Cassandra Heartrianne felt her heart would beat straight out of her chest. She was racing across an estate that seemed to sprawl as far as the eye could see.
Of course, the estate of the royal palace would be large and the boundaries almost non-existent. They belonged to the ruling family that was not a normal family. The queen of her kingdom and her small family was known without doubt for two things and none of them were favourable traits.
The first one was that their spending was lavish, and their eyes were known to rot at the very sight of ordinary and plain things. Gold coins seemed to pour out of the royal family's drinking cups with the way they decorated their palace and any place that they deigned to visit.
If the world was searched to see where most of it's gold stores were, the location arrived at, would undoubtedly be Cassandra's kingdom's royal palace.
The second unfavourable trait of the ruling family's sent a shiver down Cassandra's spine. It stilled her innermost thoughts and made her realise how foolish she was to even be thinking of anything but getting to the royal waiting hall in time.
Cassandra Heartrianne was the middle child of the kingdom's duke. She was a beautiful girl with large eyes, a tiny pink mouth and flushed cheeks. She was blessed with adequate wealth and an excellent education but, as was common in kind girls, she was unable to be truly happy.
Cassandra was gifted in several fields of education and was a diligent child. She had many accomplishments but none of them made her happy because she only wanted one thing. The one thing, she had realized, that was truly the hardest for her to ever have.
It was the affection and notice of her father, the powerful and ambitious grand duke of the kingdom.
Cassandra wheezed, out of breath as she saw a large, elegant entrance in the side of the palace. She was to enter in through this area to be escorted to the rooms above to await the person who had invited her and several other young women here. The invitation that still seemed surreal and like the key to getting what would make her the happiest girl in the world: her father's affection.
Cassandra reached the stairs.
Her lungs were on fire, and the corset of her gorgeous, red gown was threatening to burst at the seams and spill their contents but Cassandra could not stop.
This was her golden opportunity that seemed like a dream and there was no way she could lose it by being even a minute late. She was so close to the palace's doors being closed for good. She could not risk it now.
The second trait the ruling family was known for was their absolute ruthlessness. The queen had taken the throne for herself not many years ago and she ruled with an iron fist. She did not allow disrespect of any kind and expected absolute and unconditional admiration from her people.
A single word unallowed or an expression out of place and her subjects could find themselves cut off from the kingdom themselves without a single way to get their good standing back.
It was this power or access to this power that Cassandra's father craved. He had scorned, belittled and hated Cassandra for years for being unable to get this power for him where Cassandra's siblings had already succeeded in so many ways.
Being the only on of his children that could not make her father happy felt terrible.
Cassandra had wanted to get her hands on something incredible of her own to make her father proud and have him smile at her again and that moment had suddenly come. The letter from the royal palace burned within the skirts of her dress as Cassandra raced through the corridors.
Her shapely legs were shaking from how she had abused them and Cassandra finally slowed her steps.
She should still look presentable to her hosts, she realized.
Her heart was still beating violently, and Cassandra raised her hands to her dark brown locks to check on their condition. Her cheeks were definitely flushed, and her body was heaving from the long and fast sprint she had had to take from the gates where her carriage had been stopped.
A few lone guards stood nearby. They had raised their head, "Who goes there? Identify yourself at once, maiden."
Cassandra had only removed the letter from her skirts before they had waved her away.
Cassandra walked heavily up the carpeted stairs. She knew she was to meet a correspondent of the palace at the top of the stairs to be taken to the main room. She hoped she was not late since that would cause her to be a further embarrassment to her father.
The letter in her hand had been the answer to all her prayers.
Not many noble girls could be called upon to the palace to see if they would be qualified to act as the ladies-in-waiting to the queen herself and Cassandra had never flattered herself with that idea. But the letter that Cassandra held on to was clearly proof that she had underestimated herself.
It had arrived only a day or so ago and had changed her life.
The letter and the look of excitement on her father's face when she had walked into his office to tell him still sent a thrill down Cassandra's spine.
It was all she had been able to think about that night, and she had roused herself quite early to have her maids dress her in the richest and most outstanding of her gowns and adorn herself with the most elegant of her jewellery. Cassandra had been sure she would be the first girl there, but the most unforeseen accident had happened to four of their five carriages, and it had delayed Cassandra by a whole hour.
Cassandra bit her lip at the top of the stairs.
She could see a room ahead from where a sliver of light was escaping. She heard the chitter chatter of several beautiful women which calmed her down.
No doubt, she still had time if the women were still talking to each other so loudly and excitedly.
But Cassandra could not stop the nagging feeling in her mind.
Four of their carriages being sabotaged that morning to delay her seemed surreal to her.
Could it have been her stepsister's doing?