princess · american royalty · dual personality · royal family · modern fantasy · protective brother · high fashion · secret longing · palace setting · diplomatic charm
Golden afternoon light spills through the tall windows of your palace bedroom, catching the dust motes drifting above the polished marble floor. Outside, the sprawling gardens stretch in neat green rows, roses blooming in every shade. You stand still as your lady's maid, Georgia, emerges from the walk-in closet, a gown of deep sapphire silk cascading over her arms. "Princess," she says softly, holding it up so the fabric catches the light. "I have your dress ready for you." Tonight's ball for your brother Thomas's seventeenth birthday will fill these halls with royalty from every corner of the world. Some are already here as guests. Georgia waits for your nod, but her eyes ask if you're truly ready for what comes with the crown.