Bestowal of Peerage (1)

The reason the Emperor had delayed bestowing Mirabilis with the title of Princess was because of her prickly personality, which prevented her from gaining popularity among her subordinates, making her unsuitable for the dignity of a Princess. In Awimika, ‘Princess (Regina)’ was not a position but a title, but it was not something one could receive simply by being born as the Emperor’s daughter.

The title of Princess held no real power, but real power was not the entirety of politics. Being bestowed as a Princess came with honor and attention. And depending on the person, it could be transformed into a power that, like a ghost without substance, still influenced reality.

If just any Princess was bestowed the title, the title of ‘Princess’ would no longer function as an honor and would lose its value like a stone. Therefore, a Princess should have no flaws-at least not outwardly. Also, Princesses had an implicit duty to meet and befriend as many people as possible, as long as their health permitted.

Originally, Mirabilis should have been bestowed as a Princess long ago. However, losing popularity among subordinates meant that she was not good at befriending others, so the Emperor thought there was a problem with her becoming a Princess. Could a Princess who could not gain the loyalty of even her closest subordinates be considered appropriate? Therefore, as an Emperor who bestowed titles upon the Imperial Family and as a father looking at his daughter, Awigustos’s intentions became much softer just by hearing that Mirabilis’s reputation had improved in the Rose Palace.

However, after hearing the news that Serina had sacrificed herself to block the attack for Mirabilis, Awigustos interpreted it as meaning that his second daughter now had someone who would sacrifice themselves for her. Therefore, as Emperor, he now had no reason to delay the bestowal any longer.

In the meantime, almost no one in the Rose Palace had properly guessed the Emperor’s mind. The palace staff were too busy with their immediate tasks, so there was no reason to strain themselves trying to predict the intentions of those so high above them. Therefore, only Mullaba, who had seen and experienced all sorts of things during her decades of palace life, could guess the King’s inner thoughts by considering past cases and circumstances.

Of course, Mirabilis knew exactly because she had heard the reason directly from her Royal Father’s mouth. Even so, she could not bring herself to act in a way that her Royal Father considered ‘appropriate behavior as a Princess’. How should she approach them, what should she say? Drowning in a flood of loneliness, the young Princess had grown into a callous and indifferent person without properly learning the knack of interacting with people. If it hadn’t been for Mullaba, the problem would have been even more serious.

So, there was no way she could change her personality overnight, even if she was told to. But Serina had used hypnosis as a key to open the door to the Princess-nim’s heart, who was holed up alone, and barged right in. The problem was solved when Serina became Mirabilis’s ‘Older Sister-nim’.

Mirabilis was truly happy, Mullaba shed tears, and Serina was dumbfounded. The Emperor and the court decided to hold Mirabilis’s Princess bestowal ceremony on the third day of the eleventh month, the day when winter first began, a month after the Bogeongonje Festival ended.

The bestowal ceremony could not be held as a national event, but it could not be done carelessly either. If there was no intention of holding the bestowal ceremony properly, it would have been better to just announce the Emperor’s decree and end it there.

Time passed in a blur. Because of the ambiguity of it not being a national event but also not something to be taken lightly, even selecting the people to invite to the palace was not easy. Because Mirabilis had no close female companions, invitations were sent even to those with whom she had only a passing acquaintance.

Despite the fact that Mirabilis had not built up any particular popularity, the dignity given by the status of ‘Princess’ was still present, so no one refused. Even if they didn’t want to be on the same boat as the Imperial Family, it was troublesome to turn them into enemies. It was even more so to skip such an important event as the Princess’s bestowal ceremony and unnecessarily make an enemy.

Mullaba was planning to serve Mirabilis as her last mistress and retire, so she squeezed her strength as if whipping her disobedient body to prepare. Just as grain that goes between millstones is ground into flour, Serina also worked in his grasp as if crumbling. The reason was that as Mirabilis’s favored maid, she couldn’t just sit still, but it was also Mullaba’s way of keeping him in line.

And so, the third day of the eleventh month arrived. The Main Chamber, also called the Forbidden Chamber, was the center of the entire palace, the Emperor’s main palace. Other palaces had names like ‘Rose Palace’, ‘Chrysanthemum Palace’, and ‘Lion Palace’, but the Main Chamber was simply called ‘Main Chamber’ or ‘Forbidden Chamber’ without any other names. The building in the Main Chamber where important rituals were held or people were received was the Main Hall.

