Chapter 6
Macee sat up in bed glaring at her mother. She rarely got up before ten, but her mother was insistent that she get up and get dressed. The royal instructor had arrived to start coaching her. She clutched the covers tighter. She did not want to wake up nor did she want to be coached. Her mother pulled the covers off the bed.
“You have to get up this instant,” she demanded. Macee dragged herself out of bed muttering complaints under her breath as she marched to the bathroom to brush her teeth before heading downstairs in her pyjama bottoms and a vest top.
Walking into the living room, Macee saw an unfamiliar man and woman seated on the sofa. “You must be Lady Macee,” he said to her in a very posh accent.
“And who are you?” Macee asked as she slouched down in the chair opposite them.
“I am Charles, your royal instructor and this is my assistant.”
“I do not need an instructor.”
“On the contrary, you do. As the crown princess, you will be expected to behave in a certain manner and that means not sleeping in or walking around in your night wear.”
Ridiculous! Macee thought to herself.
Her mother walked into the room and snapped at her to stand up and listen to everything Charles told her.
“We will be working on your posture today,” Charles said to her. “Given your…diminutive height, it is of the utmost importance that you learn to carry yourself with grace. Correct posture and body language ARE necessary,” he emphasised.
Macee glared at everyone in the room. As the shortest one in the family, she was often made to feel much younger than she was simply because everyone else was at least five or more inches taller than she was, but she certainly didn’t need some stranger pointing it out. At her mother’s insistent look, she sighed loudly and complied.
“Your legs should not be that wide apart when you stand,” Charles corrected her as she reluctantly stood up straight and reduced the width between her legs. As Charles issued instructions, his assistant demonstrated for Macee how to sit down and stand, like a lady. Macee tried to copy her movements, but it wasn’t perfect.
Mrs LeBlanc buried her face in her hands. It was clear that they had a lot of work ahead of them. Macee did not know the first thing about being a lady, which of course wasn’t her fault if Macee chose not to participate in the lessons provided to her sisters.
Charles spent hours with Macee teaching her how to walk at a more fluid and slower pace with less swing in her arms. They also worked on her body language whilst she spoke to people. Macee did not even realise that was a thing. With each new instruction, Charles' assistant demonstrated the correct position to her as Macee practiced.
Throwing up her arms, Macee gave up for the day. She had been at it for hours without a break. She was tired, hungry and simply couldn’t take it anymore. As her mother went to stop her, Charles told her to let her go. It was her first day and she needed time to adjust. As Macee left the room in search of food, she saw her sister go upstairs. She wished that Francesca had come in while she was working with the instructor as she could have used her sister’s support but she had been noticeably absent lately and barely spoke to her when she was in the same room.
* * *
A few days later, Mrs LeBlanc was informed that Macee needed to move into the palace. This way the royal family could keep an eye on her and see that she was trained properly. Mrs LeBlanc broke the news to Macee who immediately put up a fuss. She simply ignored her rants and dragged her to the car. She had to go whether she liked it or not.
On the ride over to the palace, Macee hunched down in the car. She was not pleased about it at all. She didn’t see the point of having to change how she walked and talked. People should like her for who she is, not how she sits in a chair. She knew that the coming months would be difficult because once she was inside the palace; it would be all royalty training all the time. She hoped that at least she would be able to bring over some of her stuff. Her mother didn’t even give her the chance to get some things together; she had simply dragged her to the car.
Two maids greeted Macee as she entered the palace and took her to her new chambers. The chambers were large as expected and everything in there was beautifully designed and clearly expensive. She sat on the sofa unsure what to do with herself. Macee's stomach twisted in knots when the maids told her that the queen would visit her later. This whole situation was becoming more and more real. She felt like she was drowning, and there was no escape.
Princess Katherine was the first one to come visit Macee. The maids bowed to her as she entered and showed her to the balcony where Macee was sitting. She stood up when she saw the princess. She was not sure if she was to bow her head to her or curtsy. The princess sat down at the table and gestured for Macee to join her.