Chapter 3: The Royal Engagement
ONCE I finish styling Her Highness’s hair, I’m generally free to enjoy the rest of my day. For the most part, my services are only needed in the mornings and at bedtime, so I typically spend the time in between brainstorming new hairstyles, looking for ornaments to add to my collection, and quietly observing the hairstyles of any nobles who visit the castle to take note of any trends.
That day I was in my quarters, sketching a new hair design, when a servant called upon me and told me that Her Highness was asking for me. Naturally, I headed over to the Princess’s royal bedchamber right away.
There, I found her sitting at the table, drinking tea with her three attendants. This little teatime was by no means cheerful, however. Patricia’s expression was one of abject misery, and her attendants were struggling to console her.
“Your Highness, it’s me, Mayna. You asked for me?”
“Oh, Mayna...” She looked up at me weakly, then heaved a sigh. “It’s been decided that I’m to marry the Prince of Vaxwald.”
“So it’s official, then.”
Although the news had not yet been made known to the public at large, it was a secret far too large to be kept, and the castle had long since been buzzing with excitement at the prospect of marriage between our Patricia and Prince Dario of Vaxwald, the kingdom of dragons. Rumor had it Dario’s recent visit to Myulan was meant to usher things along in that regard as well.
As a mere hairstylist, I was not privy to the details, but I had seen this coming for a while now. As the younger of two children, Patricia would not inherit the throne here; rather, it was her elder brother who stood first in line. Thus, it made perfect sense that she would be used as a pawn to further the friendly relations between our nation and Vaxwald.
“Are congratulations in order? You seem...in low spirits.”
At sixteen and eighteen respectively, Patricia and Dario were quite close in age, and personally, I was inclined to think she could do far worse. Still, perhaps part of her had hoped to marry for love, not political gain. Regardless, as a princess, surely she had been raised to expect this outcome from an early age.
“I mean...he’s a Dragonkin,” Patricia replied, her brows furrowed. “What if he goes on to find his Bondmate after we’re wed?”
I hesitated. “Well...I suppose that is a distinct possibility. I’m not sure how it all works, to be honest.”
“I did ask him about it, and he promised me that if he does find a Bondmate, he won’t give her any special title or preferential treatment. He said it won’t be cause for divorce...but even then, who knows what might happen? Why, perhaps he’ll ditch me in secret to go see her!”
“Yeah... I’m not sure we can really understand what it means for a Dragonkin to have a Bondmate.”
“But it’s not just that... I’m scared to marry into a foreign dynasty. Yes, we speak the same language, but their whole country is nothing but Dragonkin, and their culture is different from ours!”
“Indeed it is...” Hoping to inspire a bit of hope in her about the engagement, I continued in a more cheerful tone, “But at the very least, Prince Dario seems like a good man, doesn’t he? Gregarious and charming and generous... And just think, someday you’ll get to be Queen of Vaxwald! That’s something no commoner could ever dream of! What else... Oh, I know! Surely they’ll let you bring an entourage along with you, right? Your favorite servants, perhaps?”
“No... I’m not allowed,” she replied, pouting her lips. “Once I’m married, all my servants and bodyguards are to be Dragonkin. They don’t want a lot of humans in their castle.”
“Why wouldn’t they let you...?” I muttered under my breath, though a moment later it sank in. Of course they wouldn’t allow it. The people of Vaxwald likely wouldn’t be receptive to a foreign princess who showed up with an entire entourage.
I snuck a glance at Patricia’s attendants. They all hailed from noble families, so chances were low they’d be permitted to leave the country for an indefinite period of time.
“I guess I won’t be styling your hair for the wedding, then,” I sighed. As disappointed as I was, I had no strong desire to run off to Vaxwald, so I was content to let it go.
But Patricia fixed me with a firm look, like a cat zeroing in on a mouse. “Oh, I’m afraid you’re not going anywhere. You’re coming with me to Vaxwald,” she declared.
I froze. “How?”
“As a profession, hairstyling is no more common there than it is here. And since they have no one fit to replace you, they’ve granted me special permission to bring you along.”
“...What?”
“You’ll come with me, won’t you, Mayna?”
Seconds prior, my heart was heavy with loneliness thinking we were destined to part ways. Now I wasn’t sure how to feel at all. Me? Go to Vaxwald?
Obviously I was honored to be chosen to accompany the Princess. Plus, I didn’t mind traveling abroad; I was excited to learn more about other cultures. All in all, it seemed like a rare opportunity best acted upon—an opportunity to hone my craft and acquire new skills.
But for as much as I wanted to agree wholeheartedly, there was one thing holding me back, and his name was Ray Alide.
“Don’t get me wrong, I would dearly love to go with you,” I began hesitantly, “but as you know, there’s someone in Vaxwald I’d really rather avoid—”
“Yes, I know! But you’re just going to have to suck it up!” Patricia snapped. “You have to go with me, Mayna! Otherwise I...I won’t have anyone else to turn to!” Her anger turned to tearful sobs. “I hardly know anything about Prince Dario, and the whole castle’s full of Dragonkin... I don’t know who I can trust! I need someone who’s on my side. Just one person, so I can feel secure. I need you, Mayna, because I know I can trust you!”
I balled my hands into fists. Before me stood a girl of only sixteen, being sent off to a foreign country, away from everything she ever knew, and she was scared. Was I really going to reject her on the basis that some guy who dumped me would be there? No. No way. I couldn’t possibly abandon her.
With my decision made, I looked into her eyes. “Very well. I’ll go with you to Vaxwa—”
“Oh, I just knew you’d see things my way!” Patricia exclaimed with a sunny smile, no trace of tears to be seen. “Thank you, Mayna!”
As she wrapped her arms around me in a big hug, I found myself wondering whether I ought to be proud of the young adult she was becoming...or lament the gullible fool I was becoming.