After we got out of the bath, we were surrounded by servants, just like Miss Maria said we would be. We got full-body massages, and were painted with so much make-up that we couldn’t breathe. Then, we were put into dresses that were stylish in Dal Canto.
“Ooh, that looks great! How do I look?”
In Banfield, dresses with large skirts were the standard, but in Dal Canto, they preferred skirts that dropped straight from the chest to the floor. The lengths were different too — with Banfield dresses barely skimming the floor, while Dal Canto dresses were so long they dragged on the floor. The sleeves were also lengthy, covering to the tips of your fingers.
Another difference was that unlike in Banfield, where they liked corset dresses, women in Dal Canto didn’t like having their waists squeezed. Though there were thick sashes tied under the breasts, the rest of the dress was loose.
“Oh, I always make everything look so good!” Miss Maria twirled her skirt in front of the mirror before posing with a hand on her hip. “But I’m so happy we didn’t get squeezed into corsets! Aren’t you glad, too?”
“You’re right. It squeezes a bit around the chest, but it’s not painful.”
Banfield-style dresses looked good on her, but so did Dal Canto-style ones!
With her shiny pure white dress and willowy frame, Miss Maria looked like a fairy from a fairytale. Her long black hair was done up with pearl ornaments, and both the jewels sewn into her dress and the necklace-like sash ornament sparkled as she moved. She was beautiful.
“But really...” She glanced over at me, before snorting unhappily. “It bugs me how much they’re emphasizing some things!”
I looked much better than usual next to the fairy-like Miss Maria. It was the first time I’d ever worn such a gorgeous dress, so I was really nervous!
I was in a light purple silken dress. Even though there was a lot of fabric used, the style made it look slimmer. It was accented with a violet sash embroidered with silver thread. It was beautiful. But it was embarrassing how open the chest was... I wished I had a shawl.
While I tried to pull the fabric up around my shoulders to hide them, the door opened, and in walked some servants different from the ones who had helped us prepare. “Sacred Maiden, if you are ready, please come to the audience room. His Majesty awaits you.”
“Okaaaay. This is such a pain.” Miss Maria responded with such an obviously unhappy voice, causing the servant to scowl. Since they usually only took care of nobles, they must have been bothered by her freewheeling nature.
“Let’s get this over with. Right, Lucia?”
“Yes, His Highness and the others must be waiting.”
“Please hurry up,” one of the servants gave us a curt order.
Miss Maria loudly whispered a complaint into my ear as we walked. The servant definitely heard that. Watch out, Miss Maria!
✦ ✦ ✦
“You’ve done well to make it here. I am the King of Dal Canto, Herbert Gualtiero Dal Canto. These are my daughters Bernardina and Cecilia, and my queen Elana. In her arms is our Crown Prince, Ildebrando.”
The King of Dal Canto was younger than the King of Banfield. While His Majesty didn’t even bother to hide his fatigue, the King of Dal Canto greeted Miss Maria and His Highness with a lively smile.
“It’s been a while, Prince Edoardo. I’m glad to see you in good health. How was your journey?”
“Thank you for your concern,” His Highness replied. “The Knights of Banfield are excellent, so I haven’t been fed to the monsters yet.”
“Hahahaha! That’s great. I see that Commander Agliardi is with you. That’s a relief!”
As the two began chatting, I remembered that there had been rumors of His Highness being betrothed to the first princess of Dal Canto, before Miss Maria was summoned. They had faded away after that, but I wondered what really happened. If Miss Maria was going to be wed to the prince after our journey, how had things with Dal Canto ended up?
I glanced towards the princesses standing by the King and Queen’s side. One wore a light mint green dress, while the other wore a lovely pink dress.
“Prince Edoardo...” The princess in mint green who stood beside the Queen called out His Highness’s name.
“Princess Bernardina. I’m glad to see you’re well.”
She had been looking at Prince Edoardo, but when he responded, she suddenly faced downwards. She must be the first princess. She looked to be the same age as Miss Maria and I. Her dark skin, a characteristic of the people of Dal Canto, blushed red as she played with her golden sash.
“Um... I’m glad to see you once again,” she mumbled.
“I apologize for coming so suddenly. Please allow us to stay for a spell.”
“Um, er... Yes, of course. Please make yourself at home.”
While Princess Bernardina answered him quietly, Princess Cecilia, who had been watching us quietly, opened her mouth.
“Father, I’ve decided.” Her azure eyes sparkled as she excitedly continued, “I’ve found my soulmate! I’m going to marry into Banfield, too!”
Her dreamy eyes were focused on... Sir Celes!
What!?