The three days before the ceremony passed in a storm of preparations.

  Inside William's estate, I was being prepared to step before the King and Queen of the Lombardi Kingdom, to be presented before high society, and to be declared officially of age.

  Through the window, I saw a city that was making its own preparations. Outside the estate, the common folk were preparing for the Foundation Day festival, where they would celebrate their own children with flowers and gifts. Several streets were being closed down, and market stalls were being erected to bring food and wares to hundreds of celebrants.

  Much of this I learned from Erika, who had been "entrusted" by Baroness Verger with most of the estate's provisioning. I suspected that she was doing this purely to separate the two of us, in contrast to what she had promised before.

  Alone, I would stand before the King. I saw the pragmatism in forcing me to learn to stand without Erika. But that did not mean I welcomed it.

  William had taken control over the estate nearly instantly. Dozens of laborers transplanted rose bushes from elsewhere, and the gardens were seeded. Fresh pavestones were laid on the drive from the road to the entrance hall, and the trees were pruned and shaped. Garlands and strings of silk flowers were strewn upon their empty branches, and a false spring came to the household. A dozen footmen stood ready to escort our carriage to the palace.

  All were ready for Foundation Day.

  ---

  My carriage was adorned with green and white, our family colors, and every surface was gilded. The Printemps family crest, a mighty tree with deep roots, was emblazoned proudly on the side.

  My dress and I were much the same. I was tied into a green and white dress of the finest material William could provide, and I was adorned in gold jewelry from head to toe: gold hoops that weighed down my ears, gold bangles that weighed down my arms, a golden chain that hung around my neck, and a large emerald facet that weighed upon that chain like an anchor. There was no room for any lesser metals, like silver, anywhere upon my body.

  "I really do hate green..." I sighed to myself, as William helped me into the carriage and followed me inside.

  He was wearing much simpler clothing than me: a long green coat with a white linen shirt underneath, flexible breeches, and polished shoes. The only adornments he wore, the only adornments he needed, were the family ceremonial sword upon his hip, and the fine emerald-green cravat around his neck.

  Even though it was green, it looked far more comfortable. If it came down to it, a fall into the river would see me sink, and him swim.

  We sat in silence the whole way. Suffocating, agonizing silence. I stared out the window, and after just enough of a look to make sure I was presentable, he did the same.

  The children outside looked happy.

  ---

  The outermost walls of the castle were draped with the red and gold of the Lombardi family, covering their battle-worn exterior. The gates leading in were still standing strong: solid oak doors that required two men each to open, and an iron portcullis that was drawn upward into the arch of the gate. Both of these defenses were open today, and our carriage drove to the very front of a long line of arriving guests.

  A Printemps carriage never waited in line.

  The guards waved us through with nary a thought as William presented the family seal through the window, and we left our soldiers behind as we passed into the King's estate.

  In all directions, golden flowers were held in bloom by magic. Gold statues stood in the center of parks and gardens, and the water that flowed through the fountains of these gardens twinkled and shined as if it were made of flowing gems.

  What appeared to be a multitude of different courtyards and palaces were spread atop this innermost area. When I counted at least eight, with the grandest one in the center, I realized what they were for.

  "Well, I suppose seven wives would be a rather efficient way to have seven children."

  I looked to William, wanting to ask why this wasn't spoken of in my lessons, but he was staring out the window with such severity that I dared not interrupt him.

  I turned to my side, where Erika would normally sit, and sighed. "I bet she would have known."

  We approached the central palace, the King's own, the ostentatious decorations multiplied by magnitudes.

  Pure gold filled every crack in the pillars. The heraldry of the Lombardi family was represented by a golden lion on a scarlet field made of rubies. What couldn't be made of gold was instead the finest marble, the finest silk, the finest everything.

  It was, honestly, a bit too much to handle. There was so much wealth on display that it almost made gold seem like any other metal. "Perhaps that's the point," I wondered to myself, too overwhelmed by the sheer amount of it to process how much it could have even cost.

  I thought back to Lady Ayda's mock budgets, back at the academy, when she was teaching me how to manage accounts. There wouldn't have been enough space on the ledger for this many zeros.

  William, however, didn't seem impressed.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  We stopped in front of the palace, and William exited first to hold my hand as I stepped off the carriage. I took a deep breath, and readied myself for what was to come.

  ---

  We entered the throne room alone. Father had not arrived. Hugo and Agnes were not present.

  The room was decorated in steel, rather than gold. Steel sconces, suits of shining silver armor, blades in their gauntleted hands, and even a steel chandelier.

  As we took our place, I noticed that Duke Hiems and his wife were there, as well as many other nobles whose colors and crests Baroness Verger had taught me to recognize. The Faraldi, the Dubois, the Savelli, and even the Laeta were in attendance.

  Count Dubois was stern, a man after Father's own image, with a severe expression. His grip on Lady Beatrice's shoulder was vicelike, but she maintained a composed and elegant image. She practically sneered when she saw me, but quickly adjusted her expression.

