Story 11: Julia- Incantation               (St00B) |
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                        Submitted by: InfinityDragonRyu

I closed the door of my assigned quarters, softening the noise of the 
celebration a little. I hadn't seen anyone on the way back to my room so my 
flushed face was my secret alone.

"Phew..."

Resting on the closed door, I exhaled as though I had forgotten to breathe 
until just then. As I realized the sound of that sigh was much louder than I 
intended, I felt the burning warmth of my face reddening further.

"Calm down, you can't let this get out of hand..."

Scolding myself, I left the door and crossed to the corner of the room where a 
full-length mirror hung. Imperial Knights are to pay close attention to their 
appearance, and so they are afforded the luxury of such a mirror.

Rather than straightening my clothing, I changed into the violet dress hanging 
there.

It wasn't the dress of a knight, but rather the battle dress of a girl. No 
matter how often I looked at myself, I remained ashamed of the look. However, 
if I backed out here, the courage it had taken to invite him would be wasted.

"Calm yourself, Julia. He's waiting..."

"You are Julia... a girl. You are Julia... a girl"

Crossing swords with 100 opponents alone was trivial compared to the battle I 
now faced in the mirror. This battle was for but one man.

He was a knight of Rolandia. The hero who had defeated the grotesque Gevel, 
and led three nations to peace. But none of that mattered to Julia. To her, he 
was the man who had returned femininity to her.

When she suddenly appeared in a dress, how would he feel?

"If I'm admired, I'll ask him to dance..."

Having made up her mind, Julia turned to the mirror once more and recited the 
incantation.

"You are Julia... a girl. You are Julia... a girl..."

And as she recited the words, she did indeed grow to believe them again... 
which, of course, made her all the more attractive.