< Five Years Later >
It didn't take too long for Rowena to become the perfect young princess that King Draco wanted his daughter to be. With the method of discipline that King Draco enforced on the young child, there were no more mistakes on her part.
The thought of anybody else being punished for her misbehavior was a cruel weight on a young girl's shoulders, but Rowena managed to excel in such a level that it was hard to compare the young child who cried when Leia died.
"Are you ready, Your Highness?" Lady Elizabeth asked her and took a look at the carefully chosen gown for the young princess. "Everybody will be waiting for you at the ballroom. You must not embarrass us and His Majesty when you do your performance."
"Understood, Lady Elizabeth," Rowena replied with a flat tone.
"Why aren't you smiling?" Lady Mary pointed out and creased her forehead. "There is nothing socially worse than to be seen without a smile, Your Highness. It is supposed to be your special day."
"I will smile later," Rowena said. "I am only resting my face and even my voice for now."
"Good." The two ladies quipped together. "What did we teach you on how to converse with gentlemen who are senior your age?"
"I must be polite, smile kindly, and yet make sure that he does not do something that will tarnish my image." Rowena frowned and the emotionless facade faded a little. "If… If he comes too close?"
"There is proper distance between a man and a woman," Lady Mary said. "Especially since your social standing is far higher than most."
"Since today is your birthday, you will be receiving gifts from all over the land and from visiting dignitaries as well." Lady Elizabeth pursed her lips. "Do not cause us any public backlash. You must accept all gifts graciously."
"However, you must not use them immediately." Lady Mary added. "There was a social disaster when young Lady Antoinette accepted and wore the necklace gifted by the old widower duke."
"Hmm?" Rowena looked at Lady Mary with a disinterested gaze.
"Did you forget who these people are? This is recent news, Your Highness." Lady Elizabeth's gaze narrowed. "While Lady Antoinette is not much older than you, she was too naive and ended up getting wedded to the old duke who is at least in his sixties."
"I admit that Duke Winchester is stable and in a powerful position," Lady Mary said. "But a young and beautiful lady like her can do so much better. Do not wear gifts that you receive, unless you wish to send a message, alright?"
"I understand…" Rowena said. She held back from rolling her eyes at these two women's chatter. They had repeated this over and over again and she became annoyed. She might be able to recite their advice from the back of her head when they spoke, but she knew it was rude to do it. So, she only kept her annoyance to herself.
"Finally we can relax a little." Lady Mary sighed in relief and fanned herself. "We will see you at the ballroom, Your Highness."
It didn't take too long for both of her governesses to finally leave Rowena alone. She glared at their retreating figures but then finally sighed in relief and sank on her chair.
"They're gone at last," Rowena muttered to herself.
Even though she extremely detested both Lady Mary Rochester and Lady Elizabeth Marsh, she learned what it meant to be a 'proper' lady who knew how to use her beauty and flattery to get what she wanted.
In fifteen minutes, she was going to go to the ballroom.
Rowena took one look at her reflection through a hand mirror and then tried to smile.
"Come on Rowena, all you need to do is curve your lips up. It's simple," the young princess told herself and then closed her eyes.
She thought of the happy memories she had with Leia and Emma and soon managed a weak smile. Rowena's eyes stung a little when she realized that she couldn't quite remember the details on Leia's face.
It had been so long.
"Your Highness, it is time for you to head into the ballroom," a servant informed her outside of her chambers.
"Coming." Rowena rose from her chair and put down her mirror. She fixed her posture and tidy her dress. Once she was ready, she walked gracefully out of her chamber.
***
Whenever guests came and visited King Draco, Rowena was the epitome example of the perfect princess. She wasn't only beautiful, but she was graceful and talented when it came to the art of words and wits.
There were still instances where the young childish nature revealed itself from time to time, but Rowena mostly kept it hidden in order to ensure that her immature actions didn't harm anybody else.
"Her Highness, Rowena will now join us tonight," a servant announced when the princess arrived.
Today was Rowena's thirteenth birthday and everybody could see that had grown even more beautiful than ever. Numerous people and guests applauded when the young princess arrived and stepped down the grand staircase.
Rowena now wore the practiced smile she had to wear with everyone and gently crossed the ballroom to meet up with her father. Everywhere around her was sparkling, beautiful, and yet she didn't pay much heed to it.
"Happy Birthday, Your Highness." A young lord gave her a precious ring as a gift. "I hope that you will think fondly of me."
"Thank you, Lord Benett," Rowena politely said and let the maids take it along with the other countless presents she received. In the corner of the princess' vision, she saw her father mingle with others.
It made her feel really lonely.
What Rowena wanted the most was for her father to show some affection and care for her. Even though Rowena had everything that an ordinary villager could ever want, the princess was starved for love.
This party didn't even feel like it was truly hers.
.
.
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From Missrealitybites:
I promise this story has a happy ending, like all my other stories. I, however, might need some extra time, 1-2 days, to finalize the plot so I can write this story properly.
I will try to publish chapters every day like usual, but if I can't, please understand I am trying to refill my glass, so I can write better.
I have been writing "The Cursed Prince" for 13 months nonstop every day since January 2021 and now I kind of feel like I need to step away from it for a little while, so I can refresh my mind and return with a sharper storyline.
To be honest, writing Rowena's backstory is hard and I actually cried many times. In many stories, usually, the tortured souls are the male leads, but here we have the female lead who has such darkness around her and it affected me in writing it.
I am angry and sad for Rowena and I wish she didn't have to go through so much pain and bitterness. However, I owe it to Rowena to tell her story as is.. I hope you understand.
