Chapter 34

I felt ridiculous, but I guess that was getting to be the norm for me. My coronation gown was not about showing off my assets, it was about showing off my lineage and so the neckline went all the way up to my throat. Then it flowed out in sleeves which got wider as they went until they belled around my wrists as if they'd forgotten they were sleeves entirely and believed themselves to be skirts. The real skirt was even more full, with a train so long that I had no idea how I'd get down the stairs without catching it on something.

The gown was made of layers upon layers of silky gauze in colors deepening from pale lavender to black. The black fabric was laid closest to my skin, so although the gown gave the illusion that it was transparent, with all its shifting sheer layers, it was completely modest. The top layer was dusted with diamonds, sparkling like stars across the celestial sphere of my dress. Beneath the hem, the toes of my black silk shoes poked out, revealing yet more diamon