4. The Princess Consort’s Crown

Blair hesitated before opening her mouth.

But the chief chamberlain’s booming voice rang out immediately after, swallowing her question whole.

“His Majesty the King is entering!”

Everyone gathered in the hall turned as one.

The heavy doors swung open, and King Rubens and Queen Rhea walked in side by side. Prince Kalintz followed behind them, stepping down the central aisle without a single crack in his composure.

“No matter how many times I see him, he really does have an almost saintly face.”

Selina murmured in quiet admiration.

“Lucky you, Blair. I don’t think I’d ever get tired of looking at that face.”

“Yes, well……”

Blair gave a vague, noncommittal answer while stealing a sideways glance at Kalintz.

He really was flawless. Not a single thing out of place, not a single thing overdone.

His neatly swept hair made his clean, well-proportioned features stand out even more, and his white formal uniform fit his firm, balanced frame perfectly.

On top of that, there was something unusually fresh about his expression today, and nearly every woman in the room was watching him with flushed cheeks.

Then he turned his head, just briefly.

Blair had been staring at him in a daze, and the sudden eye contact startled her into widening her eyes slightly. A small smile crossed the corner of his lips.

Those who caught that smile stirred again, turning to look at Blair.

Can he please stop doing that.

Blair pushed the thought aside and stared straight ahead, telling herself there were quite a few things she and he would need to come to an agreement on going forward.

Before long, the King, the Queen, and Kalintz all took their seats on the dais. A court count with streaks of grey in his hair then began reciting, at length, the long traditions of frons and the history of the princess consort selection.

It feels just like the day I was first chosen for frons and brought into the palace.

The same place, the same people, the same droning speech. Everything resembled that day.

The one thing that was different was Kalintz’s gaze, fixed on her as though it could bore a hole right through her. There was no longer any trace of indifference in his eyes.

She had been drifting in that reverie for some time when the court count suddenly raised his voice.

“Will the frons ladies please come forward to the dais.”

The chief chamberlain appeared carrying something. It was a gleaming crown resting on a cushion of fine velvet.

“That must be the princess consort’s crown. Goodness, the craftsmanship is extraordinary.”

Selina, a lover of jewels, could not tear her eyes from the crown even as she made her way up to the dais. Tilda, too, gazed at it with undisguised wonder.

The crown, adorned with golden leaf motifs and set with green gemstones, looked truly beautiful to Blair’s eyes as well.

Once all the frons ladies had lined up on the dais, the King, the Queen, and even Kalintz rose from their seats.

“His Highness the Prince will personally place the crown upon the one who is to become his princess consort.”

Following the court count’s guidance, Kalintz descended to the middle platform where the frons ladies stood.

Thud. Thud.

His footsteps drew closer and closer.

With her head bowed, Blair could see nothing but the red carpet, until the toe of his shoe entered her field of vision.

“Blair Mervish.”

His calm voice fell quietly from above.

Blair lifted her head slightly.

A pair of golden eyes, softer than usual, looked down at her. Under that gaze, Blair swallowed without meaning to.

He leaned in close and whispered low against her ear.

“There’s no backing out now.”

Whether it was the tension, or the warmth of his breath coming near without warning, her heart began to pound again.

The golden crown was gently lowered onto her head.

“I present Blair Mervish as my princess consort.”

The moment Kalintz finished speaking, applause broke out from every direction.

“Congratulations, Blair.”

“You won’t pretend you don’t know me later, will you?”

Tilda and Selina offered their heartfelt congratulations. Blair was responding with an awkward smile when King Rubens and Queen Rhea approached.

“I look forward to what lies ahead.”

“The crown suits you beautifully, Blair.”

“……Thank you. Your Majesty, Your Highness.”

The King spoke with a blunt but warm look, and the Queen offered her affectionate praise. Blair suppressed her embarrassment, bowed her head, and paid her respects.

When she raised her head again, a smooth hand was extended before her. Blair looked up at its owner with a puzzled expression.

“You should be standing beside me now.”

