Chapter Text
On a cold, stormy night, Furina was preparing her dinner, a simple pot of macaroni and cheese, when she heard it. A harsh thump against her front door, rattling her very soul. She lived in a cheap apartment in the rowdy Fleuve Cendre, barely able to live with her job as an actress. Most days her living space smelled of booze and bodily odor, her neighbors weren't exactly the peaceful kind. So she barely paid attention to the noise, thinking it was probably her rough neighbors making a ruckus like usual.
She carried onto her bedroom which was also her living room and dining room. She never had enough to get out of this place. One more acting gig, one more down payment, one more loan and maybe she'd be able to live in peace. The wallpaper of her house was crumbling and the inner artist in her cringed at the clash of aesthetics, but there wasn't much she could do. Her bed, which was nothing more than a bundle of sheets, was covered messily with costumes and clothing. Most of which she rented since she couldn't afford to buy everything. She made sure to not sit on them as she still needed to return them in their pristine forms.
This time the noise sounded like someone was trying to barge in. Furina stood up, alarmed. She didn't want to open the door and confront whoever it was. Could it be the landlady? Furina had made sure to pay her rent as quickly as possible, knowing that someone like her with an unstable income would be kicked out in an instant. Could it be a person who needed help? This part of the city wasn't exactly very safe, and Fleuve Cendre’s crime rates were sky high.
She hesitantly crept up to her door, scared of whoever was behind her door. The person started banging again. “Open the door right now!”
She flinched at the loud voice.
“Who-who are you?” Furina asked, trying to sound more confident than she was. “And what do you want from me?”
She never had any enemies, nor did she ever pick any fights with others. She always lived a very simple life, all the while she dreamed of something more. Then who could it be?
“We want to talk to you.” The person was a stern-sounding woman. Furina gulped in fear, worrying that she must've accidentally done something to offend someone. Perhaps she ended up making enemies after all. After all, nobody sane would be banging on her door like that.
“But who are you? Did I do something wrong? Have I done something?” She asked in a frightened voice.
“Just open the damn door, will you?”
Without any other option, she reluctantly opened her door. Furina couldn't believe her eyes what she was seeing—or who was standing outside her apartment. Three incredibly well-dressed individuals stood outside her door. An old man with salt-and-pepper hair and beard, a middle aged man with a fashionable haircut and finally a mature woman with a neat appearance. Furina had never seen them before and they looked nothing like the people around here. They were too put-together for that. The ensemble looked almost comical in front of her shabby apartment.
Furina gave them a look over, eyes wide in panic. “Who…who are you?”
The woman crossed her arms over her chest. “We are the Salon Solitaire, the loyal servants of the crown princess, Focalors of Fontaine.”
Furina's mouth gaped open, the ground tilting beneath her. She didn't hear that right, did she? The crown princess? Of Fontaine? It made no sense. She finally managed to get her words as she said, “Is this a joke? Are you guys pranking me?”
“I assure you this is no joke. Do you take the princess’ servants to be doing something as juvenile as a joke?” It was the old man who said that.
“You cannot be the crown princess' servants!” Furina exclaimed, feeling like the ground underneath her was removed. Was she dreaming? What was going on?
“Yes, we are. Here is the insignia of the royal family.” He fished out something from his breast pocket and revealed it to her. A shiny gold medal with a teardrop symbol. Her eyes went wide with shock.
“That is…this is the royal crest…” Furina stammered, stunned by the insignia. This was the most bizarre dream she ever had.
“Now do you believe us, girl?” The woman asked, giving her a scowl. Numbly, she opened the door wider, gesturing to them to enter her apartment. They did so without a word. Her tiny room felt even smaller with their presence. As she meekly sat down on her bed, she stared at them.
“Am I…am I in trouble?”
The last thing she expected was to get a visit from the literal government. Though she didn't keep up with the royal family, it was impossible to not know of them. The crown princess of Fontaine, Focalors, was the firstborn of the late queen Egeria. Most of the tabloids about Focalors painted her in a positive and regal light. Whereas Furina was nothing more than an unknown actress. She could count the movies she starred in with one hand. There was no reason why the crown’s servants would find their way to her. Unless…she had done something. Could she have possibly done something so egregious that the crown sent people after her? If so, how was she going to survive this?
