Ch. 2: Preparations

As soon as Luna entered her room, the Royal Designer, Madame Dia, instantly grabbed hold of her wrist and began measuring her height, bust, and waist. "Oh my, it seems like our darling princess has put on a few pounds since I last measured her." Once again, the man was adorned in another fabulous and exaggerated outfit. His remark shamelessly reminded Luna of the delicious pastry cakes she had been having Sophie send to her room, which would explain the extra weight.

"Now, as the proud princess of Lunaris, you must look stunning, darling~! KeKe, bring me the fabric!" With a clap of his hands, Madame Dia's assistant KeKe, who was always seen in a formal but stylish pants suit and sunglasses, placed a roll of lime-green fabric in his hands. Holding it against Luna's light brown skin, Madame Dia made an expression as if something had stung his eye.

"Oh, no! Bring me the next one!" This time Keke brought him a roll of hot pink fabric.

"I want her to look dazzling, not make the people colorblind! Next!"

"Again, I want her to be the belle of the ball! Not a piece of furniture! Next!"

"Razzle-dazzle, sweetie! Not a disco-ball! Next!"

For five hours, this torture continued until finally, Madame Dia decided on the right fabric and showed Luna many sketches he wanted her to pick from. She ended up choosing dress number 115. Now Luna picked this dress because of two reasons. Reason number one was because her patience had reached its limit. She was exhausted from looking through sketches.

Despite that, Luna usually loved looking through Madame Dia's sketches. She recalled when she once stumbled into his workroom and was awed by the extensive collection of finely crafted garments—awed by Madame Dia's craft skills when it came to clothing.

During this sight-seeing, Luna had yelped when a hand snatched her up, and it was Madame Dia. After questioning her, he somehow turned Luna into his model for the rest of the day. This was how she grew close to Madame Dia as she was also a huge fan of his designs. Which brings us to reason number two for choosing dress 115: the dress's sketch design suited her taste.

"Now, don't you worry, dear, once you make your grand appearance, everyone will forget those mean rumors concerning-" A cough from KeKe brought him back to reality, stopping himself from saying the words that almost slipped out and grimaced at his mistake.

"Ignore those last words, dear! KeKe, pack up. We are rolling out!" Sensing the awkward tension in the room, Madame Dia quickly exited. Left alone, Luna slumped down on her bed, aware of the words Madame Dia almost let slip. Though Luna barely left her room, she once overheard the maids when they were cleaning her chambers. They thought she could not hear them because of the earbuds in her ears but had not known that Luna paused her music.

Chatting amongst themselves, the maids mentioned her as Lunaris' Shut-In Princess. Of how everyone outside called her Lunaris' failure. The princess who will bring Lunaris' to its doom. "It's not my fault I'm untalented! I didn't ask to be heiress of Lunaris!" Holding a pink heart-shaped pillow to her chest, Luna vented her frustrations. Lying on the bed, she rolled to her side, crystal hot tears running down her soft cheeks.

"I'm so afraid to face the world. I'm not brave enough! So please leave me in the sanctuary of my room for all of eternity." She whispered into her pillow, the anxieties that plagued her mind, the mountain of responsibilities. It was all too much and Luna wanted none of it! Unlike many others her age, she wasn't ready to face the world on her own. Nothing beats the comfort of her own room. Behind her father's palace walls, Luna felt safe and secure.

"Stand back 'cause Super Dad is about to make his appearance!" said a booming baritone voice on the other side of her door. His voice caused Luna to break out into a halfhearted smile. Luna wiped her tears just in time for the doors to swing open, and in marched a towering stocky man, the awe-inspiring ruler of Lunaris.

"Sweet-Pea, how come I can sense your sadness from miles away?" His dotting, concerned voice filled Luna with reassurance and warmth. His manly image contrasted strongly against her girly sweet-theme decor room. Luna's bedroom walls were pastel colors consisting of lilac, cotton-candy pink, and icy blue. A collection of plushies, gifted to her when she was a child, was neatly stationed on the left side of her room.

Luna's bed was placed in the middle with a canopy covering it, and large windows were placed on either side of the bed. Colorful lanterns in the shape of various desserts floated from the ceiling. "Sweetie, I can always tell when something is bothering you. Now, tell Dad what's wrong?" worriedly asked Luna's father as the left side of the bed sank when her father took a seat. Luna sat up to vent her frustrations to him.

