Bloodlines of Archaea I. Afira
Grandma Lilly's Dress

“Now this leaves us with a few minutes for me to pull on a dress and stick on a crown before we have to be presentable,” I said after thanking Tao for her time and beginning to walk quickly back to my room with Akuma right behind me. I looked over my shoulder, checking that he was still there.

“Oh yeah, I forgot that we still have to have that dinner-party-thing with those old governor guys,” he said, catching up to me.

I nodded. “Yeah, we have to be on it. They’ve been trying to seize the power from the throne for generations. No doubt will they try to convince the public we can’t lead. So we have to be polite, yet harsh and commanding, yet likable. Got it?” I asked, entering my room and searching for the ball gown Grandma Lilly had made for me for my very first ball. I figured now would also be an appropriate time to use it. I realized Akuma was still there, looking confusedly at me. “You have to go change, too. I don’t think they’ll be impressed by the ‘shirtless heartthrob’ look you’ve been having the past few days,” I said, shoving Akuma out into the hall.

He smiled. “For the record, that isn’t on purpose,” he began as he walked back to his home. “I’m just so attractive it comes off that way,” he yelled from down the hall. I could see him rub smooth his hair mockingly. I chuckled and went back to searching for my dress. Finding it, I removed my skirt and the cloth which gave my outfit color, keeping the plain-colored material underneath to keep the dress from being too uncomfortable. I pulled on the crimson-red ball gown with orange and yellow jewels. When everything was on, I went into my closet and found one of the many crowns Grandma Lilly had paid to be specially made for any outfit a queen might wear. I chose a gold one with stones matching the jewels on the dress. I looked into my mirror, decided nothing else could be done to make myself feel more queen-like, I then stepped out of the room and rushed to Akuma’s hut, where we would walk to the dining room together. I knocked on the door, although I knew no one would answer because Maktu was at the castle and Akuma never answered the door, always saying it could be anyone standing there. I rolled my eyes and walked in. Akuma stood a few feet from the door, fumbling with a button on the shining red coat he wore. I knew immediately who the coat belonged to. It had been his father’s. He smiled at me but didn’t say anything. I knew how hard it was for him to put something like that on, knowing full well that his father had died in a coat like that one. I smiled warmly. “Now that’s presentable,” I said, trying to remove his mind from the coat’s owner.

He smiled. “Thanks, you think the court will try to steal the palace now?”

I laughed. “Probably, but at least now it’ll be a little harder.”

“Indeed it will, my queen,” he said, bowing and holding his arm out for me the same way he had for each ball the island had for the royal family.