“What?” The old man blinked. “No. What are you thinking?”
“It happens in films a lot. The government sends assassins after someone and takes them out secretly to make sure no one knows a thing.” Furina started rambling. “It doesn't make any sense for me to get a visit from the crown’s servants.”
“The reality is a lot simpler than that. The last thing we want is for you to get scared. So let me introduce us. My name is Gentilhomme Usher, this gentleman here is Surintendant Chevalmarin and this lovely lady is Mademoiselle Crabaletta.”
Furina nodded at all of them, still confused and stumped. “Why are you here?”
“We are here to ask you for help.”
“Me? But why would the crown want my help?” Furina was, after all, a nobody. Her parents died very early, leaving her to the care of negligent adults. She had very little money to her name and she wasn't even an established actress yet. There was no reason for the crown to even know of her existence, let alone need her help.
The three of them shared a glance, their gazes hiding a brief flicker of doubt. It only terrified her more.
“Perhaps you will understand once you see it,” Gentilhomme Usher said calmly.
“No, that's too risky,” Mademoiselle Crabaletta shook her head, still frowning. “There's no guarantee that she won't break our trust. We need to have her sign a contract that permanently seals the truth.”
Furina widened her eyes, backing away from them. “What do you mean?”
“Miss Furina,” Usher continued. “Before you come with us, you must promise to never speak of this to anyone.”
“I knew you were here to kill me!” She exclaimed in fear.
“No, in fact, it's the opposite. What we want from you will end up saving your life too.”
“Are you confirming that I am in danger?” Furina sucked in a breath, her heart sputtering.
They once again glanced at each other before responding to her. “Yes, actually. Consider it half the reason why we're here for you.”
“Why? Who's going to hurt me? What do you actually want?”
“We need your legal agreement before that. So please sign this contract,” Chevalmarin gave her a piece of paper along with a pen. Furina read the contract and realized that they were asking her to let them use her appearance and likeness and in return, she'd receive monetary help. She was not allowed to share this to anyone outside, even her own family if she had any. Once she was done reading, she looked up at them.
“What is the meaning of this? You guys want to use my face? Why?”
“It is important for national security and yours. But before we reveal anything more, you need to sign this.”
Sighing, Furina realized that she really had no other option. She couldn't refuse them, not when they could easily force her. The best idea would be to cooperate with them. Monetary help didn't sound bad, either. She signed the contract hesitantly and they snatched it away from her once she was done.
“Good. Now come with us. And don't bother to pack anything.”
Furina was taken inside a limo and she couldn't see where they were taking her. She sat in the car, feeling her anxiety climb up her throat. She had only her phone with her, everything else the three servants told her to leave behind. It was quite late when the limo finally stopped. As she stepped out, she could finally see where they had reached. In the stormy midnight, it was hard to see the royal palace clearly but it was definitely the palace. She stood there, trembling like a fawn.
“Come on,” Gentilhomme Usher tugged her out of the car but instead of taking her to the palace, they went the opposite way of the palace, through a dreary tunnel. Furina struggled to follow them in the darkness and she still couldn't stop thinking that maybe they were bringing her to a dungeon where she'd be tortured or killed. However, all her questions evaporated the second they approached a door.
Inside, everything was a complete contrast to the tunnels. A warm, luxurious area greeted Furina. Lush carpets, glittering chandeliers, large sofas and loveseats and everything was present here. It looked like the expensive sets in the movies, except that it was a real place and she had the luxury to be here. She couldn't fathom the idea that this beautiful area existed in these underground passageways. As Furina turned around to stare at her surroundings, more servants showed up in the room. They gasped at her, shock filling their eyes. Some even dropped what they were holding, brooms and mops and platters falling to the ground.
“What's wrong? Why are they behaving like that?” She shrunk under the watch of the servants. She couldn't help but feel like she had done something wrong. Their shocked and surprised gazes pricked her, for some reason.
Usher, Crabaletta and Chevalmarin had a strange look in their eyes. Sadness. Disappointment. The more she stared at them, the less she could understand.
It was Crabaletta who said, “Come here,” she pointed to a door to the other side. Furina followed them, quietly wondering what she was going to see. Nothing could've prepared her for the sight of a medical room with someone laying on the bed.
Someone who shared her face.
