Of course. How could it have been otherwise? Even if it surprised her a little, since she wasn't sure whether he wanted her so close to him after yesterday.
Baridi really said goodbye this time and Lyana was now alone in the room with her maid. Alisen was also busy looking for the right dress for the sun princess. She didn't really care what she wore, but since there seemed to be no woman in this castle for so long, she granted her this little joy." You must not freeze today, that limits our choice a bit this time," she said with a frown.
Lyana meanwhile started to struggle out of the warm bed. "Can't I just wear a warm underdress?" She suggested, but Alisen immediately shook her head. "That won't be enough. We won't be back until evening, so the dress has to be warm too. We have two options. A green and a yellow one."
She held up both variants and Lyana was surprised, not for the first time, about the perfect selection
of dresses. "I leave the choice to you." Lyana sat down at her dresser and combed her hair.
"Hmmm, then the green one. It goes so well with your eyes. You will immediately attract attention.
People will definitely be amazed at your beauty."
The princess was slowly wondering if Alisen was not exaggerating something. It didn't really matter
if she left a positive impression or not. After all, she only came along at the request of the king, and
the people there probably wouldn't see her a second time. But since her maid looked so happy, she
just kept quiet and nodded with a smile. The green one was at least the more pleasant option for her
too. In their kingdom, yellow was the color of traditional wedding dresses. Not that anyone here
would know, but she found the thought a little strange. Especially since she was going to spend the day with King Ulric.
The dress chosen was made of a thick fabric that still felt good on the skin. The bustier was lace and
the skirt was embroidered with gold thread. In addition, Alisen selected a suitable emerald necklace for her.
"Hopefully he won't react like yesterday," Lyana mumbled more to herself.
"Do not worry. I was told that every color except pink is fine," Alisen assured her.
It looked like the king's behavior really was due to the dress. Maybe his mother was very fond of this color? Unfortunately, she didn't have much time to think about it. Her maid had already done her hair and was chatting away on it. Even if it was a bit annoying, she was grateful for the distraction.
As always, the hairstyle fit perfectly and looked fantastic. She was a little stricter this time, but
Alisen was afraid that her hair could get messed up through the hat and the ride.
She looked at the princess carefully, but she didn't seem entirely satisfied. This woman was really a
perfectionist. She carefully loosened a few strands at the front and then nodded satisfied. "That makes the whole thing a little more relaxed. After all, you shouldn't appear aloof."
Lyana looked at herself in the mirror and was more than happy with the end result. Only now did she notice that her maid had even braided a few gold threads into her hair. "Isn't that a bit ... exaggerated? It's just a trip to the village. Shouldn't it be a little more inconspicuous?"
Alisen looked at her in horror. "Absolutely not! And the king is there with you, you don't have to fear anything."
"Except for himself," she mumbled softly. Still, she couldn't help but admire herself a little bit in the
mirror. She wished her father could see her like that. Lyana looked so grown up. It was the fourth day she was here. Which meant that it was her birthday today. Her 18th birthday and there was no one to celebrate that day with her.
"Here's your cape, Your Royal Highness", Alisen handed her the white fur cape with a smile and
pulled her out of her depressing thoughts. Her maid put on a white hat to match the cape and tugged
again at the strands.
Maybe she should just look at today's outing as her birthday present. Sure, it was with King Ulric, but at least that way she would get out of the castle. Also, she looked fabulous thanks to Alisen, which greatly improved her mood.
After she was finally satisfied, Alisen put on a coat and they could leave the room together. After
all, her maid would be with her today. That calmed her down a lot.
Baridi was waiting for them in front of the door. "The sleighs are already prepared, we shouldn't keep the king waiting any longer."
The two women followed the valet outside. King Ulric was actually waiting for her. Well, at least he was already in his sleigh when they arrived. Her maid got into a smaller sleigh that appeared to be for the servants. Since Lyana was unsure whether she could simply sit next to the king, she looked to Baridi for help. He nodded inconspicuously and she walked carefully towards King Ulric. Almost like approaching a wild animal. On the other hand, the wolves at the front of the sled scared her far less than their owner.
She calmly got into the sleigh and sat next to King Ulric. "Good morning, Your Majesty. I hope you
had a pleasant night", she greeted him and immediately regretted her sentence. Hadn't she seen for herself yesterday that he wasn't having a pleasant night?