Kissing The Wind

“What did you say, Mom?” Catarina faced Lady Geneva and gaped her mouth in shock. “Did you just say that Dad would make this trash the heiress of the dukedom?!”

Lady Geneva hushed Catarina. They were still inside the hall and the place was full of aristocrats and officials alike.  It was the day that Duke Theodore would announce his heiress. The royals were also present.

“Keep your voice down!” Lady Geneva sighed. “We can’t stop your father in his decision. Let’s just accept it dear, okay?” Lady Geneva coaxed and placed her hands in Catarina’s shoulder.

“No!” Catarina broke away from the Lady’s grasped. “I can’t accept it! Mom, I was with Dad all these years! I studied how to become a good duchess, but… but that trash take my inheritance away!”

“Catarina!” Lady Geneva said and dragged  the girl onto the corner where no one was around. “Just let this event go in peace. We can deal with Sydnee later, okay?”

Looking into the resolute gaze of Lady Geneva, Catarina finally calmed down. She clenched her fists and vowed that she would never let this matter go!

Meanwhile, Sydnee was inside the room where fine dresses and make-ups were prepared for her. Her lips curled and looked at Duke Theodore. She smiled at him.

Duke Theodore noticed Sydnee’s gaze. He looked on her and smiled in return. He pat Sydnee’s head and gestured her to prepare for the party. Then he went outside.

Sydnee was then dragged by the maids in front of the vanity mirror. They dressed her up and do her hair. After a few hours of sitting, one of the maids informed Sydnee. “Young Lady, you can open your eyes.”

She opened her eyes and what she saw on the mirror made her freeze for a while. The girl’s face reflected on the mirror was unfamiliar, but the girl’s gaze… Sydnee knew that she had seen those eyes before.

“Young Lady, you are so gorgeous!”

The girl on the mirror smiled upon the compliment. “You all did a great job,” she praised.

The maids blushed in embarrassment and thanked her.

Sydnee stood and put on the dress. The maids helped her out. After a while, she faced the whole body mirror.

She wore a blue ball gown and her hair was tidied up into a bun, with a few strands hanging at the side of her face. A sigh escaped from her lips. Never had she imagined that this day would come where she could wear such a fine dress.

“Young Lady, smile. It is not good to sulk,” Katliya who just entered the dressing room joked.

Sydnee chuckled and waved at the maids. They all went out except for Katliya. “Did you spot those mice?”

“Yes.” Katliya helped her put the tiara in her head. “There are at least twenty spies spotted in the area.”

Her eyes squinted and her lips curved into a smirk. “Catarina would make a move after this event,” she said.

“How do you know, Young Lady?”

Sydnee traced her right forearm that were covered with blue lace. “Lady Geneva would check on Catarina to make sure that the girl won’t make any trouble. The royals were here, so of course, Lady Geneva would put a leash on Catarina. But after the event when no one was looking, Catarina and her spies would make a move.”

“But… Lady Geneva is still your biological mother.”

Sydnee stopped tracing the lace and looked at herself in the mirror. She stared into the girl’s cold eyes. A crooked smile appeared on the girl’s lips. “Even the royals could kill their brothers and father for the throne. Lady Geneva and I were just strangers living in the same house. Of course, she would not stop Catarina in making my life worse. For her, I was just a pest in her life.”

“Young Lady…”

“Don’t worry. She’s also a stranger to me. I didn’t grow up with her and she didn’t take good care of me.”

Katliya went silent because of her words. Sydnee drew a breathe and practiced a smile on the mirror. “Let’s go,” she said and walked out of the room.

After waiting for a while, the man announced Sydnee’s presence. The two big doors opened up for her. Sydnee walked on the red carpet towards the center of the hall, where the king was sitting on the elevated platform reserved for the king. Sitting beside him, at the lower left, was the current queen who had blue eyes and blonde hair. On the lower right, the stern face of the crown prince was what she saw.

When she arrived at the foot of the elevated platform, she curtseyed and greeted the king and the queen.

“Rise,” the king said.

Sydnee stood while lowering her gaze.

The king gestured to the eunuch and the man opened up the sealed scroll and read out loud the edict written on it.

“Sydnee Mondragon, daughter of Duke Theodore Mondragon and Lady Geneva Mondragon, given the title of First Princess and the authority to own a hundred cities under the command of the King, the noble young lady who is kind, gentle, compassionate, and has the virtue of a royal princess… hereby given the title of Obando Heiress, a title to succeed the reigning Duke Theodore Mondragon. You, Obando Heiress, is commanded to submit yourself under the King’s authority and Duke’s command. This title is granted to this day and shall commenced until death.”

She bowed her head. “I, Sydnee Mondragon, gladly accept the edict.” Her hands accepted the edict given to her by the eunuch.

She secretly sighed in relief. Now, another title was granted to her.

The king then gestured to continue the party. Sydnee then excused herself and although she did not want attention, but because she was dressed in flamboyant blue ball down, she became the center of attraction. Many noble young men ask her for a dance, she just smiled and put her hands on their outstretched palms.

Deep inside, she was indignant. Her feet were aching so bad and her knees were wobbling, but because she was the ‘star’ of that party, she could not escape from their clutches. It was rude to turn them down.

Some of the prince also danced with her. Sydnee’s insides curled because of nervousness, but she did her best to smile and appear elegant. She fought hard not to twitched her lips and to not roll her eyes.

When it was the second prince’s chance to dance with her, she immediately declined.

“My feet hurt, prince. I can’t dance with you.”

The second prince smiled gently at her, but she could see the anger in his eyes. Sydnee was overjoyed. Hah! How dare he to offer her a concubine position and even bragged about his riches?

“I understand, First Princess. Let me escort you to your room to rest.”

Sydnee pursed her lips but still smiled at him. She saw the crown prince stood from where he was sitting and the prince walked towards her.

She was even put into a hot seat. She just hoped that the crown prince was not targeting her, but to her dismay, the crown prince stopped a foot away from her and stretched his hand on her.

“I will escort you to your room, First Princess.”

Sydnee blinked. She watched in amusement at the corner of her eyes, how the second prince’s expression changed. It was said that both the crown prince and the second prince were great rivals.

She almost held out her hand, when she saw Anthony at the corner of her eyes. Her expression changed, and then bowed to the crown prince.

“Your highness, I would like to solve my necessity first,” she reasoned out and maintained her gaze on the floor.

Beads of sweat formed at her back. Just let her go, okay?

The crown prince was silent before he nodded. Sydnee smiled at the prince and walked away. She happen to pass behind Anthony.

“Anthony,” she whispered before she continued to walk away from him.