After I had had breakfast with Raja - and had poured an unhealthy amount of coffee into myself - the other two maids had appeared and I was dressed up for the morning. I would be meeting my 'fellow ladies' deliberately for the first time.

Raja grabbed me by the shoulders. I had been allowed flat sandals for once, so I could look her in the eye effortlessly. "You remember what I said?" We had devised a strategy, and for lack of a better idea, I would do my best to follow it.

Slowly things were getting restless out in the hallway, the first girls were making their way. I took a last deep breath, hiding the ring on its chain in the demure neckline of my dress. My door made it impossible for me to just quietly blend in with the crowd. Immediately, all eyes were on me. I kept my head down, trying not to stare at anyone for too long, but also not to arrogantly ignore anyone.

"Good morning." I had learned my etiquette rules admirably. Few followed my example and greeted me as politely. Out of those who did, I would have to pick someone with whom I had to develop something like a friendship. Inwardly I sighed. How had I made friends with Thalia? Oh yes - it came to my mind - Thalia had befriended me. I had had no choice at all.

Silently, I joined the ranks of the girls who were leaving for our first lesson. Although all the rooms and spaces here were huge, not all the girls fit into one classroom. We reported to the various supervisors and were given a schedule of sorts. The group of girls I could befriend was thus drastically reduced. Of those who had greeted me, only a fraction had ended up in the same classroom with me. Many had not greeted me and the majority consisted of girls who had been placed in another area of the castle.

We learned about the different titles and their rank - something that shouldn't have been news to the other girls, but everyone was diligently taking notes. The hour dragged on and I struggled to act ladylike throughout instead of just falling asleep. Pulling an all-nighter had not been a good idea.

At least I got a chance to take a closer look at some of the girls. The most striking was a young lady named Diana. She was by far the most beautiful human being I had ever seen. Her blonde locks were natural, unlike most of the other blondes here. She also didn't have to go to such lengths to accentuate her charms, as her perfect body was distracting even to absolutely straight women. Even I, who had always prided myself on not being vain, felt a sting in my ego when I looked at her like that. She definitely dropped out as a possible friend, because she would under all circumstances get into the finals for the princes and in her shadow there were already enough slime slugs crawling, who also hoped for some fame through Diana's glamor.

The next one to catch my eye was a dainty mouse they called Rosalie. Diana now had class with another group, and without her all-consuming appearance, a few girls stood out who had been overlooked before.

Rosalie sat just a few seats away from me, as she had in the lesson before. She had something that Diana completely lacked. There was an elegance and grace in every one of Rosalie's movements. I learned from my seatmate that Rosalie was probably used to being at court. Her parents were well connected and here they were trying to finally bring their efforts to fruition. Whether Rosalie was so enthusiastic about it, I could not say for sure. At first I hadn't considered Rosalie either, as she was far too 'aristocratic' for my taste, but just as we finished the lesson, she looked over at me and smiled shyly. Not a smile with a plan behind it, she was simply a well-mannered, friendly girl.

Lunch was approaching and with it the time I had left to put Raja's and my plan into action was pressing. After all, if I hadn't found someone who accepted my company by noon, I would be officially marked for firing, and Raja had credibly assured me that girls could be much crueler than men.

It was the last class before my deadline and of course luck was not on my side and Rosalie had a different subject than I did. Handwork. Nothing on this planet was as foreign to me as needlework. Embroidery, sewing or even painting were worlds I would never find access to. I lacked any sensitivity for colors or shapes. That it was precisely this inability that would open up a new option for me, I would not have believed anyone.

I had knotted my stupid thread, as I had done dozens of times before, when a nondescript girl sat down with me.
"Seeing how stupid you are just makes me wonder even more why the others fear you." Her brown eyes sparkled challengingly, but not maliciously. I was about to smack her verbally when I saw the salad she had made of her thread and involuntarily laughed. Clearly I had passed her test with it, because she unraveled her hand and held it out to me. "I'm Lena." Relieved that there were uncomplicated girls, I grabbed her hand.

"I'm..."

"Eleonora, I know. Everyone talks about you." I took the time to look her over more closely while she listened to herself talk. I hadn't noticed her in the first class because, like me, she had been sitting in one of the back rows. At first glance, she seemed like all the others: shorter than me, brown hair, dark skin, brown eyes, friendly. But if you knew what to look for, the little inconsistencies caught your eye.

That's how I discovered the fine calluses on her hands. Although she had the best care, she could not hide the traces of work. Someone who worked with their hands would never have the perfect, unused hands of a princess. On top of that, there was the muscle tone. Although she looked small and lanky, her movements were effortless. Under her airy sleeves, she hid arms that could surely lift more than needle and thread.

