Chapter Text
Airi’s breath caught in her throat as giant iron gates clanked loudly behind her. She picked up the skirt of her dress and stepped carefully onto the stone path leading up to the palace. Facing her was the type of place little girls dreamt of or read about in fairytales: tall walls of blue-gray stone with towers that poked at the clouds, a giant drawbridge leading to an ornate gate of blues and golds and marble floors that those who were any less than royalty felt fraudulent stepping upon.
The giant clock hanging over the gate reminded Airi that she was late—but not too late. The perfect in between where she wasn’t heading in with the crowds of nosy nobles, but she was to be there when the princess’s 16th birthday.
And she wouldn’t miss that for the world.
Princess Shizuku was rumored to be the most beautiful girl in the land, even in her entire lineage, some would go as far to claim. Airi knew it to be true, from firsthand experience. She’d grown up in service of the royal family, a personal retainer to the princess herself. Her family didn’t have much money, and while her father served as a knight, her family was too poor to live on those wages alone. Airi had applied when she was of a suitable age for work, finding herself employed as the personal servant of the heiress daughter of the Shinonome family, Ena. It had only taken a few months for Lord Shinonome to forbid her from entering his house, fearing how close the two were becoming.
Finding work elsewhere wasn’t particularly difficult. The castle was always in need of extra hands, and Airi found herself with work quickly as a simple handmaiden. It had only taken a couple weeks for the princess to take interest in her, and Airi was established as her personal attendant by her request, to her own astonishment.
She should’ve been in the palace hours earlier, helping the princess prepare for the celebration, but Shizuku, as she insisted Airi call her by her actual name when no one else was around, insisted that she take her own time to get ready, allowing for the other maids to assist her instead. She couldn’t argue back with the princess on her own birthday.
Her family hadn’t the money to hire a seamstress to sew her a fancy ball gown more fitting of the setting, but with the money Airi had saved up, she was able to afford a dress in a beautiful lighter shade of pink adorned with silver embroidery around the bodice and neck. It was much simpler than anything the nobles would be wearing, but she just hoped she didn’t draw too much negative attention to herself for her attire. Even walking up to the castle now, in the darkness of the evening and silence, only interrupted by the sound of heeled shoes clicking on stone, her presence felt inappropriate.
The guards at the gate sent questioning glances down at her from their taller heights. Airi tensed, curtsying and handing over her invitation, a personal one from the princess herself. It took one guard a moment to read over the contents, stealing glances at her and raising his eyebrows in doubt before sighing and beckoning for her to enter. As she stepped into the long hallway, Airi felt herself breathe out deeply, realizing she’d been growing dizzy from holding it for so long.
The ballroom ahead was a sight to behold, even from the outside. Nobles were scattered all around the outskirts, the women shining like the jewels on their necks. The walls glittered a bright gold, a stark contrast to the ornate white columns rising to the ceiling painted with murals telling stories of history Airi had never heard. Crystal chandeliers spiraled down and lit the room. Everything seemed to sparkle, and for once, even Airi felt like she was a part of a dream she would’ve had as a child.
She could stare at the people, all elegant and elaborate in their appearances and attitudes, but the moment the princess caught her eye, her legs weakened under her, threatening for her to collapse in her already unsteady shoes. Shizuku was an angel, glowing amidst the chaos of color in the ballroom. She donned a white gown with a multilayered tulle skirt that pooled around the floor with light blue flowers embroidered into the fabric. The dress perfectly hugged her waist, the flower detailing continuing up into the bodice. The lace bertha covering the collar on her dress was a brighter blue, adorned with flowers sewn into the fabric, and sat gently on her shoulders, greatly complimented by a golden necklace with a sapphire jewel in the shape of a raindrop. In all words, she was stunning, the crown jewel of the entire room.
She tried not to stare, pushing to the edge of the room past a servant walking around with a tray of different delicacies, nearly shoving drinks into the hands of every noble. Almost tripping over the train of a dress and muttering a few quick apologies, Airi sighed deeply, leaning against a column in the corner of the room. A more discreet, and arguably more suspicious position but less stuffy.
“Good place for observation,” a voice from behind her makes Airi whip around in shock. She could’ve sworn she’d seen no one else there, but it wasn’t unlike Princess Shiho to make herself the center of attention anyway.
“M-Majesty!” she breathed out, gawking at the princess, who, unlike her sister, was dressed in trousers and chainmail, as if just back from training with the knights. It was unsurprising, considering her entire existence wasn’t to be spoken of outside of the palace for reasons unknown to most. Airi figured it was her more rebellious streak and refusal to take on the traditional princessly roles, preferring to train in combat. Either way, it was shocking to see her, especially out in the open like this.
