Abigail introduced herself to the small crowd. She had decided to wear a light pink dress with delicate floral embroidery on the sleeves and neckline. The red roses were vibrant, and the delicate diamond necklace accentuated the embroidery on the dress.  While standing in front of the crowd, she noticed the other nobles gesturing oddly at her dress. She smiled and continued with her speech.  She tried to focus more on Sir James, Alice, and her brother; however, she found it extremely difficult as the whispers increased. She noticed that her brother glared at a few other people, and the laughter slowly ceased. She felt herself blushing, but finally, her speech was over. 

She walked down the stage with Malik's assistance. As he walked her back towards the table, he whispered, “Princess Abigail, please don’t pay attention to any of them.”  She nodded in agreement and blushed, which confirmed that it was no longer her imagination. The audience was mocking her. If Malik noticed, she knew everyone else had become aware of the situation. She felt embarrassed, but reminded her she needed to smile. She should be grateful that the nobles attended, even if they were slightly rude. 

As she took her seat, Alice padded her hand. Her brother smiled at her, and they all turned to the numerous speakers on stage. Several of the children spoke and discussed their drawings and sculptures.  Many of the children thank the royal family for providing additional materials to complete their works of art.

Finally, the silent auction began, and everyone stood up to browse the tables and offer their bets. Princess Abigail walked with her brother to see the different pieces of artwork being auctioned by the orphanage. She stepped away from her brother to get a glass of wine from the refreshment table when a noble lady from Du Barry's house approached her. 

“Good evening, Your Highness,” said Beatrice Du Barry with a curtsy. 

“Hello, Lady Du Barry. Thank you for supporting this wonderful cause,” said Princess Abigail. She noticed that Beatrice was staring at her dress and tried to hide a smirk behind her fan. Abigail felt her heartbeat increase, but she smiled at her since she was still the host of this function.  They continued to speak for several minutes until Abigail decided to approach the topic of dresses.

“Beatrice, I adore your gown. It is such a beautiful shade of blue,” said Abigail honestly. The blue shade complemented Lady Beatrice’s blue eyes perfectly.

In contrast to Abigail’s honesty, Lady Beatrice smirked once again and said, “We all adore your dress. It is very traditional”. 

That was the issue with this dress, Abigail thought after their conversation had ended.  Lady Beatrice and the other nobles were mocking her dress since it was too traditional. Abigail finally realized the difference between Lady Beatrice’s dress and her own. Lady Beatrice’s dress was modernized with a shorter hem length and less volume. None of the women had dresses with the traditional embroidery that had made their kingdom famous. 

She wondered why the fashion had changed so drastically in the kingdom.  Alice and the other maids seemed unaware of the current fashion trends since they had not warned her about them. However,  despite this knowledge, Abigail still saw the beauty of her dress. She saw the delicate stitching of each flower and how the thread rose and subsided into the dress. Merida Jimenez, the woman who had made the dress, had told her the history of the different meanings of each symbol and their origin.  When she visited to make her a dress, her visits would extend into the late afternoon. Everyone enjoyed their conversations with Merida since she made the kingdom's history come alive through her storytelling. Abigail wondered why  Lady Beatrice and the other ladies would forget about their dresses' cultural and historical importance. Abigail asked herself if it was also time to modernize her wardrobe. She decided to speak with Alice and the other maids tomorrow. For now, she would enjoy the festivities since she could not change dresses.

The silent auction ended, and nearly all of the items were sold. The Orphanage Director promised to update the auction results as soon as possible. Finally, it was time for a dance. Young men and women from the orphanage made up of the quartet. It was beautiful to hear their progress. Abigail admired them even more since she could not play any musical instruments. They were outstanding artists, and she saw more than one person admiring their talents. She hoped this would encourage the nobles to hire them. 

Abigail decided to dance with her brother and the orphanage director. Alice danced with Malik, and both siblings seemed to agree that Malik was smitten with Alice. Abigail had met Malik and Alice when they were younger. She smiled since, in her memory, Malik and Alice were always together. She hoped they could continue being together for the rest of their lives. Malik seemed determined to raise his social standing, and Alice was remarkable. If Abigail had to guess, she would attend Alice’s wedding in a few years. 

The dance ended, and every noble gathered in the ballroom began to say goodbye. Princess Abigail and her brother personally thanked each noble in attendance and wished them a pleasant evening. After the last carriage left, the energy in the room changed completely. It became lively and noisy. 

The Orphanage Director began directing everyone in the room. The royal magicians marched into the room, and the quartet started to increase the beat of their music as the younger children danced in the middle of the room. Abigail briefly chatted with the royal magicians and noticed Micheal helping them. 

As soon as he saw her, he placed the heavy box and walked towards her with the head of the royal magicians.  She felt cornered since she needed to maintain her composure in public. Luckily, at the same time that Micheal reached her, her brother and Alice found her. 

The head magician, Carol Dumas, told the siblings and Alice how Micheal assisted them with transporting some of their equipment to the orphanage. 

“If it weren’t for him, we would have never arrived on time. Unfortunately, I wish we could stay a bit longer, but I need to help the other magicians,” said Carol Dumas. 

After they both left, Abigail let out a deep sigh. Her brother noticed her discomfort but decided to ask her at another time. They made their way back to their seats, and after a few minutes, the magic show started.  The young children gathered near the improvised stage while the older children sat in a row of seats. Abigail saw Micheal near the edge of the stage, and he was laughing and smiling. He had a wonderful smile. 

The quartet quieted down, and Carol took center stage. 

“We have an exciting show, boys and girls! The Royal Magicians have magic in their hearts and cannot wait to share it with you,” said Carol enthusiastically. The audience clapped and cheered. The lights were turned off, and the first magician walked center stage. 

Several gold sparkles emerge from the magician’s wand, and rays of light reach the audience with a few twists of his hand. He dared someone to touch the rays of light, and one small brave child approached the ray of light. Suddenly, the rays of light disappeared, and a tiny kitten made of gold jumped into that child's arms. The kitten jumped again and ran across the room to each child. Everyone laughed and smiled. The kitten finally disappeared, and the magician ended his performance by encouraging the children to study magic. 

The next magician was a teenage girl about fifteen years of age with large round glasses. She gathered volunteers from the stage. Several children stood in a row, and their hair changed as she approached each child. The audience was shocked because one girl’s hair turned black to green, and the red-haired boy became quite average with black hair. The children laughed and admired each transformation. The magician ended her act by transforming her hair with strands of different colors that reminded the audience of a colorful rainbow. 

Each magician had a unique talent, and many children requested to learn magic from them.  The girl with the rainbow hair had left the orphanage a few years earlier to study magic. Her schoolmates were amazed to see her and her progress. She hoped that some of the other children also showed an innate talent. 

Finally, as the midnight clock struck, Princess Abigail gave the children various gifts. She had personalized the gifts to include their names and their favorite candies. The children thanked her and took their gifts to show their friends. Before leaving, she informed them they would find a pleasant surprise in the game room tomorrow morning. Princess Abigail had donated books and toys to the orphanage. 

The long night had finally ended, and Abigail, Alice, and Alfonso headed back towards the palace.