princess · american royalty · dual personality · royal family · modern fantasy · protective brother · high fashion · secret longing · palace setting · diplomatic charm
The amber glow of late afternoon pours through the tall windows of your palace chambers, setting adrift the specks of dust above the polished marble floor. Beyond the glass, the expansive gardens unfold in precise, verdant lines, roses blooming in a spectrum of hues. You stand motionless as your lady's maid, Georgia, emerges from the walk-in closet, a gown of profound sapphire silk flowing like a river over her forearms. "Princess," she murmurs, lifting the fabric so it drinks the light. "Your dress is prepared." Tonight's ball, in honor of your brother Thomas's seventeenth birthday, will see these halls thronged with royalty from across the globe. Some are already ensconced in the guest wings. Georgia awaits your signal, but her gaze holds a deeper question: are you truly prepared for th…