This was my first time at the royal palace. My family, though we hold the noble title of Neotor, has fallen on hard times. Out of the entire Neotor line, it’s just me, my third cousin Somat—who’s fifty and still a bachelor—and my grandmother Froza, my mom’s mom. My parents passed away when I was little, so Grandma raised me. But no matter how broke I am, I bear the Mark on my body, which means I had to show up at the palace on the Day of the Clock Turning. The ceremony takes place in the morning, followed by a ball for the participating girls in the evening. I was fine with everything. Except the ball. Me, a total cow, at a ball! I was internally clutching my head and laughing hysterically. No way! I’d get through the ceremony and head straight home. Home is safe: no one mocks you, no one suggests stupid diets, no one cracks jokes about your freckles, no one looks at you with disdain…
Oh, the diets I’ve tried, the magical healers I’ve seen, the spells I’ve had cast on me! All for nothing. They say it’s some powerful magical curse. “Young lady, you need to learn to live with it,” a First Circle mage once told me. So, I live with it. I threw up my hands and got used to it. And honestly, it got easier. I even started smiling, cracking silly jokes, snapping back at mean comments, and accepting myself as I am. Fat, chubby, whatever. I don’t love myself, but I’ve made peace with myself. I guess that’s something.
The carriage pulled up to a long line of various coaches stopped near the grand entrance of the royal castle. Wow, it’s gonna be a while before I can even get inside. With my inability to sit still, this is a disaster! I can’t stay put for a single minute without fidgeting. I used to get in so much trouble for that with my old etiquette teacher, Mrs. Darna. “A young lady must be modest, calm, and gentle…” she’d drill into me during lessons. I tried. But the second I was out of the classroom, I turned into a whirlwind! Catching up on all the gossip, checking out the new magical flowers Mrs. Gorinka planted under the principal’s office window, gossiping about every girl in class with my best friend Lalka, tripping up the stuck-up Marsana, even racing to see who could get to the cafeteria fastest (I got the most punishments for that—imagine a huge elephant charging down the hallway; the school practically shook!)—I managed to do it all during a short break between classes.
Ugh, am I really gonna have to sit in this carriage for so long? I’ll die of boredom! So, I decided to take a little walk while the carriage was stuck in traffic. We were already on the driveway in the royal park, so I figured it was safe to step out, stretch my legs, and take in the scenery, or whatever I could see. I told the coachman to call me when we got close to the palace entrance, then climbed out of the carriage and let out a relieved sigh. Beautiful! Exotic bushes and trees, stunning flowerbeds with magical blooms, birds chirping—it all put me in a romantic mood. I wandered deeper into the park along a narrow path and spotted a small fountain with a carved, snow-white gazebo nestled beside it. There were fish in the fountain! Colorful, super cute ones with tails that looked like fancy fans. I wanted to touch the water, to scoop up some of that clear coolness, since the day was hot and the fountain radiated a refreshing chill. I leaned over to reach the water, and my pretty shawl, which I’d draped over my arm, slipped off and fell in. Oh no, what now? That shawl was covering my clumsy, fat shoulders and neck. Plus, it was slightly enchanted, keeping me warm when it was cool out, even though it was thin and lacy. A gift from Grandma.
I’d have to get in the water, because the shawl was slowly drifting away from me, out of reach. Or maybe I could find a stick or something to hook it with? I looked around for a branch and froze in surprise. A young guy was standing near me, watching my struggle with the water.
“Tough luck, huh?” he asked with a smirk.
“Nah, it’s fine, I’ll get it in a sec.”
I pushed past him determinedly and headed toward the gazebo, where I’d spotted something like dry twigs. The sticks were short but sturdy and branched, probably used by the gardener to prop up saplings to protect them from birds. I picked one and hurried back to the fountain.
“Not gonna work,” the guy said with a grin. “It’s already sunk.”
What a mess! My shawl was at the bottom of the fountain. Turns out it was too heavy for the water, weighed down by the tiny crystal beads woven into it.
“And why are you laughing?” I snapped in frustration. “You could help, you know.”
I plopped down on the edge of the fountain and started taking off my shoes and stockings. I’d get in the water and grab the shawl myself.
While I was pulling off my shoes, the guy went quiet, just shuffling in place. All I could hear was his breathing.
“Fine, I’ll do it,” he muttered in a gruff voice. “I’ll help.”
“No thanks, I’ve got it!” I shot him a challenging look. “You should’ve offered right away. Some helper you are.”
I stepped into the water, hiking up my wide lace skirt to my knees. The water was freezing! Like, bone-chilling cold. It hadn’t warmed up yet since the day had just started. My teeth started chattering, and I could barely breathe. After a few steps, I snatched my shawl out of the water and bolted out of that stupid fountain. Of course, I’d soaked my skirt—at least a good chunk on the left side was drenched, dripping like crazy. So there I was, water streaming off my skirt, teeth chattering, practically howling with some sudden, unexplained anger, as I climbed out of the fountain and frantically started pulling on my stockings. Have you ever tried putting on stockings with wet legs? It’s a real challenge!
“You should dry off,” the guy mumbled sympathetically. “Here, take this.” He came over and spread his cloak on the ground under my feet.
“Why are you so pushy? Just go wherever you were headed! If it weren’t for you, everything would’ve been fine,” I snapped unexpectedly. “People just walk around, mocking me… Don’t shove your cloak at me, I’ll manage on my own…”
The guy didn’t say anything. He wiped my freezing toes and helped me put my shoes back on. For some reason, tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to cry, but I clenched my teeth and lashed out at him even more.
“And anyway, who are you? Why are you even here? Did you come to laugh at me? To watch me sit here like a drowned rat? Ugh, I really am soaked!” I sniffled. “And I’ve still got the ceremony to go to. How am I supposed to show up looking like this?”
The guy suddenly looked me in the eyes and smiled. With a wave of his hand, my skirt and shawl were completely dry. Oh, so he’s a mage. He could’ve easily gotten my shawl out with magic! But no!
I took a deep breath, ready to let him have it right then and there, tell him exactly what I thought of him, when suddenly I heard:
“Miss Martha, it’s almost our turn! Hurry up, let’s go, we can’t keep Their Royal Majesties waiting!”
It was the coachman. I jumped to my feet and raced down the path to my carriage. He’s right—I can’t keep Their Royal Majesties waiting!