ayzrules

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Mai smiled. "Oh but of course! There's no need to thank me," she murmured. Ayreesha returned with the rest of the things that Mai had asked her to bring, and Mai thanked her softly before sending her off. As Mai rummaged around, she could feel the eyes of Liviana's handmaidens on her. Though they hid it well, Mai could tell that they were rather tense. I suppose that's to expected. I know I would be, if I were in their shoes.

Mai processed Liviana's words. Liviana wants eyeliner like mine? I could make that work, yes...and brighter gold eye shadow will not be a problem. As for the lipstick, I know I have a delightful shade of burgundy that would be perfect for her coloring.

"Alright, I can do that," Mai answered with a soft smile. She turned to Liviana's handmaids-who were introduced as Aelia and Claudia-and gave them a wry look. "I would very much appreciate it if you two lent me a hand," she said gently. "I do not think that I am capable of doing everything by myself in time for the ball," Mai continued with a light laugh.

They set to work. First, foundation-layers and layers of it, in an effort to bring some color to Liviana's pale cheeks. Mai soon found that the handmaiden named Aelia was particularly skilled at cosmetics, though she was a touch too...cautious, if you will. I'm assuming that she is the one responsible for Princess Liviana's make-up every day? Mai mused to herself. Then, Mai and Aelia carefully brushed eye shadow over Liviana's eyelids. Mai first set down a coat of soft dark grey, before brushing on a layer of bold, metallic gold that shimmered quite eye-catchingly when it caught the light. The edges of Liviana's eyes remained predominantly soft grey, and Mai worked with Aelia to blend the two colors smoothly.

Eyeliner pencils and liquid eyeliner tubes in hand, Mai slowly and carefully created the winged eyeliner look that Liviana had requested. After that came (waterproof) mascara-and a good deal of that too, which made Liviana's eyelashes appear long and thick. Finally, armed with an eye shadow that was the same color as Liviana's eyebrows and another eyeliner pencil, Mai filled in the younger princess's eyebrows to give her the defined eyebrows that were currently in style.

Mai paused and surveyed her handiwork before grabbing a set of brushes and a couple of blush palettes. With Aelia's help, Mai brushed on a base layer on top of the coat of foundation that had been laid on earlier. She then moved on to contouring Liviana's cheekbones, making them stand out more than they already did (Mai found that Liviana's small stature did nothing but emphasize her delicate bone structure). Last but not least, Mai put a clear gloss over Liviana's lips before painting them a deep, burgundy red.

Now that the make-up was done, they moved onto hair. Claudia stepped forward, and the two brushed out Liviana's hair until it gleamed. Liviana's hair is always pinned up, and her hair styles always incorporate some sort of braid, Mai thought as she worked. It's a very Lusitanian look. I suppose that we should stick to that for the ball, but what she normally wears is definitely missing something...it doesn't give off a particularly regal vibe on Liviana. If she had been taller and looked older, yes, I would say that it is suitably refined and dignified...but Liviana does not happen to be particularly tall nor look particularly old, so we shall have to settle with something different. Perhaps a style that highlights the length of her hair? It is quite long, and there is so much that can be done with long hair.

After a brief consultation with Claudia, they settled on a half-braided style that left the bulk of the hair hanging down the back. First, Mai straightened the other princess's chocolate-brown locks. Then, they began to actually style Liviana's hair, with plenty of hair gel on hand. Claudia's fingers were quick and nimble, and Mai let the handmaiden handle most of the detail work. Mai placed a hair piece that resembled a tiara made of golden laurel leaves on the back of Liviana's head where the "braided" portion began.

Mai took a step back and surveyed the hair. Hmm. It's a bit plain as is, though nobody in the entire world can dispute that it looks very nice on Liviana. What to do, what to do...? Ah! I have an idea.

Mai rifled through the various bags and boxes in Liviana's quarters, finding nothing but cosmetic products. Mai turned to the handmaidens. "Do you know if Princess Liviana here has brought pearls with her to Aciras?" Mai questioned. "If so, I would be very much obliged if one of you could bring me the thinnest string of pearls you can find."