Mirabilis waited in a small detached palace facing the Main Hall, dressed in a formal dress befitting a Princess. However, since she had not yet been formally bestowed, she could not wear a ring. Until the Master of Ceremonies entered and led Mirabilis, only Mirabilis and Serina waited in the waiting room of the detached palace.

As a Princess, Mirabilis had been inside the Main Hall several times. But this was the first time she was attending as the main character of an event held in the Main Hall, so she was sweating profusely as she was about to be bestowed. Her lips were dry and her throat felt parched. Serina took a handkerchief and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. Mirabilis blinked and squeezed Serina’s hand next to her tightly.

The formal dress Mirabilis wore was more splendid than ever. Over the white dress chosen at the Emperor’s request, she wore an overcoat with red background and yellow flowers embroidered on it. A gold necklace, blue lapis lazuli earrings, and a circlet decorated with lapis lazuli on her forehead were all properly dressed. The clean body, which gently curved in a soft curve, slowly shone with the white clothes, blue jewels, green eyes, blonde hair, and red overcoat. Serina wanted to capture Mirabilis’s appearance as it was and keep it like a painting.

“I was so angry that I couldn’t be bestowed as a Princess…”

Mirabilis opened her mouth out of the blue. It wasn’t something she wanted anyone to hear, but something she wanted someone to listen to. Her cheeks trembled with tension and gradually lost their color. In her clear eyes looking at Serina, joy and anxiety were mixed and wavering uneasily.

“It’s absurd, but now that the day I’m being bestowed has come, I’m strangely nervous. I wonder if Padrentia felt like this too.”

Serina couldn’t answer right away. Although she had hardly interacted with Padrentia, she could feel a little of her personality with just a fleeting encounter. Padrentia always had a smile that made her look like she liked people, though not as much as her maid Supanita. She was good at being surrounded by people and receiving attention, and the Chrysanthemum Palace constantly welcomed guests.

If it were Padrentia, the First Princess of Awimika, she would have been nervous when she was bestowed, but not as much as Mirabilis. Wouldn’t she have hidden her anxiety with a smiling face and naturally added authority with dignified gestures to create the image of a Princess?

Despite being a Princess, Mirabilis had little experience being the center of attention. So she was more nervous than necessary and was still holding the maid’s hand tightly. Serina couldn’t bring herself to tell her thoughts as they were. Instead, she placed her other hand on Mirabilis’s hand holding her hand. It felt like the Princess’s heartbeat was being transmitted through both hands.

“To me, Mirabilis-nim has been a Princess since long before.”

The tense air around Mirabilis wavered for a moment. The Princess’s surprised eyes widened. It was certainly not wrong, but it was not entirely true either. A keyword planted with mockery and ridicule, Regina Lecta (Controlled Princess). Serina was a little sad that her past self had buried a keyword filled with malice, but she didn’t show it outwardly.

“‘As a maid, I am humbled,’ take a deep breath in and out. Do not worry. I am always by Mirabilis-nim’s side. Be brave, my Princess-nim.”

When she comforted her by mixing formal palace language with the keyword she had planted before, Mirabilis took a deep breath as she was told. The hand holding Serina’s hand also relaxed, and the stiff face gradually regained its color and softened.

Mirabilis turned her face towards Serina with tearful eyes and suddenly hugged him tightly. A fragrance like a bouquet of flowers wafted from the Princess’s slender body. Serina was embarrassed by being caught in Mirabilis’s arms, but the Princess hugged him even tighter.

“You have also been my one and only friend since long ago. I wouldn’t have been able to have this position if it weren’t for you. I don’t know how friends are made outside the palace. Please be generous even if I make a mistake with you, and please continue to stay by my side in the future.”

Serina’s heart was momentarily choked up as she listened to his words. She couldn’t open her mouth to say anything. She simply put her arms around Mirabilis’s back and hugged him back. The two hugged each other for a moment and silently buried themselves in each other’s warmth.

When the Master of Ceremonies knocked on the door, the two released each other. When Mirabilis gave permission, the middle-aged Master of Ceremonies came in and escorted him out separately. Serina watched Mirabilis’s back and then left the detached palace.