Izrina tried her best not to look back until they were inside the shared room, and it was same for Spinola. The feeling of being watched by the head courtesan was so strong that even after they had walked away from the woman, they still felt her eyes on them.
Spinola pushed the door open, letting Izrina enter before she followed her behind.
"That was close." Spinola murmured breathlessly. She took a step, bumping into Izrina. "Why are you not mo-"
Izrina stood still in awe of every woman in the room. The ladies were ready in their attire for the party. Their dresses were the same but still looked different depends on the body shape of the woman wearing it.
It was a sleeveless blue and white dress that snatched against their bodies, revealing the curves of the women. Their hair was the only thing that could tell them apart. Some let their tresses flow others styled it up with fancy combs and hairpins.
"They look beautiful." Spinola found herself testifying.
Izrina nodded slowly. The women didn't look one bit like the work they did. Instead, they appeared more regal and charming.
"I can't find my perfumed stones!" One of doves yelled, startling Izrina causing her to jerk.
"Who took away my honeysuckle soap?" The woman eyed everyone in the room suspiciously.
Spinola widened her eyes, realizing she had been the one who took the perfumed stone. She turned to the side, dragging Izrina along with her. "Let us get dressed," she murmured.
"I was hoping to get the king's attention with it...I heard it's his favourite scent." The woman whined, rummaging through her things. "It was hard to get my hands on them!"
Getting to their own corner in the room, their dresses were already neatly placed on the bed. Spinola picked up Izrina's own.
"You can't wear these." Spinola muttered, her eyes darting around as she tried to think of something. "Let's see...ummm...you can hide here in the room."
Izrina shook her head, taking the dress from the woman. "That woman saw me earlier, don't you think she would find it suspicious that I am not with others?" Raising the dress to view it properly, the princess twitched her lips.
"I have to take her attention away from me, the best I can."
Spinola stopped the girl's hand, so she doesn't try out the dress. "You are a princess...you can't-"
"Was." Izrina corrected. "I used to be a princess, not anymore. And Lady Feyrne won't know that," she whispered only to Spinola's hearing.
Izrina hated to admit this, but it was her truth. And the earlier she faced this harsh reality, the best it was for Spinola and Cora, who were risking their lives for her. What she had left was only a wreckage of who she used to be.
"You don't have to regard her as a lady." Spinola scowled. The woman couldn't hide the known fact that she hated the mean head courtesan. "You are true royal blood, a future queen. She is only but the leader of harlots."
Izrina chuckled, a fleeting look of pride gracing her brown tired eyes. She loved to remember it too. She didn't want to forget who she was, either. All she hoped was to leave this place before her identity gets stripped from her.
"Let's dress up and not bring attention to us." Izrina suggested with a small wistful smile.
Spinola took the dress from the girl. She carefully helped her out of the old dress that had dried up on Izrina's dress.
"Oh...I met Cora earlier." Izrina added as if she had missed an important detail. "He was with the king."
Spinola stopped, her hand around Izrina's waist. "Did you meet the king?" Her eyes narrowed at the girl. She knew something about the way Izrina was descending the stairs in a haste just wasn't right. The princess must have left a trace of herself behind.
Izrina gulped. She shifted to her side. "It was for a second...." If that counted as a second. She was scared of giving Spinola the entire details. Afraid that the woman might get a heart attack if she learnt what happened between her and the looney King.
"... and I ran away before he could notice me."
Spinola continued with what she was doing. "I will have to meet Cora later tonight. An escape plan should be in order. This night should be the last we spend in Zephyrus." She helped Izrina into the new dress. Reaching for her hair, she asked.
"And your ear? Have you felt any pain?"
Izrina touched her left ear. She almost forgot about it. Maybe it was because Spinola spoke slowly to her or Izrina had gotten used to looking at people's lips...
She reached for her lips when she remembered something. While trying to follow the king's lips earlier, he had moved too close. His aura was too suppressing that Izrina could neither hear with her right ear nor calmly read his lips.
"What is it? Does your mouth hurt too?" Spinola asked when she noticed the girl's sudden silence.
Izrina dropped her hand to her laps Spinola was right, this night had to be her last day in this palace. This place wasn't for a person like her.
"I'm going to let your hair down to cover these...."Spinola judged with every fibre of her being the flimsy dress. "Even leaves can do better." She commented mindlessly, trying to hide Izrina's exposed skin.
"And this?" Izrina raised the yellow wrist bell. When Spinola tried to take it away, she moved her hand behind her. "Don't...she gave this to me herself." Izrina tied it around her wrist.
Spinola rolled her eyes, but she didn't say anything else. The princess was right. They needed to be careful.
"I wonder why she didn't ask what happened to the first one." Izrina said. Tying the bell on her wrist, she raised her hand, watching it with pure fascination as it tingled.
Spinola wiped the girl's feet then slid them into the hose-like flexible shoes. "She clearly knows to keep away from a princess."
"She doesn't know I'm a princess, Spinola," Izrina reminded the woman with a soft voice.
Spinola done and satisfied with her work, stood up dusting her palm on her dress. "Whatever, I just don't like her." She turned around to get dressed.
Izrina sat on her bed. Dangling her feet so they don't touch the floor, she stared into space. To think that a while ago she was considering jumping to her death. She had been willing to let go of everything. She had nothing anyway. It was only when she almost died that she realized that she wasn't ready.
Why wasn't she ready? Izrina asked herself. She lost her family, crown and dignity. Why else would she want to continue living? What was holding her back?
Nothing in life is to be feared.
Those were the words of that king. Izrina exhaled softly. Were things only to be understood? Then how was she supposed to understand her parents being executed in her presence?
The memory triggered Izrina; she felt a wave of sickness from her stomach up to her throat. She pinched her thumb to soothe her body. Perspiration now formed her forehead. She was having chills.
"Doves." Lady Feyrne walked inside. "Are you ready?"
Spinola snarled when she saw the woman. "Speak of the devil." She hissed.
"And for those that will be serving the king tonight....Lucy, Vivian....."
Spinola scrunched her face in disgust at the head courtesan. She turned to Izrina, ready to badmouth the woman, but noticed the princess was fighting for air, the woman's brows furrowed.
"Pri-"
"...Doris and Rina will be serving the King tonight."