Reincarnated as the Villainess... Yeah, I'm Doomed

Chapter Thirty: Rose Ceremony

It was finally the day of the festival and I was a nervous I about shit myself.  

"Lady Callista, are you ready?" Lady Atlee asked from behind my door. 

"Ready, I'm ready!" I shouted, running to gather my things. Yesterday, Serge had gifted me one of traditional outfits used for the sword dance by his people. Apparently, Prince Louis had visited many shops to design and tailor the outfit himself, making sure that it properly followed my country's dress norms. Sarchia's dress, like it's society was very relaxed, and the original sword dancing outfit showed a lot of skin. While this outfit that Prince Louis gave me could be considered a bit promiscuous, it was nothing compared to the short skirt on our school uniform. I still didn't get how everyone thought that the uniform was perfectly normal. 

Prince Louis was unable to see me himself because he was busy preparing for the tournament that would take place around noon. I was disappointed that I couldn't thank him personally, even though the guy could be troublesome, he was still very thoughtful. Of course, Serege said that it was nothing compared to what I did for them two years ago, but I still felt as if I was in their debt. 

"Lady Callista, do you need help?" Lady Atlee called after a crash sounded in my room. While attempting to carry the box containing my swords, another with make up, and a third with my outfit, I had accidentally knocked over the coat stand. 

Once Lady Atlee came to assist me, she scolded me for trying to carry all of this myself, saying that I should have called for one of the maids. I tried to explain to her that I had everything under control, but the fact that I was barely able to stand when she came in was not very convincing. 

Lady Atlee called for a maid to assist us, explaining that if her hands were full she would be unable to fully protect me. Everyone was on guard today, worried that the person targeting me would be anxious to strike before the performance. If they planned to ruin me, then my performance would definitely make things harder for them. My doing well on stage today would not only prove that the rumors were false, but it would also boost my reputation among the people of this kingdom. So, it would make sense that my attacker would attempt to carry out some last stitch effort to keep me from performing on stage. 

Last night, I received letters from my brother, Charles, Prince Philip, and Ryland that all basically had the same message. They were all begging me to stay out of trouble, each giving a long list of "what not to do". I couldn't tell if I felt betrayed or was amused by the lack of faith they all had in me, but I did find the repetitiveness a little concerning. Even if I did tend to lean on the idiotic side when it came to my own safety, there was no way I was going to risk my ability to perform on stage. So, instead of sneaking into the festival's crowd like I was tempted to do, I decided to head straight to the arena where the magical combat tournament was to be held. 

My parents were waiting to great me in one of the private boxes reserved for high ranking nobility. I had received word of their arrival on my way to the arena, and in my excitement, I ran to great them. While I was a pretty independent child, I still missed my parents when they weren't here and looked forward to receiving their letters. 

When I entered the box, I flew into my father's arms, hugging him tightly. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around me and patting my head affectionally. Over the past years,  the two of us had become much closer, and it turned out that the charismatic and composed Duke was actually a doting softie. 

"It is good to see you my child, now let me take a look at you," He said, and was about to release me when I tightened my grip. Seeing him and my mother made me feel sorry all over again, causing tears to well up in my eyes. During the past weeks, both my father and mother had sent letters telling me not to worry and that they did not believe any of the rumors. They even wrote that they were proud to have me as a daughter, and in attempts to cheer me up, my mother even said that she couldn't wait to see me "kick ass" during my performance. What made it even more hilarious was her apology for using such rude words ad the bottom of the letter.