"Have you made up your mind, Lydia?" asked Lady Aveline Valenrose to her only daughter, Lydia Valenrose. Unlike the princess, who was rolling around on her bed in pink pajamas, the Queen wore a crisp white blouse paired with navy blue pleated wide-leg pants. Her blonde, glossy hair was swept up into an updo. She sat on a chair beside Lydia's bed in a perfect posture. The only casual thing about her was that she sat cross-legged, slippers on her feet.
"No... I haven't," said Lydia without looking at her mother. Her eyes were fixed on the elaborate patterns on the ceiling.
"How many times have we talked about this? The news of your engagement is set to be announced in three months, Lydia." The queen was clearly upset, but she could still maintain her composure somehow. "Besides, why is it so difficult for you to make a decision? You've known those three your whole life."
"It's not that easy, Mom. Knowing someone and marrying them is two different things." The princess started to pout.
"Oh, for goodness' sake. It's not like we forced you to marry a stranger with questionable background. Julien is a successful banker, Adrien is a famous actor, and Victor is on his way to become a bonafide politician. As a bonus point, they are incredibly attractive as well. What more do you want? All of them are worthy to be your husband. All you have to do is choose."
"Come on, Mom. Let's be honest to each other." Lydia sat up and looked at her mother straight in the eyes. "They also happened to come from old families, just like us, and they're heirs to their families' fortunes."
Lady Aveline folded her arms. She was ready to eat her daughter alive, if she could. "Oh, really? Let's be honest, then. Are those the reasons why you haven't picked any of them? Do you hate the fact that they came from a respectable family and they are rich? Really?"
The queen began tapping her left foot against the floor. Lydia understood what this gesture meant. Her mother was getting impatient. But she won't back down. Not this time.
"You don't know them like I do, mom. They may appear perfect on paper, but once you spent some time with them, you'll see their true face."
"What do you mean?" the queen frowned, which inevitably form a deep wrinkle between her eyes. "Did they ever hurt you physically? Or did they verbally abuse you?"
This was another gesture from her mother that Lydia had also seen thousands of times. That frown meant her impatience had turned into anger. Lydia needed to choose her words carefully from now on, before her mother absolutely lost it.
"Well, no, they never did such a thing. Anyway, that's not what I meant."
"So what do you mean, young lady? Stop beating around the bush and just say it. We're all about honesty now, right?"
Lydia paused. For a fraction of a second, she was not sure whether to talk about this issue or not. But then she decided to spill the beans, just like her mother asked her to.
"Let's start with Julien." The princess lifted her right hand and raised her index finger. "He's smart, and he's always calm and composed, no matter what kind of situation or problem arises. But on the flip side, he is too passive. He doesn't know how to have fun."
"Ok, so the dark-haired banker is smart but boring. Continue."
"Adrien is the complete opposite of Julien." Lydia lifted her middle finger, together forming the peace sign with her index finger. "As an actor, he's a smooth talker and has a good sense of humor. He also knows good places to hang out. But the moment I'm trying to have a conversation about serious matters, he would immediately zone out. He is also annoyingly stubborn."
"Alright, so the blonde actor is fun to hang out with, but stubborn and immature. Hmm, he somehow reminds me of my own daughter." The queen let out a little smirk.
Lydia paused. This time around, she was the one with a deep frowned on her face. As they said, like mother like daughter.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Lady Aveline, amused. "Am I wrong?"
"...Anyway, last but not least," said Lydia as she lifted her ring finger. "The third one, Victor. He is smart, just like Adrien. He also has a way of knowing what other people want before they even said it. I don't know how he did that."
"My dear, he is the son of the Prime Minister Beaumont." Lady Aveline picked up a glass of water from the nightstand that sat neatly between her chair and Lydia's bed. She took a sip of water, set the glass back down, and then continued. "The third Beaumont to became a prime minister in the history of our country. Politics is in his blood. Of course, he knows how to charm people and deduce what they want. Let me guess, he is a smooth talker as well?"
