Magic Apprentice

The day Elric looked most fervently to had finally arrived. The Day of Triumph. For so long, Elric had longed for this day, for it symbolized the day of his freedom.

It was for that reason that Elric woke up early today only to be surprised that someone had already beaten him awake. Arranged all around the room, bouquets of flowers and their fragrant aroma greeted Elric from his bed. 

For the past five days, the Duke had consistently managed to produce flowers from a seemingly endless source—many flowers were so fresh even that the morning dew could be seen on their petals by the time Elric awoke. The Duke’s earnest pursuit for romance had Elric feeling slightly regretful, but annoyed even moreso.

Another major source of annoyance was the article of clothing hanging in his wardrobe, a beige-colored gown. It was extravagantly made with masterful care and produced a pang of pain in Elric’s stomach whenever he thought about it.

The gown was already familiar to him, unfortunately. It was something Hughesin’s mother had custom tailored—a feat made possible only by the prowess of the old tailoress. Two months was often needed to tailor a dress on the normal basis, but it only took three days for this one. Whether it was out of obligation to the Duchess, the tailor toiled endlessly to produce a dress both stylish and dignified while also being frivolously beautiful. The gown, when taken in from the front, was elegantly inspired by a tulip. 

Asymmetrically, the hems of the skirt had twelve lilies trimmed across them. A similarly-colored length of fabric was attached from behind the waist to come out around in two strips, creating a ‘V’, and ending with a giant butterfly knot at the front. Two layers of satin hung from the waist down in a simplistic design that made it easy for anyone single person to appreciate its simplicity while also being drawn in by its gentle and refined nature.

Only one ornament adorned the dress; the redbud brooch affixed above the left side of the chest. Master artisans were commissioned for the creation of this brooch, the redbud having many jewels enlaid around it while an entire emerald was meticulously carved away to form a leaf. But the most conspicuous part of the brooch was the usage of several types of rubies and diamonds to resemble the petals of the redbud. Even the backdrop of the brooch, was a beautifully cut gem of beryl. Elric couldn’t even begin to imagine the cost for such a piece of jewelry.

Not that he felt allured by it, anyways. After suffering so much in the name of beauty, Elric felt disillusioned by things such as fashion and appearances. It was underneath Elric that frightened him more—a protective binding made from dragonhide. Material like that made for excellent armor against blades, though Elric had his suspicions it could even perhaps stop an enchanted blade.

Under the aid of his four handmaids, Elric was able to swiftly put on the gown with ease. He simply had to. For the past three days since he received it, Elric made sure to practice putting it on and taking it off as fast as he could. On the day of the banquet, he had to appear as both Fantasia and Elric, meaning the faster he could change clothing, the better his chances of pulling it off.

It was for the sake of this goal that Elric felt nothing but respect for the handmaid in charge of the cosmetics. Given her skills, Elric saw no reason to doubt the cosmetic specialist hired by the Sovereign Royal Family. She was the authority in the field and was exceptionally creative enough to come up with several ways to shorten the changing times between disguises—one of which was fake eyelashes that could be placed and displaced from the face instantly. 

Rather than applying a heavy layer of makeup, she made sure only a conservative amount was used. This way, Elric would be able to hide his masculine features satisfactorily enough while requiring only a single wipe to remove. As Fantasia, his hair was tied up in a bun so that when the time came to be Elric again, all he had to do was slip a pre-made wig onto his head. No one cared for the hairstyle of men, thus the wig only had to survive a minimal amount of scrutiny.

For the sake of cutting down as much time as possible, it was agreed upon by the four handmaids and Elric that the latter would simply have to keep the dragonhide corset on, even when he was in his male disguise.

After countless discussions, hundreds of adjustments, and dozens of non-stop practice, Elric felt confident in his ability to switch between disguises. A minute and the help of the four was all he needed to ditch his Fantasia disguise and revert to being a male. 

Reapplying the Fantasia disguise wasn’t nearly as fast, unfortunately. The process was many times more delicate and lengthy, requiring somewhere around five minutes to finish. Five minutes was a decent amount of time, though Elric dreaded just how many times he’d have to switch back and forth.

Just waiting for the banquet made Elric nervous. He was getting more restless by the minute, prompting him sometimes to pace around his room twice before gazing out the window for a minute. He was most often seem thumbing through the journal left to him by Hughesin, though Elric had also at several times fiddled around with Vindrhorn. All in all, Elric simply couldn’t stay still.

Then at last, the time came for departure. A servant knocked at the door, requesting Fantasia and her handmaids to make their way downstairs. A request Elric complied with great excitement. He wasn’t surprised to see Hughesin and his mother waiting downstairs already while the servants lined up against the walls in respectful silence.

Hughesin was extraordinarily quiet today. Nervous he was when waiting for Fantasia to appear, and now speechless he was when she actually appeared. That didn’t mean to say he thought her unfascinating on the common basis; he was actually in constant appreciation for her beauty, but the joyous air around her today was unprecedented. A happy Fantasia was a rare sight, but this Fantasia was a once-in-a-lifetime sight. She was absolutely intoxifying with her appearance today.

But the Duke was not without awareness of the reason behind her smile. It gave him no end of heartache, to know the reason. Had he the choice, he’d choose to not let such an intriguing lamb go. But now he felt a genuine sense of loss.

The Duchess leaned in to whisper to his ear, a knowing smile on her face. “Worry not. Your sweetheart will not escape. Preparations have already been made.”

He took in a deep breath; it was time. 

“Dearest Fantay, today marks an end to our days together. I hope you will come to cherish this day.”

He held out the crook of his arm, a gesture of which Elric felt baffled by.

The confusion showed on her face, much to everyone else’s amusement. Even two of her handmaids had to shift their faces to hide the smile on their faces.The only one unaffected was the Duchess, who gently took Fantasia’s hand and linked it to Hughesin’s elbow.

Understanding and embarrassment dawned on Elric’s face as he tried to pull his hand away, but it was too late. Hughesin’s hand was already firmly clasped onto his, forcing him to follow the Duke’s lead out the estate.

Now marked the very first time Elric had ever left the ducal estate in five days. It was hard for him to imagine that just five days ago, he once attempted an escape by jumping out a window and coming face-to-face with the intimidating guards. On the other hand, he thought, it was a rather mystifying experience seeing all the guards stand in two equal lines facing each other. As awe-inducing as they were before, the guards today seemed even more fired up today, as if they were seeing off a king or queen. 

It was a little comedic. A sight like this symbolically a gesture of their acknowledgement of her being the next Duchess. Between the watchful eyes of the soldiers, Elric followed Hughesin into the coach for the two. Hughesin’s mother would follow from another vehicle in the back.

Together, the coaches set off onto the roads for their destination. Elric half-expected Hughesin to sit right next to him as he normally tried, but was surprised to see him sit silently opposite to him.