Aelia and Claudia searched for strings of pearls, and soon enough, Mai had what she needed. Each strand was so thin that it was almost invisible, and the milky white pearls were also very small. "Thank you. This is perfect," Mai said. She then unclasped each necklace and wove the pearls into the length of hair that hung down Liviana's back. Mai smiled. "There. I think we are done," she proclaimed. Mai stepped aside to give Liviana a clear view of her reflection in the vanity mirror. "Do you like it?" she asked. I must say, she does look a lot more regal than she did this morning, though the make-up and hair is only half of it. Her facial expression, the way she holds herself, her posture-it all makes her seem rather uncertain. I do not know if I can do much about that, but maybe I can try.

lipstick

eyes

hair

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Gods save her, there was so. much. makeup. Strewn all across her dresser and the small tables around the room, more eyeliners, lipsticks, mascaras, and eyeshadow palettes than Liv had ever seen- and Mai had still seemed unsatisfied, having sent Ayreesha to get even more products.

Liv blushed faintly at the comment about her dress. She’d had her seamstress order it three months ago, as soon as the Aciras arrangements had been finalized. It had been a very secretive thing, of course- she knew her mother would have /never/ let her even consider owning a dress like this, let alone wearing it to what was probably the biggest event of the entire three month gathering.

As Mai moved around the room, Liv glanced at her maids. They were unusually tense- sure, they often sat perfectly still, but there was tension in every line of their bodies, and were staring at Mai with eyes that were too blank. Liv nudged them lightly with her elbows, trying to get them to relax, but they just glanced at her blankly. The girl rolled her eyes, which ironically enough got a response from them in the form of a sharp, pointy elbow jammed into her ribs. She quickly sat up, folding her hands in her lap properly and crossing her ankles, looking down at the floor again until Mai spoke once more, asking what style of makeup Liv wanted.

She glanced again at the older girl’s thick, defined eyeliner and bright red lipstick… while she very much doubted she could pull off such a bright shade, she’d glimpsed some deeper, less-saturated reds in Mai’s makeup bag...

“I really like your style of eyeliner, though I’m not sure how well it will work on me… but if you think it might work we could try that? And maybe a bit of a brighter gold shadow? I.. don’t think your normal lip color will work on me but maybe if you have something a little darker and more muted…?” she trailed off uncertainly, earning another elbow from Claudia.

“And, um.. thank you again for agreeing to do this for me, Mai.”

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Niklas fidgeted slightly before he responded. Mai laughed softly at his reply. "Indeed, Prince Niklas. Indeed."

Time Skip to Early Afternoon

Mai found herself armed with an arsenal of lipsticks, eye shadow palettes, make-up brushes, mascara wands, eyeliner pencils, curling irons, straighteners, hair gel, and every other cosmetic product imaginable as she surveyed the vanity that stood against the wall in Liviana's quarters after a light lunch. Apart from the make-up that Liviana and Mai themselves had brought with them to Aciras, Mai had nothing at her disposal until Ayreesha (who Mai had decided to keep in her service as a sign of respect to Casimir) returned with the items that she had asked her to fetch. But that was alright. Mai had plenty to work with as it was.

Mai examined the one-shoulder midnight-blue gown that Liviana was planning to wear. The layered chiffon and beaded crystal embellishments was simple yet elegant, and the loose, sheer fabric of the lace sleeve and the "sheath" sewn onto the dress at the shoulder made for a particularly unique look. "This gown is beautiful," Mai murmured, stroking the fabric gently. I am surprised that Liviana has chosen to wear this dress. It is not as conservative as one would expect of a princess from Lusitania. It seemed like the other princess was embracing the challenge to "wear something unexpected" wholeheartedly.

