Duke sent me back to my room after my entire crying session. Honestly, I'd cried enough tears to fill a bathtub.
I caught my reflection in the mirror and groaned. Why the hell do these eyes swell up so fast? I look like I fought ten bees and lost.
At least Duke promised he'd handle Duchess and Kirill so they wouldn't be too harsh on me. But still… confinement. No leaving the room until Sir Overprotective Kirill decreed otherwise.
Well. At least I had two funny knights stationed outside my door. Entertainment package included.
Hmm… what now?
My gaze drifted to the wardrobe. Meredia's wardrobe was basically another world in itself. I grabbed the doors dramatically...then froze.
Wait. The dresses I'd tied together and used as a makeshift rope.
I sprinted to the balcony. The rope wasn't there.
What the—… Did Kirill take it down? But he didn't even mention it…
Heart thumping, I rushed back inside, yanked open the wardrobe... and every single dress was back, perfectly lined up on hangers like nothing had happened.
I blinked. …Who did this?
Creepy but also convenient.
The wardrobe itself was gorgeous like walking into a fashion shrine. Heels, flats, boots, shoes all lined up beneath the rows of gowns, sparkling like some rich-girl dream sequence. Drawers stuffed with jewelry, shelves glinting with gems.
I practically squealed. Okay, maybe I really can spend the whole day in here and never get bored.
For the first time today, excitement bubbled up in me instead of dread. If Kirill wanted me "locked up," fine. I'd just lock myself in with silks and diamonds.
I twirled around once in the middle of the wardrobe and grinned.
I didn't even think twice before diving into the wardrobe. If I was going to be imprisoned, I might as well turn it into a runway.
First victim was a rich red gown with sheer beige puff sleeves. The floral embroidery shimmered when I moved, and when I cinched the ornate belt around my waist, I almost gasped. Then I added a necklace dripping with pearl drops and diamond stones, and yeah...okay, I looked like I'd walked straight out of a royal painting. I even gave myself a dramatic spin. Lady Meredia, terror of ballroom floors everywhere.
Next came this coral and turquoise ballgown. It had puff sleeves too but the lace trim was so delicate it looked like frosting on a cake. The ribbon at the waist tied into a big bow at the back, and I swear the bow alone was probably worth half a fortune. I piled on sapphire-studded earrings and stood in front of the mirror, turning left, then right, then back again. If I wore this to the debut, half the girls would faint and the other half would try to strangle me.
And then, I spotted it. A dramatic black dress. Bold red and white embroidery twirled down the skirts like fire and snow. The sleeves were long, billowing, the kind that made you want to raise your arms and pretend you were casting spells. I slipped on matching black heels, tied the belt, and honestly? I looked terrifying in the best possible way.
After that I tried on… honestly, too many. A pale lavender dress with pearl buttons. A green gown that sparkled faintly in the light. A soft blue one that clung like a dream. Every time I swapped jewelry.....pearls, diamonds, strange colored gems...I made little faces at myself in the mirror like I was judging contestants in some noble beauty contest.
By the time I was done, the room looked like a tornado had exploded. Dresses were everywhere, shoes scattered, drawers left wide open. My bed had become a mountain of discarded silks.
I collapsed onto the chaise with a ridiculous pearl crown still sitting crooked on my head, panting like I'd run a marathon.
God… fashion show over. Audience: me. Winner: also me.
That's when—knock.
I froze. My heart jumped straight to my throat.
Please don't be Kirill. Please don't be Kirill. Please—
slowly opened the door, still wrapped in about five layers of dresses, necklaces piled around my neck like some failed royal statue, hair sticking out in random tufts from my half-hearted attempt at styling it.
Butler Regald froze in the doorway. His mouth twitched like he was trying desperately not to laugh. Oh no… oh no… I realized just how ridiculous I looked.
"L-Lady… it is… time for dinner..." he managed, voice tight with effort to not laugh.
I blinked at him, utterly confused. "Dinner? But… it's noon."
Regald's lips twitched into an actual, barely-contained grin. "The sun… has set, Lady."
Wait… what?
I slowly looked out the window and… oh gods, the sun had indeed set. Somehow, lost in my fashion chaos and experimenting with layers of gowns, I had completely lost track of time.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks. "I… I—"
Regald's barely restrained chuckle echoed down the hallway as he straightened, trying to regain his butler composure.
I looked down at myself: the clashing layers, glittering jewelry, shoes half-on, hair a total disaster. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Why do I always make myself look like a walking comedy?
"I'll be there… soon," I muttered, dragging myself into the room and shutting the door behind me.
