Chapter 56Gali the Third said to Poliana awkwardly, "I have prepared a dress and some jewelry as well for you, so… go ahead and make yourself presentable." His words were generous, but clearly, the Bikpa King did not think she deserved his fineries.
"I am an Acreian knight and therefore do not need to be adorned," Poliana refused politely.
"But you must follow our tradition and show your respect to this important occasion," Gali the Third replied angrily. Poliana thought that he looked a little more like a king when he showed his anger, but she knew her duty. Poliana offered him a compromise that she would just wear some clean s.h.i.+rt and pants just like what the other knights would do.
But it seemed that this made Gali the Third even angrier. "You are in Bikpa and therefore, you need to follow Bikpa traditions! As my guest, you need to wear and eat what I have prepared for you and also, no guests were ever allowed to bring their weapons to our feasts!"
"I thank you for your generosity and will wear what you have prepared for me, but I cannot be unarmed," Poliana replied politely once again.
What Gali the Third said was true; guests weren"t allowed to wear arms to royal events in any kingdoms, but Poliana had no intention of following this rule now. Bikpa was going to officially belong to Acreia tomorrow, so she was not obligated to humor this idiotic king.
"Fine, I will wear the outfit that will no doubt make me look like a clown, but I won"t give up my sword."
She had no problem wearing a dress and jewelry that she knew would not suit her. She had never dolled up before, so perhaps it would be a good experience, but the most important fact here was that she was Lucius the First"s personal guard.
This was only a temporary post for her, but she knew what an honor it was to be the emperor"s guard. She had to do her best, and that meant being unarmed was out of the question.
When Poliana refused, the other guards nodded in agreement. To be unarmed in this situation was ridiculous. Gali the Third may have signed the surrendering doc.u.ment, which should guarantee Lucius the First"s safety, but none of the guards were willing to bet their emperor"s life on a piece of paper.
Gali the Third trembled in anger. "Are you all trying to mock me…! I am still the king of Bikpa!" When he roared, Lucius the First finally tried to convince his knights. He explained that the necessary doc.u.ment was signed, which meant that the Acreians must show respect to Bikpa"s culture. Yes, the Acreian knights might feel uncomfortable attending the feast unarmed, but this was the tradition in every kingdom. Since this banquet was the last event Gali the Third was holding as the king, Lucius the First thought that it was prudent to respect his wishes. The doc.u.ment of surrender was signed in public with witnesses, and nothing was going to change this fact.
Lucius the First said to his knights, "Thanks to Sir Ainno, we were able to conquer this kingdom without shedding blood. I think it would be ok for all of you to relax a little."
The knights had no choice but to nod since their emperor ordered it.
The male knights followed a servant together to their rooms while Poliana looked around awkwardly. The Bikpa maids and servants approached her awkwardly, but they seemed uncertain of what to do next. After a brief silence, Poliana finally asked them, "Where should I go?"
"We apologize… We are just a bit confused and surprised at you…"
"I guess these girls don"t know how to lie at all."
Poliana suspected these women to be the princess"s personal maids. They seemed to be shocked at her appearance and they didn"t hide that fact. Poliana followed them to a room and with their help, she took a hot bath. She secretly was relieved because she already took a bath only a few days ago. She wasn"t too dirty and therefore could avoid further embarra.s.sment.
When Poliana took off the handkerchief from her head, the maids gasped in horror. They were used to n.o.ble ladies and princesses, and so it was obvious they have never seen large scars. Poliana seriously thought to make them leave the room so she could wash but she kept herself quiet instead. She was a bit nervous because her clothes and sword were taken away.
"Where are my clothes and things?" Poliana asked.
"We"ve placed them in the closet over there."
"Oh, thank you."
All the outfits prepared for her were dresses. At least, there were various sizes and she could find one that fits her muscular body.
But when she saw herself in the mirror, she felt nauseous. With her almost-shaven head, Poliana looked like a mad woman.
"Please get me men"s clothes," Poliana asked the maids.
"Sir, please do not refuse our king"s generosity."
"But don"t you think looking like this would be considered even more offensive?"
"We can get you a wig, which will make it better," the maids begged her, some even pretended to cry.
"Looking sad and distressed won"t work on me, girls. If I was a guy, I might fall for it, but I"m not," Poliana thought to herself.
When the begging didn"t work, the maids changed their tactic. They said to Poliana that they had no choice to doll her up because they were ordered to do so. Poliana understood this since she was in the military. An order had to be obeyed.
So in the end, Poliana decided to let the maids do whatever they wanted to.
The next step was putting on her makeup. A thick powder was used to hide Poliana"s scars and discolored skin. When the maids saw her crooked nose, they couldn"t help but ask, "What happened?"
"It didn"t heal properly when it broke. Next time it breaks again, I am going to make sure to straighten it." It was a joke, but the maids just stared at her sympathetically. Poliana was disappointed and wondered if Lucius the First"s bad sense of humor was rubbing off on her.
Her eyebrows and other her facial hair were plucked. Her lips were colored with rouge. It smelled sweet, so Poliana tried licking it, but she immediately regretted it. It tasted awful. Rouge was made with honey, but it was mixed with a red powder that was bitter.
The maids asked Poliana if she was married. Before they met her, the maids thought that Poliana was Lucius the First"s mistress but when they finally saw her face, they realized their mistake. When Poliana answered that she was unmarried, the maids tried to style the wig in a girly style. An unmarried woman usually had her long hair down. Poliana refused, feeling uncomfortable with the fake hair all around her upper body. She asked it to be put up in a neat updo style.
The makeup was enough to make her look normal, but her body shape was another problem. Ladies strived to have a slim, almost fragile, body. The fas.h.i.+on nowadays involved a robe-style long dress that hung to the curves gracefully or a narrow dress that showed off a woman"s slimness but when Poliana wore these dresses, they only accentuated her muscles.
The maids were distressed, but Poliana was proud. She compared herself to the girls and saw that her hard work has paid off. Her muscles were definitely much bigger.
The maids claimed that Poliana would look ok with makeup and a wig. Poliana knew this wasn"t going to be true, and she was proven right. She looked ridiculous.
"I am going to be the clown of this banquet I guess."
Poliana glared at herself in the mirror and the maids asked her to stop. They sprayed her with perfume and tried to put the flower on her head. It was the same flower that Lucius the First gave to her after the tournament.
Poliana stopped them and asked, "Please put it on my dress instead."
She was in her mid 20"s. Flower wreaths, necklaces, and rings were for young girls, not a spinster like herself.
The next step was the jewels. The fineries offered to her were very extravagant. Was Gali the Third trying to show off his wealth? Or was he trying to seduce Lucius the First"s mistress?
The stones were big with bright colors. Poliana knew they were expensive and of high quality, and she felt like she wasn"t worthy of them. When she looked at them with a frown, the maids ordered her again, "Stop frowning or glaring. Your makeup is going to get ruined."
Finally, Poliana insisted on wearing the smallest necklace. The maids were very tired by now, so they didn"t argue with her. Poliana didn"t want to get her ears pierced and none of the rings fit her thick fingers. The only ring that did fit her had to be worn around her pinky.
When she looked at the mirror, the final product showed an ugly mean-looking woman.