Abigail De La Rosa sat down in her bed. Her coming-of-age ceremony to celebrate her twenty-first birthday was over. Her coming-of-age ceremony had lasted an entire week, and today marked the final celebration. Her parents hosted a ball for all the noble families in the kingdom. 

 She waited for her maids to enter the room to remove her dress and other accessories. The first imperial Queen handed down her gloves; her tiara was made with star-shaped emeralds, a gift from the fairies, and finally, her necklace. Her necklace was made with the identical emeralds as the tiara, and the clasp around it was delicate. These items were too delicate for her to remove on her own. She needed help. She rang the bell next to her nightstand.

She may be the only Princess in the kingdom and the future Queen, but she was not known for her delicate manner. Compared to the other young women her age, she was not graceful. Delicate items seemed to fall out of her hand, and she had to wear low heels to prevent any injuries to herself and others.  However, despite these shortcomings, she was the picture-perfect princess. Her raven-colored hair framed her face and highlighted the brightness of her emerald-gold eyes. Her tan skin showed her dedication to staying outdoors and basking in the sun. 

Finally, the maids came in. 

They spoke quietly and informed Abigal that all the guests had left.  They place her crown in a gold-covered box alongside the rest of her jewelry. Her gloves were put away in a box that proudly displayed the insignia of the royal family. A phoenix with a gold rose in its beak. 

Finally, dressed in a white nightgown, Abigail was able to sleep. 

She suddenly found herself in the crowded ballroom. She had been forced to dance with a few guests earlier that evening. Many had wince in pain but did not complain within earshot. She was thankful. Otherwise, her father, King Alberto,  would have forced everyone to go home. 

This time, however, she was dancing gracefully. Her dance partner was unknown to her. He was tall since she barely reached his shoulder. His eyes were dark brown, and she couldn't help but lean closer to him every time he gazed at her as they danced. 

They danced, it seemed, for hours until the dawn broke through her window. Abigail quickly sat in bed and realized it had all been a dream. An excellent and, unfortunately, a made-up dream. 

She couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment tugging at her chest.  All she could do was wipe the sleep away from her eyes and place her feet on the floor. She made her way to the bathroom to take a bath. 

As her maids prepared her bath, she was lost in thought. 

“Princess Abby, your bath is ready,” said Alice, the youngest maid serving Princess Abigail. 

Alice had undergone rigorous training to prepare herself for a role as a maid in the royal palace. The Royal family funded an orphanage where all lower-class children in the kingdom’s capital would be housed and raised until they became adults. Many children decide on their profession when they are fourteen since early training improves their chances of becoming masters in their craft.  Alice, unlike the other children, wanted to serve the royal family since her mother had been a servant in the Queen’s household before Alice was born. When Princess Abigail visited the orphanage, Alice knew she was making the right choice since the princess was kind to all the children around her. 

Alice trained and passed the etiquette exam held by the royal palace at the age of 18. Due to her success, the Butler and the Head Maid decided she should serve Princess Abigail. Alice served Princess Abby with care and dedication for the last year. 

As the maids left the bathroom to give her some privacy, Princess Abigail sat in the bathtub, lost in her thoughts.  She wondered what her dream meant. Her mother, Queen Isabella, would say that dreams needed to be told to prevent them, especially if they were bad dreams. However, she did not want to share this dream with anyone. She knew she had fallen in love with the man in her dreams, but her loneliness was overwhelming. Since he was not present in her life, and she did not know who he was, she was afraid that she would never be able to meet him in person. 

There was a knock on the door. She had taken too long in the bath again; who knows how much time had passed. Luckily, Alice always seems to remember to knock at the door at the perfect time. 

“Please come in,” said Princess Abigail.

“Princess Abby, breakfast starts in about half an hour. We have set out your morning dress and shoes for your daily walk after breakfast. After you return to the palace, we can review your schedule for today,” said Alice. 

“Thank you,” Princess Abigail said as the maids began to hoover over her to dress her for the day. 

Ever since Princess Abigail was a young girl, she hated excessive noise.  However, she was told not to complain since the noise was something she needed to get accustomed to when carrying out her royal duties. Alice, however, noticed that Princess Abigail would fidget by moving her fingers whenever the maids made too much noise. Alice then took it upon herself to quiet down the maids by informing them that they would hear the gossip around the palace much better if they spoke quietly. Most of the gossip they heard was from the other maids and never discussions between the royal family members. However, the maids were content and refrained from making Princess Abigail uncomfortable by speaking loudly. 

Princess Abigail did not know what had caused the sudden change last year, but she was happy.  She felt as if she could finally relax in her palace wing. 

The maids dress her in a pink silk gown, and her dress was tailored to fall slightly above her ankles. Her long hair was wrapped into a bun with loose bangs. Finally, she was ready and headed to the main hall for breakfast. 

When the guards opened the main hall, she walked quickly inside. Only her mother was present; therefore, the maids were still there waiting for the rest of the family to show up. The maids would leave once her mother directed them to leave. This occurred until everyone reached the table and breakfast could be served. Until then, conversations were prohibited unless they were strategized conversations. Everyone in the family had agreed to provide the newspaper with information from the royal palace about the royal family. 

Queen Isabella knew the maids and guards delivered messages to the various newspapers. Despite paying the maids and servants the highest salary in the capital for their work, many still decided to reveal messages to the newspapers. It was unfortunate, but she decided that the royal family would need to adopt a more formal protocol with the household staff. The rule of silence was adopted during family meals and events. The only exception was when the royal family met after dinner in the library to discuss things freely without censure. The library was the perfect room since it was soundproof and cast with a spell that prevented any noise from leaving or entering the room. The rule of silence helped and assisted the royal family more than any other method in the last twenty years because it still generated gossip. Gossip, sometimes in truth, Queen Isabella thought, is an essential social tool for everyone. 

Finally, everyone was at the table. King Alberto and her younger brothers Alfonso and Alexandro sat down. As the maids served the table, Abigail noticed how Alfonso smiled at one of the maids. Her name was Naima. Abby said nothing and pretended not to notice. However, glancing at her mother, she knew it was only a matter of time before the family discussed Alfonso and his affairs during the next meeting. 

The maids lingered around the room. Placing each bowl of fruit and pastries around the table. Some were serving tea. The room was silent except for the sound of the plates.

King Alberto finally broke the silence, “How did you enjoy the ball, Abby?”

Abby realized this was the moment she had to shine. She had to sound like the extroverted princess who live for the next ball. “It was beautiful! I can never thank you and your mother for organizing such a fabulous party. My dress was so light, I danced the entire night!” said Abigail.

Since the maids did not join the party and the reporters were absent, it was easy to make everyone believe that Princess Abigail loved dancing. 

Her father smiled and replied, “You were the best dancer that night.”

The maids left the room since their job was done, and Abigail left out a sigh that she was holding.