Annabella’s three days passed in a whirlwind.

Grace had dresses brought into the largest sitting room in the inner palace one after another, while tiaras and all manner of jewels sparkled in competition, each one vying to be the one to adorn Annabella.

“For a formal investiture, white is the natural choice, I suppose?”

Grace fell into contemplation as she studied Annabella in a dress that shimmered with the soft, lustrous elegance of pearls. The difficulty was that Annabella had been born with such fair, luminous skin that she looked beautiful in absolutely anything.

“Hmm… come to think of it, wasn’t there a necklace and bracelet made of woven pearls and diamonds?”

“Yes, my lady. Shall I have them brought at once?”

“Please do.”

Grace’s head lady-in-waiting, Sara, was every bit as busy as her mistress, bustling about in her wake.

“I think what I have on now is quite lovely.”

Annabella was exhausted from the seemingly endless dress tour. By her count, she had tried on no fewer than fifty dresses — and that was without even beginning to account for the tiaras and jewels.

“The investiture must be a modest affair, given the circumstances — but it is still the ceremony in which you become a true princess of our kingdom. We cannot be careless about it.”

Grace was uncharacteristically insistent. After losing her only daughter, she had not so much as glanced at the dressing room — but with the granddaughter who so resembled that daughter now before her, it seemed her passion had returned.

Since drawing too much attention too soon would cause its own complications, the ceremony was to be held quietly in the palace chapel. She wanted to compensate for that with finery that left nothing to be desired.

“It is already more than enough. This is anything but careless.”

“Aubrey used to say things like that as well. You really do take after her.”

Grace’s eyes curved with gentle warmth.

“When we opposed the marriage, Aubrey went ahead and exchanged vows with the Duke of Lates in secret, at a monastery chapel.”

Aubrey had been young then, and she must have believed the Duke’s courtship was true love.

“And so I was never able to dress my only daughter for her own wedding. I was quite a poor mother in that regard.”

Grace smiled a bittersweet smile as the memories surfaced, a shadow crossing her face.

“Perhaps that is why — looking at you, so lovely, I find myself wanting more and more. Aubrey in heaven must be feeling the same, watching you now.”

With Grace saying as much as that, there was simply no way to suggest putting an end to the dress tour.

Though Annabella had lost her mother when she was young, a vague, wordless longing washed over her alongside the memory of having been loved. It was thanks to that memory that her life had changed upon coming to the Kingdom of Elaise — and for that, she was grateful.

“Even so, the dress you have on now suits the occasion best of all.”

The dress tour had finally come to an end.

“Now then — shall we choose what you’ll wear for the banquet following the investiture?”

And yet Grace showed no signs of slowing down.

“We ought to look at fans and gloves as well.”

By any measure, exhaustion should have set in long ago — but Grace’s face was radiant with joy. Annabella could feel the muscle aches coming on, but she resolved to keep pace with her all the same. If it eased even a little of the grief Grace carried from losing her daughter, then it was a good thing.

“All the dresses from the earlier candidates — take them, every one. They all suited you beautifully, and they’ll be lovely for everyday wear.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Grace shook her head at that.

“You need not thank us every time anymore. We are family.”

“…Yes.”

A grandparent’s love knew no end. Annabella already thought of the King and Queen as family — people who gave their love without condition. The affection she had received from them in recent months far surpassed anything she had known from her father, who had always been busy and seldom home.

Looking back now, the Duke of Lates was a man full of contradictions — someone who had no idea what true love was, yet prided himself on loving deeply. That was how he had abandoned his pregnant wife, carried on an affair, and eventually remarried. The fact that Annabella and Delilah’s birthdays were less than a year apart made him all the more despicable.

“We have everything — but there was no one to give it to. Then you came, and everything changed. If it were you, we would give you all of it.”

“I am already receiving far more love than I deserve. Please don’t say such things.”

“No — you are to become Elaise’s princess and its rightful heir. Of course we must give you everything.”

The King and Queen had said the Duke of Lates had readily agreed to the investiture, calling it an honor — but there was no telling what price had changed hands.

Annabella thought of her father. An opportunist with extravagant tastes — he had surely demanded a considerable sum  of that there was no doubt.

‘Even when I pretended to have smallpox, they never said a word — but as Hilda mentioned, they must have sent compensation then too. This time, he would have demanded something far beyond that.’

And yet the King and Queen had said nothing of it, unwilling to cause Annabella any pain. How differently the word love could mean, depending on the person.

“Being an heir… it still feels so daunting and unfamiliar.”

