The castle has been busier than ever. The throne room was filled with all the guests that were invited, murmured whispers and laughter echoing across the room. The queen and the princess waited patiently at the dais for the crown prince to walk the aisle to accept the crown, unknown to all the horrors that were about to be unleashed. Clare felt uncomfortable to be a show piece but still stood her ground for her brother's sake. It was a very important day for him and she didn't want to ruin it.

Queen Elizabeth's eyes scanned the crowd with a smile on her face. Anyone could have been fooled by the thought that the queen was happy for the guests but Clare knew the true meaning behind her sight. Elizabeth was scanning the crowd, making sure no one conspired any ill will on the family, but she did leave few unnoticed. Not intentionally, of course. But it didn't leave Clare's eyes unnoticed. It was prince Collins talking to Duke Benjamin. Her body was filled with fear. Her mind kept chanting a prayer for anyone to listen and answer. Please, don't let anything go wrong, she begged. Was it answered? She didn't know. Both men had smiles on their face. Lord Ben was nearby but seemed uninterested in the topic, so instead he was concentrating on his fiancee, Sofia. King Christopher, prince Collins' father, was nowhere in sight. That particular incident felt quite odd since the time for coronation was nearing. Clare's heart kept racing and her stomach kept churning, whether if it was from social anxiety or gut feeling, she didn't know.

The main doors opened and in came the crown prince with cheers and praises. His face was in a wide grin, clearly happy with his surroundings. The magnificent prince wore a beautiful robin blue tailored coat, ornaments of gold, silver and diamonds adorning it in any way possible. The most magnificent view the citizens had ever seen.

Soon to be king, just a few feet left. His eyes darted to his mother, who genuinely smiled back at him, then to his sister, who tried to smile but found it difficult, which ended up looking sympathetic. Alex found it hard to control his laughter at his sister's reaction, so he pursed his lips tight.

Climbing the stairs to the dias, prince Alexander stood in front of the archbishop. The bishop requested everyone to stand as he started to recite the prayers. Alexander bent down to accept the crown, and soon the crown was placed on his head. Once he turned to face his audience, the bishop proclaimed, "King Alexander of Utopia!"

Each and every single person cheered for him which put a smile on his face, but soon the smile faded as he lost his focus to his inner thoughts along with the fading sounds.

Soon, everyone headed towards the ball room for the party. Clare followed Alex reluctantly, trying to hide behind his shadows. Alex let her, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

The royal family took their places at the dais in the ballroom. With the signal of Alex's hand, the musicians blasted their music into the air. The entire room was filled with mesmerizing and entertaining tunes. Men and women of all ages enjoyed themselves on the dance floor, giggling and laughing while moving to the rhythm.

"Your majesty." The Steward took a bow. "May I please request you to take the dance floor for your first dance as the king. You may choose any maiden you like."

"Dance, huh?" He said and looked at his mother, then his sister, his eyes lingering at her a little longer. Her eyebrows went up and back as she asked her brother a silent question. Alex stood up; the music ceased and everyone came to a stand still. Every young maiden stood gawking at the king with doe eyes, praying that they would be the lucky one to share the first dance with the king.

Alex's eyes found Clare's again and she started panicking. Her brother is known to make rash decisions when it comes to her.

Addressing the crowd again, he said, "do you mind if I share my first dance with my family?"

Everyone was in shock, but since he was now the king, no one objected and obliged with a silent bow.

Alex turned towards Clare and took slow steps towards her. Her eyes bulged and lips pursed. She shook her head slightly, yet vigorously. Her face looked haunted. Each and every single person in the room whispered to each other on how much hatred dripped out of the princess' face, but Alex knew it wasn't hatred but pure fear.

Alex held out his hand and Clare held it with a shivering hand. Dragging her along with him, standing in front of their mother, he asked, "would you like to join, mom?"

"That's alright. You two go ahead and have fun," their mother said with a smile. With the dip of their heads, the siblings acknowledged her, and headed towards the center of the dance floor. People murmured about how the king had to drag the princess onto the dance floor and how stubborn she was, but the poor girl was dying inside with anxiety. Reaching the center, he turned towards her and took a bow for which she curtsied back. Taking her hands in his, they came closer to begin the dance.

"Alex," she whispered, her last attempt to plea for him to change his mind.

"You'll be fine," he whispered back. She sighed, concluding that any more debate would be a waste of time.

As the music started, the siblings swayed along. Clare seemed a little stiff at first, never having danced at an actual ball before, but she distracted herself by the dance lessons from her father.

'1, 2, 3... 1, 2, 3...,' she counted in her head as her legs moved accordingly. Looking at her brother, she found him smiling at her fondly, and that made her day. Soon the siblings forgot their surroundings as they danced as if they were one with the music, every beat and rhythm flowing through them. Clare swayed and swirled, nothing on her mind, completely free from herself. Her brother felt free too, seeing his sister finally, truly, enjoying this occasion.

As the dance was over, everyone cheered.

"Thank you for the dance," Alex said with a smile.

