Catriona straightened and stepped back with a disapproving frown. Her tone shifted. “If you don’t mind a suggestion, princess.”
I gave her a gentle glare.
“Paige,” she corrected. “You’ll need to carry yourself differently now. People will see you as royalty, whether you feel like it or not.”
Was she reading my mind or what? Did it matter? She wasn’t wrong.
“Okay,” I said, wondering specifically what she was talking about.
“If you’d… if–”
“Spit it out,” I said on a laugh. “Do I have a boogie or something?”
She frowned, clearly not knowing what that was. Didn’t Insurians get them? God, if they didn’t, I was going to feel even more out of place.
“Roll your shoulders back.”
I blinked and did as she requested. “That is what you find wrong with me?”
She laughed. “There is nothing wrong with you. But making that small change makes you taller and more… queenly.”
If only that was all it really took.
“And it makes your breasts look spectacular in that dress,” Sorcha added with a grin.
“While you want me to own it, I feel like I’m in a costume,” I admitted. “This outfit on Earth is only seen in fairy tales.”
And I definitely wasn’t in one of those.
This wasn’t me. I curled my toes inside the soft slippers and wished I had my clunky, white leather tennis shoes back. At least in them, if I had to kick someone in the shins, I knew it wouldn’t hurt me. If I tried to kick someone in these, I’d probably break a few toes.
“Then wear it well,” Catriona replied. Her tone wasn’t harsh, but it wasn’t soft, either. “It matters more than you realize. Our family risks much, supporting you.”
Oh, well, if that ominous tone and wording didn’t add unwanted pressure.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
“Catriona, no. We are not talking about politics and war right now.” Sorcha lifted her skirt and fluffed it a bit, admiring herself in the long mirror. “Let’s talk about something else.”
It was as if she could just… fluff her skirt and her problems could be forgotten. Or at least pushed aside. It was clear to me, staring at my own reflection, that good hair products and clothes weren’t going to make any of my thrust-upon-me problems go away. Maybe I was supposed to roll my shoulders back because more issues were going to fall right on them.
“What, instead, do you wish to discuss, sister?” Catriona’s frown deepened, but at least Addan’s super-serious sister wasn’t directing her anger at me.
Sorcha bounced a little on her heels, clapping her hands together. “So, tell us about men on Earth. What are they like?”
“What?” I turned, startled.
“You want to talk about aliens?” Catriona asked, looking appalled.
I bit my lip at how they thought Earth guys were aliens. To them, they were. Since I’d never really had any success dating any of them, maybe they had been for me, too.
“Aren’t you curious?” Sorcha asked her sister, who looked sheepish and actually blushed. “See?!”
Sorcha laughed. “Come on! It’s just us girls, Paige. Tell me—what are Earth men like? Are they tall? Muscled? Handsome? Romantic?”
Romantic? I snorted, then shrugged my rolled back shoulders. “Some, sure. But most? Not so much.”
Sorcha tilted her head, a curious look crossing her face. “What do you do when you find one you like? Do you… claim one for yourself like we do here?”
