i'll take it one day at a time

The next day came much too soon for Nicollette's liking, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was a royal lunch, to which all of the related Kingdom's royalty and their children were to be invited. There would be a fancy feast, fancy clothing, the whole works.

Nicollette wasn't excited.

Not only was she going to have to go act like one of the prissy princesses that would be attending, but she'd also have to face Matthias and Ryker - in the same room, yet again.

She hadn't spoken to Matthias since they arrived back on the property, to which she hopped off of Maximus, gave him a nice pet goodbye, and made her way away from the Prince and to the side of the property her house resided on.

As she got in, her parents asked her how her donating went - as they usually did. She told them the usual, leaving out any part with Ryker and Matthias. She didn't want to tell them because the last thing she needed was a lecture - both from how she spoke to Ryker, and the other being how she and Matthias need to learn to get along.

It's been that way since they were young, and Nicollette couldn't tell anyone exactly why or how it started. She just knew one day Matthias was nice, and the next... he wasn't. He was rude, cocky, and arrogant. He let his royalty get to his head like most royals did, and that's the day she learned to hate him.

All he ever did was look down on her, and for what? Because their fathers happen to be best friends? As if it's her fault she wasn't born royalty the way he was and their fathers looked past the royalties and bonded based on their personalities. Not to mention her father is the right-hand man to King Sutcliffe, so even if they weren't best friends - they'd still have to see each other either way.

"I need you to stand up straight, Nicollette." The sound of the Sutcliffe's servant, Malia Prim, spoke. "I can't tighten your corset properly without you standing straight."

"Sorry," Nicollette muttered, looking at herself in the mirror. She wasn't ready yet, to which her mother would yell at her at any moment now. She was supposed to be ready half an hour prior, but she found herself accompanying Charles at the stables again.

It was only when Malia came out in a panicked voice she finally rolled her eyes and left her best friend to go get ready for something she didn't even want to attend. She listened to the frustrated rant of the servant, listening to how she didn't want to have to get in trouble because Nicollette had run off to do who knows what instead of getting ready as she was supposed to.

Nicollette understood, but at the same time didn't care enough to apologize. She didn't ask to attend this lunch, and she didn't understand why she was forced to anyway. She wasn't royal. She wasn't a princess or even a duchess. She was nothing compared to the royalties of Aradia and the kingdoms surrounding it, so who would even notice had she been missing from this very important lunch?

Nobody important.

"Nicollette? How on Earth are you not ready yet?" The sound of her mother's voice echoed through the giant room as she entered, a look of shock on her face as she saw she was still getting dressed.

"Because I don't want to go," Nicollette spoke honestly, looking at the wretched dress she was wearing.

It wasn't the ugliest dress of the bunch, but that's only because it was a hand-me-down from Maria Sutcliffe - the princess herself. They were very similar in size, except Nicollette was just a bit curvier when it came to her hips and bust area. This caused the dress to be much tighter than it should have been, but she couldn't complain as this was a dress her mother chose her to wear, and there was no negotiating that.

"Well looks like we're going to have to go light on the hair and makeup, then. We don't have time for you to be late, we're already fifteen minutes behind." Estella Terilow commented as she walked over to where Malia and Nicollette stood, beginning to wipe any possible wrinkles from her clothes.

Nicollette hated every second of this. She witnessed Maria go through it plenty of times since being in the palace, and she now understood why the girl made constant faces when getting sized for dresses her makeup powder pressed all over her face.

She was basically a living Barbie doll. Her mother and Malia rushed to get her ready to the best of their abilities in the small amount of time they had, and Nicollette knew no matter how little they did for her looks or how quickly they moved - she was going to be late anyway.

Nicollette didn't care and honestly hoped by the time she arrived the lunch was almost over. She wasn't even hungry, as when she ran off to the stables she shared Charles' lunch with him despite him reminding her she needed to save her appetite for the fancy lunch she'd be having within no time.

The girl just reminded him that she had quite the appetite and that half a sandwich wouldn't fill her up. Although she was right about having the appetite, she wasn't right about getting filled up so quickly. Just the thought of eating as she's one of them was enough to make her queasy, which didn't feel good as her dress tightened more and more each second that passed by.