Devoid of any smile, Clare replied, "You're welcome. Now, please go find someone else for you to dance with." Getting near him, she whispered, "possibly, my future sister-in-law."

Alex couldn't hide his grin after that.

"Well, not likely, 'cause I don't see anyone I like," he whispered back. Clare rolled her eyes and tried to get back to the dais, but there was too much crowd surrounding the king. Not even the fear of the princess diverged the attention of the maidens from the king. Not wanting to indulge in any conversation, Clare sighed as she stood at the edge of the circle. It was clear that Alex didn't want to choose anyone, as he held out his arm in a common direction. A quick and enthusiastic maiden, snatched the opportunity as she and the king started dancing.

The crowd slowly started diffusing, finding their own partners to dance with, but still thick enough to trap Clare in.

"Hello, princess," she heard a voice from her side. "We meet again."

Through the corner of her eyes, Clare found the owner of the voice to be prince Collins.

"Greetings, prince Collins," Classandra said nonchalantly.

"You're a great dancer," Collins stated, his eyes trained straight ahead.

"Thank you," she said. Clare so badly wanted to end this conversation, cause, anytime someone volunteers to talk to her, it ends in disasters.

"Would you give me the pleasure and join me on the dance floor?" He asked, now directly looking at her, which forced Clare to look at him too. She didn't know what to reply. She was completely at a loss of words.

"If you're thinking to reply with, I don't dance, just remember, I just saw you dance."

Black mail. He was black mailing her. Why on earth would he do that?

"I'm sorry prince Collins, but I'm tired, so, I don't wish to dance. I hope you don't take this the wrong way." Prince Collins did not expect this reply. He was taken aback, but he soon got back on his feet.

"Alright then," he said. "If not a dance, then a friendly conversation, perhaps?"

Clare realized he wasn't going to let this go, so she nodded a yes. Leading the way, prince Collins cleared up space for both of them to walk securely to the drinks parlor. Taking a glass in hand, he poured out a drink and handed it to her and did the same for himself. Clare stared at the drink in hand, wondering whether she should drink it.

"It's not poisonous," Collins commented. "Nor alcoholic."

Collins was the first to take a sip. Clare sighed a little as she brought the glass near her lips to take a sip. A quick glance at her brother made her realize that he has changed his dance partner. In fact, he kept shifting from one to another, whoever came his way.

"Such a playboy," Collins chuckled.

"Excuse me," Clare asked, looking offended.

"Oh please! Like you didn't just think of that!"

"No I did not!" Clare said sternly. "If you're going to bad mouth my brother, just know it's not going to happen in front of me!"

"Alright! Whatever!" Collins chuckled again. Clare did not know what his deal was. Was he trying to distract her? She mused. Could be. King Christopher was still not in sight. What are they planning?

"Princess Classandra," Collins called. "Why weren't you in school with us?"

Clare was caught off guard again. Why did everyone have to drag her school life into this?

"I was homeschooled," she said in a low voice.

"By your mother?" He nudged her with a question.

"No. My dad," she said, her mind losing focus.

"By your dad?" Collins questioned with a raised eyebrow. Clare nodded half heartedly.

"Does that mean you discontinued your studies in half?" He questioned again.

Shit, Clare thought to herself. She lost control in her wordings and now she has to face the consequences.

"No." She calculated her next words. "I'm just a fast learner." She shrugged her shoulders.

Collins stared at her intently, weighing her words. "Something tells me that if I ask you any more questions, I won't get an answer," he mused. Clare took another sip from her glass, totally ignoring his comment. What she didn't know was, Collins knew. He knew why Clare was acting this way. All he needs is a little proof, and he is all set.

"Princess?" He called out. Classandra hummed in reply. "Do you know anyone named Alexandra?"

Clare almost had a heart attack at that instance. He was talking with Duke Benjamin, she realized.

"No," she said calmly. "Why do you ask?"

"The Duke of Gloracia kept repeating her name. He also said that he wished to meet her." Collins paused to see Classandra's reaction, but all that was on her face was calm. But only she knew that she was freaking out on the inside.

"Ben believes that he doesn't know what he is saying," he continued. "But, I mean, the guy is old but that doesn't justify him creating a whole new character out of thin air, right?"

Classandra just nodded slowly, not knowing what to reply. Why do people always come to talk to her about something so uncomfortable?

"I promised him that I would make sure he meets her, you know, find her and stuff. Maybe you can help?" He confided. Clare nodded her head slowly.

"Princess Classandra, do you believe that Alex would be a great king?" He asked suddenly.

"Yes," Clare replied without a second thought.

"What about you? Do you think you'll make a good queen?"

"I don't wish to be a queen," was all she replied, with head held high and determination in her voice.

"I think you'll be a great queen though," Collins said. Clare's head jerked towards him in reply. What's he talking about?

"Guess we may or may not be able to find that out," he said with a grin. "Enjoy the party, princess." Collins left after placing the empty glass at the table. Clare just stood there, dumbfounded, not being able to comprehend what just happened.