Chapter 12 - 12. Fashion Show of Imprisonment

Duke sent me back to my room after my entire crying session. Honestly, I'd cried enough tears to fill a bathtub.

I caught my reflection in the mirror and groaned.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵? 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵.

At least Duke promised he'd handle Duchess and Kirill so they wouldn't be too harsh on me. But still I had confinement. No leaving the room until Sir-Overprotective-Kirill decreed otherwise.

Well. At least I had two funny knights stationed outside my door.

𝘏𝘮𝘮... 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸?

My gaze drifted to the wardrobe. Meredia's wardrobe was basically another world in itself. I grabbed the doors knob but...then froze.

Wait. The dresses I'd tied together and used as a makeshift rope.

I sprinted to the balcony. The rope wasn't there.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘒𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯? 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

Heart thumping, I rushed back inside, yanked open the wardrobe... and every single dress was back, perfectly lined up on hangers like nothing had happened.

I blinke𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

It was honestly creepy but also convenient. Maids might have done it, but Duke or Kirill didn't mention it. It was unnecessary for me to bother, so I let it go and focused on luxury in front of me.

The wardrobe itself was gorgeous like walking into a fashion shrine. Heels, flats, boots, shoes all lined up beneath the rows of gowns, sparkling like some rich-girl dream sequence. Drawers stuffed with jewelry, shelves glinting with gems.

I practically squealed. 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥.

Excitement bubbled up in me instead of dread. If Kirill wanted me "locked up," fine. I'd just lock myself in with silks and diamonds.

I twirled around once in the middle of the wardrobe and grinned.

I didn't even think twice before diving into the dresses.

First victim was a rich red gown with sheer beige puff sleeves. The floral embroidery shimmered when I moved, and when I cinched the ornate belt around my waist, I almost gasped. Then I added a necklace dripping with pearl drops and diamond stones, and 𝘺𝘦𝘢...𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺, I looked like I'd walked straight out of a royal painting. I even gave myself a dramatic spin. Lady Meredia, terror of ballroom floors everywhere.

Next came this coral and turquoise ballgown. It had puff sleeves too but the lace trim was so delicate it looked like frosting on a cake. The ribbon at the waist tied into a big bow at the back, and I swear the bow alone was probably worth half a fortune. I piled on sapphire-studded earrings and stood in front of the mirror, turning left, then right, then back again. If I wore this to a ball, half the girls would faint and the other half would try to strangle me.

And then, I spotted a dramatic black dress. Bold red and white embroidery twirled down the skirts like fire and snow. The sleeves were long and billowing, the kind that made you want to raise your arms and pretend you were casting spells. I slipped on matching black heels, tied the belt, and honestly, I looked terrifying in the best possible way.

After that I tried on… honestly, too many. A pale lavender dress with pearl buttons. A green gown that sparkled faintly in the light. A soft blue one that clung like a dream. Every time I swapped jewelry.....pearls, diamonds, strange colored gems...I made little faces at myself in the mirror like I was judging contestants in some noble beauty contest.

By the time I was done, the room looked like a tornado had exploded. Dresses were everywhere, shoes scattered, drawers left wide open. My bed had become a mountain of discarded silks.

I collapsed onto the chaise with a ridiculous pearl tiara still sitting crooked on my head, panting like I'd run a marathon.

𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘮𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳: 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘦.

That's when a knock came.

I froze. My heart lurched so hard it felt like it lodged itself in my throat. For a split second, I just stood there, breathing shallow, eyes darting around the room. Clothes were everywhere...silks, half-torn ribbons, discarded jewels catching the light, shoes kicked aside like evidence of a crime scene.

Panic snapped me back into motion. I dropped to my knees and started grabbing whatever my hands landed on, not even checking what it was. Everything went straight toward the balcony.

—KNOCK!—

I jolted, my breath stuttering, but I didn't stop. I just moved faster, shoving the more few things out of sight like the door might burst open any second. My hands flew up to my hair, smoothing it down, then doing it again because it didn't feel right.

I sucked in a breath, squared my shoulders, and walked to the door, trying to look like my heart wasn't about to beat its way out of my chest.

𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦—

I slowly opened the door, still wrapped in about five layers of dresses, necklaces piled around my neck like some failed royal statue.

Butler Regald froze in the doorway. His mouth twitched like he was trying desperately not to laugh. 𝘖𝘩 𝘯𝘰… I must be looking very ridiculous for him to hide his face like that.

"L-Lady… it is… time for dinner..." he managed, voice tight with effort to not laugh.

I blinked at him, utterly confused. "Dinner? But… it's noon."

Regald's lips twitched into an actual, barely-contained grin. "The sun… has set, Lady."

𝘞𝘢𝘪𝘵... 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵?

I slowly looked out the window and… 𝘰𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘥, the sun had indeed set. Somehow, lost in my fashion chaos and experimenting with layers of gowns, I had completely lost track of time.

I felt heat rush to my cheeks. "I… I—"

Regald's barely restrained chuckle echoed down the hallway as he straightened, trying to regain his butler composure.

I looked down at myself: the clashing layers, glittering jewelry, shoes half-on. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. 𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘺?

"I'll be there… soon," I muttered, dragging myself into the room and shutting the door behind me.

For a second, I just stood there, breathing in deep, trying to pull myself 𝘵ogether, mentally preparing for the dinner circus and more importantly, trying to smother the embarrassment still clinging to me.

