The next morning, I woke up, unsurprisingly, in my silky soft feather bed. Warm rays of sunlight tickled the tip of my nose. It smelled of hyacinths. I heard birds chirping. From somewhere, the delicate tones of a harp sounded. The prisms on my high windows threw rainbows on the fabric wallpaper and jingled softly.

But I couldn't get excited about any of that that morning.

I had only one thought: Shit!

The flower ball was just around the corner, and I knew exactly the embarrassing dilemma that awaited me:

I would make a fool of myself; there was no doubt about that.

I wanted to see the world outside the castle, now that I could, but having to dance?

And neither my dear aunt nor my cousin had wanted to explain the overall situation to me so far. It was always just 'after the ball'. Suspicious!

There was something fishy about the matter.

This festival would end in disaster.

I was sure of that.

So I urgently needed a plan. I couldn't skip school. And I was too curious for that; I had to admit to myself. Did my aunt accept it if I watched the ball from a corner?

Probably not.

Crown Princess.

I thought of my old, false appearance: A Toad. The thought made me smile. I didn't feel any different than I did a few days ago. Only my reflection was prettier.

The toad needed a plan to cheat its way through the festival unnoticed.

Pondering a good plan, I took the fairy silk dress out of my closet. Actually, I didn't need to buy it, because I would make a fool of myself anyway. If not at the beginning, then as soon as I was forced to dance by my aunt. I could just carry a potato sack. But a princess had to dance with someone suitable.

Blah blah blah...

Expectations and stuff like that.

As if I could dance happily while I knew we were all in danger!

And that WITHOUT details, which made things all the scarier.

Thank you.

I carefully laid the dress over a chair and put on a pink linen dressing gown embroidered with black flourishes. The fabric was cool. Almost too cool. I combed my curls before a maid, or Wendy could do it, and rubbed the magic oil into the curls to make tame waves out of the curls. I looked in the mirror and grimaced. "Hello, toad!"

There was a knock on the door, and I turned away from my reflection.

"Yes?"

"Dear." Aunt Tanja came in with her usual stern smile on her face. "What? Still in your nightgown?"

I mumbled to myself, annoyed. I would love to spend the day in this expensive dressing gown and enjoy hot chocolate or something else unhealthy. Chips, for example.

One of my lady’s maids scurried light-footed past her, followed by another maid. She carried a tray on which tea and a simple jam bread were placed. (A little snack before the official breakfast.) She put the tray on my bedside table, curtsied, and hurried away without a word.

The lady’s maid, on the other hand, opened one of the windows; the cool morning air made me shiver slightly in the equally cool dressing gown, then she assisted me with my long hair.

Aunt Tanya watched her in silence for a moment, then turned her attention back to me.

"I'll be waiting for you at breakfast in half an hour. There we will discuss the last details. In the early afternoon we will set off with several carriages. The way to the city is a little longer. We would be on foot for a whole day. Not that we would walk! Be punctual. And in the meantime, don't do anything stupid."

"Stupid?" I blinked. "When did I ever do anything stupid?"

"Do I have to remind you of the frogs in the ballroom? When you were eleven?" My aunt petted my cheeks. "You were never enthusiastic about balls. But it's your duty to show up at these. Now, even more so."

"Why? And I wasn't responsible for the frogs." Oh! I was. Thanks to this glorious idea, the ball ended early, and I avoided a second embarrassing dance with one of the boys. I started my official dance lessons at that time, and my dear aunt wanted me to show off my first skills. On the sidelines of the event, of course, since these weren't official dances. She thought I'd have fun. A mistake.

Of course, I had never admitted to catching the frogs from one of the garden ponds and hiding them in the ballroom under the buffet.

However, it took some time until the frogs were discovered, as they first hid for some time, until they finally came out from under the tablecloths.

My aunt shook her head. "We'll talk after the ball. Be more than presentable and show your best manners. But most importantly, try to have fun, okay? And be on time! No frogs, dear."

"I’ll hurry up...", I grumbled softly and gulped down the jam sandwich.

Presentable?

When I was eight years old, I had ruined my dress right before a ball. I hoped I wouldn't have to go then. Instead, I was hurriedly stuffed into another dress. But at eight, I didn't have to dance.

My first official dance, when I was fourteen, stayed better forgotten.

 "Don't forget breakfast, dear."

"I won't," I replied and licked my fingers soaked in jam. Aunt Tanja's eyes widened with indignation.

"Manners! No more jam for you, dear," she hissed impatiently. "I'll see you later."

"Of course."

The lady’s maid opened my wardrobe and chose one of my new dresses. Not the ball gown, but a light, white dress. I nodded contentedly at the choice; in fact, I didn't care what I wore, and she started working. We talked a bit about the festivals she had participated in so far. Simple village festivals, and small garden parties with other noble families. Maids traditionally came from certain lower noble families. Through their work, they secured the status of their families and usually earned enough to provide for their relatives.

