Chapter Five: The Coronation
SOLEMN music echoed throughout the palace. As the doors to the audience chamber opened, a group of knights marched into the room in formation, their swords held aloft. Despite their slow gaits, a dignified air enveloped the men as they advanced.
After the knights entered, Reynaldo followed, bedecked in formal attire. His slightly overgrown, golden bangs were brushed back and sparkled in the light. He also wore ornaments that he usually forewent. His black cloak—made from thick fabric—befitted his rank as a duke, and the cuffs of his long sleeves sported intricate embroidery. The young ladies in the vicinity gasped at his beauty, for he looked as if he’d stepped out of a painting.
Finally, Prince Rizel entered alone at the center of the line, his gait relaxed. During today’s coronation, he would become King Rizel. In contrast to Reynaldo, he wore white garments befitting the royal family. His long, red cape was formal attire worn only by the king. His springy hair was straightened, falling down to his shoulders.
My heart leapt. Even as Rosemary, I’d rarely seen such a beautiful sight. Rizel’s clothes were embroidered with golden threads, and each time he took a step, they sparkled in the chandelier’s light. He carried a staff in imitation of our almighty God. This staff—its bell ringing with each step—was only used during major ceremonies in our nation, such as this coronation. The clear, beautiful sound of the bell overlapped with the music flowing from the audience chamber.
Once Prince Rizel entered, a line of ministers came in, moving to the seats prepared for them. While Prince Rizel stood at the front of the audience chamber, Prime Minister Reynaldo and the head cardinal carried the crown over. Unable to touch the crown directly, both wore gloves. The resounding music grew quieter, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.
While the head cardinal offered his prayers, Reynaldo lifted the crown gently in black-gloved hands, pointing it towards Prince Rizel. The prince bent one knee and lowered his head. As he did so, his long, red hair swayed around his shoulders.
“May the Dirésias Kingdom ever prosper,” Reynaldo proclaimed, placing the crown atop the prince’s head.
And thus, King Rizel was born.
My name is Mary Edigma, and despite my low stature, I’d been allowed to participate in this miraculous coronation.
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A little over a month after King Grey’s condemnation, the coronation was carried out urgently. Though the speed of this turnaround surprised me, only citizens of our nation participated in the ceremony. Foreign dignitaries would be invited to a diplomatic event on a different occasion.
Usually, only the king’s relatives and government personnel could attend coronations. Yet, despite my humble background, I’d been let through the doors. Yes, I might’ve been wildly out of place, but ultimately, I attended at the behest of both Reynaldo and Prince Rizel. At first, I recoiled at the grandeur of the event. However, once the ceremony ended, I was glad to have participated.
Relief washed over me when I saw King Rizel’s splendid form. The Dirésias Kingdom will finally be at peace, I thought. Now that Rizel was king, I probably wouldn’t be able to speak with him again. Even so, I still felt grateful to him.
Incidentally, many people at the coronation had shown an interest in me. The daughter of a baron wasn’t worthy of attending such an event after all. Furthermore, Reynaldo favored me with an uncharacteristic smile before the ceremony ended. As a result, several strange rumors spread around me.
“She must have Duke Rose’s favor,” some theorized.
“Or perhaps she’s Lady Rosemary’s illegitimate child,” others postulated.
All that aside, the ceremony hadn’t ended with the coronation. A ball would take place in the evening, which Reynaldo had asked me to attend as well.
Since I’d come to the palace to work as a handmaid, I hadn’t brought any extravagant dresses. Thus, I’d considered declining his invitation, but because Reynaldo had already ordered me a dress for the ball, I had no choice but to attend. Speaking of which, he also gave me a dress for the coronation. How much money had he spent on these two dresses? The very idea frightened me, so I accepted them without saying anything. Still, they must have cost half a year’s worth of taxes from Edigma.
Reynaldo—never one to miss an opportunity—offered to escort me to the ball. However, as one of the organizers, he wouldn’t have any free time. I’d politely declined and, similar to my debutante, asked my brother Stanley to escort me instead.
