The Presentation

The morning of the presentation to the monarchy, I was woken up unwillingly at the crack of dawn.

"Whyyyyy," I moaned tiredly.

My maid urged me up. "Please get up my lady, there's much to do! You need to be bathed in perfumed oil, have your hair dried and styled, and have your makeup done!"

Great. Dressing me up like a doll. I wasn't a fan of the fashion here. It could be very restrictive, especially the corsets. Which didn't even make sense because the dresses were mostly empire-waist styled.

What was the point of having a corset if you couldn't even see your waist?! I didn't mind empire-waist dresses one bit if I didn't have the corset on underneath. But that morning was different.

I got bath oil in my eyes, was poked and prodded with this world's non-electrical versions of curling wands (I was very curious about the science behind it since this world had no magic), and saw a cage. An actual cage that I was supposed to wear.

"What happened to empire waists?" I asked somewhat desperately.

"Those are fashionable in the country, my lady. Capital fashions are much different."

Even better. I had never worn something so constricting in my life. How on earth was I supposed to sit in this thing?!

Four hours later I was all made up and strapped into that horrid contraption and a pastel yellow gown covered in sewn-on roses. I wore no jewelry except the pink diamond earrings that marked the Countess of du Pont since the earldom was founded. My hair was wreathed with small pink and white flowers.

A brief look in the mirror showed that I looked like a spring fairy. No wonder the countess let me borrow her jewelry. It completed the look.

Ribbons, flowers, and jewels seemed excessive all together until you saw the final product. My fake mother was nothing if not masterful.

"You make me proud, Catherine," she said with an abnormally soft smile. "Now go out there and dazzle everyone with your beauty."

Her daughter was nothing more than a prize to be pawned off to the highest bidder and she dared to smile like a real mother would. I descended the staircase in a huff after that show of false affection.

Percy, who looked very dashing in a blue coat, stood stunned at the bottom of the stairs. "Catherine, you look like a lady."

"Of course I look like a lady," I grumbled. "Look what they did to me."

He smiled and offered his arm. "I will be the envy of everyone at the ball for escorting such a lovely lady."

His flattery softened me but only slightly.

Percy helped me into the carriage and I sat very awkwardly, as I was squashing the cage. What was this thing made of anyway?!

I was forced to scoot over on top of the cage (ouch) to make room for the countess on the forward facing bench. And just like that the du Pont family set off for the palace.

It is impossible not to see the palace from within the city. The turrets are so high you can see them poking into the sky from anywhere even if you can't see anything else.

The palace is on a hill, raised above the rest of the capital, as if to literally let the royals look down on everyone else. How fitting.

When we arrived my palms were damp inside my gloves with nervousness. Ugh, the sweat made the fabric stick weirdly! I wanted to take them off but the countess was watching me like a hawk.

There were only three girls ahead of me. The daughter of the Duke of Renaya, the daughter of the Marquis of Carrabaas, and the daughter of the Earl of Candleton. All beautiful. All poised. All perfectly trained puppets.

I wondered if their mothers were as cunning as mine. Probably, since they managed to snare positions as the wives of such high ranking nobles.

"Lady Catherine Arabella du Pont, daughter of Lord Havisham Brann du Pont, the Earl of du Pont, your majesties," the announcer said solemnly.

Now all I had to do was gracefully glide forward, make my deepest curtsy, then look up and smile at the king, queen, and crown prince. Thankfully, I managed to do it to perfection. Well, I had practiced enough. I could probably do this asleep.

"It is an honor to be in your presence, Your Majesties," I said in my sweetest, most deferential voice.

"Rise, Lady Catherine. The court is pleased to have you," the king said kindly.

I was relieved. This was the standard response—meaning I did okay.

I put on my most dazzling smile before gliding back to my family. The countess looked fit to burst with pride.

Honestly, this was all that mattered to her? How sad. For both her and her daughters. And all the other daughters of nobility.

What a terrible custom—parading nervous young girls out in front of the whole world, waiting for them to screw up.

My stomach growled and I thought longingly of the feast. Unfortunately, there were still about twenty girls left to be presented before we broke for lunch.

My itchy palms and heavy cage were driving me crazy. No matter how hungry I was…being so tightly laced into this thing, would I even be able to eat?

I got my answer an hour later. No, I would not.

Though everything smelled amazing I could hardly take more than two bites per course because I could barely breathe. My stomach was completely flattened by the corset and corresponding cage, leaving no room for food.

I wanted to cry but the countess might actually murder me for doing so in public. So I promised myself that I would stop by that bakery again the next day and order one of everything to make up for it.

Dear Percy, seated at my right, seemed to sense my distress.

"Do you want me to hide some miniature pies in my pocket for you to have later?"

I nearly cried anyway at the gesture. "You would smell like meat though."

His lips quirked slightly. "It would keep people away from me."

Wow. A win-win. I accepted his offer graciously. In the unofficial race for the title of 'favorite brother,' Percy was definitely winning.