Chapter 249: Day One: The Other Side

Jane sat in her room and busied herself on her Slowgram.

Behind her, people crowded the space. Three of them discussed her hair and her makeup. The others debated on which dress she should wear first for the nth time since they planned the event. The noise sounded chaotic and disorganized but Jane appreciated it.

She preferred to work with people invested in the event rather than just those who did what they thought pleased her best—which they usually assumed to be the most expensive ones. It was an obvious scheme to clout her wealth.

"Jane, honey. How about you? Do you have any input?"

Hearing her name, she looked up from reacting to comments on her latest behind the scene photoshoot. A bright smile spread across her face as she faced her stylists. 

"You know I trust you, guys." She giggled.

"But we can't make a decision even though we talked about it so much. What are you in the mood for today, hm? Do you want a bold eye? An updo? Curls? Anything at all?"

Jane tapped her chin and scanned at the makeup selection. They brought almost every color imaginable as far as she was concerned. It was a bit overwhelming. Then, her gaze flickered to the rack of dresses. They had prepared five of them with two reserved as backups.

"How about we just do neutral while the cat eyeliner could be the color of the dress?" She suggested. "It would get us started and it would be easy to change the eyeliner whenever we have an outfit change."

The three looked at each other.

Their brains seemed to have clicked at the exact second.

"Brilliant!" 

"Simple but has flair!"

"I love it. Let's go with that."

Jane chuckled at their reactions. She put her phone down on her lap and tested a few hairstyles. Her lips scrunched at her reflection. "Then, for hair... Why don't we start with an updo and pull it down little by little later?"

"Fabulous!" The hair stylist clapped his hands and grabbed the curling rod. "Finally, finally, finally! We can get a move on! We have this argument every year. I don't know why we haven't learned our lesson."

"Oh," Jane gasped after a moment. The two makeup artists stopped abruptly, their brushing hovering midair near her face. She pressed her lips together. "But... wouldn't it mean more work for the three of you this way?"

The hair stylist was the first to respond.

"Nonsense!" He exclaimed, lowering his head until it almost touched her shoulder. "It's your day to shine! We're all here for you. You will be the most stunning person in all of Maize City. Little girls would believe that you are our own local princess and look up to you."

"You know he's right," one of the makeup artists agreed. She caressed Jane's head. "We've been with you through these parties since your debut. Tonight, they'll see three sides of you: endearing, sophisticated and fierce."

"You guys… really are so sweet," Jane gushed, squeezing their arms in gratitude. Her amber eyes gently crinkled up at their faces. "I take it that you'd also be doing my wedding someday?"

"Oh, honey," the other makeup artist cooed. "That is the one we wouldn't miss for the world!"

She squealed. Its infectious tone invited them in to join her. "Then, let's get this party started, shall we? There are still photoshoots to do before we meet the guests."

Said photo session started in the same room.

Jane lied on her bed with her arms poised like a doll across the mattress. She wore a robe but her hair and makeup had been finished. The photographer stood on a stool to capture her pictures. Ribbons, presents and balloons littered around her and on her headboard.

It was the same setup for her Sweet 16. 

Her coral lips stretched into a coy smile as she closed her eyes. 

Even with the succeeding parties, it still remained her favorite. Ambryan had been her escort throughout the night. She didn't try to find out how it happened and merely lived in the moment. He treated her well and never left her side, making sure she ate and rested every now and then.

That was a time when she didn't think she'd fall for him even more.

But she did.

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"Yan!" Her sixteen-year-old self yelled. She ran across the courtyard and hugged him from behind. "Is it true? Are you going to be my escort? That's the best present I could ever ask for!"

A 20-year-old Richard raised his eyebrows at Ambryan. The latter merely shook his head before turning around. He delicately pulled Jane's arms away from his waist and raised them up, taking a step back and not letting go.

"Jane," Ambryan began to say. "Don't casually touch me in public. You're supposed to be a lady now. Have some manners. This behavior is no longer acceptable. We're not kids anymore." 

