Adriana was headed into new territory, though her fear and anticipation did not show on her face. Not only would she be surrounded by a bunch of pompous women, but she would be meeting the man these women would be fighting over. The Prince was one she never thought she would be facing. Lords, Ladies and other lower royalty ranks were people she had met and, well ended or dined with or seduced. At least in this situation she only need to report to the Prince rather than hurt or seduce him. Though she had to act like she was trying to do the latter.<br/><br/>She had spent long hours the past week learning everything the Convent already knew about all the ladies who had been chosen as well as anyone else who was stationed at the palace. They made her practice her walk, her talk, how to dress, even though she had been taught it all since she was old enough to talk and walk. Things weren't that different in the palace than what she'd already learned just to take down some Lord's sons in a tavern. But now was the real test. She wasn't doing a quick in and out. This could take a while, so her skills needed to come into play now more than ever.<br/><br/>The castle was just as she imagined. As she exited her luxury carriage, she took in the beautiful scenery. This was a wonder she didn't have to fake. The Convent seemed so gloomy and claustrophobic. She made her way inside and allowed herself to be escorted to the ballroom where she would be greeted by the King and Prince. No one told her that the other girls were arriving with her, so she was surprised to see the other girls. They were all recognizable, especially Princess Diana of Korrawyn. Knowing her own beauty, Audriana figured that Diana was her only competition in that department. Although she was good at every kind of "womanly" hobby, she was supposed to choose the ones she should be quite terrible at.<br/><br/>She kept her head up as she entered the space, feeling all eyes on her. Being the odd girl out would definitely give her some unneeded attention. Lord Byron DeMond had many daughters, though it was rumored that none of them would be coming since the rumors said they were all ugly. The Convent paid Lord DeMond generously to allow Adriana to use his name and to play along if anyone asked if Adriana was truly his. The other girls whispered as Adriana made her way to the end of the line that was forming. Part of her wanted to be as far away from Diana as possible, for now.<br/><br/>The doors opened and the Prince entered, everyone fell quiet. Audrey looked him up and down, trying to figure out the way into his facade. He wore his politically royal face well and it looked like it could be real. She wondered if it was just a facade. He could be going down the road of being as mad or madder than his father. Not much was known about the Prince in the Convent because he wasn't paraded around much by the King. She watched him as he made his way down the line, using his royal greeting to all the women.<br/><br/>When he reached Adriana, she fought a blush. He was much more attractive than she heard, nothing like the fat and pompous lesser royalty that she was used to dealing with. This was all about business. She made eye contact with him as she curtsied. "Lady Audriana Leslie DeMond, Your Highness." The other girls were listening in and gasped as they turned to each other with 'I knew it' and 'I told you so'. Princess Diana seemed to be the only one that wasn't impressed. She kept a delicate smile on her face as she continued to talk to the Prince. "It is a pleasure. I believe that I can speak for all of us when I say thank you for greeting us, My Prince."