I hear a sharp knock on the door. “Ma’am, I have your breakfast, may I come in?”

I throw my journal into my desk, slamming the drawer shut before responding. “Yeah, you can come in,” I shout over my shoulder. 

“You know, Your Highness, you really should come downstairs and join your family for meals every now and then,” Neri says with a chiding smile, setting the polished silver tray down on the table next to the door. 

“I’ll think about it,” I say, playing with the pen on my desk. 

“Well, Princess, I’m sure that they would be happy to see you,” she says, hesitating by the door to see if I’ll come out. I don’t. She sighs. “Enjoy your breakfast, Princess Litaan,” she says, stepping out. 

“Thank you,” I say, waiting until she’s left to head to the door and pick up my breakfast tray. I set it down on my desk and am about to sit down and eat when I catch my reflection in the corner of my eye. 

I turn and face the mirror, flinching at my appearance. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open my eyes, I can see my hair shortening and my dress morphing into a loose-fitting shirt with a pale blue capelet paired with gray pants and pale gray tightly-laced boots. I stand in front of the mirror, trying to ignore the fact that this is just a costume. Not who I am. Just a child playing dress-up. 

I hear another knock at the door and I quickly let the illusion fade. Back to me. Princess Litaan. Right. 

“Come in!” I shout. 

The door glides open, revealing my sister. 

“Lili, come on! The dressmaker just got here!” 

“I’ll be down in a moment,” I say, pasting a pleasant smile onto my face. 

“Be quick!” My sister skips back down the hall. 

I brush my hair back and track down a pair of shoes before heading to the door, breakfast forgotten. I’ll be in trouble if I don’t get there on time. 

Before I leave, I glance back at the mirror one last time and ignore the pain I feel when I see it. When I look in the mirror, I see a princess. If that’s what I’m meant to be, why does it hurt so much?