Chapter 13 - The Presentation (1/2)

The morning of the presentation to the monarchy I was woken up unwillingly at the crack of dawn.

”Whyyyyy,” I m.o.a.ned tiredly.

My maid urged me up. ”Please get up my lady, there's much to do! You need to be bathed in perfumed oil, have your hair dried and styled, and have your makeup done!”

Great. Dressing me up like a doll. I wasn't a fan of the fashion here. It could be very restrictive, especially the corsets. Which didn't even make sense because the dresses were mostly empire-waist styled.

What was the point of having a corset if you couldn't even see your waist?! I didn't mind empire-waist dresses one bit if I didn't have the corset on underneath. But that morning was different.

I got bath oil in my eyes, was poked and prodded with this world's non-electrical versions of curling wands (I was very curious about the science behind it since this world had no magic), and saw a cage. An actual cage that I was supposed to wear.

”What happened to empire waists?” I asked somewhat desperately.

”Those are fashionable in the country, my lady. Capital fashions are much different.”

Even better. I had never worn something so constricting in my life. How on earth was I supposed to sit in this thing?!

Four hours later, I was all made up and strapped into that horrid contraption and a pastel yellow gown covered in sewn-on roses. I wore no jewelry except the pink diamond earrings that marked the Countess of du Pont since the earldom was founded. My hair was wreathed with small pink and white flowers.

A brief look in the mirror showed that I looked like a spring fairy. No wonder the countess let me borrow her jewelry. It completed the look.

Ribbons, flowers, and jewels seemed excessive all together until you saw the final product. My fake mother was nothing if not masterful.

”You make me proud, Catherine,” she said with an abnormally soft smile. ”Now go out there and dazzle everyone with your beauty.”

Her daughter was nothing more than a prize to be pawned off to the highest bidder and she dared to smile like a real mother would.

I descended the staircase in a huff after that show of false affection.

Percy, who looked very dashing in a blue coat, stood stunned at the bottom of the stairs. ”Catherine, you look like a lady.”

”Of course I look like a lady,” I grumbled. ”Look what they did to me.”

He smiled and offered his arm. ”I will be the envy of everyone at the ball for escorting such a lovely lady.”

His flattery softened me but only slightly.

Percy helped me into the carriage and I sat very awkwardly, as I was squashing the cage. What was this thing made of anyway?!

I was forced to scoot over on top of the cage (ouch) to make room for the countess on the forward facing bench. And just like that, the du Pont family set off for the palace.

It is impossible not to see the palace from within the city. The turrets are so high you can see them poking into the sky from anywhere, even if you can't see anything else.

The palace is on a hill, raised above the rest of the capital, as if to literally let the royals look down on everyone else. How fitting.