Mai glanced up to see the waiting eyes of Princess Liviana and her two handmaids-one of them with auburn hair and brown eyes, the other with golden-brown hair and green eyes. "Well, we have many options," Mai began with a crooked smile. "There is much that can be done with the supplies that we have gathered." Mai turned to Liviana. "Before we begin, though, is there anything in particular that you had in mind, Princess Liviana?" Mai asked gently, mentally applying a dozen different styles to Liviana's features as she spoke. I assume that she wants something different from her usual palette-the make-up she wore yesterday and earlier today was plenty, of course, but it was all rather subdued and made to make Liviana look older in a more natural way. The gold eye shadow was a nice touch, yes, but a tad too light, especially for Liviana's complexion; at least in my opinion. If she wants something dramatic, we will have to go with the more metallic gold as opposed to the paler, softer gold. The mascara stays, of course, though I shall be sure to slip a tube of waterproof mascara to one of her handmaids at some point. I was actually thinking about metallic gold or silver eye shadow that faded out into a smoky sort of hue paired with thick, defined eyeliner.

And as for her lips, that pale pink gloss was very, very natural. If we put on a shade of lipstick that brought out her eyes and complexion more, it would make her look much older...perhaps one of the deep crimsons that I like so much? It would go well with her hair, though maybe a cooler tone would match her eyes more...

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Niklas was mature enough to admit that he wasn't entirely mature- a bit of irony there- and Mai's sudden kiss made him even more aware of it. He fidgeted for a moment, honestly unsure of how to properly respond- he was much more used to getting yelled at or simply given an order- before he settled on a type of response.

He grinned back, and inclined his head gratefully. "An excellent point, Mai. I don't entirely know how to romance you- or anyone, for that matter- but at least, we're in this together, no?"

He sobered, slightly, unknowing of Fareeha's bemused expression- she isn't betrothed to anyone, and unless she changed that, then it'll stay that way.

Fareeha looked between the two princesses, noting how very opposite they were in many ways- and also having the rather dreadful feeling of being left out. There will probably be something special between those two, and she was disappointed to know that she won't be part of it. She also acknowledged that she disliked this more because she wanted to be in everything, rather than genuinely wanting to be part of some special bond. She'll grumble about it to her Farih later.

"I wonder if Farih would look good in a hat..."

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Liviana smiled in response to Mai's offer. She seemed pleased that Mai had wanted to do her make-up, her blue eyes looking up shyly at Mai's face. "I would like it very much if you did," Liviana replied.

Mai grinned. "Oh, how wonderful!" she exclaimed. Mai wasn't sure why the prospect excited her so much-perhaps it was because developing a friendship with Lusitania would be very beneficial for Liang, given that less than 15% of Liang's land was arable and the fact that Lusitania was a primarily agricultural nation-or perhaps it was because Mai genuinely wanted to see the small, insecure girl strutting around like...like Fareeha. Zhou would be having a fit right now, Mai mused contemplatively, mentally snorting derisively. Since when have I ever done anything out of the sheer goodness in my heart? Mai laughed silently at the thought.

Mai rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Niklas's comment. "Have you forgotten that we are betrothed, Prince Niklas?" she asked in a coy, teasing voice, leaning over and pecking him on the cheek in an affectionate manner. Fareeha proposed that they all do something "different" for the ball, and Mai laughed lightly at her comment about Niklas's fedora. Different? Hmm. I could go for a more storybook princess look, perhaps, instead of the modern styles or the traditional Liangii styles that I am particularly partial to. I know that I would have done so back in Liang...ah! I have an idea.

Mai grinned cheekily in Fareeha's direction. "Oh, you will?" she asked in a light voice, before chuckling softly. "You could pull off dark lipstick and black eyeliner very well, and the color gold suits you nicely, Princess Fareeha," Mai continued, tilting her head to the side and surveying Fareeha's features. A body-hugging black dress would accentuate her figure, and depending on the length of the skirt, her legs as well. I can see her in thigh-high boots and a miniskirt, though I do not believe that she is very fond of such things. Mai inconspicuously noted the numerous scars that she could see (the files on Fareeha had mentioned them and their origins, of course, but the scars themselves were not terribly noticeable unless somebody was specifically looking for them) and let her gaze fall upon Fareeha's hair, which...well, in its current state, it needed some work. "If you wanted to look particularly intimidating, Princess Fareeha"-here, Mai paused and giggled-"I would suggest flat-ironing your hair. Your hair is naturally straight, so I do not believe that it would be too terribly difficult." Couple that with that look in her eye that says "I will murder you if you touch me" and she will scare every potential suitor away. Hmm. Perhaps I am a snake after all. Fareeha's files lead me to believe that she does not want a betrothal, but her parents certainly wish for her to make some sort of alliance or agreement; otherwise, why is she here? And betrothals are the easiest ways to forge alliances, are they not? I would certainly refrain from going to war with another nation if my son or daughter was married to the ruler of the aforementioned nation.

