Soon enough - too soon for my tastes - a light tap comes at my shoulder. I turn and smile at Prince Mason, who smiles in return.

"Would you please come with me for a bit?" He asks me.

"Okay."

We step away, this time going to a different room, but with the same set up. I again sit across from him, fiddling with my fingers.

"Good evening, Lady Amber. I met with your sister earlier, and let me say, she's quite the excitable girl. It's admirable, though," he tells me, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah, she's always been like that. Not many people know that side of her, though. Just our family and our best friend. In public, she becomes the perfect role model," I tell him, not at all bitter about her perfection.

"Well, we're not here to talk about her. What is something you enjoy doing?" 

"I love to bake, read, and walk out in nature." 

"Interesting. What do you bake?" 

"Anything, really. I love making mint flavored treats, but my favorite is a pumpkin cake chocolate chip cookie. Baking is my passion; it's what I want to do when I'm older. I want to open up a bakery and just bake for the rest of my life," I tell him, feeling a grin on my face again.

I can never get tired of talking about baking. It's my true passion, my calling.

"Really? I love pumpkin cake chocolate chip cookies. My mother likes to bake sometimes, and she used to make them for my brother and I when we were little."

"Really? That's so cool," I breathe.

"What else do you like?"

"Ducks, and the color purple." 

He smiles. I'm seriously beginning to wonder why they smile so much.

"So, I know what you want to do in the future, but what if you stayed here?" He inquires, making me stop breathing.

"Um, I... didn't plan on making it past the first couple rounds," I tell him truthfully, ducking my head down.

"Why?" 

"Because I know that there are much prettier girls than me. My sister, for example. Besides, I don't like attention, and being a queen or princess would give me a heart attack," I explain, laughing a bit at the end.

"Nonsense. You already made me want to keep you around for more than a few rounds after your introduction, and I'm sure my brother feels the same. Also, your sister looks almost exactly like you, minus some slight differences. It's the personality that I'm looking for, at least; I'm not too sure about my brother, though."

I lift my head up, smiling slightly.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Your Highness, but I think I'm better in the shadows." 

"We'll see." He stands, taking my hand softly.

"Let's get back to dinner now. You were my last lady, so after dessert, you can get some well-deserved rest." 

We walk back to the table, where the waiters are just serving some desserts.

"I will see you tomorrow at breakfast, Lady Amber. Good night," he tells me, and walks back to his seat, before I can tell him good night back or that I prefer 'Amber'. 

Dessert finished quickly, and before we're dismissed, Prince Mason stands up.

"Those of you who I or my brother asked to stay, please stay seated. The rest may go to their rooms for some sleep; you will need it," he announces.

Four girls stay behind, nervously fiddling around. Kiara stands in front of me, smiling.

"We made it past the first round, Ams!" She squeals softly, giggling. 

"Cool, I guess." 

We walk down to her room, saying goodnight, before I realize I don't know where my room is. Well, if her room has her name, then my room will have the same! I only have to look to the door to the left, to see my name.

Opening the door softly, someone squeals when I enter.

"Miss Amber! I didn't know you'd come in so soon!" Alice whispers, putting her duster down.

"Sorry, Alice, and please, call me Amber."

She nods, before heading to bathroom.

"Let me prepare a bath for you, and I'll leave if you don't need anything. I'll be right outside for the night," she says.

I hear the bath water start to run, and something liquid go into the filling tub as well. She comes back out, grabbing her duster and a mat I notice next to the doorway.

"Wait! What's the mat for?" I ask her.

"To sleep outside your door in case you need me," she replies softly.

"Sleep in here, then! You can use the couch, or, you can go to your quarters; I won't need anything."

"If it's alright with you, I'll sleep on the couch. It would make me feel like I'm doing my job well."

"Okay. Good night, Alice; I'm going to go enjoy the bath. Thank you for drawing it, by the way." 

Her cheeks go red, before she mumbles a, "You're welcome". I walk into the bathroom, closing the door, before stripping down. The bathroom is quite huge, and very modern as well. I guess, seeing as the Palace of Whites was more recently built than the original one in Angeles - the capital of South Illea -, the rooms and equipment will be much more modern.

I slowly sink into the tub, feeling the warm water ease the tension in my muscles. It's been an exhausting day; one I don't want to repeat for a while. Tomorrow we will begin learning etiquette and other princess-y things. I'm worried I'll hurt myself or someone during that, but I'll deal with that in the morning. Right now, I relax in the tub, letting my mind wander to meaningless thoughts and pondering.

After about thirty minutes, I hop out, getting ready for bed. 

When I lay down on the mattress, I almost pass out right then and there. The bath made me even more tired than I already am, and this mattress is so soft. 

I pull the covers up around me, before I finally, finally, get some well-needed sleep. 

Ha, this chapter was almost going to be a few hours late, but it's not! I mean, I don't update at specific times, but I usually do it in a three hour period. It almost came out late, but I actually was able to finish what I already had! This weekend, I really need to get to writing this up, so I can have a few chapters ready to go for updates. Was this good? Bad? Eh? Please tell me, I'd really appreciate it!

Comment, vote, and share plz!

-Mel