For a second, I just stood there, breathing in deep, trying to pull myself together...mentally preparing for the dinner circus and, more importantly, trying to smother the embarrassment still clinging to me.
After swapping the gown for something normal, I headed to the dining room. As expected, Duchess and Kirill gave me the silent treatment. Their eyes said plenty, though. Father, on the other hand, seemed to take advantage of the situation. He was talking to me more than usual, even arguing with Esther about something trivial while the other two stayed painfully quiet.
Dinner dragged by, awkward and heavy in all the wrong ways. When it finally ended, I escaped back to my room like I'd just finished a marathon.
Then reality hit me. The chaos I'd left behind...gowns, jewels, shoes everywhere. The room looked like a fabric hurricane had hit it.
Sure, I had maids, but there was no way I was calling them in. I was already embarrassed enough. Apparently, Lady Meredia Seraphine never left a mess. Ever.
Pretending to be her was exhausting. I had her memories, sure, but not her poise. Not the way she moved, spoke, or even breathed sometimes. I slipped up more often than I'd likenn but thankfully, my family chalked it all up to "trauma."
Lucky me.
Duchess and Kirill only stayed cold for about three days before thawing enough to speak to me again. But my knights? Yeah, they didn't thaw. They hovered around me like loyal, overcaffeinated mosquitoes.
And sometimes I could swear I saw Kairan's shadow in the corners of my room, waiting me. One night, I even woke to the sound of boots. When I opened my eyes, he was sitting on the sofa in front of my bed.
He chuckled when I pretended to still be asleep.
Sadist.
Now, walking idly down the hallway, I muttered under my breath, "How annoying."
Neither the knights nor the walls cared.
Father hadn't offered any help either. Maybe he didn't trust Meredia and I couldn't really blame him.
As I passed the towering doors of the library, they seemed to stare back at me. Almost like they were daring me to enter.
Back in my world, I'd been a top student but that was survival, not passion. Studying was my way out of poverty. Here, I had no such worries. And yet… the thought of books still tugged at me.
I stopped. The two knights trailing behind me froze, too. Kael almost crashed into me.
"Lady, what happened?" Fenric asked, wary as always.
I turned to them. "Do you two ever read?"
Fenric and Kael exchanged a look. Fenric cleared his throat like he was about to deliver a speech.
"Ah, yes. I've read many books on Valkathra's weapons and great sold—"
"Enough." I raised a hand, cutting him off. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture on shiny swords.
My gaze shifted to Kael. "You?"
He rubbed his chin, thinking. "I read," he said, and then uttered a string of completely unintelligible words in his tribal tongue.
I blinked and turned to Fenric. "Translation?"
Fenric shrugged. "His people keep records on tree bark and stones. Oral and carved history, mostly."
Kael nodded proudly. "It is brilliant."
I sighed. "Sure. Bring me those bark-scroll masterpieces next time. I'll grade them."
Kael nodded again then froze as I pushed open the massive doors to the library.
Both knights went stiff.
"What?" I frowned. Their faces looked like I'd just opened a portal to hell.
"Lady… you intend to spend the day in the library?" Fenric asked cautiously, pointing toward the shelves.
I nodded. "Yes? Is that a problem?"
Kael scratched the back of his head. "But… lady and library… no come in same sentence—"
Fenric smacked him so hard he hit the floor. "Insolent brat!"
It didn't matter. Kael hadn't needed to finish the sentence anyway. I already knew what he meant.
Meredia never read. Even when forced, she'd managed only two pages in three months.
And now here I was opening the doors to her least favorite place in the entire palace.
Kael was still wriggling on the floor like a dying bird, and Fenric just stood there staring at me wide-eyed and wordless. The kind of look that makes you instinctively check if you've grown a second head.
Easy, bro. Don't look at me like that. Your goat eyes are making me uncomfy.
I cleared my throat, trying to pull the authority card. "My great knights… actually, I've grown up now."
Total nonsense, but I had to say something. The last thing I needed was anyone questioning why the infamous book-hating Meredia suddenly wanted to hang out with paper.
"I want to read and learn about my kingdom and duchy," I said, layering it with fake conviction. "To serve my people better."
What a lame-ass excuse—
Except… apparently not.
Fenric's expression crumpled like I'd just announced I'd been cured of some lifelong illness. The man looked proud. Kael, meanwhile, was still sprawled on the floor, tears leaking down his face. I couldn't tell if he was moved by my "growth" or still in pain from the smack.
Either way, this was getting weirdly emotional for what started as a trip to the library.