As someone who worked in the castle, Stanley had been invited to the ball as well. When I asked him to escort me, he seemed dissatisfied but reluctantly agreed. I felt guilty, but he’d told me not to worry about it, as he hadn’t planned to invite anyone he liked.
Um, how am I not supposed to worry?
Since Albert would be on castle guard duty during the ball, he would be busy, too. He was an organizer as well. Not long ago, the subject of the ball came up between us. “Who are you asking to escort you?” he’d inquired. When I’d answered “Stanley,” he’d looked relieved. I couldn’t get his expression out of my head.
Once the coronation ended, the attendees were led into individual rooms where we could change clothes for the ball. Despite my low standing, I was in one as well. Naturally, it was small compared to the others, but considering my status, it was more than enough space.
After changing into a dress woven from fine silk, I looked in the mirror, wondering what to do with my hair. Since the dress was lightly adorned with roses, I considered using a matching ornament.
Reynaldo gave me a dress decorated with roses? No surprises there.
Apart from the dresses, Reynaldo had also gifted me several other accessories. Looking them over, I chose a hair ornament decorated with roses. I chose to overlook how much these numerous presents must have cost. Ignorance was bliss and all that.
I double-checked my makeup while waiting, but with nothing else to do, I gazed out the window. Unlike the other noblewomen, I didn’t have any handmaids, which left me with too much time. Thus, I exited my room. Other guests were killing time in the lounge or garden while the ballroom was being prepared. I looked for Stanley among them. Since he was my chaperone, I needed to pin down his location. Instead of finding Stanley, I ran into Albert in a splendid chivalric uniform.
“Sir Albert,” I greeted. “Are you on patrol?”
“Hello, Mary. I am, indeed. What are you doing?”
“Looking for Stanley.”
I’d settled on calling him Sir Albert rather than Sir McClain. For a while, I addressed him without a title due to Rosemary’s influence, but on reflection, I changed my mind due to his high rank. Conversely, Albert had complained about it, so we compromised. In public, I would call him Sir Albert. In private, I would address him without a title. Reynaldo had made the same request. That embarrassed me. It was like a promise between lovers. Regardless, they’d worn me down.
At the same time, I’d convinced them to call me Lady Mary or just Mary. Much to my displeasure, that still drew odd looks from our surroundings.
Having seen my brother, Albert pointed a short distance away. “Lord Stanley was in the smoking room a little while ago. But more importantly…” He stared at me, having difficulty expressing himself. When his cheeks reddened, I guessed what he wanted to say.
I pulled up the hem of my dress and performed a light curtsy. “Do I look the part of a lovely young noblewoman?”
“Very much so,” Albert responded with a gentle smile.
This was the greatest possible compliment from Albert, who had no gift for empty flattery. Consequently, my cheeks flushed from happiness.
“Your outfit looks splendid on you as well,” I said. “Although the military fatigues you usually wear are wonderful, too.”
“This getup is too constricting for actual duty, though.”
While Albert still wore a sword, his ceremonial uniform had far more decorations than his fatigues. It couldn’t be worn into battle. Rather, it had a refinement and splendor suited for ceremonies.
Furthermore, Albert—the high commander of the chivalric order—would soon have a peerage conferred on him. As such, curious onlookers stared at him. Simply speaking to him subjected me to thorny glares from men and women alike.
“Which do you prefer?” Albert asked shyly. “My ceremonial uniform or my fatigues?”
My eyes widened. Albert never seemed interested in appearances or dress. It was unusual for him to ask.
I studied Albert, recalling what he usually looked like. “To be honest, I prefer your regular fatigues.”
“Me too,” Albert responded with a laugh.
Though Albert looked handsome in his ceremonial uniform, watching him perform his knightly duties filled me with pride. That made him all the more dashing.
“Oh, there’s Lord Stanley now,” Albert said.
Following his gaze, I spotted my brother, who’d left the smoking room and was approaching us.
Albert raised his hand lightly in farewell. “Well then, I’ll see you later.”
He returned to his patrol. A moment later, Stanley took his place. After watching Albert go, he turned back to examine me.
“You’re really something else, aren’t you?” he asked.