^ Amarizi's outfit ^
It's finally here, the long-awaited day— my birthday!
I woke up earlier than expected, much to my surprise, despite sleeping late last night due to excitement. I let out a small sigh. I hope there aren't any bags under my eyes. I moved towards the vanity mirror to check my reflection, only to see a flawless face staring back at me.
Ah, the perks of being blessed by the goddess of love and beauty. Damn. I still can't believe this beautiful girl is me now. A bitter smile emerged out of my lips. If I had this otherworldly looks in my previous life, it would be much easier to get modeling gigs. And I would have made them proud of me...
I shook my head to erase my thoughts. Today's a happy day so let's not think about negative thoughts! I plopped down on the edge of the bed, thinking about the past few days while waiting for Celsia.
These past few days was really hectic. I focused on my lessons from morning to afternoon while visiting the servants who were preparing the ballroom whenever I had a break. Though they blocked me from coming personally when it was less than a week before the big day, but they reassured me that the preparations were going smoothly, they just wanted to surprise me on the d-day.
A smile broke out of my lips as I remembered the time I spent with them. Now, I can proudly say that I'm closer with them compared to before!
The lessons also proceeded smoothly without much mishaps, much to my delight. My teachers praised me for being a fast learner. Even I was surprised at how fast I was able to cope up.
Even my parents were delighted hearing my fast progress. I couldn't stop myself from grinning whenever my parents felt proud of me. I've always wanted my family to be proud of me.
A bitter smile formed on my lips for a fleeting moment before replacing it with a genuine one.
Anyway, two days before the big day, the dress and shoes along with the jewelry were delivered to the mansion. I couldn't help gasping the moment my eyes fell upon them. Seeing my design come to life and much better than I imagined made me giddy all over. They weren't indeed the best for nothing!
We did a fitting test to ensure it was a perfect fit for me. Fortunately, there weren't much fixing to do and they were able to finish and sent it back to the mansion the day after. I glanced at the mannequin that held my outfit for the birthday banquet, excitement and anxiety bubbling up inside me.
I should be able to pull through later. I wasn't lacking in my etiquette lessons and Ageon and I had been practicing waltz everyday. Speaking of Ageon... I slowly raised my gaze and glanced at the door.
I felt my ears heat up as memories of that time came flooding in. After that shocking confession (?) of his, he returned back to the usual the day after, as if nothing happened that day. I didn't even remember what happened after that, the only thing I knew is that I somehow arrived at my room with the help of Celsia.
Thinking about it again, I really felt embarrassed for making a big deal out of it. I got conceited, thinking he likes me in that way. Ugh, the hell! I feel like a narcissistic bitch now! I should have known that he meant it in a platonic way. That little shit should've worded it clearly! Well, the blame still lies on me for getting ahead of myself. But still...
Argh! What's more embarrassing was Celsia witnessed all of it! After that day, she would shot me a teasing look from time to time, much to my horror. Why did that guy have to say it when Celsia was around!
It's been two weeks since that day, but it would still haunt my thoughts at random times, leaving me embarrassed though I would never show it outside. I shook my head again, trying to shake it off.
"Thinking about it again, miss?"
I almost fell off from my bed when I suddenly heard a voice in front of me. I snapped my head up and met Celsia's chocolate orbs. A teasing grin was plastered on her lips, eyes glinting mischievously. Ugh. Here we go again.
I let out a groan, sending her a glare. She let out a short laugh, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "Miss, if it bothers you that much, why don't you ask him about it? He's just right outside the door, miss." I stared at her as I pondered over her words for a minute before shaking my head.
"What's there to ask? And I'm not really bothered by it. I'm just embarrassed that I misunderstood his words," I said, shrugging my shoulders. She flashed me a mysterious smile. "I wonder about that."
I raised my eyebrow at her, only to receive another smile. "Let's get you ready now, miss." My eyes shot up as my brows drew together. "Right now? It's still 8 in the morning and the banquet starts at 6 in the evening. I still got plenty of time to prepare."
She shook her head from side to side, sighing. "What are you talking about, miss? We barely have enough time getting you ready. We need to start now, miss, or else you'll be late for your own banquet."
Before I could protest, she suddenly clapped her hands. Familiar faces suddenly popped out of the door and lined up behind her. "Um, Sia. Why is there a lot of servants in my room right now?"
She let out a gentle smile. "Miss, you really don't expect me to be the only one who will help you get ready, right?" I already expected this, but aren't there too many of them?! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...wait...there's 15 of them!
She clapped her hands again. "Let's start, girls." As soon as she said those words, they immediately started moving and did their assigned jobs systematically.
I shifted closer to her as I lightly tugged at her sleeves. "Sia, aren't there too many of them?" She turned around to face me, a look of incredulity plastered on her face. "What do you mean, miss? These are still not enough helping hands." What?
Celsia ushered me to the bathroom as pairs of hands dragged me towards the bathtub. "Just relax, miss. Let us do our jobs. We will make you the most beautiful girl tonight!"
I relaxed my shoulders and let out a chuckle. "Then, I'll leave everything up to you." The girls all nodded their heads as I saw their gaze blazed with determination.