"Yes, you're right," said Lydia, her eyes widen a little bit. "How do you know?"
"Eh, politicians. They're all like that."
"But I noticed recently that he is a different kind of smooth talker to Adrien." Lydia squints her eyes, trying to remember the last time she talked to Victor. "You see, Adrien talked in a friendly and flirty way, but Victor talked like he wanted to manipulate others. I don't know how to explain it. I just get that vibe from him."
"Again, darling, politicians. Manipulation is the name of the game for them. Anyway, so the dark-haired politician is smart, charming, but has a manipulative tendency. They seem to have their own problem. Are they kind to you, at least?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong. They are always sweet and wonderful to me. I mean, it's just like you said, I've known them my whole life. We could practically guess what each other is thinking."
"So what's the problem, then?" The queen leaned forward and looked at her daughter in her eyes. "Nobody's perfect, Lydia. When it comes to choosing a life partner, the key is to find the imperfections that you could live with."
"I know. But mom, please. This is a big decision for me," Lydia pleaded. "The biggest one in my life. There's still time, right? Let me think about it carefully."
The queen let out a deep sigh. "Alright. But don't ever forget that you are the princess of the Principality of Montaire. This marriage is bigger than you, them, or me. This one decision will shape the course of this country's future."
"Way to increase the pressure, mom," said Lydia, flopping back onto her bed.
"You're a princess," replied Lady Aveline, "we are the royal family. We eat pressure for breakfast." She moved her gaze away from her lazy daughter, and slowly began to scan the room. Clothes scattered all over the floor. Piles of books on the table, the chair, and even on her bed. The door to the cabinets and the wardrobes were wide open. "More importantly, look at the state of this room. How could you sleep comfortably among this mess?"
Lady Aveline picked up a small remote near her glass of water. She pushed the "call" button. In less than five seconds, a maid opened the door and entered the room.
"Did you call me, Your Highness?" asked the maid as she bow deeply to the queen.
"Yes, Elara. Look at this mess, why didn't you clean this horrid place that my daughter called her room?"
"We did want to clean the room, Your Highness," replied Elara, flustered. "But Lady Lydia told us to leave it as is."
"That's right," said Lydia, springing back up from her bed. "I like this room as it is. It has good vibes."
"Good vibes? What nonsense are you talking about?" said Lady Aveline as she stood up from the chair. "Lydia, you are already 21 years old, and you are a princess. Please act like one. Anyway, I had to go."
"Ah, I've been meaning to ask that, actually. Wearing such formal clothes, where are you going this early in the morning?" asked Lydia.
"Early morning?" the queen shook her head. "O dear daughter of mine, this is already 11 am. It is you who should've gotten out of bed by now. As for me, I need to go to the Tennis Championship final." Lady Aveline looked toward the maid who had been standing by the door all this time and said, "Elara, please clean this room. Ignore what my daughter said. If she object, tell her to speak to me."
"Y-yes, I understand, Your Highness." Elara bowed her head.
"As for you, young lady," the queen looked at her daughter, both hands on her hips. "You should get ready. Time is ticking."
"Ready for what?" said Lydia, startled. She clutched her favorite oversized pillow tightly. "I don't want to go with you. I don't even like tennis."
"I know. You've already made it clear that you don't like tennis. But you are scheduled to have a lunch together with your three suitors, aren't you? Or did you forget about that already?"
Lydia paused. She absolutely forgot. "Oh, shoot!"
"Yeah, oh shoot indeed!" said the queen. "Elara, forgot the room, ask Jane and Mira to clean up this mess. Would you be a dear and help this helpless princess prepare for her fateful lunch?"
"Yes, Your Highness. It'll be my honor," said Elara, clearly elated.
Lady Aveline walked toward the door, but right before she exited the room, she stopped. The queen looked back and pointed her index finger at his daughter.
"You! Shower! Now!"