Emmelyn changed into a really nice dress, provided by the maids. They helped her get ready, combed her hair, and styled her appearance. 

She noticed dresses in Summeria was loose at the bottom and tightly fitting at the top. The neckline was lower than in Draec and the sleeves were short.

She actually liked the style a lot because it felt more airy and light, especially now in summer. Her hair was let down to her back and the maids gave her several hairpins with jewelry that made her look simple but elegant.

She really liked her appearance today. The only thing that bothered her was the dark circle under her eyes that she couldn't seem to remove.

"You can try to put tea wrapped in a cloth on these dark circles under your eyes for a half-hour every day, Your Grace," said one of the maids politely. "We soaked tea in a cloth bag in some potion and usually the dark circle will be gone in a few days."

"Oh.. that sounds nice," Emmelyn nodded. She thought her dark circles must be so obvious for the maids to give such comments. "I will be grateful if you could give me that tomorrow."

"Definitely," the maid replied with a smile. They liked this noblewoman that came with their king. She was polite and sweet, never once looked down on them, unlike the king's older sisters. They were wicked and arrogant.

The maids were all happy when the princesses got married one by one and left the palace. Now, they lived with their respective husbands away from Castilse.

King Loriel didn't have a good relationship with either of them and he made sure they didn't come close to where he was.  He was bullied a lot by his older sisters when he was little and saying he hated them was an understatement.

The king needed a wife, the maids all thought in unison.  He had been on the throne for slightly over one year. He was young, but many people were keeping close attention to his personal life.

They all wanted to see if he would get a wife from one of the noblewomen in the capital or princesses from the lesser kingdoms around Summeria.

Now that the king returned home from a trip with a woman, the maids were wondering if this woman was the one for him.

Would the king marry Lady Emmelyn Rosehill?

If so, they were supportive of the idea. They could see she was a kind woman. To know someone's character, you just have to see how they treated people who were beneath them in status.

This woman was obviously very polite and sweet to them. So, they liked her already.

Their king was one grumpy man. If he had a sweet wife by his side, perhaps, he would be happier and stopped being so grumpy.

Ahh..  the maids could only hope.

"You look stunning, Your Grace," said the oldest maid to Emmelyn. She gave her a hand mirror so she could see her reflection better. 

Emmelyn gasped when she held the mirror and checked her appearance more closely. She did look stunning. She didn't remember when was the last time she looked this beautiful.

Maybe on her wedding day?

She touched the mirror and let out a sigh. Then, she turned to them and smiled. "Thank you for such a great job. I never look this beautiful in my life."

"Ahaha.. my lady, you are too humble. We didn't do anything. Your beauty shines on its own." The older maid chuckled.  "We only combed your hair and help you wear the dress and jewelry. We didn't do anything."

"Well, clothes make the man. So, you did a good job with dressing me," Emmelyn gave the mirror back. "Thank you."

"You're  welcome, my lady."

KNOCK KNOCK

Not long after, there were knocks on the door and Horatio's voice rang from outside.

"My lady, are you ready? I will take you to the queen mother's private residence."

"Yes, I am ready, Horatio..." Emmelyn rose from her seat and got to the door. The maids opened the door for her and followed Emmelyn after she stepped out of the chamber.

"Follow me, my lady," said Horatio politely while showing Emmelyn the way.

"Where is Kira?" Emmelyn looked around and didn't see the pirate princess.

"I'm here," Kira replied immediately. She stepped out of her chamber and stood by the doorway. Her face looked worried. "I  don't think I will go. You can go ahead."

"Huh? Why not?" Emmelyn furrowed her brows. "Maxim also invited you to come, not just me."

"I know, but..." Kira bit her lip, and then looked away. "I don't want to embarrass myself in front of a queen."

"What do you mean by 'embarassing yourself'?" Emmelyn walked closer and touched Kira's arm. "Tell me."

Kira swallowed and pursed her lips. "I don't understand royal manners, okay? I don't understand how to curtsey, how to talk like educated people, unlike you guys... I will just be making a fool out of myself later. I have done enough of that when we met Lord Edgar earlier today."

"Oh..." Emmelyn looked at Kira sympathetically and realized she was right.

Emmelyn didn't know what kind of person Maxim's mother was... if she was kind and understanding like Queen Elara, or if she was stiff and arrogant like most noblewomen Emmelyn knew.

If she was the latter, then she might judge Kira and make her feel like she didn't belong. Emmelyn didn't want Kira to be shamed just because she was not educated like those royalties or noblewomen.

"I understand," Emmelyn smiled. She patted Kira's arm and nodded understandingly. "Very well, I will go to have lunch with the queen mother. What will you do while I'm gone?"

"I will just have lunch on my own. The maids will take care of me," Kira replied. "You go ahead. Good luck with his mother."

"Thank you." Emmelyn wiped her forehead. Yeah.. she thought she needed luck. What if Maxim's mother didn't like her? What if she was an arrogant woman? Emmelyn couldn't stand arrogant people the most. She told Kira, "See you later after lunch. Let's go to Archelius Library together."

"Yes, sure." Kira nodded with a smile. She no longer looked worried.

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I'm having extra time today. So, I am writing the next chapter. I think you can expect that in one hour. ^^

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