Chapter 7 #2
Allirea gave her customary greeting to the High King, her oval face tilted down slightly and her tone soft, before taking her place among us. We were now in a semicircle before the Diamond throne, with the rest of the court arranged behind us, leaving about ten feet of space between us.
Azurill stood then, looking regal in a way that made me want to gouge his stupidly pretty eyes out. “Welcome, everyone, to the Diamond Queen Competition!”
A rush of cheers rang out, and Azurill smiled at the crowd, but it looked just the slightest bit forced.
“Each of your noble courts has done me a great honor, putting forth a lady from your lands to compete for the chance to become my wife and the next Diamond Queen. This tradition is one of our oldest and most noble, dating back to before the courts were brought together by the first High King,” he explained, his tone dropping and becoming more serious.
“I hope to find among these competitors a wife and queen who will be everything both I and this kingdom need. Our challenges were designed to find just such an individual among those gathered here.”
“So, I thank you, my Lords, for bringing such lovely ladies before me.” He continued, looking down at us from his throne before turning his eyes back to the crowd behind us. “But I’m sure you’re all eager to find out which lady will win the coveted crown and be my bride?”
The crowd cheered once more, while I bit the inside of my lip to stop myself from sneering.
He was charming, and that was a problem.
Seeing the truth through that charm would be a challenge.
Men like him put on airs all the time, hiding beneath a facade.
But I was determined to rip it open and claw out the truth of him.
Revealing the monster that I knew lived beneath his stupidly perfect tanned skin.
“Then let us not delay!” Azurill smiled widely, “The first competition will take place in three days. Tonight, we will start by hosting a ball where I will begin getting to know each competitor. That will give them two full days to prepare for the challenge afterwards.”
He smirked slightly, but his pointed ear twitched as if irritated.
He watched the crowd, who were eating all this up, excitedly tittering to one another about what the first challenge would be and the excitement of a ball.
He seemed to relish making them all metaphorically scoot to the edge of their seats.
“There will be eight challenges in total.” He finally announced, his teal eyes gleaming.
“Meaning at the first challenge, no one will be eliminated, ensuring we have two competitors for the final bout. We will begin with a show of talent! Each competitor will showcase a talent for us, allowing us to learn a bit about each of the ladies competing!”
A show of talent? That was certainly not the cutthroat activity I expected out of this farce.
My mind began running through possibilities for my talent, and I nearly missed the moment Azurill concluded his speech.
The Gemholder banged a scepter on the ground, and everyone dropped to their knees.
Thankfully, I was only a split second behind everyone else, and I didn’t think anyone noticed my blunder.
The king made his way down the dais and out of the room, his curious eyes meeting mine briefly before turning his head and leaving. A shiver made its way down my back, the ghost of his stare not leaving me until I made it all the way back to my room.
The ball was to take place in a few hours, and I was surprised to find a bevy of maids and stylists bustling into my room to get me ready as soon as I walked in.
I was quickly taken out of the dress I’d arrived in, and wrapped in a soft and stupidly plush light grey velvet robe as my hair was undone, only to be brushed and wrapped up onto my head, with the shorter front layers left flying free.
They cleaned my face, only to darken my eyes and pinken my cheeks, painting a stunning rouge color across my lips, while a light dusting of shimmering powder was pressed on what seemed to be every inch of my skin.
Once they were finished, I was brought over to a dressing area that contained a tall threefold mirror, and a low oval stand I stepped up onto.
It seemed like a mere blink of an eye, and they had me transformed with whatever magic they were clearly working.
I was never a fan of red before. The color was much too similar to blood for my liking, and it always stirred thoughts I felt best left suppressed. But this was…I mentally sighed, begrudgingly forced to admit that it was absolutely stunning.
Across my forehead dangled a ruby, attached to a diamond piece that connected to a cluster of rubies and diamonds that sat within my hair itself.
The dress was a ruby red to represent the court, but it was packed with actual rubies and diamonds, and even a bit of kyanite.
There was a high collar that swept behind my neck, tilted away from me, and did not constrict at all.
A red tulle cape fell from beneath it to the floor.
The dress sat off my shoulders, the neckline contouring to my chest. The bodice was ornate, with diamonds creating a crisscrossing pattern across the cups that covered my breasts, with rubies sitting between each space they created within the design, and a giant one sitting right between my breasts.
Under the cups, the diamonds and rubies created a swirling pattern, with a few kyanite gems added into the design for a pop of color—and a nod to the High King.
The skirt was large, larger than anything I’d ever worn, at least. I could already imagine it twirling across the floor, the diamonds and rubies stretching out across the top of it, like rays of the sun coming off the end of the bodice.
Small diamonds fell the rest of the way to the floor, like small stars dotting the bottom that shone in the light as I twisted the skirt back and forth.
The skirt would surely lift and twirl in the way I used to imagine when I was a little girl, dreaming of attending my first ball after entering society. I might even have dreamed of dancing with the High King himself, not that I’d ever admit to that now, even under pain of death.
I remembered one particular day when my mother discussed the responsibilities of a lady with me. How, as the eldest daughter of House Marit, I’d be married to a lord of high standing, with a palace of his own for me to live in one day.
“What could be grander than the palace of the High King?” I’d asked, and she’d laughed merrily, brushing my hair back from my face.
“You’re right, my pearl.” My father had spoken from the doorway, making my mother huff fondly. “Only the best will do for my daughter. We’ll ensure you wear the diamond crown, ruling as queen beside the High King, hmm?”
I’d seen the genuine promise in his eyes. He surely saw the benefit of his daughter marrying the king; what lord wouldn’t? But it was his softer promise that night as he tucked me in that shone as brightly as a diamond in my memory.
“While I’d be quite pleased to see you crowned queen, little love, I want you to know that’s not what’s most important to me. I want you to find love and happiness in your marriage, like I’ve found with your mother. So if the day comes and you change your mind, I will always support your choice.”
Knowing that even as lord, he still valued my happiness over his political power, I knew I had been immeasurably lucky to have him as a father. If Azurill hadn’t taken him from me, I would have had a future of love and happiness, instead of one full of strife and fear.