Annabella spoke honestly, and Grace smiled with gentle warmth.

“There is no rush. Simply follow where your heart leads, in your own time.”

“Yes.”

Annabella nodded shyly.

“And I think you can do away with the smallpox disguise now. The Crown Prince declared the engagement broken in the King’s presence — it is as good as official. You won’t be seeing him again.”

“Yes — what a relief.”

She had been growing weary of putting on the disguise every day as it was. With the engagement ended as Alexis had wished, she was free to go about with her own face again.

“I have some matters to discuss with the Lord Chamberlain regarding your investiture, so go to your chambers for now, wash off the disguise, and rest a while.”

Those were welcome words indeed, and Annabella nodded gratefully.

A short while later, Annabella stepped out into the garden and drew in a long breath, stretching her arms above her head. She had lost count of how many times she had changed dresses.

“Your face is clear again, my lady.”

Hilda, who had helped her wash, said it with evident pleasure.

“What a relief not to have to put on the disguise every morning anymore.”

Annabella spoke with a lightness in her voice.

“Oh — Hilda.”

“Yes?”

“Is what I asked you to prepare ready?”

“Ah, yes. It was just finished.”

Hilda stepped away briefly and returned with a silver tray bearing two small pouches.

“Here — please have a look.”

“Yes.”

Annabella carefully loosened the drawstrings. Out came a pair of earrings and a necklace, both intricately crafted. They were not ostentatious pieces, but they carried an understated elegance and refinement.

“Then please tell the lord chamberlain I’ll be coming to see him.”

“Yes, my lady. Agatha and Renéee will surely be delighted.”

The gifts were for Agatha and Renéee — the two who had bared their painful scars to help deceive Alexis.

She could not erase their pockmarks, but she could offer them something that carried her gratitude. The gifts Annabella had chosen seemed as though they would suit the two bright, assured young women perfectly.

“Agatha and Renéee are truly wonderful people.”

“Yes. I learned a great deal from being with them as well.”

Once the matter had concluded, Agatha and Renéee had gone back to Grace, saying they wished to return to their usual duties. This was Annabella’s way of making sure her thanks reached them all the same.

“Please tell him to pass them along with care.”

“Of course.”

While Hilda went to find the lord chamberlain, Annabella picked up her hand mirror and studied her own face. With the convincing smallpox disguise washed away, her familiar reflection looked back at her once more.

“No more stifling veil to wear.”

The thought made her want to go outside and walk.

“Mina.”

“Yes, my lady — did you call for me?”

Mina was a young lady-in-waiting of the Kingdom of Elaise, assigned to attend Annabella by the Queen’s order.

“I’m going to take a short walk in the garden.”

“Yes, then let me prepare—”

“No. I’d like to go alone.”

Annabella said it with the narrow rose path in mind. By now, the flowers would surely be in full bloom.

“When Hilda returns, let her know. It won’t take long, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Mina’s bright, obliging manner was met with a smile from Annabella.

For once, Annabella stepped out into the garden with her bare face and her long hair loose. Worn out from the dress tour, she had on a simple, understated dress in a pale sky blue.

“The roses have fully bloomed.”

Even before she reached the narrow path, the sight of the roses in full flower lifted her spirits. She drew in a breath of the clear breeze and found it heavy with their scent.

“Today, perhaps I can walk the path without any interruption.”

She said as much — and yet somehow, the path felt strangely empty. That was probably because there was no one coming from the other direction.

“Well… it has nothing to do with me anyway.”

Nobody had asked — and yet Annabella murmured the denial to herself all the same as she stepped onto the narrow path.

***

Milton, Cedric, and the Marquess of Blanc had gathered in one place. It was a meaningful occasion — the first in quite some time.

“To think we could all meet like this — this too is an opportunity.”

At Milton’s words, the Marquess of Blanc gave a nod.

“Cedric — how are the preparations in the North coming along?”

“Very well. It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s support.”

Cedric spoke with proper courtesy, and the King waved his hand.

“Think nothing of it. But Marquess Blanc — what is the state of affairs in the Empire?”

“The current Emperor is failing to fulfill his role.”

At those words, Cedric’s dark eyes gleamed quietly.

“He was never the caliber of man suited to govern in the first place — he is being led about by his ministers and nobles.”

“To that extent?”

“Indeed. There are times when he reduces council meetings to once a month.”

At that, Milton stroked his beard and let out a short, dry laugh.

“The only ones who truly support the current Emperor are those who lent their strength to the usurpation in the first place.”

At the word usurpation, a deeper darkness gathered in Cedric’s black eyes.