The gray-haired princess rolled her eyes and leaned against the pillar next to Airi. “Please, you know not to call me that,” she spoke in a hushed tone. “I’m trying not to draw any attention to myself here, which you could do a better job at, considering you’re just standing there like a dumbass staring at my sister.”
“H-Hey,” Airi stuttered, but Shiho covered her mouth with a gloved hand and took her by the arm, dragging her back into the corner.
“Quiet,” she muttered, and Airi could’ve sworn she could see a blush creeping up her face. “Do you see… that girl over there, talking with that other noble? The blue-haired man.”
Airi looked over, noticing the girl, whose presence was the type to take up an entire room, if Shizuku herself wasn’t already taking that job. Her blonde hair faded into pink like an inverted sunset, complimenting the light pink of her dress perfectly. “Who is she?” Airi asked.
“Lady Saki, daughter of Lord Tenma. Her brother, Sir Tsukasa, is… more of the issue though,” Shiho muttered.
“An issue? But you’re… a princess?”
“No, it’s not that,” Shiho snapped, gripping Airi’s arm tighter. “He’s just loud is all. Her other brother, the adopted one after being exiled by his father, Sir Touya, he’s much nicer, much quieter, but he often…” Her voice trailed off as she watched Saki curtsy, the one called “Touya” taken abruptly by someone else. She only caught a flash of orange hair, but that was enough for her to recognize the other son of Lord Shinonome, Akito. Airi’s conversations with him had been brief and occasional, usually consisting of her requesting for him to watch after his sister, to which he only scoffed in return.
Shiho gestured toward the fire-haired boy. “Him. The other one. Son of Lord Shinonome. His sister is next in line, but whispers say she’s not worthy of her position.” Shiho’s words bit the air, casting a wave of frustration over Airi in defense of her former friend. She didn’t bother to protest the princess’s words. “Sir Akito would much rather become a knight though, and maybe he could, if he wasn’t busy fooling around doing who knows what with Sir Touya all the time. They make total fools out of the other knights at times.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Airi pushed Shiho’s hand off her shoulder, furrowing her brows as she looked into the other’s eyes, confused. Shiho’s expression was saddened, yet she still held the tense look she usually bore.
“I train with them sometimes, and like I said, Sir Touya is the adopted brother of Lady Saki.”
A quick realization brought a smile to Airi’s face. “...You fancy this Lady Saki, don’t you?”
“B-Be quiet,” Shiho hissed, bringing her hand up to cover her face. “I just need you to help me get her attention, then I can bring you to my sister. She said she wanted to see you anyway.”
Airi’s heart nearly stopped. “Talk to me?” she sputtered out, her voice cracking. Shiho chuckled, nodding. “Fine. I’ll help you talk to her.”
“Discreetly,” Shiho reminded her. “I’m… not supposed to be here.”
Taking Shiho’s reminder as a cue, Airi navigated across the marble floors to Lady Saki, who was laughing with a man with a striking resemblance to herself—her brother, presumably. Airi contemplated an approach, before clearing her throat. “Lady Saki,” she said, breaking into a curtsy. “You’ve been requested outside the ballroom. Something urgent, I believe. I’ve been asked to bring you to,” she hesitated for a moment, the word “princess” lingering on her tongue, “to one of the knights.”
“A knight?!” The other blonde threw his arm in front of Saki, defensively. “What does a knight possibly need from—”
“S-Shiho!” Saki brought her hands to her face, in realization. “Please, bring me to this knight at once.” She turned to look at her brother. “Tsukasa, I’ll be perfectly fine in their care.” He nodded, furrowing his brows in contemplation. He stared down at Airi as she beckoned for Saki to follow her, before walking away briskly, presumably to find someone to chat with, as most nobles seemed to do to occupy their time.
The way Shiho stood in the corner, in her dark attire and head covered with a black hood, anyone would’ve found her suspicious, but Saki ran over to her without hesitation, Shiho quickly removing her hood and grasping the girl’s hand, bringing it to her lips and planting a kiss against her knuckles.
“I missed you!” she heard Saki nearly cry out, throwing herself into Shiho’s arms. The two made for a funny duo, in the outskirts of the ballroom.
“I... missed you as well.” Shiho’s whisper was hardly audible. She looked back up at Airi. “Go to the gardens and wait. After the ceremony… knowing her, she ought to want some fresh air.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Airi curtsied, despite Shiho rolling her eyes in return. “I’ll leave you two then.”