295 Travelling
Selma Payne’s POV:
August 31st, 4 am.
Under Kara’s constant calling, I woke up with my bird’s nest-like hair.
“Your beautician will be here in fifteen minutes.” Kara pushed me into the bathroom and said, “Your stylist will dress you up in an hour. If you still want breakfast, I’m afraid you’ll have to wash up quickly.”
It was rare for me to wake up so early. Everyone in the palace had woken up very early today, and I was probably the last to open my eyes.
In the living room, the girls in gowns were already ready. In addition to being my bridesmaids, they also needed to be my concierges during the ceremony. The guest list was half a piece of A4 paper; most of them were selected because of their identities. Only Dorothy, Emma, and Jordin were my trusted aides, so they naturally took on holding my hands.
Sitting on the soft sofa, I almost fell asleep with a pillow. “The ceremony will only start at ten o’clock. Why are we up so early?”
Dorothy clutched the crystal ornament on her collar, still feeling a lingering fear of what she had gone through after waking up. “I can’t say for sure about other things, but I think it will take you an hour to wear the dress, considering that it is ten thousand times more complicated than ours.”
All in all, the difficult struggle from then to now was forgotten. At seven o’clock, I had become a beautiful girl with a radiant face in the mirror.
“The carriage is ready,” Kara reported. “His Majesty has ordered us to set off in ten minutes.”
I took a deep breath and said to the girls, “Let’s go. It’s my time.”
Inevitably, a large number of media members gathered at the entrance of the palace. They came from the top media companies of various packs. They carried their long-shot lenses and short ones, hoping to capture first-hand information about the coronation ceremony. It would be even better if they could capture some breaking news about the royal family.
However, no one would give those with ill intentions this chance.
Today, I’d be taking the carriage according to tradition. As the main character of the ceremony, I’d be taking the carriage myself. It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t nervous since it was my first time facing the people alone without the presence of my parents. Fortunately, I’d already gone through countless rehearsals before this, so I’d memorized the rules of how to deal with unexpected situations and act in a routine manner.
The people on both sides of the road cheered and raised banners and signs with my face on them. This was a wonderful experience. Seeing someone who didn’t know they supported and admired me so much, I felt touched, and my nose couldn’t help but sting.
Although I knew they didn’t know me and were doing this out of love for my father, that didn’t stop me from thanking the people for their support.
Without the first eighteen years of life as a Princess, there were still doubts and dissatisfaction about my identity in the imperial court. Even I occasionally thought about my true identity. In the dead of night, the melodramatic plots of the soap operas I’d watched in the past would automatically play out in my mind. Even though I knew I was my parents’ child, I couldn’t avoid this worry.
Only today, when I saw the cheering citizens and felt the overwhelming welcome and support, the shadow of uneasiness in my heart was finally dispelled.
I didn’t have to worry about those illusory concerns. From now on, I should think about how to be a good Crown Princess, train my abilities, and live up to the people’s expectations of me.
I sat up straight and waved at the cheering crowd.
I saw a cute little girl sitting on my father’s shoulder, waving her chubby little hands and smiling at me with an innocent and bright smile.
I returned her smile and winked at her.
I didn’t think I’d fear the schemes and difficulties waiting for me. After all, I had thousands of innocent children like this little girl behind me. I couldn’t take a step back, even if it were for them.
The convoy advanced slowly according to the planned route, and we arrived at the Moon Palace at half past eight.
Sometimes, I found it ridiculous. According to my experience, was the Moon Goddess still willing to accept me into her temple? After many rehearsals, I had walked out of the Moon Palace unscathed, so I believed the goddess would not mind. At the very least, she would not think it was a provocation from a ‘fallen’ god like me to enter her temple casually.
I used to say things like “oh, Moon Goddess”, but I’d changed that. I didn’t change it on purpose, but I’d stopped mentioning the goddess’ name. This was a rule that automatically corrected my actions.
In the lounge, everyone was making their final preparations. I was the only one who had nothing to do, so I watched my attendants exchange pleasantries in boredom.
They were all descendants of nobles or meritorious families and had been in the social circle for many years since they were young. They were much more skilled in making connections than me; a Princess was getting married halfway.
As children of the upper class who was ‘born noble’, it was understandable for them to have an arrogant temper. But with a halfway Princess like me, some were not very convinced.