A crestfallen expression weighed down her face. 

He released her arms and said, "I'm only looking out for you. Your father is about to run for a  political position. He needs to be a role model to the citizens. Seeing you act accordingly will let them believe that he raised you well."

"But he did raise me well! He's the best father anyone could have!" Jane defended immediately. Her hands clenched on either side of her. Embarrassed by the prickling tears in her eyes, she bowed her head to hide them from the boys.

A warm hand touched her head. 

Jane looked up, hitching her breath.

Ambryan pulled his hand away. "Then, prove it to them."

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Eve stepped into a small balcony. Two pillars stood on either side of the opening outside of the castle. Her hands rested on top of the baluster as she looked down. She had changed out of the first dress and now wore a golden gown that ballooned around her legs.

The garden spread below her in a rectangular shape. A part of her felt sad that it was the fall season. She could only imagine how beautiful it would be during the spring or the summer. 

A buzzing noise came from the quadcopter drone. It flew from her right to her left, capturing the moment in both film and pictures. 

Eve tilted her head up and shielded her eyes from the sun. Then, she thought against it after a second. Hot weather might not be the best idea in this outfit. Potential guests could change their minds about staying if it seemed too hot. 

She stepped back to the tall window. The balcony was square in shape and roughly the length of her legs. She hoisted herself up the baluster. Her back hit the pillar while her feet perched on the other side. It was a tedious task because of the hoop skirt but she made it work.

A strangled cry came from below.

Hiding her amused laugh, Eve folded her arms on her knees. The poses she created hid the difficulty of the sitting position. Her heels threatened to slip off the edge and land on the floor while her bottom barely had space for support. 

The drone proceeded to take the shots. The ball gown and her vibrant hair stood out easily under the sun. The building almost paled in comparison. 

Hast footsteps gradually grew louder from inside the castle.

"Evangeline Reed!" Cale shrieked. He bolted to her side and grabbed her arms, assisting her back on the floor. "That's dangerous! I can't believe you! First, the wine. Now, this? What if you fell?"

He let her go once they were a distance away. Then, he circled around her to dust off the dirt that clung to the dress. "I would have to explain it to several people, you know. And they won't take it any lighter than me! I swear you have gotten reckless since quitting your day job."

"Oh, Cale…" Eve spoke softly. Her manager continued to fuss over the ball gown before checking her hair. She groaned in frustration. "I'm running dry on ideas. I have to take risks if I want to climb higher than where I am now. I want to be better. Think outside the box! My portfolio has to have its unique points."

She heard him snort behind her. "If you want to be better, you do things like train in Paris."

"There's training in Paris?" 

"Why wouldn't there be training in Paris?" Cale scoffed, still bitter about her stunt. "It's one of the fashion capitals in the world. It holds fashion weeks where models walk down the runway in haute couture. The event is prestigious in the industry."

Eve chose not to say anything more. She didn't like hearing him upset. 

"Cale."

He didn't respond.

"I'm sorry." 

The stunt had been risky and she admitted to it. Cale walked around to face her front. The stern look in his aqua blue eyes hadn't vanished. A hair strand strayed away from his normally gelled platinum hair, pointing up like a loose bang.

"It's hard to stay mad at you." He sighed. 

Then, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "I hate it."

"Do you really?" Eve teased, nudging his arm.

He huffed and showed a smile. "Come on. We're done with this floor."

The two headed for the elevator. Eve would rather not risk the stairs in this gown—especially not after her manager just freaked. Who knew how he'd take it if she tripped on a step despite holding onto the banister?

"The rest will be about the ballrooms," Cale explained when they reached the lift. "You'd have to wear a different dress for each of them because they decorated them in several themes today,"

"How many are there?"

"Ten."

Eve's jaw dropped. How low was the company's budget? Couldn't they have hired one more model? She suppressed a tortured sigh and leaned back on the wall, saying, "... would it be weird if I took a month break after this?"

"I'll give you a week," he compromised with a wink. "You want to climb higher, right?"