Furina gasped loudly. She couldn't believe her own eyes. The figure sleeping had her pale complexion, her wavy white hair with hints of blue. The mouth, the nose, the eyes, everything resembled her to an uncanny level. It was like staring at her own face.
“That's…she looks just like me,” she said to no one in particular. “Is she my doppelganger?”
“On the contrary,” Usher said. “It is you who is Her Highness’ doppelganger.”
She let out a gasp again. “Highness? D-don’t tell me that's the princess…”
“Indeed. The very same.” He nodded.
Furina fell silent, her own thoughts becoming turbulent like the storm outside. Never in her twenty years of life had she ever known that she shared the same face as the crown princess. She had grown up in a low class family, with much to want. Why had no one said that she looked like the princess? The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She had not once heard anything about it from her parents back when they were alive. The troupe she worked with had never said anything about it either. Come to think of it, Furina really had never glimpsed at the crown princess of Fontaine. If she had, she would have certainly remembered such a shocking realization.
It was then Furina noticed that the princess sleeping looked frail and sick. Her cheekbones were gaunt like she hadn't eaten in a while. There was discoloration on her hands.
“What happened to her?” She asked.
“She…she was on an excursion, in the outskirts of the country when she was attacked. She suffered a great blow to her head, causing her to fall into a coma.” Gentilhomme Usher looked stricken with grief. “She has yet to wake up.”
“The doctors didn't say when she was going to wake up?”
“No. None of them can say for certain when she'd wake up. Her injury was very severe.”
Furina didn't know what to say to that. Pity wouldn't be appreciated, that was for sure. So she ended up asking the second important question. “Why is she here and not in a proper hospital? She'd probably recover much faster that way.”
Shaking his head, Chevalmarin responded, “No, we can't do that. That would only signal that our country is in jeopardy. The other countries would take this as an opportunity to attack us. Our own people would attack us.”
“So we kept her injury a secret.” Crabaletta added.
“The public doesn't know that our princess is in a coma.”
“But how is the country going to run without her?” Furina took a step forward, but was stopped by Usher who shook his head.
“We know it's a big risk, but we can't let anyone know that she's injured. The crown princess has a lot of enemies who'd love to see her suffer.”
What we want from you will end up saving your life too. That's what they had said. The pieces finally fit in together. She turned to them, afraid and indignant. Stepping back slowly, she gave them a shocked stare. “That means they might try to hurt me too. I look just like her.”
“That's exactly why we brought you here. Actually, Her Highness has been keeping an eye on you for a very long time. She knew that her lookalike would be able to help her somehow. That's how we knew where to find you.”
Shaking her head, Furina said in a quiet voice, “I…I can't believe it…”
The crown princess was observing her? The very thought of that twisted her stomach. She might be a stranger to the life of a princess but after hearing that the princess had enemies looking to hurt her, Furina suddenly regretted her appearance. They could hurt her too. In fact, it was a miracle that she was still safe to this day.
“We don't have that much time left. It's already been a week since Princess Focalors hasn't shown up in public. We need to make sure that no one gets a whiff of the truth.” Crabaletta’s expression soured. “We need to hurry.”
“Yes, but this girl needs to be trained before we let her do anything. Even that will take a week.” Gentilhomme Usher tried to explain. “This isn't something we can do in a rush.”
“But the royal delegates are starting to suspect us and the Snezhnayan diplomats are very intelligent, they'll figure it out very soon. This is the best option for now.”
Chevalmarin and Usher's faces dropped. Furina could only stare at them, wondering what they were discussing. “What?” She asked. “What's the best option? You guys still haven't told me why you need my help.”
Taking a deep breath, Usher turned to her. His expression was apologetic and dejected. “Listen, miss, you are the only person who can help us in this. You can avoid a national crisis. We only ask that you use your likeness for this.”
At first, she couldn't speak. Furina had been shocked into muteness. She finally mustered the words in the end and said, “What?”
Nodding, Crabaletta responded with, “You'll be presented to the people as the crown princess and convince them that everything is alright. Since you look so eerily similar to Her Highness, no one will be doubting you.”
“But I-I can't! I only look like her! I'm nothing like her.”
“That’s true. You are very different from the princess. She's nowhere as meek as you. Nor is she unable to raise her voice. The princess is a very confident, self-assured and shrewd leader. Undoubtedly you are nothing like her.”