Mai's train of thought was interrupted by Liviana's confused voice. She flatly told Niklas that he should contact the king of Athens if he wanted to ship something. Mai was momentarily puzzled, until she remembered that Liviana had no access to the Internet. Goodness gracious, poor girl.

"Princess Liviana, I think that Prince Niklas means 'ship' in a different sense," Mai said gently, flashing her a reassuring smile. "It is slang for...how does one explain it? To 'ship' people means that you think that they would make a good match," Mai elaborated. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly again. "Prince Niklas, would you be so kind and apologize to Princess Liviana here for causing confusion?" Mai winked playfully to show that she was merely joking.

Then, Liviana asked if Mai would be willing to do her make-up for the ball. Mai smiled brightly. "It would be an honor, Princess Liviana," she answered. "We must get started soon, though, or we will not have time to pick everything out!" Here, Mai hesitated before speaking again. "And we shall have to decide on what I will actually be doing, of course. I would not want to accidentally do anything that makes you uncomfortable in any way."

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Liv gave Mai a big smile, letting go of some of her inhibitions. She really did seem nice enough, and she seemed far less… stuffy, for lack of a better term, than the

And then the older girl asked if she could do Liv’s makeup- and gave a somewhat babbly explanation as to why. Liv couldn’t help but giggle softly- though secretly she was very excited by the proposition. She glanced at Mai again, taking in the perfect red lipstick and killer winged eyeliner- she looked so fierce. The small girl couldn’t imagine herself done up so dramatically. That was for the gracefully imposing sort like Mai… but it would certainly be a nice change from Aelia’s soft-handed cream and gold and brown and pink. And who knew? Maybe it would turn out that she liked it after all.

“I would like it very much if you did.” She said softly. Then she looked up in confusion at Niklas’s comment. Ship it…? As in, to pack something in a box, have it loaded on a barge, and taken halfway across the world?

“Niklas, I would remind you that I am Lusitanian, not Athenian- we might look similar but our cultures are really quite different. If you wanted to ship something, you should go talk to King Telesphoros of Athens. Last I checked his shipping company was the most reliable in the eastern half of the world.” Again she had a momentary panic for letting her tongue loose, face losing a shade of color and hand tightening on her skirt, though she forced herself to relax. They’d been okay with her forgetting her language temporarily, so they should be okay with her correcting Niklas- I mean it wasn’t like she’d been rude about it or anything, right?

In any case, Fareeha spoke then, mentioning wearing something that no one would expect… which gave Liv an idea. But first, she nodded in agreement to the comment about the fedora. “It is… not really of your style, Niklas… meaning no offense.” She added, half-absently (though still in the right language). She was mentally rifling through the entire wardrobe that she’d brought, which was a lot more extensive than the two small suitcases would indicate. Perks of being so tiny and wearing flimsy, easily-folded clothing: You could fit a hell of a lot into a relatively little space.

She had a few proper formal gowns with her. One was pale pink, one pale blue, one white, one dark purple and one deep blue. Something unexpected, Fareeha had said. That threw out the three lighter ones, given that she always wore pastels. The purple one was in a proper Lusitanian style, for all that her mother had deemed it too dark of a color… so that left the blue one, that her mother didn’t even know about, that had been an agreement between Liv and the seamstress that tailored all of Liv’s clothes. Which had an uneven hemline and was a bit too long for her anyway so it would be okay if she was in heels, if she could convince herself of how to wobble around in them, but heels meant she might feel slightly less ridiculous trying to pull off Mai’s look, which meant…

“Mai, if I might ask- and please do not feel you need to agree, I do not mean to inconvenience you at all, but… could you, maybe, help me with my makeup tonight, for the ball? Only if it would not inconvenience you or throw off your own routine, of course…”

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Niklas watched the two Princess's exchange, marveling silently at their differences. Absently, he nudged Fareeha with his elbow, getting her attention. In response to her stare, he whispered- even though it was loud enough for all of them to hear- "I can ship it."

