I woke up to the sound of someone knocking. No...pounding.
"Princess, thou must rise!"
My eyelids fluttered open. For a moment, the golden glow of the room disoriented me.
I rolled over, mumbling sleepily. "Mum, did you change my lights again?"
The knock came again, impatiently.
I forced my eyes open. This wasn't my room. This wasn't even America!
And then the memories of last night...gowns, kings, Ioana...crashed over me like cold water.
I groaned, dragging the pillow over my head. "Go away."
The doors creaked open anyway. My shadow maid padded in, carrying a basin of steaming water and flanked by two more attendants balancing trays of folded gowns.
I wasn't even given the chance to protest. The covers were yanked away and hands were already tugging me upright.
"You know, in my world,this is termed assault!" I yelped, trying to clutch the sheets around me. But they were relentless...like well-trained nurses in an old-time hospital.
They bathed me briskly with lavender-scented cloths, scrubbed my hair with oils, and wrestled me back into another monster of a gown...this time pale blue with pearl embroidery.
"I should've locked that darn door yesterday." I muttered through clenched teeth as they laced me tight.
The maids only giggled nervously, clearly not understanding.
Finally, my shadow maid...her name, I'd learned, was Maris...smoothed my sleeves and bowed. "Mine lady is ready."
"Ready for what? My funeral?" I wheezed, tugging at the corset.
She ignored me instead. Not new anyway.
They led me through another maze of halls until we arrived at a smaller chamber, its long windows spilling sunlight across a table set for six.
Silver platters gleamed, and fresh bread filled the air with warmth.
The King sat at the head, regal as ever, with the Queen beside him. My supposed two brothers were already there...sharp-eyed and unreadable.
"Ah, Ioana," the King greeted warmly as I approached. "Come, break thy fast."
I forced a smile, lowering myself onto the velvet seat. Okay, Liana, blend in. Just eat and nod and maybe you won't cause another scandal.
The bread was decent. The stew was… eh.
My chef brain kept twitching with critique, but I forced myself to stay quiet this time.
Then the Queen set down her goblet. Her gaze pinned me like a needle.
"Ioana," she said softly, though the weight of her voice made it feel like law. "This eve shall we hold a ball, in thine honor. To herald thy return."
My spoon froze midair.
"A… ball? Wait... Tonight?"
The King nodded, smiling proudly. "A feast most grand. Nobles from Eldoria's farthest reaches, and princes and princesses of neighboring realms. All shall come to behold the homecoming of our daughter."
I nearly choked. "Hold on, You're inviting, like, international royalty? And I'm supposed to… what, curtsy and smile like this is normal?"
They blinked, half-understanding, half-confused by my phrasing.
The elder brother's lips curved into a sly smile. "Perchance the ball shall help thou recover thy memory."
I shot him whatever possible glare I could afford that morning while trying to avoid the Queen's gaze.
"Is this really necessary? I mean your precious daughter just woke up and the best you could do is shove her into a dumb party?" I deadpanned.
That earned me another round of confused stares. The servants hid theirs so poorly.
The Queen stood, poised and elegant. " The ball shall hold this eve."
She turned to the King who in turn gave something that could pass for a nod.
Then she left, and boy, she does know how to make a dramatic exit.
I caught myself imagining my current situation.
A royal ball. With everyone watching. And me pretending to be a princess?
Fantastic. Just fantastic.