Mondo Pastello | girlxgirl | Completed♕

Chapter XXIII ♥ Last Evening

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A handmaiden was waiting in my chambers, a red dress in her arms. Why did Alejandro continuously decide that I had to wear red dresses? Did I look better in the colour? That would be good to know.

As if my dancing skills weren't all ready restricted by heels, it had to be a strapless mermaid dress. I knew that I wouldn't be able to focus at the ceremony. My attention is going to be solely on the slight cleavage that peaked through the dress. I really wasn't one for showing off myself.

She braided my hair into a crown around my head which I thought was a miracle itself. She had taken one look at my battlefield of a head and decided that there was no way it would be let loose and managed to tame it. People really were amazing.

I was pacing around the room after she left, nervous to know that on the other side of the palace the banquet hall was filling up with Spain's most important people. I instinctively began running all of my lessons through my head and how to be proper. It was easy with the Prince because he was near my age and still blossoming into the expected mature King he would be, but with all of the other important Spaniards I was completely clueless. Did they expect me to speak in Spanish? Was there customs for a Spaniard royal dinner and ceremony I was not aware of? Did I miss anything important he tried to tell me?

I felt like I had procrastinated and was now facing an exam I had not prepared for. Although, I have never been in any education system except home-schooling so I couldn't honestly say how it felt like. I could emphasise more with the feeling of going onto a stage for a dance and knowing I could've practiced more.

A knock on the door send me jumping into a little frenzy. I wasn't ready for this. The pressure of being on a stage or in front of a stadium full of people was nothing compared to being addressed as a guest of honour in front of Spain's important. They'll be watching me, looking for flaws.

"Mel? Are you okay?" I heard Alejandro's concerned tone and found myself honing in on his voice, hoping to find some comfort out of it. I figured he was the type who knew how to comfort and calm someone down, as I had seen him do it to me more than once. I reluctantly pulled open the door and immediately his worried eyes made contact with my nervous vision. He pulled me into a hug without hesitation and I wrapped my arms around his neck, the heels at least offering me some height against his tall figure. His hands squeezed at my arms.

"You don't need to worry about a simple thing. I'm going to be by your side through the whole thing. I won't leave your side for a second. I promise," I clung to his words like a hawk, secretly wishing it was Sarina who was offering me the support. She was taller than me, and certainly not as tall as Alejandro which made it a good thing. I can't reach Alejandro's face.

"I'm nervous,"

"Well that's obvious. I think the easiest course of action would be if I just do this," and without warning, Alejandro scooped me up into his arms. My face immediately flustered, my instincts wanting to cover my face from the world.

"Well this is terrific," I retorted, reluctantly letting him carry me to the other side of the palace.

"You look beautiful," he commented and that shut me up. I was quiet as he carried me, my mind a warzone. When we got closer to the banquet hall, he placed me down on my feet. I could hear the gently buzzing from inside but I tried not to take notice. I was attempting to clear my head but it didn't work out as planned. After spotting us, a Royal Guard stepped into the banquet through open doors. They looked completely different than the United Kingdom's guard but just as elaborate. I could hear him introducing Alejandro with his detailed title, and then I could hear my own which I'm trained to recognize.