As soon as she was ready, her mother rushed her out of the door and down the corridor, taking her out of their house and to the giant palace that awaited her. Nicollette stared at the stables, a glimpse of Charles enough to give her the thought to just turn and run, but she knew there was no way she'd make it without being caught.

Sighing, she just turned and followed her mother into the giant palace, their footsteps echoing as she took them to the giant dining room where the lunch would be held. She could hear lots of talking on the other side, along with the light sound of classical music.

Nicollette stopped behind her mother, who glanced at her one last time before opening the door. She didn't say anything to her, but the look was enough to tell her to be on her best behavior once she stepped through the door.

Light shined into the hallway as the door creaked open, Estella stepping through the biggest fake smile Nicollette had ever seen her smile. She didn't copy her, and instead just followed through with a slight frown on her features.

She could already tell she didn't fit in by the way everyone in the room carried themselves. Besides the servants and her parents, everyone who occupied the giant space was of royalty - ones who had learned to adapt to this lifestyle or were simply born like this. She couldn't relate and didn't know how to naturally act as if this was something she does on a daily when it isn't.

Oh, to be out in the stables feeding Maximus carrots while Charles does his job.

Her hands were clammy, but she didn't have any pockets to shove them into. She didn't even have her phone or anything to fidget with to keep her nerves from racing. She glanced around the room, noticing that although not everyone noticed her, a certain group of boys had when she entered.

Matthias just stared at her, an emotion nobody could decipher on his features. Zacharias stared with a small smile, meanwhile, Ryker stared in distaste at her.

"What on Earth is she doing here?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink. "Did she finally get bumped up to servant?"

Matthias looked away from Nicollette and to the boy standing in front of him, his eyes narrowed. It wasn't enough for anyone to notice, but enough for himself - which is what mattered. "She's not a servant."

"No, the King asked her to come around more to fancy gatherings such as this. Now that she's of age, they'd like her to be more involved in the family events." Zacharias admitted, not caring he was outing the reason she was here.

"What's the point of having these things if we're inviting people like..." Ryker stopped, staring at her with a scrunched-up nose. "Her."

"She's not that bad," Zacharias spoke up. "I mean maybe a little stuck up, but like-"

"She's not even royalty." Ryker cut the boy off, looking away from Nicollette for a moment.

"So? Not everyone who isn't royalty is a shitty person," Zacharias shrugged. "Besides, you look at her so much you'd think you secretly like her or something. Almost like you're desperately trying to hide your hopeless crush."

"Oh, give me a break!" Ryker gagged.

Matthias gagged internally as well, hiding it by taking a sip of his drink. He avoided eye contact, doing his best to stay proper as he should. They shouldn't even be talking about this - possible secret love that Ryker has.

Although the idea of that is hilarious, he knows Ryker just genuinely hates anyone who isn't from wealth and high ranking. Him secretly in love with Nicollette? Hilariously wrong.

Ryker was about to speak again - probably another insult towards Nicollette (that thought alone was enough to anger Matthias) but before he could, he was cut off.

"Hey guys," Tobias Avington, Prince of Caldoria, greeted as he walked up to the three boys. "What's going on over here?"

"Talking about Nicollette," Zacharias spoke smoothly.

Despite his humor and sense of making everything positive, Zacharias was not one who was able to keep his mouth shut. Sometimes he could manage to keep a huge secret, but he wasn't one to add a filter to anything he says. He says what's on his mind without thinking, and he doesn't care what others think. He stands up for what he believes in to an extent, and sometimes can't bother to read a room.

Much like Nicollette, in the sense that he doesn't care what others think.

"Who's Nicollette?" Tobias asked, beginning to glance around the room.

"The one girl who obviously doesn't fit in here," Ryker muttered.

"She's the one in the cream-colored dress, standing by the older woman with blonde hair." Zacharias pointed out, pointing directly at her as if she couldn't see them.

Matthias was quick to slap his hand down, sending him a look. "Seriously, dude? Read the room."

Zacharias just laughed a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "The dude asked, I was just answering."

Matthias rolled his eyes and watched as the other three boys looked in Nicollette's direction. He hated this. He hated hearing them talk about her, especially the way Ryker did. Ryker had no reason to treat Nicollette the way he does, she's never done anything to him.

And despite him bringing this up to Zacharias in previous discussions, he was instantly silenced by Zacharias saying some stupid shit along the lines of 'well... you treat her kind of crappy as well'.

