She was ready, maids made sure to dress her up to the best of their abilities, which made her even more nervous about messing up.
And yet she felt ready.
It was time to finally take the role that her beloved had bestowed upon her.
She placed her palms onto her face before exhaling.
Her beloved would make her official queen.
She, a girl who was considered useless and basically barely worthy of her royal blood, was to be the first queen.
'I wonder if my sisters would be jealous.' Her lips formed a slight smile.
She might have been the only daughter who wasn't married off to be some king's or noble's breeding sow and flimsy insurance of alliance.
And why?
Because she was considered so useless, she was able to meet Cedric.
In a way, she loved the fact that she was useless before; it was only because she didn't even have the worth of being married off to a powerful noble that she was able to be sent on a suicide mission and meet her hero.
Father, despite all his flaws, was the sole reason she met Cedric.
And now she had a destiny far greater than most people.
She spun around, her new blue and gold dress flowing beneath her.
While she still preferred armor, this would most certainly be more attractive to Cedric as such she wore the dress with pride.
Her hair was loose and combed to perfection.
She wore no jewelry except a necklace and a single bracelet.
Her head had to be completely free and unobstructed so that Cedric could plant the crown on top of her head.
The maids trailed her closely, she wore ornate blue shoes that elevated her heel slightly above the ground.
Her makeup accented her natural beauty and warm smile.
It was not time to rush.
She placed her hands in a V shape before her, making sure her stance was worthy of a Queen.
She took deep breaths before taking a sharp turn towards the path leading to the throne room.
She would be crowned right in the palace's heart.
Her lips curled up as she stepped onto the path leading up to the throne room.
While her instincts told her to bow her head slightly, she had to resist.
She forced herself to stand straight as she stepped into the throne room.
Around her, the nobility that formerly denied her stared at her with fear and weariness, their Guardian Angel overseers observing their every move.
They did not like serving a woman, and yet it was decided to be so.
Among them were her new servants and staff of the palace, whom she had accepted with open arms.
The rest of the room was filled with individuals of various degrees of influence, from lesser nobles to well-established merchants.
On the left hand of the throne stood Raguel, and her Archangel Guardians, who all warmly smiled at her.
Their expressions filled her with confidence.
On the right side was Cedric, who held a small bottle and a silver spoon.
She approached the throne before turning to face the guests.
"I must thank you all for coming today to witness my coronation. While unorthodox, it truly fills me with happiness, I would be crowned at this very palace." She smiled before bowing slightly.
The room was silent, everyone was awaiting the ceremony to commence.
She approached the throne.
"Kneel, Aurelia." While she was sad that he did not remove his helmet, she also understood that most of these people were not deserving.
She nodded before placing her hand onto her chest and kneeling down.
An act that made the guests gasp in surprise.
It was unheard of for a ruler to kneel before anyone, and yet their new queen just did.
He approached, "Lift your head."
And so she did.
"Aurelia, do you swear that you will uphold God's heavenly decrees and rule as he wishes you to rule?" Cedric's voice echoed in the silent room.
"I swear I will rule just as God intended. I swear to uphold Christian laws and punish all those who dare break them." She spoke with conviction befitting a zealot.
Cedric opened the small wooden cork of the bottle before filling the spoon with oil.
"May your rule be long-lived, may your health be plentiful, for God himself has blessed the crown that is to be placed onto your head. May God sanctify a true servant of God." Cedric slowly spread the oil onto Aurelia's chest.
An act that confused her, but which she accepted with open arms.
"May God guide you and grant you wisdom, so that you may rule this nation in his name. May your head be anointed with holy oils just as prophets of old." He gently placed oil over Aurelia's head.
He stopped for a moment, Aurelia tilted her head in confusion.
"Place your hands upon mine." He opened his palms, prompting her to place her hands onto his.
Her eyes darted from top to the bottom of her hero, noticing a small wooden cross dangling from his neck.
'He is wearing the cross I gave him...'
Her lips formed a wide smile.
He did love her, despite not showing it in the same way as she did to him.
Cedric spread the bit of oil over her hands before reciting a final prayer.
"May God guide your hand so that you may grant this nation longevity and prosperity as befitting of God's kingdom on earth, may you not rule with your own power but by the guidance of our heavenly Father. Amen."
As he finished, he turned his back to her before putting the oil on the small pedestal.
Soon after, he picked up the crown and approached Aurelia once again.
"I crown you, a queen under God. A leader of the first kingdom of God. May your rule be prosperous, Queen Aurelia. Amen." With those words, he placed the crown on top of Aurelia's head.
As the crown was placed onto Aurelia's head, her servants started clapping.
Clap.Clap.Clap
Soon after, the uneasy nobles followed suit, following out of fear rather than respect, all but 2 nobles.
Cedric took a step back, allowing Aurelia to rise.
Aurelia rose to her feet before turning to face her new subjects. She pushed down her smile, "I thank you for your support, I promise that Valar is about to enter the age of prosperity under God that none yet have seen."
She approached the throne before taking a seat.
"Long live Queen Aurelia!" A shout from Lucious caught her by surprise.
'Why is she so excited?' She smiled as she locked her gaze with her.
Other Angels followed suit, after all, they, as closest aides to the new queen, had to lead by example.
Others were reluctant but soon joined, it was ill-advised to show defiance now, especially nobles who seemed more terrified than anything.
Long Live Queen Aurelia! Long Live the First Queen of Valar! Chants echoed.