The echoes of my maid's desperate pleas faded behind me as I strode through the opulent palace hallway, my destination clear: the throne room. “Princess!” Her voice, thin with fear, attempted to halt my progress, but I pressed on, my boots clicking defiantly against the polished floor. I didn't spare her a glance. What right did she have to lecture me, to remind me of consequences I had long since mastered the art of ignoring?

“My princess, your father forbade you from making an appearance today. You know the penalty for defying orders, don't you?” Her words, a mere whisper of insubordination, ignited a familiar spark of irritation within me. The sharp sting of my palm against her cheek resonated in the sudden silence, a stark punctuation mark to my displeasure. “Since when did you learn to speak to me, like my mother?” I narrowed my eyes, watching her flinch back, a choked gasp escaping her lips.

“Forgive me, my princess!” she cried, already retreating. “Scurry off, you stinky thing. Let me not see your disgusting face until I'm through.” With a dismissive flick of my hand, I continued my march, the tight trousers clinging to my legs, my shirt riding slightly. I didn't care. I was Princess Star. And no one, not even the King himself, would tell me where I could and could not go.