The words practically slapped her on the face. Yes, it was true that Furina was shy and insecure, often doubting and second-guessing herself but did the woman have to say it like that?
When she had no response to give, Crabaletta went on, “But even after all that, you are still the only person who can help us. No one else resembles the princess like you do and by the time we look for another lookalike, the worst will already happen.”
Furina trembled, wrapping her arms around herself. “I can't be a princess. I have no idea how to do this.”
“Aren't you a small-time actor? Think of this as acting. We promised you monetary help, didn't we? Without it, you likely won't be able to feed yourself. This is the best option for all of us.”
She gave a glance at the sleeping princess. Her eyelids were so pale that the veins underneath could be seen. If the doctors didn't know when she'd wake up, then really what were the chances of her miraculously waking up and taking over her royal duties? Even then she wouldn't be able to handle much since she'd have to recover first.
Furina couldn't help but hesitate; she knew how to act, but as the crown princess? Playing as her in front of the royal family who knew her since her childhood? What if she ended up making everything worse and causing more problems?
“The royal delegates are going to visit Her Highness tomorrow, I suggest you decide before sunrise.” Crabaletta added in a dry tone.
“You couldn't have said that earlier?” She panicked. Tomorrow? How was she supposed to start that early? She hadn't even had her proper sleep. She didn't have a script on hand! “How am I supposed to do any of this?”
“Does that mean you'll be agreeing to this?” Gentilhomme Usher asked, looking hopeful.
“Even if I said no, would it matter? You guys already seem to have made up your mind, my agreement doesn't matter.” A frown formed on her face.
“I guess you are smart,” Crabaletta said.
Sighing, she lowered her head, the fight leaving her. “Fine, I will speak to the public as the crown princess.”
“No, you're not going to speak. You're not opening your mouth to begin with,” the woman insisted, her face taut. “The only thing you'll be doing is smile at everyone and make everyone believe that you're healthy.”
“That doesn't sound like you trust my acting capabilities!"
“We can't risk something so important on your acting. You're not going to speak at all because you might end up blurting the wrong thing. So just look the part and you'll be done.”
After a brief pause, she let out a sigh. She was actually crazy for even thinking about it. But she couldn't exactly leave this situation. National security was on the line. She had a means to save someone's life or rather everyone’s lives. Even if it meant masquerading as the crown princess. “I…I guess I'll do it.”
Smiling, Usher rested a hand on her shoulder and heralded her out of the medical room. “Then let us give Her Highness the space she needs. We'll get you everything you need.”
Furina looked back to see one last glimpse at the princess before she was taken away.
The next room they took her to was just as lavish as the first one. This one had a massive bed with loveseats and dressing tables and soft curtains. A well furnished bathroom was connected to the room. Furina was marveling at everything with wide eyes, never having seen such opulence and wealth before. This room was larger than her previous apartment and she had to admit that this was quite exciting.
Not the pretending to be the crown princess part, but the living in a palace part. It was three in the morning and exhaustion was a heavy weight blanketing her body. But she couldn't sleep right now, not when tomorrow was a disaster waiting to happen.
Right then, Crabaletta showed up without knocking on her door, scaring the living daylights out of Furina. Furina swallowed her scream, practically jumping out of her skin. “Can't you at least knock?!”
“Come on, you need to get a bath.”
“Huh?” Her panic forgotten, she discreetly sniffed herself, trying to figure out if she smelled or not. “What's wrong with me?”
“Have you forgotten your duty? You're going to pretend to be Her Highness, and you look awful. You need to get out of those rags and scrubbed clean properly.”
Then the stern servant dragged her to the bathroom and prepared her a bath all by herself. Furina reluctantly settled in the tub and had to tolerate Crabaletta's harsh cleaning and all the while the older woman muttered under her breath about how scrawny and unkempt she was.
Her skin was flushed by the time her bath had ended and not in the rosy way. Crabaletta was quick on her feet, dressing her in a beautiful silk shirt and pants. She even styled Furina's hair elegantly.
“There, now you don't look like a street urchin.”
Furina stared at her reflection in the mirror. Beautiful. She looked beautiful and completely out of her element. In just one night, she got to taste one fifth of the luxury the princess got to have and even this felt strange, too much, too different. Her outer appearance didn't match with the mousy girl beneath.