"You should call me Ellie," I finally interrupted her. I had made up my mind about her. Even if she was just scouting me, she was still the best choice. She had been fearless enough to sit with me and challenge me so brashly. My seatmate, whom I had asked about Rosalie, had jumped up so quickly after class was over that I was sure she had fled from me.

Lena was beaming from ear to ear when we went to lunch together. The large dining room was always set up so that a celebration could have been held at any time without having to redecorate anything. Even the royal platform was fully furnished, although no one would sit at those seats today. All the other tables were set up in large rows around it.

Lena and I had looked for a table a little outside the big crowd. From our place one could see perfectly into the huge garden all the way to the woods. Since Raja had caught me off guard last night, I had been more attentive. Fine ladies were taught to make as little noise as possible.

Rosalie was quieter than some of our assassins. That she suddenly stood next to me no longer startled me thanks to Raja's lesson, but I was still surprised about it.

"Is there a seat left with you?" Her ivory skin took on a delicate pink glow. She looked simply gorgeous. Lena waved effusively and I nodded as gracefully as I could. This delicate elf either had a thick skin like an elephant and didn't get any of the rumors about me, or she had more guts than I gave her credit for. With a flowing motion, she brushed her reddish hair behind her ear and secured it with a barrette. She smiled at me conspiratorially and I had to return it involuntarily. If I were one of the princes, Rosalie would have had my heart in her hands at that moment. No one in that room was so enchanting and well-mannered. Nothing about her was inappropriate, as was the case with others here. The back neckline of a lady at the table in front of us, for example, was the pure definition of inappropriate. I could see things I didn't want to see - and couldn't have seen if she had been wearing underwear.

I was just imagining Rosalie as a future queen when the great doors opened once again. While I didn't believe in miracles or superhuman things, that moment taught me otherwise. Diana entered. But her all-encompassing light was disturbed. By a girl whose presence filled the entire room in a split second.

"This is Anna," hissed Lena, who quickly realized that I had absolutely no idea. Anna was not a typical beauty. Diana was head and shoulders above her there, and yet there was something about her that quickly brought my self-confidence to its knees. She was tall, certainly as tall as me, maybe even taller, and infinitely slender without being unhealthily thin. Her skin glowed from within and her long brown hair caressed her, like an unobtrusive lover - accentuating her every asset and disguising any possible flaws. For one breath our eyes met and I shivered instantly.

"Anna wants Crown Prince Armand." Rosalie's voice was soft, almost like a sweet song. She knew very well what she could and could not say, but her eyes spoke volumes. "I know her from some dinners and receptions here at court." I didn't dare ask further. You didn't need to know the princes to know that Anna always got what she wanted.

"And which one do you want?" Lena was straightforward. A dangerous as well as useful trait. Her biggest advantage, however, was the fact that she really liked to hear herself talk, because she didn't wait for our answer at all. "I will try my luck with Prince Narvik." She smiled playfully, but not in love. "He's the handsomest, if you ask me. Armand is always so serious, I don't buy his clean-cut image at all. And don't get me started on Javier." Rosalie and I exchanged puzzled glances. Lena had fallen into her slang so naturally that it was hard not to laugh. Eventually, Lena noticed and, shrugging her shoulders, giggled along with us. So these friendships could be pleasant too, what an unexpected realization.

Now it was Rosalie's turn. She lowered her eyes to hide her blush, but she lit up to her ears. "You know" she finally said softly. "I've seen the princes a time or two." She kept trying to look at us, but then felt too ashamed. "I don't really want to be queen. But Armand is..." She glowed like a tomato. "He's a really good person. He's never arrogant when you talk to him. He can add something to any topic. He even has a really funny sense of humor."

Absentmindedly, my gaze had wandered to Anna, but my mind was elsewhere. Lena noticed my smirk even before I did.

"Don't tell me you want Armand too!?" she exclaimed, as quietly as she could - which wasn't very quiet. I felt the stares of everyone around me as my heart sank.

"Oh no, I... had to think of someone... else." My hand had naturally sought and found the ring.

"Don't tell me you have someone waiting for you!"

Now it was me who couldn't lift my eyes. "It's not like that." I could feel the girls waiting. Heard them breathing and salivating. Like wolves over their prey. So I did the only thing I knew how to do: fight. "I loved someone once. But he died." My gaze was steady as I raised my head, my voice didn't tremble once - and Lena's chin almost dropped to the table.

The first course was handed to us and for a moment there was silence. It was none other than Lena who couldn't stand the silence this time either. "What are you doing after dinner?" Had Raja said something? I dully remembered that there were rumors that the princes might finally arrive, but as long as it wasn't yet, I should work on finding my place in this group. So I agreed to Lena's suggestion to go for a walk in the garden.