Stupid Zacharias and his stupid mouth.

"The blonde?" Tobias asked, continuing the conversation despite Matthias' internal begs to change the subject.

Matthias then watched as his sister walked up to Nicollette with Alayna Fernsby, Lord of Jolantha's daughter.

"Yep, the one that's now standing with the two dark-haired girls," Zacharias answered the obvious question, taking a sip of his drink with a smile on his face.

Matthias rolled his eyes again, taking a sip of his own drink to avoid saying something stupid. He then watched as Tobias looked in what only could be described as awe in the girls' direction, hoping the look was toward Alayna and not Maria or Nicollette.

"What Kingdom is she from? She's breathtaking if I must say so myself," Tobias answered, a smile on his face as he looked from Nicollette to the boys.

The three stared at him in shock, all with different expressions on their faces. Ryker's with a look of disgust (no shocker there), then Zacharias with a little smirk as he glanced between the other two boys. Matthias gripped his glass a little tighter as he looked at Tobias with a look none could explain, and so Tobias just took it as disgust along with Ryker's look. "What?"

"She's from here." Zacharias was the first to break the silence.

"She's trash." Ryker then spat, rolling his eyes. "Nothing but Aradia trash we need to rid of. The opposite of royalty if you will."

"So she's not royalty at all?" Tobias asked, looking between the boys.

Matthias gathered himself, an idea hitting him quickly. "She's nothing close. Our help around here, nothing more than a servant."

Hoping that was enough to deter him - God knows it'd have been more than enough for Ryker - he pressed his lips to the edge of his cup to avoid smiling. He watched Tobias frown before looking back in the direction of the three girls.

Then, with a shrug, he turned back to the boys. "So? What's wrong with that?"

"I forget not everyone has the same standards as most of us." Ryker sighed as he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "People like us shouldn't chase after people like her, they're not worth it."

Matthias wanted to snap. He wanted to snap at Ryker and tell him to take his conceited thoughts and shove them up his ass. He wanted to snap at Tobias for even looking in the direction of Nicollette. He didn't know why, but the sight of it bothered him. He wanted to snap that although Ryker's a pain in the ass and an egotistical asshole who doesn't deserve the title he has - he's right. Nicollette's nothing like them. She doesn't know the life they have to live, the attention they all gather just by simply having a bit of wealth. He wanted to snap at Zacharias - although the shaggy blonde was his best friend in the entire world, he was quite dumb and couldn't ever learn to keep his mouth shut. He wanted to snap at Nicollette, to tell her to stop acting the way she was as he could see right through her - he knows she wants nothing more than to join the royalty. She wants what they have, as that's what most townspeople their age want, right?

Right. He doesn't even need to ask the question since he already knows the answer.

Gripping the glass in his hands tightly, he watched as Tobias glanced at Nicollette once more before looking back at the boys. "You never know until you try, right?"

Then, without as much as a simple goodbye - Tobias was off. He gently passed the others crowding the giant room, moving around the bodies that stood in the way of him and Nicollette.

He stopped only a few feet away, smiling politely at Maria and Alayna. The two smiled back before he introduced himself to Nicollette, his attention off of the two other girls. They quickly understood what was happening, and with Maria sending one last wink to Nicollette - they were off.

She was now left alone with Tobias, and Matthias watched with a smug smirk as he knew how she was. She hated royalty just as much as it hated her. She wanted nothing to do with people who were gifted with the titles they have, and so it was only a matter of time before she pushed her tiny little nose up and turned away.

However, the time never came. Matthias watched in shock as her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink, smiling as Tobias greeted her kindly. He grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it, although his lips didn't touch her skin due to the gloves she wore over her hands.

"Close your mouth, Matty boy, you might catch some flies," Zacharias spoke up, slapping his fingers against the side of Matthias' jaw. "Might also need to fetch some peanut butter for that jelly you got there."

Matthias rolled his eyes, finally looking away from the two. "That's disgusting. I would never in a million years be jealous of Tobias Avington."

"Not to mention jealous of someone who looks like her," Ryker cut in, looking at the pair with disgust. "Oh well, his problem. Not ours."

"Not ours indeed," Matthias muttered as he took another sip of his drink, carefully watching the girl with blonde hair.

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Hi hi hi hope you enjoyed <3