For the entire morning, I was bathed in water full of herbs before giving me a spa massage. They only took a break when it was lunch time.
After taking our lunch, they bathed me again in water filled with aroma oil instead. After that, they dried my hair and body carefully before applying cream all over my body, wrapping me in a robe and placing me down on a chair right after.
My eyes almost popped out of its socket when I saw that it was already past 3 in the afternoon. I couldn't believe that I already spent hours of preparing yet I'm still halfway done. Celsia wasn't kidding when she said we barely have enough time preparing.
After drying my hair, the servants helped me wear my dress and shoes. Gasps left their mouths as they all gave me compliments simultaneously. I let out a smile and thanked them before letting them drag me towards the vanity table.
They got into a heated argument as they tried to choose which hairstyle suits me best. They immediately started working on my hair after finally deciding on one after minutes of bickering.
My hair was swept up in a bun with a small braid crowning my head. Two locks of hair rested on both sides of my face, framing it, as they gave it a slight curl to give it volume. Then, they placed blue roses on my bun for the finishing touch.
Since I was still young, they only put some light powder on my face and placed a slight rouge on my lips and cheeks. I stared at my reflection at the mirror, a gasp escaping my lips. Holy shit. This girls really turned me a lot prettier than before.
"Happy birthday, young miss!" They all greeted in unison with smiles on their faces. I glanced back at them with a big smile on my lips. "Thank you, everyone."
A knock on the door rang throughout the room, interrupting us. I stood up from my seat as Celsia walked me to the door. "Happy birthday, miss." I gave her a smile, giving her my sincere thanks.
She smiled and opened the door, revealing my father in a dark blue suit with his hair gelled. His eyes slightly widened as I flashed him a smile. His lips formed a wide grin as he offered his arm to me with a smile. "Happy birthday, Alyn. You look so beautiful."
"Thank you, Dad, you look handsome as well!" I flashed him a smile, wrapping my arm around his. I bade goodbye towards the girls before leaving the room with my father.
We silently made our way towards the ballroom. Not long after, I finally saw my mother standing at the entrance. We hurried our steps and met her with a smile.
My mother let out a gasp as she gently grabbed my hand. "My, Alyn, you look so beautiful. Happy birthday, my daughter." A wide grin flashed on my lips as I gave her hand a squeeze. "Thank you, Mom. You look beautiful too!"
Father signaled at the knights in front of the door as they slowly opened the door. My parents glanced at me with a smile. "Shall we?" I nodded and let out a deep breath before placing a smile on my lips.
"Entering His Grace, Duke Gaines Raf von Ahlefeldt, Her Grace, Duchess Nerezza Eisa von Ahlefeldt, and the only heiress, Young Miss Amarizi Linh von Ahlefeldt."
We slowly walked in with our head held high, only stopping a few inches away from the stairs. I glanced at the crowd below me, my smile never wavering.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining us to celebrate my daughter's 10th birthday. I deeply appreciate your presence here today."
I curtseyed before them, a smile plastered on my lips. "Thank you for coming, everyone. I hope you'll enjoy the banquet." The guests all clapped their hands as we descended down the stairs.
We greeted the guests one by one, making some small idle talk before moving to another one. Halfway through, father left us to greet some important figures. I roamed my eyes throughout the roam, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. Hmm...it seems like the capture targets aren't here...
We already greeted the king and the queen a while ago, but I didn't see the princes with them. And the Goniuva family is not here too. I guess I won't see them today. Well, that's better for me.
The greetings continued for a few minutes. By the time we were finished, I felt exhaustion slowly seeping in through my bones. Dealing with nobles is really tiring.
My mother was now currently chatting with Lady Acelina, talking about the recent trends. I excused myself, making my way towards the buffet table. I miss you, my babies.
Before I could grab a plate, I heard my father's voice calling out behind me. "Alyn, here you are. I've been looking for you everywhere." My lips tugged downwards. Dad! Please let me eat in peace! I turned around to face him and smiled.
He let out a wide grin, the King following behind him. I immediately curtseyed before him. "Greetings to the sun of Echeveria Kingdom." The king waved his hand and laughed. "No need to be so formal. You are like a daughter to me."
My eyebrows rose. Wait. Amarizi is close to the king? I let out a small smile as I turned to face my father. "Dad, why were you looking for me?" My father let out a wide grin as I felt dread filling up my stomach.
"I wanted to introduce you to someone." My face remained stiff, heart pounding fast. My father moved to the side. There stood an ethereal-looking blonde boy with charming turquoise eyes that glowed like precious gemstones wearing a white formal suit with gold embroideries, making him look breathtakingly beautiful. I held my breath as I felt my heart pounding loudly.
"Alyn, this is your fiancé, his highness, Derrin Alte Echeveria."
I remained stupefied, staring blankly at the boy in front of me. The hell. The engagement...IT WAS TODAY?!
A/N: I present to you one of the capture targets from the otome game. The crown prince of the Echeveria Kingdom, Derrin Alte Echeveria. We'll be meeting a lot of new characters from here on out!