After swapping the gown for something normal, I headed to the dining room. As expected, Duchess and Kirill gave me the silent treatment. Their eyes said plenty, though. Father, on the other hand, seemed to take advantage of the situation. He was talking to me more than usual, even arguing with Esther about something trivial while the other two stayed painfully quiet.

Dinner dragged by, awkward and heavy in all the wrong ways. When it finally ended, I escaped back to my room like I'd just finished a marathon.

Then reality hit me. The chaos I'd left behind...gowns, jewels, shoes everywhere. The room looked like a fabric hurricane had hit it.

Sure, I had maids, but there was no way I was calling them in. I was already embarrassed enough. Apparently, Lady Meredia Seraphine never left a mess. Never meant never ever.

Pretending to be her was exhausting. I had her memories, sure, but not her poise. Not the way she moved, spoke, or even breathed sometimes. I slipped up more often than I'd liked but thankfully, this family chalked it all up to "trauma."

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 𝘮𝘦.

Duchess and Kirill only stayed cold for about three days before thawing enough to speak to me again. But my knights? Yeah, they didn't thaw. They hovered around me like loyal, overcaffeinated mosquitoes.

And sometimes I could swear I saw Kairan's shadow in the corners of my room, waiting me. One night, I even woke to the sound of boots. When I opened my eyes, he was sitting on the sofa in front of my bed.

He chuckled when I pretended to still be asleep.

𝘚𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵.

Walking idly down the hallway, I muttered under my breath, "How annoying."

Neither the knights nor the walls cared.

Father hadn't offered any help either. Maybe he didn't trust Meredia and I couldn't really blame him.

As I passed the towering doors of the library, they seemed to stare back at me. Almost like they were daring me to enter.

Back in my world, I'd been a bookworm but that was survival, not passion. Studying was my way out of poverty. Here, I had no such worries. And yet… the thought of books still tugged at me.

I stopped. The two knights trailing behind me froze, too. Kael almost crashed into me.

"Lady, what happened?" Fenric asked, wary as always.

I turned to them. "Do you two ever read?"

Fenric and Kael exchanged a look. Fenric cleared his throat like he was about to deliver a speech. "𝘈𝘩, yes. I've read many books on Valkathra's weapons and great sold—"

"Enough." I raised a hand, cutting him off. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture on shiny swords.

My gaze shifted to Kael. "You?"

He rubbed his chin, thinking. "I read," he said, and then uttered a string of completely unintelligible words in his tribal tongue.

I blinked and turned to Fenric. "Translation?"

Fenric shrugged. "His people keep records on tree bark and stones. Oral and carved history, mostly."

Kael nodded proudly. "It is brilliant."

I sighed. "Sure. Bring me those bark-scroll masterpieces next time. I'll grade them."

Kael nodded again then froze as I pushed open the massive doors to the library.

Both knights went stiff.

"What?" I frowned. Their faces looked like I'd just opened a portal to hell.

"Lady… you intend to spend the day in the library?" Fenric asked cautiously, pointing toward the shelves.

I nodded. "Yes? Is that a problem?"

Kael scratched the back of his head. "But… lady and library… no come in same sentence—"

Fenric smacked him so hard he hit the floor. "Insolent brat!"

It didn't matter. Kael hadn't needed to finish the sentence anyway. I already knew what he meant.

Meredia never read. Even when forced, she'd managed only two pages in three months.

And now here I was opening the doors to her least favorite place in the entire palace.

Kael was still wriggling on the floor like a dying bird, and Fenric just stood there staring at me wide-eyed and wordless. The kind of look that makes you instinctively check if you've grown a second head.

𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘺, 𝘣𝘳𝘰. 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘺.

I cleared my throat, trying to pull the authority card. "My great knights… actually, I've grown up now."

Total nonsense, but I had to say something. The last thing I needed was anyone questioning why the infamous book hating Meredia suddenly wanted to hang out with paper.

"I want to read and learn about my kingdom and duchy," I said, layering it with fake conviction. "To serve my people better."

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦.

Except… apparently not.

Fenric's expression crumpled like I'd just announced I'd been cured of some lifelong illness. The man looked proud. Kael, meanwhile, was still sprawled on the floor, tears leaking down his face. I couldn't tell if he was moved by my "growth" or still in pain from the smack.

Either way, this was getting weirdly emotional for what started as a trip to the library.

"Uh… are you two—"

I stopped. Because honestly? There was no sentence on this earth that could finish itself.

Fenric had already bowed his head, one hand covering his eyes, his shoulders shaking like he was holding back sobs or laughter. Possibly both. My face froze somewhere between disbelief and emotional scarring.

Was Meredia really that hopeless?

These two hadn't even lived here long enough to witness her flop era.

"We are deeply relieved that our lady is… responsible," Fenric said, his voice thick, like he was on the verge of tears. "Everyone warned us the woman we were sworn to serve had an egg where her brain should be."

I smiled politely and stared at an invisible camera somewhere down the corridor.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴? 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.

Kael completely lost it. His whole body shook, twisting like a possessed worm for a solid minute.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘣𝘳𝘰?

Fenric calmly kicked him in the leg. Kael stopped mid-wriggle like someone had hit pause.

"Right," I said, nodding once. "You two… do whatever this is. I'll go do my job."