Chapter 29

                                        

                                              
The third day of Méabh's coronation was a celebratory funeral, a dichotomy of being that confused the Xutians. Emberlee had plenty of black attire to choose from, forewarned about the dress code long before she left, but she'd also brought a gift for the same event. Furs, leathers, and rare books were common for it apparently, but not in the expected format given the heat of Adaba. Xutian fur coats were beautiful and practical, but not suitable to a tropical climate, so raw materials were delivered instead. They could be used in whatever fashion desired, Xutia gifted crates of tanned furs and cured leathers. But only one single book, a tome of Xutian hi온라인카지노게임 in an almost passive-aggressive flair.
Aerig departed after rousing with a truly divine hangover, according to the Adaban Ambassador there was some undisclosed Adaban alchemy he could avail himself of. And given his continuing role Aerig also had to pack; they'd set out as soon as possible after recovering from whatever fell adventure accrued today.
With her maid now dead it befell on her to pack the now gratuitous wardrobe that'd been gifted to her, and Emberlee finally uncovered the small hand Mirror she'd brought from Ortega and was shocked to see how honed her facial features had become. After over a month of not seeing her reflection, intense stress, recovery, and the heavily vegetarian diet of Adaba, and Emberlee had lost the last of her childish softness. Prince Damien's physical changes had been easier for her to adjust as she witnessed them, but her little hand Mirror wasn't just to observe her evolution. She'd seen Aerig pull the trick enough times that she'd finally figured it out; they were able to store things in a reflection, and the minuscule mirror was hidden in their jewelry or clothes. So now she tried to recreate that and 'pack' the wardrobe without having to pack anything at all, though, of course, it was nowhere as simple as it looked. 
But like when Cinderella had properly dealt with Deirdre and Ainsley, it was about intent instead of direct action. 
By the time Prince Damien arrived to prepare for the evening's events, she'd been able to tuck the full wardrobe into its reflection. She's selected her final outfit with Cinderella's demise in mind and saw the effect of it stun Prince Damien into stillness for a heartbeat. Black trousers in the form-fitting manner of Adaba, the same over-the-knee leather boots she'd reserved for horseback riding back home, and an Adaban corset that presented her lithe figure in as generous a manner as possible. She'd tied her hair back in a simple braid, the only colour present in the red ribbon fastening her braid. Prince Damien had silently taken the black ribbon she'd originally utilized and replaced it with one that matched their Relics and the fitfully glowing ember of his aural signature. Against all the black it stood out like a single rose in the ashes. 
As directed, Prince Damien was entirely garbed in black, selecting an almost militaristic uniform entirely in Xutia's more durable style. He'd be hotter than Adaba allowed for if he kept the jacket on all evening, but it'd let him potentially conceal a weapon. The hard black with no accessory counter colour didn't truly suit his bronzed skin and mahogany hair, but his carmine eye gleamed in comparison as her new ribbon did. "I have a final gift for you, and it's appropriate for today, my malevolent Fairy," and he presented her with a box she'd ignored in his luggage. 
As it was truly unexpected, she didn't know what to say and so instead focused on opening it. Inside the oddly shaped box was a rather unique diadem that featured a blackened gold fashioned into a set of dragon's horns, crusted with onyx and smoky sapphire. "This is the crown crafted for the first King, Landquester's child, and he wore it until adulthood when the official helmet crown was crafted for him," her manipulative dragon explained as he set it on her head, the lack of a Mirror keeping her from being able to see it on. 
It should have looked ridiculous, a pair of jewelled dragon's horns rising from her hair but the reverential look in Damien's eyes promised her it didn't. "Thank you, but why now?"