Luckily for her, the two princes also differed greatly in age and made it easy for her to identify one from the other despite the fact she had never set eyes on either of them. Maire realized that they were both very handsome, adding to the pressure she felt to do everything in her power not to make some sort of embarrassing mistake under her sister’s name. Slowly approaching them with careful footsteps, she felt her heart skip a beat when she saw ‘her’ fiancé’s unhappy expression, worried that she had done something to offend him. She glanced back at her guard following close behind her, but he gave no gesture of support. She only hoped his silence meant that she had not made any mistake big enough to warrant a correction from him.

The appearance of the brothers standing side-by-side, however, made her heart ache with a different emotion. She realized for the first time that she and Alicia would have been separated, whether or not her sister had chosen to flee. The minute the two kingdoms had agreed on the engagement, the sisters had been fated to separate. She envied the bond Matthew and Jules still had, and began to wonder if her sister missed her at all. Realizing that her thoughts were beginning to bring tears to her eyes, she quickly pushed her emotions down and focused on maintaining the calm smile on her face.

Her eyes widened as the older prince, Matthew, took her gloved hand and kissed it. While it should have been a common form of greeting among royalty, Maire had successfully kept contact with strangers to a complete minimum even at social gatherings. She could only hope that the thick makeup on her face could hide the deep blush forming on her cheeks, from both the compliment and kiss on her hand. Giving him a slight nod in acknowledgement she replied, “Th-Thank you Prince Matthew. It is an honor to meet you and Prince Jules.” Inwardly, she cringed a little from the stutter and her own voice. She was trying to sound deeper, but her young age was apparent in her bright, clear voice.

Turning to the younger prince, she gave him a friendly smile as she re-introduced herself. "Alicia Isolde Brynmor. It is a pleasure to finally meet you Prince Jules." A second later, her expression faltered a bit as she had made a mistake. She had given him her usual warm and wide smile showing her teeth instead of the mature, close-lipped smile Alicia used. Under any other situation she would have felt proud for being able to smile naturally in front of a stranger at all, but she could already feel panic beginning to rise up inside of her.

… She thanked the heavens she had worn gloves. Otherwise Matthew would have surely felt disgust at her clammy hands.

“I… Apologize for the terrible timing I seem to have had with my arrival. I hope for all the best for the King and that Prince Jules feels better soon.” Inwardly Maire was glad there was one less pair of important eyes she had to act under, but her sympathy did go out to both of them. It was a rather complicated matter, wishing for both their health but feeling relieved the king was actually absent.

Giving a light gesture to the man behind her she added, “This man is a member of my father’s personal guard, his name is…” She trailed off, realizing that despite the long journey they had spent together in the carriage she had never thought to ask for his name.
“Evan Graner. My King has entrusted me to stay by Princess Alicia’s side and keep her safe in his place. I hope that my presence here does not cause any inconvenience.” Bowing down, he smoothly continued Maire’s introduction as though it had all been planned. Then in a low voice that only Maire could hear over all the noise he told her, “Accept the invitation to lunch. Give the prince a proper reply.”
“And I would be honored to join you both for lunch.” She quickly added, giving them the correct smile this time. The tight corset and her nerves were not permitting her to have any sort of appetite for food, but she also knew that the real Alicia would not refuse Matthew’s invitation. Taking in a small breath she continued, “I would very much like to get to know more about my fiancé and future brother-in-law. Thank you for your consideration Prince Matthew.”

Following after the princes, she looked in Jules’ general direction (too shy to actually look him in the eye). “The journey back from Circassia must have been difficult.” Maire started, attempting to make small talk. Then with a hint of genuine concern behind her mature act she asked, “Are you alright? I hope that I haven’t been keeping you from getting proper rest with my arrival…”