Kel fell asleep on the floor that night with both lethal pearls hanging around her neck. Her dreams were terrible, and both her body and mind were in even worse condition when she opened her eyes the next morning.
"Princess," a gentle voice outside the door pulled her out of the nightmarish forest in her dream.
"C-come in," Kel stuttered, squinting at the garish light that streamed through a crack in the curtains.
"Oh my!" the woman who came into the room cried out, seeing Kel's ghastly form leaning against the bed. "Did you spend the night there?!"
Kel nodded. The woman looked to be a few years older than herself, with long brown hair and lively amber eyes. She was strikingly thin, and Kel wondered if the arm extended to help her up would snap under her weight.
Fortunately, the woman's arm supported Kel with surprising ease, and she was soon seated on the bed.
"My name is Lucille," the woman bowed politely. "But you can call me Lucy," she added with a nervous smile.
Lucy's warmth was contagious, and Kel couldn't help but feel her tight chest loosen a bit.
"Nice to meet you, Lucy," she responded hoarsely.
"I'll be your maid during your time here, Princess," the woman beamed, pleased to finally hear Kel speak.
Lucy, along with a small crowd of other maids who stormed in at her signal, had Kel sparkling in just under an hour. Kel did her best to hide her displeasure throughout the bathing process as the women scrubbed her skin nearly off. The familiar routine made her feel as if it was another ordinary day back in Mevani.
Except this time, not even the maids knew her true identity.
"What beautiful hair!" one of the maids exclaimed as she pulled a comb through Kel's golden tangles.
"The mark of a true princess!" another woman chimed in.
"Hush!" Lucy reprimanded sharply, "if the guards outside hear that kind of talk, you'll be in big trouble."
The two woman exchanged nervous looks and obediently quieted down.
"Excuse me," Kel spoke up, unable to contain her curiosity, "why would talking about my hair get you in trouble?"
"Ah." The maid combing her hair stopped and looked to Lucy hesitantly.
ραпdα Йᴏνê|(сòm) "It must not be the same in Western countries, but in the empire, golden hair is associated with the royal bloodline," Lucy explained in a low voice.
"But the emperor-"
"Shhhh!" Lucy cut Kel off, holding a finger to her lips as she glanced toward the door.
"Exactly," the maid holding the comb bent down closer to Kel's ear, "the Dragon Emperor's hair is the furthest color from gold."
"Which has led some to question the legitimacy of his rule," another maid piped in.
The woman were now all clustered tightly around Kel as they whispered excitedly.
"So, in short," Lucy finished, "even mentioning golden hair can be considered treason."
"It seems pretty easy to get in trouble for treason around here," Kel mumbled.
"Let's continue getting you ready!" Lucy smiled clumsily as she changed the subject. The other maids brightened up at her remark, emitting various ohs and ahs as they tugged Kel's hair into the empire's latest style.
"You look incredible, Princess!" The maids all stood back to admire their handiwork with satisfied expressions.
"Thank you," Kel forced her clenched teeth into a smile.
The women had chosen a frilly purple dress for her that laced up in two places on the bodice and pinned her hair into an impossibly intricately braided half-up do. The dress and hair alone were cumbersome enough, but the accessories dangling off her every limb were beyond excessive.
Just who exactly do I have to impress by dressing like this?! Kel shouted in her head.
After they finished commending themselves for a job well done, the maids bowed and gave their farewells, leaving Kel alone in the room. As the last woman closed the door behind her, Kel slumped down in a chair.
"I haven't dressed like this since the last time I attended a ball," she muttered, sliding a shimmering jeweled bracelet off her wrist. She unclipped a couple of the many earrings decorating her ears and sighed as she set them on the table in front of her.
If nothing else, the dress up party had been a nice distraction from her tumultuous thoughts, but everything came rushing back now that she was alone.
Her mind was drawn back to the king's final goodbye as he sent her away.
"No matter where you go, never forget that you are a precious child of Mevani."
Those had been his final words. He'd said them with his arms still wrapped around her and tears rolling down his cheeks—just after telling her he thought of her as a daughter.
Tears of fatherly affection? Ha! More like tears of annoyance at having to give away his best tool.
I need that kind of father like I need this disgustingly poufy dress, Kel huffed, ripping layers of tulle off her skirt.
"I ordered them to dress you in something you'd be comfortable in. I guess it wasn't to your liking after all."
Kel startled to her feet and whipped around to face the Dragon Emperor. She'd been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed him entering the room.
"Y-your highness!" she exclaimed.
The emperor leaned against the doorframe, wearing his usual unreadable smirk.
Kel laced her fingers together in front of her and cleared her throat, trying to ignore the small mountain of tulle on the floor.
"May I ask what brings you here?" she asked.
The emperor's smirk disappeared. "Follow me," he commanded, turning out of the room.
Kel solemnly followed the man through the building. The maids from earlier all gasped and bowed respectfully as they passed by. As they walked past Lucy, Kel stared at her questioningly, hoping she might know where the emperor was taking her. Lucy just shrugged and shook her head before hurrying on her way.
The Dragon Emperor walked silently, leading Kel through elegantly landscaped gardens toward the main palace. Beds of brightly colored flowers were interspersed with large blossoming trees. Soft pink petals from the trees floated through the air, scattering across the walkways.
"Wah!" Kel gaped at the incredible scene. Mevani had very few flowering specimens of trees, and she'd certainly never seen so many in one place.
"This is the best time of year to see them," a bright-sounding voice accompanied by wavy strawberry-blonde hair popped up next to her.
Taken aback, Kel stood quietly, studying the man. He wore the Serin uniform with a long sword hanging off his belt. He stood at least one head taller than Kel and had a large muscular frame.
After observing her careful scrutiny for a few moments, the man chuckled and stepped closer.
"You're even more beautiful than I imagined, Princess," he bowed, grasping her hand and bringing it to his lips.
Kel's cheeks turned red at the sudden gesture. Just who was this man?
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