Fareeha elbowed him back- much harder than he did to her- and gave him a smug grin at his wince. Niklas really, really didn't want to see how hard she could elbow- he had no doubt it'd REALLY hurt.

Fareeha joined in on the conversation, deciding to go a bit more about the... camaraderie about all of this.

"And I'll wear something none of you would expect. We can all do something different for the ball- and Niklas, no fedora. Something sensibly different, not something that just doesn't look good."

Niklas was crestfallen, visibly so. He was actually, somewhat, childishly proud of his fedora, since he found it by accident. It was an odd contrast to the reason why he was out during breakfast in the first place, but that was currently besides the point.

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Liviana seemed taken aback by the fact that they were trying to make her feel better. I guess she doesn't get much of that at home, hmm? Mai mused. It seemed like Fareeha's words had more of an effect on Liviana than did Niklas's, and Mai had to grin at the sight of the other princess giggling. Liviana also seemed taken aback when Mai complimented her eyes, and it brought Mai some comfort to see her laugh once more when she recounted her fiasco with high heels.

Mai expertly reapplied the mascara, fishing around for a tissue in her hand bag to lightly wipe away the smudged make-up. Zhou had always found Mai's habit of carrying around cosmetics and compact mirrors and small packs of tissues to be exceedingly inconvenient, but then again, he was a boy, and what did boys know about how much effort it took to look good all the time? Honestly. Casimir is the only person of the other gender that I have ever met who appreciates cosmetics as much as I do. Besides, hand bags were also convenient places to hide weapons in, provided that nobody looked through the said hand bag. Mai doubted that anybody would want to go through the trouble of sorting through all the make-up supplies in her bright red purse, let alone open every single container in it to discover the small dagger she kept hidden inside an eye-shadow palette. I really should not be carrying around blades here in Aciras, Mai thought wryly. But still, how is it fair that it is acceptable for security officials and even some of the princes from more militaristic nations-my betrothed included-to carry around, in my opinion, poorly concealed handguns, yet if I were found with the dagger in my purse, it would be a cause for an international scandal? It is quite unjust.

Mai finished with the mascara. She put the tube back into her purse and carefully closed it, resting one of her hands lightly on the flat part of the hand bag. As Mai did so, she realized that Liviana had been clutching the pendant or locket or something of that sort that Mai had noticed her touch earlier. It must be very important to her, Mai noted.

"Thank you all for the kind words... and I am sorry for my, well, outburst. In Lusitania people are somewhat less forgiving than they are here and I was convinced that I must have offended someone," Liviana apologized.

Mai smiled softly at her. "No, of course you have not offended anybody," Mai answered reassuringly. Liviana is very...I don't know how to put this. She acts very submissive, almost, but there's something about her that tells me that she is not. I'm not sure what it is, though. It's just a hunch. I suppose it has much to do with the Lusitanian Empire in general; they are very, well, traditional, when it comes to gender roles. Mai could sympathize with Liviana. Liang has some undercurrents of these traditional gender roles still. It seems like despite everything that the socialists did, they could not get us to shake off that part of our imperial past.

Gender roles had their uses, though. Nobody back in Liang would expect her to be proficient in martial arts or comfortable with blades. Nor would they expect her to use her shoes as weapons, or be able to use a weapon at all, for that matter. To them, she was just a harmless princess who spent her days shopping for new dresses and applying make-up. And that was how Mai liked it.

Mai suddenly had an idea that was very uncharacteristic of her. "Princess Liviana," Mai began. "Would you be open to the idea of having me do your make-up one day?" she laughed lightly at the absurdity of what she was doing. This is very unusual for me, she thought. Like Zhou says-since when have I ever done anything just for the fun of it?

