“Heels, right,” she said as she stared at the five-inch tall silver sandals. She glanced back down at her feet, covered by the nearly ten inches of trailing dress, and chewed her lip. “Think anyone will notice if I’m barefoot?”
Allete’s satisfied smile fell. “I will notice. Shoes… now, miss. Do not make me send for your mother.”
Olivia hurried over to the sandals and held up her dress so Allete could slip the sandals on her feet. She wobbled for a minute as she adjusted to the height but managed to stay standing.
“Now you are ready,” Allete said with a nod. She went to the door and swung it open for Quincy.
“Olivia, I’m… Wow,” he said, the last word barely a whisper. Olivia felt his eyes skate across every bit of her body in the blue dress he had picked out, and he cleared his throat. “You look magnificent, Your Highness.” He bowed as he entered and held out his hand for hers. “It’s truly a sight for the guests to see of their future princess.”
She frowned. “Really? I’ve never been this dressed up before. It’s a bit weird.”
Quincy laughed as Allete rolled her eyes. “You look anything but weird. Allete, as always, you do a wonderful job.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Allete said as she curtsied.
“I shall escort you to the dinner then,” Quincy said. “My Princess?”
Olivia’s chest tightened at the title. Even though it was her new one and she should get used it, for some reason, hearing him say it meant something entirely different. She wanted to be his princess. Quincy was like no one she had ever met before, and in so few days, she already felt a spark any time he was near.
They walked slowly down the corridor, her struggling to stay upright while he held her hand in the crook of his arm. The second Olivia heard her door close, she pulled him to a stop and hoisted up her skirts.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“Getting rid of a hindrance before I make a fool of myself.” She slipped out of the sandals and bent to pick them up. A serving girl passed by with a small stack of towels, and she quickly set them on top. “Hide these for me and don’t let Allete see.”
The young girl laughed but curtsied and hurried on her way while Olivia readjusted her dress.
Quincy shook with amusement beside her as he watched the serving girl disappear around the corner. “Allete is going to murder you when she finds out.”
“What? I’m not going to tell her, and no one will notice,” she said as she glanced down at her feet hidden by the dress. “Unless, of course, you’re going to rat me out.”
“There are many things I would like to do,” he said as he turned towards her. “But that is not one of them, not with you.” His eyes locked onto hers, and Olivia couldn’t breathe as his hand gently reached down for hers again. He brought it to his lips, kissed the back of it, and tucked it in his arm. “May I take you to the dining hall now? Or are there other garments you’d like to be rid of first?”
Olivia ground her teeth but shook her head. “Who is going to be there?” she asked, hoping to stop any more comments like that.
“Dignitaries from the island mostly, a few foreigners, but no one too exciting. It’s a dinner, not a ball.”
“But Allete said there’d be dancing?”
“A bit, yes, but nothing as spectacular as when we have it in the main ballroom. This will be simple and very easy for you tonight. Just follow my lead and you will do just fine.”
“Are you sure? I mean, this is way out of my league.”
Quincy pulled them to a stop and turned her so she faced him. “My very first state dinner as a prince was frightening, too. There were a ton of people I didn’t know, and they all wanted to talk to me. I shook like a leaf for most of the night.”
“How did you get through it?”
He smirked. “I was eight and ate an entire cake by myself when no one was looking. Put me on a sugar high the rest of the night, and I didn’t care what happened.” He laughed as they continued towards the staircase. “The next day, I had the worst stomachache ever, but it was worth it.”
She shook her head as they descended the stairs and the music from the hall met her ears. “So you’re saying I should just eat cake all night?”
“No, but keep a full wine glass and don’t leave my side.”
Now that she knew, she wouldn’t have a problem doing it. When they reached the bottom of the steps, Olivia took in the sight of the many servants lined up from the main door of the palace and the path they created that went straight into a room she hadn’t seen yet.
“Is that the grand dining room?”