CLAIRE's POVI sat down on the chair, just as the woman had instructed me to, although, I was a bit reluctant to have a chat with her. Something about the way she smiled at me seemed so fake and plastic, it was almost eerie In a way.The woman looked like a doll, with her perfect, white porcelain skin, glowing under the warm sun. She crossed her legs, her silky blue gown, swaying with the movements of her legs. Her eyes were fixed on me, like I was a specimen, put out for observation. "Claire, was it? How do you fancy the palace?" She asked with a curt smile.I swallowed to lubricate my dey throat and spoke."It is very pretty," was the only thing I could voice.Her smile grew even more at my words. "Are you happy to be here? Of course, you may be feeling down due to how my daughter, Diana treated you."I blinked at her in surprise. Was she actually concerned about how her own daughter had treated a stranger like me? I felt my heart melt at her kindness, but I still hadn't guard up.

CLAIRE's POV"This is your room Claire," Vera said as she led me through a door. My eyes went wide as I stared at the room in awe and wonderment. I stood in the doorway of my new room in the palace, taking in the opulence before me. The walls were painted a pale pink, and the curtains were a deep shade of purple. The bed was large and ornate, with a fluffy white comforter and piles of pillows. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room.My stepmother, Vera, stood beside me, a satisfied smile on her face. "I hope you like it," she said.I couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. The room was beautiful, but it didn't feel like mine. Everything was too perfect, too pristine. I missed my old room, with its cozy furniture and warm colors. Even though my old room was nothing special, it still felt like home to me.I knew it would take me time to get used to it."It's lovely," I managed to say, forcing a smile.Vera nodded, pleased. "I'll leave you to s

CLAIRE's POVI watched as Vera held the fork in her left hand so professionally and sliced down on the meat with the knife delicately. She did it with so much poise that you could tell she had practiced for this.I swallowed, a bit intimidated. But I had to do it. This would be a way to elevate the current picture Diana and most especially Eliana, were portraying of me, in their head.I held the fork in my left hand, just like Vera had done and stabbed Into the small piece of meat. Although my movements were not as smooth as Vera's, I pushed on.I picked up the knife and proceeded to slice down on the meat, when it slipped out of my hand and fell to the ground. Diana and her sister did not care to hide their amusement.They both burst out laughing simultaneously and my cheeks went hot red with embarrassment. The one chance I had to improve my image had gone to waste and all I had done was make it worse.Sitting in between the both of them made me feel even more uncomfortable than it a

CLAIRE's POVDays had gone by, but those days felt like months. Each day, I spent with Vera, who would forcefully drag me out of my room, because according to her, sitting in my room all day was not a healthy thing to do.She would take me to have tea with her, or try out a new flavour of cakes she had prepared. Vera also took me along with her to play a sports called tennis. She played with one of the maids and all I could do was watch in awe. It was a very fascinating sport and all I could do was sit and watch them play.Today was a weekend and I was holed up in my room as usual. There was nothing for me to do in the palace, so I stayed in bed. The only time I needed to leave was during dinner. The maids always served breakfast and lunch to me, in my room. This was because father was out for work and the whole family needed to eat together.I figured it was some kind of traditional, but I was honestly glad that I did not have to sit with Eliana and Diana all the time. After what she

CLAIRE's POV"The library?" I nodded at Vera. We were seated at the balcony in her room, sharing breakfast together. I had a plate of eggs, bacon, and a crossiant, and beside this was a cup of coffee, the perfect meal to start the day.Vera raised an eyebrow and gave me a questioning look."Why are you so curious on where the library is?"I froze. I could not tell her that I wanted to train my powers. I was going to keep this training a secret no matter what."I, love books and it's a great way to pass time."Vera's eyes gleamed and a grin slowly formed on her lips."Why, you should have said that a long time ago! You see, I love reading to, I can recommend a lot of good books for you!" She grinned.I nodded and took a bite out of my crossiant."Well," she continued. "The library is ok the third floor of the palace, inbetween the art gallery and a storage room. It should not be hard to locate.""Thank you," I said and poked my fork into the bacon, shoving it into my mouth.We continu