In addition to the royal family, some of the more important noble families hired ladies’ maids.

The pay varied, but it was always good. After all, the families sent at least one daughter (and sometimes one boy as a personal valet for male royals and nobles) to another family, and they often worked there into old age.

"Princess? You seem depressed," the young woman said, pulling me out of my thoughts. She came here three years ago and was only two years older than me. Margot von Stetighaus.

Von Stetighaus: That was the name of these families.

She kindly didn't ask me if I was looking forward to the ball. Instead, she showered me with compliments for the magical dress.

"I'm not depressed," I murmured.

"That's good. You look too wonderful for gloomy thoughts. Once you wear your ball gown! The young gentlemen will scramble for a dance. Do you think your aunt is looking for someone suitable for you today?"

I grimaced and shrugged. "I'm too young."

"My younger sister was engaged at fifteen." Margot grinned. "She wrote about it in a letter. She was lucky. She likes the boy who was chosen for her. She is marrying into a higher family and will leave our fate behind. Not that this is a bad fate. I love my work."

"That’s good."

"So why the... sad face, princess?"

I pondered the perfect plan. Unfortunately, I couldn't disappear into thin air. "Hm. I'm just thinking."

Finally, Margot braided turquoise ribbons into my hair.

"Do you like your reflection?" she asked, beaming like a young child. "Is it agreeable?"

I looked in the mirror. "Thank you. It's good", I confirmed as politely as possible. At least I didn't want to take out my bad mood on the staff. Besides, my hair looked great.

The fairy silk dress was waiting on my bed now for later. The maid had already picked out matching shoes and jewelry. In the end, however, the choice always remained with me, but I didn't really care about that either. While she said goodbye, I stroked the fine fabric.

The fabric of the dress, elfin silk, felt airy and light. It was barely noticeable on my skin. Would I feel naked in it?

The jewelry sparkled.

These necklaces and bracelets had been a birthday present. I didn't know exactly who I had gotten them from.

The glittering shoes were new. I had never seen them before.

The lady’s maid must have brought them with her, but I hadn't noticed them.

I lifted up a shoe and looked at the fine beads with which the fabric had been embroidered. Silver threads and silver bows.

The silver gave me an idea.

Why silver of all things gave me this brilliant idea remained unclear to me.

But now I had a plan.

Breakfast was quiet as always.

Even my uncle honored us with his rare presence.

A strict, lonely man with reddish-brown hair and a dry sense of humour.

He loved Wendy more than anything, but it was almost impossible to tell. He spoke little to her. As little as he did to his wife. The marriage was arranged, as far as I knew.

Was that also Wendy's fate?

Mine?

An arranged marriage?

I thought of Margot's little sister. For her, too, the engagement was an arranged one. And that very early.

My uncle came from a respected military family. Nobles. Of course.

His face was badly scarred; he was missing an arm. War injuries he never talked about.

Not even about the war.

Probably the war that had sent my parents and me into exile. I didn't know of any wars that weren't more than 100 years ago or so.

That I knew nothing made me worry even more.

In my 'dreams', I had never questioned anything.

I knew that there had been wars. I didn't know any details.

Why not?

Had my teachers avoided these topics so that I wouldn't start questioning my situation?

Finally, it was time to implement my plan.

Margot had helped me get dressed again. I didn't show any signs of planning something, in case Aunt Tanja asked her about my 'behavior'.

Then, finally, I had a short window of opportunity for my master plan.

A childish plan.

A desperate, stupid plan. And my plan was really desperate! But I couldn't think of anything better:

I hurried into the castle kitchen, hurriedly asked for a snack against my nervousness, and accidentally (and on purpose!) tipped over a sack of flour. The whitish powder blew through the air and enveloped everything, especially me, in a dusty, white veil.

The flour was just everywhere.

Then chaos broke out.

For a moment I thought about cutting two holes in the flour sack and pulling it over my head, but I didn't get that far. The idea was also very silly.

"Princess! You should have been in a carriage by now! Or am I mistaken? Why are you in the kitchen? This is no place for a lady of your rank," cried a cook. "All the flour! It was for the bread."

"Your dress! Your hair!" cried another cook.

The two kitchen boys suppressed a laugh while two other cooks rushed to me and chased me out of the kitchen.

"Princess! What a misfortune!" grumbled one of the two. "Flour!"

"Excuse me. I'm just too clumsy!"t I replied and pretended to be embarrassed. "What am I going to do now? Sorry for the disturbance!"

"But princess!" objected the other. "The flour sack was in the wrong place. Forgive us! It's our fault!"

Excuse me, what?

I wanted to roll my eyes. "Not at all. I was inattentive. I'm going now and... Try to eliminate this mishap!"

I didn't. Instead, I marched to the castle gate in good spirits and full of flour.

There was no time to change.

The schedule was strict.

Surely I wasn’t allowed, no, had to, stay here and miss the suspicious spectacle?

My aunt would never allow such a disgrace!

Well.

She would.