Chapter 443 - 442. Debutante Drama (2)
I stood still in front of the full-length mirror, staring at a version of myself that I had come to see after a rather long time.
The gown clung to me like it belonged, its shades of blue, violet, and soft pink cascading into a train of embroidered peacock feathers that shimmered like they held secrets of old. Drapes of sheer fabric fell from my shoulders, fluttering with the movement of air I hadn’t felt. My collarbones were framed by delicate beadwork that caught the soft golden glow of the room.
But it wasn’t the dress that made me pause.
It was me.
My silver-white hair had been swept up and pinned with an elegance I never thought suited me—half up, the rest trailing down my back in soft waves. A few strands curled along my jawline, brushing against my skin like a whisper. And my eyes... they didn’t look like mine. They glowed too brightly. Too... divinely. The extent of how much the Dragon’s bloodline would make me beautiful was still a fascinating mystery to me.
I tilted my head, watching the way the faint light caught in my irises, how my expression seemed calm, regal even—but not quite present. Like a portrait painted to impress.
"Is this really me?" I murmured, not expecting an answer.
And yet, the silence that followed seemed to echo with a quiet affirmation. That this—this was the girl they would all see tonight. The girl I was meant to become and also the one who would turn the tides of attention from Princess Colette to myself and to the Princes who deserved today’s celebration.
Penny opened the lid of the trinket box that I didn’t know I had and picked out a bracelet.
The bracelet gleamed like a fragment of the cosmos—its smooth, opalescent stones swirled with stardust-blue light, encased in delicately twisted silver strands that made me envision the flowing mana energy. It felt more like a celestial artifact than mere jewelry—ethereal, quiet, and endlessly elegant.
"Archmage left this for you, My Lady." She said as she showed me the bracelet and then handed me a card which was with it.