"I am sorry if this seems like a strange request. I simply had a random thought while I was looking for the mascara, and, well, there is much that I could do with your coloring," Mai explained in a warm, slightly sheepish voice. I could make her a 皇后-an empress, if I had the right shade of red lipstick and enough gold eyeshadow and black eyeliner. Any black make-up in general would contrast wonderfully with her complexion, though it is quite different from the soft pastel colors that Princess Liviana usually wears. Oh my. This is going nowhere yet everywhere all at once.

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Liv was bracing to be yelled at as everyone gathered around to... comfort her? Wait, what?

They weren't mad at her for speaking in a language they didn't understand, that wasn't commonly accepted in this country? And then for so shamefully losing all composure? Had she still been in Lusitania, interacting with other nobles of this caliber, her father would have had her publicly dismissed from dinner and then locked her in her room for a week with no company. There was a reason Lusitanian noblewomen were typically only taught Latin and Greek, that reason being so that they couldn't go and royally mess up in social situations that involved important people- cause important people always spoke English, when doing important things.

She still couldn't bear to look up at the others, listening silently as the various words of encouragement settled around her head. Niklas told her to believe in her own ability and intelligence, of course. What little she'd seen of him indicated that he'd be an eternal optimist who would offer eternally optimistic advice. It was a nice idea, of course, but not one she could ever live up to, not really. But the words did bring some comfort.

Fareeha's words nearly made Liv burst into giggles- she could just see the feisty princess dancing up to some gruff military type and punching him hard in the gut. Of course, the visual was somewhat helped by the fact that the tallest military person Liv had ever met would have, in his raised dress boots, matched a bare-footed Fareeha for height - yes, most Lusitanians were really that short. At the comment about punching Niklas, the girl couldn't help it, and folded over herself in quiet, strangled giggles.

All of her etiquette instructors would have had a fit- the lesson had been drilled into her head so many times. "Ladies never strike, and they sure as Fate don't strike first or they may as well book an appointment with Mercury." A confused eight-year-old Liv had once asked, "what about self-defense?" And she'd been given a death glare and told that if she shut her mouth and didn't stray from her husband, she'd never need to defend herself cause he would defend her, instead! She'd nearly asked how they expected her future husband, who was at that point barely able to shuffle along using a cane, to be able to defend himself, let alone her- but then she wisely took the hint about shutting up and bit her tongue and said nothing.

After a few moments of that, she straightened up at a gentle touch on her shoulder and under her chin, to peer into the warm eyes of Mai- wait, actually warm? If there was one thing Liv had noticed about the princess it was that her expressions very rarely reached her eyes, though at least right now they seemed sincere enough. She blushed brightly- or at least as brightly as an anemic girl can blush- at the compliment on her eye color, and mumbled her thanks in (thankfully) the right language. At the story the older girl told Liv couldn't help but giggle a bit more. Of course, only because she empathized. Since Liv was seven or eight she'd been made to try to wear heels, and absurdly high ones, at that, despite the longstanding traditions of flat footwear. Before every gathering there would be a congregation of maids marching into her room with a pair of strappy stilettos- and they would be quickly sent back out by Liv threatening to call her doctor, who at least had the sense to realize that anemia equals constant dizziness and being off-balance and dizziness, and being off-balance and dizzy in tall already-unbalanced shoes would be a recipe for disaster. Of course, then she had to put up with being a full eight inches shorter than even the smallest of the other noble girls her age.

Liv squinted for a moment, finally managing to focus her eyes on the object that Mai was holding up for her to inspect. A tube of mascara. The girl reached up and ran her finger along her lower eyelashes, wincing at the black runoff as she examined the finger. Of course, now her makeup was smeared too. She murmured, "Thank you very much, Mai." and leaned a bit closer, unfocusing her eyes so that she wouldn't spastically blink as the older girl applied the mascara.

Vaguely, Liv wondered what they must think of her- though she supposed that no matter how she sliced it, they must see her as weak. She wondered what the files about her said- she assumed there had to be files as it seemed as though everyone knew everyone else's life history, except for her. She cursed her parent's insistence that she not have access to the internet, on the grounds that it might spoil her traditional upbringing. She supposed they were right, though for the moment she was left feeling like even more of an outsider due to her ignorance.

