[center][h2][color=FF0000]Mai Mei of Liang[/color][/h2][/center]

Mai inclined her head in response to Elizaveta's curtsy, meeting her gaze as the other woman began to speak. [color=FF0000]"I am glad that we have a chance to talk to one another,[/color] Mai responded. She laughed lightly at her comment about her title of Grand Duchess. [color=FF0000]"Very well, Veta, and please, simply call me Mai. I agree with you-fancy titles are so..."[/color] Mai trailed off, wrinkling her nose slightly. [color=FF0000]"They're so [i]old-fashioned[/i]. May I be blunt with you, Veta? I think both of our kingdoms are ready for something that [i]isn't[/i] old-fashioned at this point, if you know what I mean."[/color] Mai laughed sheepishly. [color=FF0000]"Don't get me wrong, being old-fashioned is not a bad thing. But sometimes it is truly refreshing to be a little more free-spirited, no?"[/color]

Here Mai paused and chuckled softly, thinking back to the previous day. [color=FF0000]"Why, just yesterday, my betrothed-Prince Niklas Konig of Konig der Welten-introduced me as, ah, what was it? A 'lovely feline named Princess Meow from Lirooow'?[/color] Mai laughed again. [color=FF0000]"I had no idea what to make of that!"[/color]

Mai admired the way that Elizaveta could wear the simplest outfit so effortlessly. Mai herself only felt like a true princess after coating her face in layers of cosmetics and donning her favorite pair of spiky heels. She supposed that was a flaw of hers that couldn't be helped, given her upbringing. [color=FF0000]"I am having a wonderful time here so far, and I hope that you are as well,"[/color] replied Mai to Elizaveta's last comment, not letting the slight twitch of her brow slide past her.

[i]Did I say something that offended her?[/i] Mai wondered, until she caught a glimpse of Princess Caterina Versini of Svearike's confident saunter striding in the opposite direction of Prince Nikolai Johanssen of Anduin's more laid back walk. [i]Ah. Well, I shall stay out of this, but it is certainly an interesting tidbit. I seem to recall that their kingdoms have a...[/i] history [i]with each other.[/i]

Prince Nikolai entered the ball room, greeting everybody as he did so. Mai smiled politely at him as he looked at Elizaveta. [color=FF0000]"Good morning,"[/color] she said.

Again, Mai could not help but to admire the way the two complemented each other. It would have been the perfect betrothal in Mai's eyes if she had not taken note of the minuscule twitch in Elizaveta's expression when she saw her betrothed with another woman.

All things aside, Elizaveta truly had more strength in her than most people thought, that much was clear. Mai was almost envious of how she seemed to think the best of people until given reason to think otherwise. Mai had stopped doing that herself a long, long time ago. 

Mai's gaze flitted to the entrance as Princess Feora Swinth of Wulfswinth strode in. Like Veta, she wore a more casual outfit. The princess of Wulfswinth was smiling, though there seemed to be a slightly forced quality behind it. Mai guessed that she was not very happy about being in Aciras, but she could not say for certain. 

In any case, it would have been rude to ignore the other princess, so Mai turned in her direction and smiled back. [color=FF0000]"Good morning, Princess Feora,"[/color] she said. [color=FF0000]"I must say, that shade of green suits you perfectly."[/color]

There. At least [i]that[/i] part was sincere.