Kalintz spoke with a look that said, what are you waiting for, go on and take it.

Trying not to let her nerves show, Blair slowly placed her hand in his. He drew her fingertips toward him and pressed a light kiss to the back of her hand.

“!”

Blair flinched in surprise. But Kalintz looked straight at her and offered a faint smile.

She knew perfectly well it was nothing more than a gesture of etiquette, yet the tips of her fingers beneath her glove kept tingling with a warmth she could not shake.

Blair took her place beside Kalintz, and Queen Rhea moved toward Selina and Tilda.

“Selina, Tilda. Having the chance to share this bond with you has been a joy beyond measure.”

The Queen addressed them with a gentle smile, and both frons ladies responded with expressions of deep gratitude.

“Now then, Selina, I heard you’ll be heading to your townhouse in the capital.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I plan to stay in the capital for the time being, as I intend to attend the upcoming Founding Festival as well.”

Queen Rhea nodded and turned her gaze to Tilda.

“And you, Tilda? Do you have the same plan?”

At the question, Blair perked up and fixed her attention on Tilda as well. The curiosity that had been quietly nagging at her since yesterday lifted its head once more.

“No, Your Highness. As it happens, there is something I would like to ask of you.”

“Of me?”

A flicker of puzzlement passed through Queen Rhea’s grey-blue eyes.

“Yes. Please allow me to……”

Tilda paused and looked at Blair. A faint smile rested at the corner of her lips, giving nothing of her intentions away.

“Please allow me to serve as Lady Blair’s maid, Your Highness.”

“A, a maid?”

Blair was so startled she stumbled over the words before she could stop herself. She was not the only one.

“Tilda, are you serious?”

Selina, too, clearly had not seen this coming. She asked again with wide, round eyes.

“Yes. I had been thinking about it for some time. If Blair were to wear that crown, I wanted to stay by her side and be of help.”

Tilda said it with a slightly sheepish smile.

“But, Tilda…!”

Blair could not find the words to follow.

Of course, the moment she became princess consort, she was no longer a mere viscount’s daughter. But that did not make it feel entirely natural for Tilda, a lady of a distinguished count’s family, to enter her service as a maid.

Especially given that they had spent more than half a year as frons, rivals on the surface at least.

“Do you remember the equestrian competition? You saved my life that day.”

Tilda spoke first, as though she already knew what Blair had been about to say.

“So now I want to be the one who helps you.”

Tilda smiled at Blair with a brightness that held nothing back. Seeing that expression, Blair felt something well up inside her that she could not quite put into words.

Queen Rhea’s gentle voice followed.

“I can see that Tilda’s sincerity is genuine. But this is a matter that the person herself should decide, rather than me.”

She looked at Blair with a warm smile.

“The authority to manage her own personal maids rests with the princess consort herself, so I will defer to her decision.”

With the Queen’s words, every eye in the room turned to Blair.

“I……”

Blair let her voice trail off and met Tilda’s gaze. Feeling the sincerity that came through without pretense, Blair set aside her complicated thoughts and spoke honestly.

“If Tilda would be my maid…… I think I would be truly glad.”

A smile bloomed across Tilda’s face. Queen Rhea gave a pleased nod as well.

The warmth in the air grew even fuller, and Blair felt something flutter softly in her chest.

Selina, who had been quietly listening beside them, spoke up.

“How wonderful. The wedding preparations are going to be hectic. Having a close friend as your maid will be such a comfort.”

The word wedding made Blair flinch without thinking.

The wedding.

The first hurdle she would have to face, and the true beginning of their contract marriage.

❀❀❀

The wedding preparations were, in a word, endless.

“Didn’t we settle on the flowers yesterday?”

“That was for the grand temple where the ceremony will be held. This is for the centerpieces in the Great Hall during the banquet, Your Highness.”

“Do they really have to be chosen separately? Can’t we just use the same ones for both……”

The head royal gardener looked utterly horrified and launched into a passionate speech about why that was absolutely out of the question and why floral arrangements mattered so deeply.