~.✧ Austora ✧.~ [COMPLETE]

~.✧ eleven ✧.~

The meeting with Queen Mirellia and Prince Varien was successfully pushed up to the next day at noon. The plan was to host a lunch and dinner meal for them and then meet to discuss in between. They'd stay the night in the palace and leave the next morning.

Mid morning when I woke up after a fitful and uneasy night, this meeting was the last thing in Austora I wanted to get up and attend. But I knew it was required. So after laying under my quilts for a few extra minutes, I forced my legs over the side of my bed and toward the bathroom to begin getting ready.

When I emerged from the bathroom after another bath since I'd broken into a cold sweat overnight, I discovered a plate of breakfast had been sent up. Though I was fairly hungry, my appetite was virtually nonexistent this morning because of the unease rolling in my stomach. So despite it being one of my favorite meals—eggs benedict, seasonal fruit salad, and sourdough toast—I kept it under its metal hood for later.

Despite wishing I could get ready on my own, Mother summoned Gentry for me. Even when she was upset, she upheld every queenly manner within her; despite the situation, she was still going to make sure I looked my best for the foreign visit.

Gentry was of course cordial and quiet as she helped me get ready, not saying anything more than a question here and there. I didn't say much either, which was normal. But I found my mind wandering far more than usual, which attributed to most of my silence today.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I noticed Gentry staring at me in the mirror. I swallowed, realizing she must have asked me something. "Pardon me?"

Gentry cleared her throat and repeated herself. "Would you like to keep your hair looser today? I know stress can cause headaches and I wouldn't want to make it worse..."

I blinked a few times, surprised by her courtesy. I wasn't sure why; she'd generally always been cordial to me. But today, it felt like she was even more so. "Yes, please. Thank you."

She nodded swiftly and quickly got to work putting up my hair.

It only took her about ten minutes, but by the time she was done, my hair looked simply elegant, exactly like it should be, yet it was one of the most comfortable hairstyles I'd been dressed in recently. The bottom half was left down, my natural wave coming out. The top half was gently braided from both temples down and then looped into a loose bun that she pinned in place with some bejeweled hair fasteners.

"Would you like to finish dressing?" she asked casually as I continued to look at my hair in the mirror. While we'd already cinched up my corset and slipped on my underskirts, I still needed to put my dress on and touch up with some jewelry.

I nodded, wishing I could further express my thanks for how considerately she'd chosen my hair style, but unsure how.

The dress that my mother had chosen for me was very intricate. The top layer was a light blue with draped skirting down the back. In the front in a layer underneath, it was peach, made of a coarser material. The bodice was adorned with small embroidered flowers and white frill lining on the seams and the ends of the sleeves. It wasn't my favorite dress I'd ever worn, but I had to admit that the detail and precision put into it screamed royalty and would most likely impress the Queen of Ethira. Mother always had the perfect eye when it came to preparing for good impressions.