  Baron Laeta was round and soft. Lady Charlotte was held between his two hands proudly. I wanted, desperately, to meet her gaze, to try to signal some sort of apology, to do anything to undo what I had done, but she never once looked in my direction.

  The Savelli twins stood on either side of their father, Count Savelli, exchanging meaningful glances with one another and smiling as they waited to be called upon. They clearly got their straight red hair from their mother, for he was a wide, square man with black hair.

  Count Faraldi held his own daughter's hand gently. The two of them were quite the pair; both had black hair and brown eyes, and both were wearing matching outfits of green and gold. Lady Faraldi was smiling as she quietly whispered something that made her father laugh.

  Like me, all of the other girls were adorned only in gold jewelry. We and our chaperones stood at the front of everyone else. The rest of the nobles, including the Hiems and everyone else who had no daughters coming of age this year, stood at the edges of the room. Our audience.

  A creeping feeling trickled down my spine like cold water. "Why is it only women up here?"

  William, rather than behind me, stood next to me. He stood extremely still, and was incredibly tense. His arm was looped around mine rather cordially, but through that slightest of connection I felt his body trembling underneath his outwardly stony demeanor.

  For the first time in a long, long time, I realized that he was afraid.

  "All Hail, the King Leonardo Lombardi the Third enters."

  All murmuring stopped at that moment, and the entire room went completely silent. An older man, a little older than Father, stepped into the throne room. A heavy gold crown on his head, trailing a long ruby-red cape, King Lombardi seemed neither physically imposing nor particularly regal.

  But what he lacked in physicality, I felt in the weight of his magic.

  The entire room felt like the air was sucked out of it, and I nearly gasped with the sensation of choking. With a single, heavy breath he had inhaled all of the unrefined magic out of the air, and with a single exhalation all of the candles and lights went out, leaving only the shafts of light coming in from the window.

  As he raised his hand, a golden orb held within, a shining light spilled forth with a deafening keening sound that turned all the metal that the light touched into gold, and the room was left as "Lombardi" as the rest of the palace.

  And with a wave of her hand, his wife, Queen Lombardi, relit all of the candles in the room with a dazzling smile. Her lips were ruby red, and her hair long and flowing blonde. Her eyes sparkled silver as she cast her gaze upon each of us girls, clapping in applause and bidding us to do the same.

  For just a moment, I noticed that her eyes lingered just slightly longer on me than the rest.

  Weakly, we clapped in celebration alongside her, and then the audience joined suit.

  King Lombardi sat down upon his throne, smiling in satisfaction, and waved his hand.

  "We go in the traditional order. Printemps, step forward."

  William and I slowly made our way forward, stopping at the bottom of the short steps that raised the King's platform above us. We kneeled down onto the ground, our heads so low that they nearly touched the floor, and waited.

  King Lombardi's gaze felt sharp upon the back of my neck, and I could not shake the feeling that I was being assessed.

  "Lord Printemps, rise to speak with me."

  I saw the Queen's feet shift as she leaned to whisper something in the King's ear.

  "Ah. Viscount Printemps, rise to speak with me. Congratulations on your investiture, William."

  William rose beside me to step forward, and I kept my head low, but I could see him kneel again closer to the King's throne.

  "Where is the Duke, Viscount Printemps?"

  "He was unable to make it, Your Majesty," I heard William say, and I noticed an uncharacteristic hint of fear in his voice. "He sends his deepest apologies, and me to act in his stead."

  "What a pity. What a pity, indeed..." he said quietly, and I felt William shift slightly as the King leaned in close to him to whisper something quietly in his ear.

  "Lady Printemps, rise and step forward. Take your place, Viscount."

  William's legs were shaky as he returned to the line.

  I rose to my feet, keeping my gaze below the King's in deference, as I made my way up to kneel on the ground before him.

  "You are a fine woman, Lady Printemps. I welcome you to adulthood. What is your name?"

  "This humble creature you see before you is Lady Sophia Printemps, Your Majesty."

  "Sophia. I don't believe I've seen you before."

  "I apologize your majesty, sickness has kept me ill at home," I spoke quietly, repeating the lie that Baroness Verger had drilled into me these last three days.

  "Well, Lady Printemps, I'm glad to see you well. I'm surprised; you would be your Father's... what is it now..."

  He drew out his sentence, savoring his last word the way Father savored his wine.

  "... Seventh?"

  I shuddered a bit. Behind me, I saw several people stir in confusion, looking at William.

  "...Yes, your majesty."

  "How interesting. How very interesting, Lady Printemps."

  I did not respond. This wasn't a question, and so I waited to be addressed.

  But the King seemed to be thinking for an inordinately long amount of time. His gaze made me feel sick.

  "Well, Sophia. Congratulations on becoming a woman. You may return to your place."

  It was all I could do to avoid running back to my place at full sprint. I kept my composure, echoing William's shaky steps as I stood to step by him. His arm returned to hold mine, and for the first time ever I felt reassured by it.

  "Dubois, step forward."