In any case, she wondered what her files said. More than likely they would include a bit about her lack of public appearance- maybe, if they were detailed, the accompanying bout of muteness and lack of piano playing - that lasted for three years. If they didn't take into account her culture, and she was sure they wouldn't, it would seem as though she really was a useless crybaby. They wouldn't see that her people equate silence with strength. That while she was grieving she was expected to make a scene and act out, and her sudden acquiescence to the absolute control demanded of someone of her station was taken as a sign of maturity and growth, not of weakness, part of what factored into the decision to send her to Aciras in the first place- which in turn, once it was finalized and the arrangement was made, sparked the return of her voice, her passion for piano, and all of her other small "rebellious" traits.

The girl realized that she had become lost in thought, though thankfully just for a moment. She let go of her locket that she'd been subconsciously holding and glanced up at Mai, who was putting the mascara away, and then more shyly at Niklas and Fareeha who were still kneeling beside her. "Thank you all for the kind words... and I am sorry for my, well, outburst. In Lusitania people are somewhat less forgiving than they are here and I was convinced that I must have offended someone."

The Royal Potato (aka When Royalty Collides but not really)

Mai felt alarm course through her veins at the sight of Liviana desperately trying to hide her tears. Oh dear. She must be terribly embarrassed. Perhaps my original theory on her choppy English was indeed correct. As this went through Mai's head, Niklas apologized and cautiously approached the other princess, kneeling beside her. He offered words of encouragement to Liviana as he gently placed his fedora on Fareeha's head, who soon discarded the fedora and comforted Liviana as well.

Mai smiled gently at Liviana. "I stand by what Prince Niklas and Princess Fareeha here have said," she said softly, and sincerely-which was a rather unusual occurrence for Mai. "We are not perfect. Princess Fareeha here punches commanding officers, Prince Niklas chose to wear that fedora today-" here Mai paused and gave Niklas an amused look-"and I, well, I had never seen a high heel in my life before I was in my teen years, and of course, the first time I ever dared to try to walk with them on, I fell flat on my face!" Mai exclaimed with a giggle. "It was terribly embarrassing, because the other girls in the room had practically grown up in heels." Okay, so she hadn't exactly fallen on her face-but she'd stumbled so many times that it was almost like she had fallen on her face anyway. There was a pang in her gut as she recalled that particular incident; it was only a little bit after they'd moved back to the palace, and when her uncle was appointing leaders to official governmental positions and such. Many of the candidates had been ministers and officials back when the socialist faction was in control, and of course, their daughters had lived in the capital with them. Mai remembered how those other girls had seemed so refined and sophisticated, while she was just a princess who had just come out of hiding that spoke the dialect of her village better than the official language of Liang. Mai grinned inwardly. I showed them though, didn't I? They could walk in heels, yes, but none of them were capable of throwing a dagger in stilettos, or using their designer stilettos as weapons, for that matter.

Mai came up next to Fareeha. She brushed back a piece of Liviana's dark brown hair and put a finger under the other princess's chin, gently lifting it up. "Oh my," she murmured softly. "You have such striking eyes, Princess Liviana. They are the brightest blue that I have ever seen."

She cocked her head to the side and studied Liviana's features. It is only her size that makes her look small and childish. I bet that I could make her look like a queen if I had enough time, Mai mused to herself. What she has on right now makes her look older, yes, and it is very pretty, but she doesn't look very...how would I say this in English? Not very regal? Not very...formidable? With darker, thicker eyeliner and darker, redder lipstick she would be quite a force to be reckoned with. Mai noticed that Liviana's tears had started to smudge her mascara. "Oh no," Mai said, taking her finger away from Liviana's chin and turning for her hand bag. She rummaged through the multiple cosmetic products (including an eyeshadow palette that concealed a small dagger) and procured a tube of waterproof mascara. She held it up in front of Liviana. "May I?" she asked lightly. "I have plenty of experience with mascara, I promise," Mai added with a smile.