The Lady Justice

Chapter LII: I Leave, I Leave Not

Lady Therese De Beauharnais, Duchess of Roche

25 December, Year 1 of King Nicholas IV of Monrique's reign

Bordeux Cathedral, Bordeux

Monrique

Her mother's grip, her father's eyes. A girl of my own heart.

I am standing on the dais of the church, with a very recently acquitted Kat and a fully recovered Lisa on my right, dressed in identical dark red gowns. On my left stand Nick, my cousin Max, Lord Testalt and Evoric, who are dressed in deep blue suits for the occasion.

Red and blue, the royal colours of Monrique.

Jules and Nick have requested all six of us to be godparents for their daughter, who is deeply asleep in my arms at the moment. Her impossibly tiny hand rests on one of my fingers with a rather firm grip for a newborn. Her eyes flutter, her long lashes sweeping her pale cheeks as they do so, and the corner of her small, rosebud lips quirk up in a smile every now and then.

Whatever she is dreaming about, I hope it is filled with lots of colour and happiness.

The priest is reading out a passage from the Bible, but my mind has long begun to wander. I know Jules would have paid close attention to him if she was here, but unfortunately, she is not allowed to come to her own daughter's christening until she has been churched.

Poor woman. The rest of her family – even Prince Richard, who has only recently recovered from his injuries in the Longbournian Nations – is here.

The birth had greatly weakened her, as she had lost a lot of blood over those two days of labour. All of us were extremely afraid that she might succumb to any illnesses post-birth, but thankfully, our fears have all been confounded and she is recovering rapidly. She was even well enough to accompany Nick to his coronation a few days ago, where King Frederick and Queen Eleanor stepped down, and crowned them both in front of the Crown Council, nobility and the common folk.

Now that the petition has been successfully passed by the Court of the Lady Justice, Nick and Jules' daughter has been sworn in as the legal heiress to the throne of Monrique. She is now Crown Princess – and her father is King Nicholas IV of Monrique.

But the battle is far from over.

I am not naive. I know that we only managed to have the petition written into law through sheer coercion and blackmail, and not because the Council gained any true understanding of the equality of the sexes. Half of the Crown Council still does not recognise the need for equal inheritance rights, and is thus disgruntled. Most of the country is still in surprise over the ruling to do much about it.

With time, however, the naysayers will give Nick trouble. My baby niece will have to fight for the rest of her life to retain her birth right, and those of her fellow peers.

And she will learn to fight, this sweet child. Her parents will teach her, and so will I.

The elderly priest reaches towards me now, and I shake myself out of my thoughts. Nick and I step closer to him, and he gently proceeds to anoint the baby's forehead with holy water.

"By the authority invested in me by God and the Church, I hereby baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," he murmurs, "amen."

He then bides us to face the congregation.

"Dear Princess," he booms, "today we officially welcome you, and wish you a lifetime of happiness and success. We pray that you grow into a wonderful woman, full of integrity, wisdom and kindness. We will guide you, as you make mistakes and become better for them. We will stand by you, as you learn to love the world around you, and be loved in return. We hope that you will continue give your parents and the people of this realm great joy. May the Lord bless you and watch over you in all your endeavours."