I daresay you shall be the most striking woman at the ball tonight."
I looked at myself in the mirror. The crimson gown hugged my figure, while the gold threads curling across the bodice like tiny veins of sunlight. A strand of my red hair had fallen loose from its carefully pinned style, so I smoothed it back into place.
"You are too kind, Mary. We are both well aware that my sister will be the center of all attention this evening." Soleil is the main heroine in this novel, so it's obvious that she'll have the whole spotlight.
"No, my lady, I will not have you speak so of yourself," Mary argued, as she adjusted a stray curl on my head. "After ten years of tending to you, I have seen you blossom into the most beautiful young woman, so do not let your anxieties spoil this evening."
Oh well, she's not really wrong. If Sierra existed in the modern world, she would be showered with adoration, not just praised, but worshiped for how effortlessly striking she is.
"Thank you, Mary. You have a way of putting things into their proper perspective."
I rose from the dressing table and smiled at my reflection. You got this, girl!
With Mary at my side, we left my room and made our way to the grand staircase. Father and Soleil were waiting below, their conversation died the instant they saw me. Both pairs of eyes turned upward and for a moment, neither of them said a word.
As I reached the final step, my father extended his hand to guide me down. "Sierra," his voice laced with surprise. "Is that you? I do not believe I have ever seen you wear such a vivid crimson. I had thought you held a great dislike for the shade, yet it becomes you remarkably," his eyes misting over with a fond smile. "You look precisely as your mother did in her youth." I think it was the highest possible compliment. It meant I was wearing the face of the woman he loved the most.
"You look beautiful, Sierra," Soleil chimed in. "That shade is stunning on you."
"Thank you, Soleil. And you as well. Your gown is exquisite."
Our father who is still slightly taken aback, simply shook his head with a big smile. "Well, what are we waiting for? The carriages are waiting." He offered us his arms, and we took it with a graceful movement.
The half-hour drive felt like forever. When the castle gates finally came into view, my jaw nearly dropped. I've only been in this world for two weeks, but it's still so wild to me that a place like this is even real. Everything looked like something out of a fairy tale. Carriages gleamed in neat rows, horses stamped and snorted, and the moon hung full and bright above everything like it was watching.
Even after passing the gates, we rode another thirty minutes just to reach the main entrance. I can't even put into words how unreal the castle was up close. The moonlight hit the walls just right, making the whole place look like it was glowing. It towered over us that it made my neck ache by just looking up. Whoever built this thing had way too much time and gold.
"It is a truly magnificent, is it not?" Soleil suddenly spoke, pulling me out of my trance. I must have looked like a kid seeing something amazing for the first time. I glanced at her and nodded.
"Our own humble manor, though elegant in its own right, is nothing in comparison to this." I responded. Which is saying a lot, because our mansion was the biggest, most elegant house I'd ever seen before this royal castle.
"Indeed it is. And it shall be my home, once I am crowned." The familiar spark in Soleil's eyes was there again. It was sharp and hungry. It seems that she's determined to use the Crown Prince for her selfish plan. I wonder if Soleil knew that the man she valued so little was the same man her sister, Sierra, loved so much.
I wonder if the original Sierra have used the poison in her drawer to end her own life, because she knew that she would never have the man she loved. I need to uncover what truly happened to the real Sierra, as I'm sure it holds the answer as to why I was able to enter this body.
Our carriage pulled to a stop behind a whole line of fancy rides. Other nobles were queued up, waiting their turn to get inside. I watched the Duke and noticed how completely calm he was while waiting like everyone else. He might be a duke, and he could've easily thrown his weight around to get us in first, but he didn't. Seeing him like a regular guy in line, told me a lot about him. It showed he respected the rules and wasn't into that power-tripping nonsense.
When it was finally our turn, the carriage door swung open. Our knights stood at attention, ready to escort us. Getting out was a whole production. My elaborate gown felt like it weighed a ton, and the heels were a brutal obstacle course. Every step was a balancing act.
When we're finally in front of the entrance, the massive, polished doors swung inward to reveal the splendor of the main hall. An official stepped forward to announce our presence.
"Presenting His Grace, Duke Castillo of the Castillo Dukedom, accompanied by his most esteemed daughters, Lady Sierra and Lady Soleil.
The grand hall was even more packed than I imagined, a sea of faces, all turned to us. All eyes were on us. I felt like I was going to faint right there on the spot. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. The room was so loud, a mix of murmurs and whispers, and it felt like it all focused on me. I tried to focus on my dad's calm back, but it was no use.
The gazes were intense. Some looked at us with open admiration, their eyes wide with awe at our gowns and the duke's presence. But others stared with a colder, more calculating light in their eyes. The kind of look that screamed envy. I knew I had to keep it together, to not show a single crack in my composure. But I was shaking inside. It was all so overwhelming, and the night had only just begun.
Nobles started swarming my father, all a-flutter with fake smiles and compliments. Soleil was instantly surrounded by young ladies, their attention focused entirely on her. I might as well have been a ghost. A girl suddenly shoved me in her rush toward Soleil. I stumbled and my heel caught on my gown. In that split second, all I could think was I'm going to fall, I'm actually going to fall in front of everyone.
Just before I hit the floor, a large firm hand clamped around my waist to pull me steady. My eyes shot up to the person who saved me.
"Are you alright, my lady?"
His hair was a cool shade of blonde, not bright but burnished, like old gold under sunlight. His hazel eyes held a quiet kind of curiosity that made it hard to look away. I was so lost in observing him that I completely forgot to answer him.
"Sir Elios," I snapped out of my daze and stood up straight when I hear Soleil's voice.
Elios. I knew that name. I looked at the family crest on his lapel. The intricate design of the marquess's family. So it was really him.
"Thank you for saving my sister," Soleil voice was dripping with an unnatural sweetness that made my skin crawl. She hadn't even noticed me getting shoved around, but the second her secret boyfriend caught me, she was suddenly right there.
"It is my pleasure," Elios replied with his hazel eyes locking onto mine for a moment too long. "I didn't want such a beautiful lady to fall on the floor."
I noticed how Soleil's smile faltered for a second and how her fingers clenched at her sides before that sugary grin snapped back into place. She really was good at this.
"Such a gentleman," she purred. "I hope you catch every woman who falls tonight."
Oof. That was a pretty unsubtle jab. I rolled my eyes internally. Are these two seriously about to have a lover's spat right in the middle of her fiancé's castle? This is some high-stakes, low-class drama.
"I'll do my best, Lady Soleil," Elios said with a smirk that was clearly meant just for her. He was definitely pushing her buttons.
I scanned the room, half-expecting someone else to have noticed the tension. But everyone was either too busy sucking up to my dad or too caught up in their own conversations to pay attention. But then, my eyes drifted up to the second-floor balcony, and a cold shiver ran down my spine.
Standing there in a perfectly tailored black suit that looked like it cost more than our whole dukedom, was the Crown Prince Theron. His jet-black hair was opposite to his pale skin, and his green eyes were fixed on us.
No, not on us. They were fixed on me.