I changed into my new dress that Lady Aurelia had helped design. The dress was cut as low as possible while still being tasteful, and the fabric hugged my body closely down to my hips. On the bottom, the skirt flared out and revealed layers of light blue fabric. Madame Crejours had visited many times to revise the design again and again until it was perfect.
I was wearing a bracelet of Mother’s along with a pair of diamond earrings and a diamond necklace that Father gave me. My hair was pinned up, and I was wearing makeup as well.
“You look beautiful, Lady Merellis,” Anna murmured with a sigh when she saw my finished look. I had learned the transformative powers of clothing and makeup from Nana—and was even impressed myself when I saw what wonders that magic could do as I looked into the mirror.
There was a knock on the door, and Enarene entered the room. “Excuse me, my lady. Lord Louis is here.”
“All right. I’ll be right there.” I stood up slowly, not yet accustomed to the weighty dress. It felt like it was growing heavier with every step I took. Enarene showed me to the parlor, where Louis sat on the sofa waiting for me. He was also dressed in formal clothes with his hair slicked back.
He heard the door open and naturally turned his gaze toward me. For a moment, he just sat there with his mouth hanging open.
“D-do I not look good?” I suddenly felt very anxious. I was certain it had to look fine since Lady Aurelia designed it, but whether or not I looked good in it was up for debate.
The longer his pause dragged on, the more anxious I felt.
“You look beautiful,” he finally said, frankly, easing my anxiety.
“What…?” At first I didn’t grasp what he said, and it was my turn to stare at him.
“You look very, very beautiful.” He rose and took my hand. My cheeks flushed when I felt the warmth of his fingers against mine.
“Th-thank you…”
He lifted my hand in his as if I were a princess. “May I have the honor of being your escort?”
“Yes, of course.” I linked my arm through his. “It would be my pleasure, Lord Louis.”
And so the two of us left the Anderson manor in our carriage. Today I was to debut in high society. The carriage was taking us to the palace.
“I’m so nervous.”
“Don’t worry, Merry. There’s nothing for you to worry about. After all, my mother gave you a passing grade, right?”
“Still, Louis, I have to exceed everyone else’s expectations too. And if I don’t, then I’ll disgrace Lady Aurelia since she was my teacher.”
“This is your first battle in high society,” Louis murmured. “Of course you’re scared and anxious. But you need those things, right? Because feeling that way allows you to act more carefully.”
He was right. It sounded like a pep talk someone would give to soldiers before their first battle. However, it made perfect sense to me so I could accept it.
“Plus, it would take more than this to destroy you. You’ve worked so hard, and you have the courage to show off what you’ve learned. And, if it doesn’t go smoothly for some reason…”
“Yes?”
“Well, I’ll be there to back you up.”
I laughed. “Ha ha, that’s right.” I leaned my head on his shoulder. “You’re my future husband. I’m sorry if I’m complaining, but I’m fine. I’ll be fine as long as I have you. There’s nothing to fear when we’re together.”
“That’s right, Merry.” He gave me a proud look with a confident smile on his face.
Before long, we arrived at the palace. “After you, Merry.” He took my hand and helped me out of the carriage. He then slipped an arm around my waist to escort me. At events like this, a couple had to walk in perfect step together, but for me, this was easy. I trusted him so deeply.
There were other couples waiting in the hallway who were making their debut tonight as well. We got in line and waited for our audience with the queen.
Finally, it was our turn, and we entered the throne room. Louis slowly escorted me over to the throne. In this kingdom, there was no greater honor for the children of nobles than to have an audience with the queen.
Men would generally go by themselves, but women needed an escort. Most of the time it would be someone from her family, but if she was already engaged, then her fiancé would do it. That was why Louis was my escort today.
The throne room was made for the highest-ranking person in the entire kingdom—the queen. It was a lavish, gorgeous place. Polished marble columns with gold accents lined the room. There was a deep red carpet atop the marble floor that ran down the middle of the room, leading all the way up to the throne. Since we were walking on the carpet, I couldn’t look into the polished marble and use it as a mirror no matter how much I wanted to.
I wished I could look all around at the beautiful scenery, but I had to keep my head facing forward as we walked toward the throne. Finally, we arrived before it and stopped. I felt my entire body tense up as I curtsied.
“Lift your face,” the queen said, and I obeyed.
She was a middle-aged woman with an intimidating aura befitting a monarch. She wore a delicate, beautiful crown on her head that was reportedly made just for her.
“The oldest daughter of Marquis Anderson, Lady Merellis Reiser Anderson,” the attendant beside the queen announced me.
“You may talk to me directly.”
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”
“Merellis Reiser Anderson. At last, we finally meet.”
“I am terribly sorry about missing our previous engagement—the tea party. I am extremely happy to be here today, Your Majesty.”
I felt like the queen was staring quite intently at me. I wondered if she was sizing me up or if there was some other meaning behind it. Either way, if one wasn’t prepared for a situation like this, it would be easy to shrink under such an intimidating gaze.
“That’s quite a lovely dress.”
She suddenly changed the subject, and I tried hard not to let my confusion show on my face. I wasn’t sure if I should take those words at face value, or…
“Thank you. My fiancé’s mother, Lady Aurelia, designed it for me. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled when she hears that Your Majesty complimented it.”
“All I did was tell the truth. It really does look wonderful on you. And my, Louis, don’t you look proud?”
Did the queen usually spend this much time on each couple at a social debut…? I couldn’t help but wonder.
“Yes, Your Majesty. If you’ll allow me to be blunt, I’m just beside myself worrying that some other man will try to take my beloved fiancée away from me!”
I felt my cheeks flush when he used those words to describe me in front of royalty.
“Goodness, you two must be very close! I can tell that Merellis feels the same about you, just by looking at her.” The queen giggled, seeing the expression on my face.
“I do… I love him very deeply, Your Majesty. That is why I shall work very hard to become worthy of him.”
“Worthy…? Actually, I feel like I can become a more worthy man with Merellis by my side.”
Now the queen was openly laughing with amusement. “I was right—you two are very close! What a wonderful sight I’m seeing tonight. Merellis, I wish you the very best.”
We both bowed our heads deeply in response. We then said our farewells and excused ourselves from the throne room.