“I look…so beautiful,” she muttered, surprised as she touched her mouth. She traced one of her curls, surprised and awed. Crabaletta had a smug look on her face.
“Of course you do, I dressed you.” And then the smugness left the older woman's face, replaced with a sad expression. “I used to prepare Her Highness every day.”
“Oh,” Furina had to look away. “I'm sorry.”
“There’s no need for that.” Crabaletta’s face became grim. “Now get up, we still have more work to do.”
“What do I have to do?”
“I'll give you a crash course on the etiquette and manners of a princess. You can't sit cross legged, you can't slouch when sitting, you can't put your elbows on the table, you can't laugh too noisily—”
“Hold on, that's too much! Slow down. I can't remember all of them at once.” Furina's head was hurting from all this. Was there really so much that a princess had to go through? Trying to wrap her head around so many rules without sleep was going to be a terrible idea.
“This is only the beginning, there's plenty more.”
“No, I can't do this anymore,” she whined. “I thought I only had to pretend to be the princess, not this.”
“Stop complaining and start memorizing. You also have to learn the names of each member of the royal family and the delegates.”
Dejectedly she listened to Crabaletta go on a speech about each and every person in the royal family and their relation to the crown princess, as well as how she was supposed to treat them. By the end of it, she was almost about to fall asleep on the chair. Crabaletta shook her awake mercilessly, reminding her that she still had more to learn.
By the time it was early morning, Furina was slumped with exhaustion. Her eyes were rimmed with sleeplessness. Her stomach was growling in hunger, and she realized that she had left her dinner at home untouched. Then she had another chilling realization that she may never return to her old home.
But perhaps Crabaletta wasn't as cruel as she thought, because she brought a tray of food for her, piled with crispy eggs and croissants and crepes and earl grey tea.
“Finish this in half an hour. I'll be back to escort you,” Crabaletta said.
“Escort me where?”
“To your breakfast with the royal family.”
“But I'm already having my breakfast,” Furina said in the middle of chewing her eggs. She received a smack to her fingers for that. “Ow! Why'd you do that?”
“Didn't I tell you not to talk while eating?” Crabaletta snapped. “And this is the first time in a week that Her Highness will be present for breakfast. Everyone is suspicious and concerned. That's why you need to show your face. You don't have to eat but you still need to show up.”
Suddenly the food didn't sit well in her stomach. Pausing, Furina internally debated how everything was going to go. She was confident in her acting skills but would it be enough? Even after learning about everyone didn't make her feel capable enough to meet them.
“What would happen if I failed?” Furina asked worriedly.
The woman's face turned grim. “If you fail, then our country gets attacked by our enemies. And even before that, we have to worry about our own people going against the crown.”
“That's the part I don't get.” She shook her face. “Why do the people want to hurt her? I thought they were loyal to her.”
“Maybe.” The look in Crabaletta’s eyes was misty. “They were loyal once upon a time, but not anymore. The members of the family and the royal court aren't close to the princess, there is bad blood between them. That's why even they can't know the truth.”
Furina sighed. “So the margin of failure is astronomically higher. That's…great.”
“Enough with the pity party. As long as you clear their suspicions, our princess can recover in peace.”
With that, Crabaletta strode out of the room, leaving Furina alone with her thoughts. There was no way this plan was going to go as smoothly as they thought. She couldn't understand something, though. If the crown princess had a rocky relationship with the rest of the royal family and the court, then why did the three of them care for the princess so much? To even find her doppelganger to ensure her safety? To go above and beyond to protect the crown princess? It was strange to say the least.
Furina scarfed down her meal in no time, and true to her words, Crabaletta showed up half an hour later with a new set of clothes. She threw them at the bed and told her to get ready. Furina got dressed quickly, marveling at the soft, luxurious fabric hugging her. This was the best clothes she had ever worn, years of wearing moth-eaten and fraying clothes making her appreciate it.
Gentilhomme Usher and Surintendant Chevalmarin entered her room, looking urgent. “Dame Clorinde is requesting Her Highness’ presence. We need to hurry.”
Furina's face blanched at that. “Right now?”
“Yes, right now. Remember what we taught you.”
“I'll…I'll try my best,” she said, trying to be hopeful. For their sake and hers.
Crabaletta gave her a cold look. “And don't talk in front of anyone.”