[h2]I S A B E L L A[/h2]
[hr]
After the ball, Isabella had gone straight back to her room, practically vibrating with suppressed rage. She was supposed to [i]marry[/i] that man? Quentin was so unbelievably...so unbelievably [i]childish[/i]. He was quite popular within the Texan Sovereignty for just that, of course; his friendliness and willingness to engage with the population endeared him to those living in the cities, at the very least.

But Isabella could not imagine that the descendants of the indigenous peoples who had lived on the land that the TS claimed as their own for hundreds of years were particularly happy about seeing that [i]fool[/i] frolic about making vlogs when there were so many other problems to worry about. She supposed that was what their betrothal was all about; a princess with indigenous heritage would placate those dissenters, in theory. And so-here she was.

Isabella dismissed Doña Agustina and the rest of her maids as soon as she set food inside the chambers that were to be hers during her stay in Aciras. A quick glance towards her things revealed nothing, but Isabella was more than certain that Agustina had gone through them, in search of anything that could be relayed back to her father. That was alright, though. She wouldn't find anything.

Isabella eventually went to sleep, knowing that her every movement was being watched, even in a country so far and so different from home.

*****

The next morning, Isabella got up with plenty of time to get ready, checking the weather in Aciras. She wrinkled her nose-it was so [i]hot[/i]. At this time of year, it was autumn in Evalusia, and besides. There were [i]glaciers[/i] not two hour's drive from the royal palace. Although Evalusia itself went through a record number of biomes and ecosystems, Isabella had the fortune (or misfortune?) of residing in the southern tip. Where aforementioned glaciers were.

Isabella scanned through the news as she let her maids do her hair and make-up (it was no use arguing with Doña Agustina about it; Isabella [i]knew[/i] that the only reason the other woman was getting her maids to do things Isabella could do perfectly well herself was so that she would not be left alone for any significant amount of time. Well, so be it, then. If Doña Agustina wanted to keep an eye on her, then she could keep an eye on her. Isabella was not fool enough to do anything of any particular importance in her own chambers). She rolled her eyes at all the photos of her betrothed in his ridiculous hat-[i]we are about the same age, and he is but a child[/i]-and idly flicked through various reports on the previous day's festivities.

A mention of her in a tabloid caught her eye. Isabella read it, snorted, and moved on. [i]Well, I can't say that whoever this writer is isn't correct,[/i] she thought to herself, dryly. [i]I am sure Father would have disowned me, had it not been for the fact that he could also use me to his own advantage.[/i]

Soon enough, the maids were done with Isabella's hair and make-up. Isabella gave them a cursory glance. "Out," she said, sweeping her eyes around the room and letting her icy gaze land on Doña Agustina. "You too. I should like to get dressed in private, thank you very much."

Thankfully, Doña Agustina obliged, and a minute later, Isabella had the room to herself.

"[i]Válgame dios[/i], how am I ever going to get through this entire trip with that [i]maldita[/i] woman hovering around me the whole time?" Isabella muttered to herself as she opened the wardrobe and selected a dress for the day-a sleek pencil dress that cinched in slightly at the waist with a skirt that ended halfway in between her knees and her ankles, featuring bell sleeves and a Catholic Church-approved neckline (that is, a neckline showing nothing but her clavicle. Even upper sternums were too much for God-fearing women to bare, apparently). She slipped into a pair of black kitten heels and put her cell phone and a few other necessities (mostly make-up related) into a shimmery black clutch.

Isabella strode out into the hallway without another word, headed towards the tea parlor that they would be having brunch in. Once she arrived, she took a quick look around the room (the colors were so bright that they almost hurt her eyes). She murmured polite greetings to the other princes and princesses as she made her way to the back, where she poured herself a cup of coffee and sweetened it with three sugar cubes and a spoonful of milk.

Once she had taken care of her daily caffeine fix, Isabella scanned the room once more, searching for faces of interest. Her betrothed had not arrived yet (thank the heavens), so that meant Isabella did not have to put up with Prince Quentin's foolishness just now. 

Another surreptitious glance around the parlor told her that Venera and Erik, a prince and a princess from two different kingdoms who were pretty much giving her father everything he needed to stay in power (and ruin a bunch of peoples' lives at that), were chatting with each other, not five feet away from her. [i]Mm. Interesting. Maybe I will go say hi.[/i]

[hider=Isabella's dress, but with a higher neckline]
[img]https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9b/6d/ec/9b6dec77ffc43fa2c54a2ebefa090024.jpg[/img][/hider]