"I don't mean to be a disappointment! It's just so hard and scary! I don't want to be an heiress, dad! Don't you hear what people call me! Lunaris' Failure! Lunaris' Doom! I don't want to fail you, but with me as your successor, only great distress awaits Lunaris!"

Luna cried; tears stained her cheeks. The sight of his daughter in tears stabbed at her father's heart as he hated seeing the sweet apple of his eyes suffering and in tears. "Oh, sweetie, you're not a failure! You're my sweet Lil princess! Don't take to heart what other people say about you! Everyone has flaws and weaknesses. What matters is how you overcome them." Reaching out his large hands, he used his fingers to wipe away her tears.

"But, Dad, what if I can't?" helplessly asked Luna.

"Sweetie, I believe in you. There's a reason why you are my successor. Now I know the expectations and duties that come with being the heir to my throne can be frightening, but you will overcome them 'cause if you're anything like your mother, nothing will stand in your way!"

A simple kiss on her forehead from her dad always had the power to lift Luna's spirits and brighten her day. While others respected and feared her father, the great and all-powerful ruler of Lunaris, to Luna, he would always be her dotting, corny dad, who loved and understood her the most in this galaxy.

"I love you, dad!" Luna threw her arms around her father's waist.

"Love you too, sweet-pea!" Laughing, her father returned the hug, happy to see his sweet baby girl smiling again.

After father and daughter had a long touching moment, the ruler of Lunaris exited his daughter's chambers and returned to his study room. Inside waiting for him was the Prime Minister and his Royal Advisor. "My liege, I mean this with the best of intentions, but you must pull back when it comes to spoiling the princess. She is the next heir to the throne, but neither Lunaris' citizens nor the Royal Council acknowledges her as your successor!" stressed Lunaris' Royal Advisor, Mika, who was also his niece.

"Sir, what the Royal Advisor says is true. Rumors of the princess's drawbacks have already spread across the Starry Galaxy. Lunaris, which holds the second greatest influence, has become a laughing stock thanks to the princess. Sir, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but maybe you should consider-"

Before the Prime Minister could finish, an overwhelming pressure of gravity pushed him down to his knees and nearly crushed his bones. The Prime Minister's fearful eyes were forced to face his monarch. "Don't even think about it! Never will I change my successor," he, who holds all authority of Lunaris, grounded out in a cold, harsh tone.

Reminding those in the room that he was Lunaris's mightiest warrior who fought on the battlefield before he inherited the throne. Even the aggressive, battle loving ruler of Militum held him in high respect. A sheen of sweat-drenched Mika's forehead.

Only towards his beloved daughter did her uncle toss his dignity aside. "Now rise." Obeying the order given to him, the Prime Minister rose to his feet, but the quivering fear in his legs did not disappear. Both the Royal Advisor and the Prime Minister watched their liege walk to his desk and take a seat.

Saying nothing else, Mika watched as her uncle began going through papers before turning her head towards the Prime Minister. She knew he wanted to say more but also did not want to trigger their monarch's wrath again, which is why he threw in the towel and excused himself from the room. Left alone with her uncle, Mika knew she was taking a significant risk but could not remain silent.

"Uncle, you have to stop treating her like a little kid. She is a young adult, and it's time for her to start taking her duties as the successor to Lunaris seriously! What will this realm do if one day something happens to you?"

Instead of answering her, the ruler of Lunaris remained silent, something which caused his niece to be disappointed in him as she left the room. When he had the study to himself only then did the ruler of Lunaris pause his work. The heavy load of duties bearing down his shoulders caused him to miss his youth.

He reminisced about times when he was filled with passion and vigor. "Ah, those were the good times," he said before a gasp of pain had him clutching at his chest.

Quickly, he pulled open the cabinet located at the bottom of his desk and pulled out a clear vial filled with white medical pills prescribed by the royal pharmacist. Once Luna's father popped two pills into his mouth, the pain stopped, and his breathing returned to normal.

"I can't die. Especially not now," Luna's father muttered to himself, unaware that a pair of eyes oversaw this little scene. Swiftly they snatched their gaze away from the crack in the door and left.