Chapter 209: Back In The Capital
The airship touched down at the Cygnia City docks, and the Princess was bustled out by a half dozen maids, in order to get her ready for the eting.
"Lord Dominic, if you will follow , please. The dress code is military formal. There is a dressing room for the gentlen as well." An armourer inford him, then winked at Dominic.
They worked together in the forge, so they were far from strangers, even if they had only spoken a few words to each other.
"You get off easy today. My gear hasn’t taken any damage, and I already polished it." Dominic laughed as he stepped into the changing room and took out everything for one final check before getting dressed.
"I’ve got the high shine coating if you want? Just a bit of extra sparkle for your big day."
Dominic shrugged. "Why not. I suspect there will be a big show of officially promoting my Rank, with guests and maybe even one of those fancy photographers."
The armourer nodded. "Two photographers, I hear. They’ve developed a process for colour photographs, so the King has been requesting both copies lately. The colour doesn’t last long, I hear. So of the test pictures are already fading.
But the black and white ones haven’t changed in fifty years. You can probably get a print to take with you."
Dominic nodded. "Just a sha that I can’t steal staff to go with . Setting up an all-new estate will be a nightmare."
The armourer smiled. This was just the sort of gossip he had been hoping for.
"Oh? You already know where he’s going to assign you?"
Dominic shook his head. "Not exactly. But I know what title he’s given , and it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out from there. Plus, one of the challenges of the courtship was to build an estate from nothing but an empty house."
"You keep up like this, and we will have to go from calling you Lord Sorcerer to ’Your Grace’ or even ’Your Highness’.
Wait, he didn’t appoint you as a Prince Consort, did he? Should I be calling you Your Highness?"
Just the thought of this awkward smithy worker calling him Your Highness made Dominic laugh. "No, but if they’re being formal, you might have to call
Your Grace. According to the Crown Prince, His Majesty intends to na
the Duke of Wistover."
"Oh! An estate in the old Wavemates Territory for the Wavemates Sorcerer? That makes a lot of sense, actually. I should have bet on that." The armourer sighed.
"Who has it?"
"Pops, of course. If I didn’t know that it was impossible, I would swear that old Dwarf was psychic. I don’t think that he’s lost a bet since he took over as master of the forge.
We’ve got a bet going on whether he will resign his post to return to his forge when the war ends, but if you’re moving to the frontier, I might wager on him following you, just so that the Royal Smithy can’t co knocking on his door so easily."
Dominic laughed. "That smithy by the staging area has been in his family for generations. Unless he’s got a cousin or soone who can take it over for him, he’s not going to let it sit empty any longer than he has to."
The armourer nodded, then started to apply shine to the outer armour pieces of Dominic’s ensemble.
"Alright, that’s as good as it will get in the ti that we have. The King must not be kept waiting, and even if the Princess isn’t ready, we should get you to the Throne Room."
"Alright. She won’t be long. If it’s military formal, she will also be in armour, so it takes less ti to get into than the fancy gowns." Dominic agreed.
The notion that the many layers of clothing that the noble ladies wore could be more difficult than armour to get into made the Armourer chuckle. But he was an unmarried man from a Common family. He had never actually seen the process firsthand.
If it was a particularly fancy event, the gown would be literally stitched together after the wearer was in it so that the fit was flawless.
Dominic stepped out of the dressing room, and heard Alexis cursing at her maids as they were apparently trying to style her hair.
"Walk faster. Trust , you don’t want to be here when she cos out if she’s not happy with her hair." Dominic whispered.
The problem was the reverse of most Noblewon, in that the Princess didn’t like all the fancy pins and ornants in her hair. She said that it made her head heavy, and everything had to be removed to put a helt on, which was a safety hazard.
They had a long trip to the throne room, though. The airship docks were at the shore, and the Royal Palace had only sent one carriage for the new arrivals.
"Looks like we can’t escape so easily. If your duty is done, you can relax now." Dominic inford the armourer, who had been pressed into service as his assistant.
"Not until we get back. My ride is behind yours, and they won’t leave until you do. Which ans I get to ride back with the ladies maids, which might not be all bad."
Alexis ca out a few minutes behind them in what Dominic could only describe as a wedding dress with plate armour.
It even had the lace veil.
Honestly, pretty sexy. He would have to ask her to wear that again one day.
"I should have gotten fancier clothing." Dominic joked as he extended his arm to help her into the carriage.
"Soone is going to hear about this choice." Alexis replied, then flicked at the veil in annoyance.
"My Lady, please. If you continue to tug at it, the veil will pull free." The maid pleaded.
And that ant it would ss up her hair, Dominic assud, or she would have removed it already.
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