Page 64 of Mermaid on Heels
Oh, where did all thecompetitiongo? Or, was this some trick?
Liriya displayed her best smile and played along. “Good morning to you, too, Princess Aeira. It was so kind of you to wait for me. My sisters and I arrived not so long ago.”
She didn’t know how to say what the timing was, based on hours like humans usually did. Sheoughtto have that lesson from Cedric soon.
“Oh, your sisters are here too?” Princess Aeira’s eyes lit up with curiosity and they peered past Liriya. “Where are they?”
“They are with Luke, actually, on the balcony.”
“Oh.” The light in the Garbian princess’ eyes faded. “What balcony?”
“One like that,” Liriya said, inclining her head to the balcony next to them. “But on the other side of the castle, I suppose.”
“Oh,” Princess Aeira drew out. Before she opened her mouth again, Liriya cut in.
“We must be late already. Let us head over to the parlor,” she suggested and began moving out of the hallway to the corridor with Susie.
Princess Aeira fell into step with Liriya and they walked in silence all the way to the former queen’s parlor. Rounding the corner of the guest wing entrance, Susie led them to the staircase that led to the first floor. Before long, they were in front of a grand double-door room.
“This is it, Your Highnesses.” Susie curtsied and swung open the doors, revealing a room that seemed like it was plucked from the depths of the ocean.
Liriya lost her breath in awe. The ceiling was adorned with shimmering shells and pearls, and the walls were draped with flowing curtains in varying shades of blue and aquamarine, evoking the tranquil depths of the sea. Sunlight filtered through the gauzy fabric, casting a soothing, aquatic glow over the room.
Liriya felt a sense of nostalgia for her underwater kingdom. No doubt, this parlor belonged to the late queen.
As they entered, Liriya noticed that Princess Lora, Lady Riley, Lady Sabrina, and Lady Serra sat on a long settee in the middle of the room. Duchess Matilda sat in front of them on a small settee, a coffee table between. She turned towards Liriya and Princess Aeira with a kind smile and asked them to take a seat.
The elites greeted each other, but the tension between them was palpable. They were after all, vying for the same coveted position—to become the next queen of Lectoria. However, Liriya wasn’t here to compete, though onlysheknew that. And the chance of anyone making friends with each other was clearly thin here; they’d be more interested in finding each others’ flaws.
Or,this was simply happening in Liriya’s head and these women weren’t as they seemed. Maybe they were all merely as nervous as she was and time would clear out their unfriendly air. Liriya hoped.
At that moment, a distinguished figure entered the room. Duke Rufus strode in and closed the door behind him before approaching his wife and sitting down next to her. The older couple exchanged a warm smile and Liriya saw in their eyes their love for each other.
She immediately remembered her own parents, the way they would look at each other and how Liriya and her sisters used to make gross expressions, teasing them that they were silly and lovesick. Liriya’s heart clenched at the memories. Oh, what would she give to go back—
She paused mid-thought.
Did she really want to gobackto those times?
Liriya didn’t hesitate to answer herself.No.
As much as she loved her parents, she would much rather say she would give anything toseethem again than going back to those times. Why? Because her life underwater had held her like a prisoner to shadows and lies, forbidden from going to the surface, filling her head with lies about the world above and its dwellers.
As much as she hated the cause ofwhyshe was here in the first place, Liriya couldn’t bring herself to regret it. She didn’t regret meeting Luke. And the admission surprised her.
Though she had teased her parents, she always admired their love and the friendship that had strengthened their marriage. Liriya had even thought—while she wasn’t particularly interested in any mermen or the idea of marriage—that, if she were to find a husband, he should be someone who looked at her like her father looked at her mother.
The princess in her still nagged at Liriya to choose her kingdom over Luke, but she couldn’t succumb to it without stomaching the fact that she would lose something very precious in the process.
How had a conversation with her sisters the other night changed so much as to convince herself that this—he—was precious? To choose what shewanted, and not what she needed to do.
Liriya pulled herself out of her thoughts and focused on the current situation. She sat with her back straight, head high, and hands clasped on her lap as she listened to Rufus and Matilda talk to them about the rules and how the Bridal Selection Period worked.
There was no allowance to go wandering into the grounds, other than to the palace garden, they also warned the elites not to go wandering at late hours as it was seen as a security issue. They stressed that there should be no fighting or sabotaging each other. No romantic affairs with another man other than the king himself would be tolerated, since the selection period was counted as courting; anyone caught in such an action would be considered committing a treasonous act and that candidate would be dismissed on the spot.
Each day had been set for each elite to spend time with the king, which would perhaps be a meal, garden strolling, horse riding, or anything that the king would choose. After each of the six of them had had a day with the king, by the end of the week, he would announce the three elites who would pass onto the second round of the Bridal Selection; the other three would be dismissed. And by the end of the second week, he would announce his bride. The wedding would be within the week after that.
Liriya’s heart skipped a beat at the last part. Nevertheless, she composed herself and nodded to every word Rufus said. After that, he and Matilda rose to leave, giving them the space to get to know each other until the king would send someone to escort the selected elite to spend the day with him.