Chapter Nine - Ella
I woke up feeling different than any other morning in my life. All my muscles still felt like they were dancing, and my skin still felt electric. The bed was comfortable, soft and warm, and I wanted to sink down into it and never leave. I felt like a different person here in the palace and I liked it. Next to me in bed, Tristan had left a note, and I flushed just looking at his handwriting, thinking of last night and the way he had made me feel.
Ella,
Good morning, beautiful. I have things to attend to all day, so please enjoy yourself and explore the palace. My servants will bring you anything you need.
I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight.
Tristan
I bit my lip reading it. There was something about Tristan that I couldn’t quite pin down. He was so sexy and powerful, so intelligent and confident. He was not at all what I would have thought, was so different than I was expecting. I felt, somehow, like I already knew him. I had heard that sex can make people feel close, but I didn’t think it was just that. There was something else about him that made me feel strangely at ease, even as he made my heart race, my breath catch, and my legs tremble.
I got out of bed slowly, stretching my arms out and then my legs. There were soft slippers waiting for me beside the bed, and I slipped into them, smiling. They were cushioned and matched the silky robe, left draped over a chair, that I wrapped around myself. It sat on my skin like it was made for me, like nothing I had ever worn before. Two years ago, when my friend Molly had been married, Gretchen and I had been her bridesmaids, and the three of us had spent the weekend before the wedding at a luxury spa. At the time, the clothes and beds there had been the softest, highest-quality things I had ever touched, but these made them feel like rags.
I made my way to the door, looking at the grand room around me, the sun sweeping in through the high, beautiful windows, the furniture that all looked like it had been handmade by craftsmen. I found myself looking forward to exploring the palace, finding the other beautiful details in its rooms. I wished, for a moment, that Tristan was with me, that he was taking me on a tour, telling me which rooms were his favorites, which ones he’d loved as a child or had fond memories of.
When I opened the door, I was greeted by three servants smiling brightly at me.
“Good morning!” one of them, a pretty girl with her hair in a high, bouncy ponytail, said. “I’m Fiona, and this is Geoff and Melissa. The prince has asked us to take special care of you today.”
“Oh, thank you,” I said, a little overwhelmed at the idea.
“Can we bring you anything? Breakfast? A dress for the day?” Fiona asked.
“Breakfast would be great,” I said, “and I guess I do need something to wear.”
“Great!” Fiona replied, handing me a long, ornately handwritten menu. “Please pick what you want and let us know. Melissa is going to get you a rack of clothing choices.”
Everything on the menu sounded delicious and staring at it, I was suddenly ravenously hungry. I supposed I had worked up quite the appetite last night.
“I’d like the crepes, with extra strawberries, two eggs over easy, and a large coffee,” I said, handing the menu back to Fiona. She nodded, and Geoff walked off in the direction I assumed was the kitchen.
“Please explore while you wait for breakfast and clothes, and we’ll meet you wherever you are,” Fiona said. I nodded and looked around. The hallway was long and filled with paintings that were sleek and modern. I recognized some of them from an art history seminar I had taken and gasped, realizing these were probably all originals. This hallway was practically a museum. I walked up to a large painting that was colorful and abstract, fascinated by it.
“These are wonderful,” I mused.
“They’re new,” Fiona said. “Until a few years ago they were all classical paintings, fields and portraits and bible scenes, but this is Prince Tristan’s wing, and he wanted something more modern. He picked all these himself.”
“He has excellent taste,” I said, moving to another painting, staring at the contrasting colors and surreal elements it held. Prince Tristan had not mentioned caring for art, but the idea that he did, that he had handpicked all these paintings, made me even more intrigued by and attracted to him.
I walked down the hall, examining the paintings, looking at the places where dates and artists’ signatures etched in corners confirmed these were in fact originals. At the end of the hall, there was a bright, sunny parlor. My breakfast and a rack of clothes were waiting for me at a small cherry wood table, so I sat in a soft chair and ate, thinking of Tristan with every delicious bite.
After breakfast, I returned to Tristan’s bedroom to try on clothes. Unlike the festival dresses, these were beautiful, and I felt beautiful in them. There was a red dress that clung to my skin in a way that was flattering and made me feel like an old-time jazz singer. An emerald green dress with long sleeves and an A-line waist that made its skirt swing when I moved made me want to dance the night away. A dusty pink silk dress that skimmed lightly over my body, ending at my knees, made me look elegant in a way I never had before, and a dark black dress with a halter neck and an asymmetrical hem made me feel like a spy, mysterious, sexy and dangerous.
I decided that for exploring the palace, the emerald green was the best, and I grinned when I slipped back into it, spinning in circles in front of the mirror and watching the material flare out and spin with me. This dress felt like adventure and fun, and I felt fun in it. I slipped on the green high-heeled shoes that went with it, delighted at how comfortable they were and how they made my legs look like they went on for miles.
I pulled my hair up on top of my head, loose and casual for now, and put on the mauve-colored lipstick I always carried, pleased with my reflection when I was done. Maybe later, before Tristan came back, I’d ask for some mascara and eyeliner, but for now, I felt like these simple choices were perfect.
I made my way back out of the room and down the hall of art, through the parlor and into the rest of the palace. All day I explored room after room of furniture, paintings, and ornate decorations that were probably worth more than the home I grew up in. There were offices that buzzed with technology, meeting rooms with long tables, dining rooms with lush carpets, and even a ballroom. My heels clacked as I walked into the large ballroom, spinning in circles in my dress, allowing myself to feel delighted at the sensation. I wondered what it would be like to dance with Tristan in this room, to spin in his arms in a wonderful gown.
I could almost see it in my mind: our wedding, the whole country celebrating as we danced, Tristan looking so handsome under the lights of this shining ballroom. Maybe it was still a ridiculous thought, to think about a wedding with a man I hardly knew, to imagine myself married to a prince. Surely, I would soon be back in my house, studying and talking online to Frederick. Still, standing in this room in a beautiful dress, it felt real.
All day I explored, and Rachel, Geoff and Melissa brought me more things, clothes, shoes, jewelry, snacks and coffee, all as lovely and delicious as before. I would not have thought I’d enjoy the palace this much, but it was one of the best days I could remember.