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A massive bed took up the opposite space. From the sheer size of it, the bed looked like it would swallow me whole. The comforter was white, fluffy, and soft, perhaps the only light thing in the whole room. It took every ounce of my self-control to not surrender myself to it now.
Three sets of floor-to-ceiling windows aligned the far wall. Red velvet curtains hung open, letting the natural light spill into the space. A massive fireplace was already roaring to life, making the room feel toasty. Unlit candles and torches hung from the walls for when the sky turned permanently dark in winter. I guess that meant no electricity in the bed quarters then.
“This is where you will be staying until your wedding night. There is a private bathing room over there,” Peter said as he gestured toward a closed door.
I sighed when I saw it. No latch for a lock was visible, but at least there would be some privacy.
“I’ll let you be for now. I’ll be back in a couple of hours to take you to your fitting room so you can get ready for tonight, but until then, don’t leave this room. You don’t have any guards yet.”
“Thank you, Peter,” I said as he turned to leave. He nodded as he shut the door behind him.
I was surprised to see my bags had already been brought up. I hadn’t thought about them since they were loaded into the vehicle before the monorail. It only took me a few minutes to unpack all my belongings. My fingers lingered on the blue box that Vallie gave me. I tucked the box with her note under my pillow, hung the painting of us up over my nightstand, then flopped on the bed, not bothering to close the curtains.
My eyelids grew heavy with exhaustion as I sank into the deep mattress. I thought about listening to Peter and opening my packet, but sleep won out in the end. The warmth from the sheets and blankets engulfed me as I drifted off into a soundless rest.
A knock on my door woke me from my nap too soon. I wanted to keep sleeping. My eyes fluttered open by the third heavy pound. I stretched, looking out the large windows as the sun was sinking lower in the sky. Even though it would never fully set in summer, I’d long since learned to read the positions of it as it moved through the sky.
“I’m coming,” I grumbled by the sixth urgent knock. The wood doors were heavier than I thought they would be, and it took both hands to yank one of them open.
Peter stood on the other side of the door. “Shit, Scottie, I’m sorry. I was held up in a meeting with the guards. You are twenty minutes late for your fitting. We have to leave now,” he said as he rushed me out the door.
He navigated us through the dim halls of the castle. I was almost jogging to keep up with his quick-paced strides. He weaved and guided us through multiple different turns and long halls before we arrived. Three females in similar plain dresses waited for me behind open doors. One of them was tapping her foot on the ground, her thin arms crossed over her chest, perking her cleavage up.
I glanced around the room and realized that it was a dressing chamber. Full length mirrors aligned the back walls with racks and racks of beautiful gowns laid out before me.
“This will be where you’ll be getting dressed for now. Once you are married, your belongings will be moved. You and Sie will have a fitting room inside your royal chamber,” Peter remarked.
I gaped at the room. Vallie would love this. I’d never seen so many gowns in my life. They put Vallie’s closet to shame. Each one was uniquely stitched with varying beads, lace, and silks. No two were the same, and there was enough for me to wear a different dress for an entire year.
I looked down at my own pants and shirt of my guard uniform. Unless Peter managed to get me into training, I would be saying goodbye to my current wardrobe, which really wasn’t much of anything, but I hated the idea of only wearing dresses.
“You’re late,” the female with her arms crossed snapped. Her beautiful ashy brown hair was curled around her slim shoulders.
“My fault, Rosie,” Peter said as he flashed his knowing grin at the girl. It worked. Her frown softened as she fluttered her eyes at him.
“Scottie, these will be your personal servants,” he said as he gestured toward the three females. I gave them a smile of my own, two of them returned the favor. The other female continued to gawk at Peter like he was a prize to be won. “This is Roslyn,” Peter continued.
“And this is Ashley,” he said as he gestured toward a heavier set female with dark, frizzy hair. Her eyes were a deep brown, and so wide they reminded me of a doe. Ashley gave a curtsy.
“And this is Annabel,” Peter said as he pointed to the last girl. Annabel’s short, sleek hair covered her pointed nose as she bent down into a low curtsy beside Ashley. She smiled widely, revealing crooked teeth through her full lips.
“She’s all yours, ladies.” Peter patted my shoulder. “Good luck,” he added to my servants before walking out of the room.
“Hi,” I said by way of greeting.
“No time for small talk. We have to get you ready,” Roslyn said as she pulled me deep into the fitting room, her ash hair bouncing behind her. She was the most beautiful of the three girls.
They worked in silence as they dressed me in a fitted, black gown. Ashley told me Sie had selected it himself for tonight before she threw it over my head and tugged it down my body.
The dress pressed against my chest tightly, leaving nothing of my upper body to the imagination. The constriction caused my sore ribs to ache just by breathing. The tight, silken bodice stopped once it reached my navel and cascaded down in flowing waves until it reached the floor. The material that made up the lower half of the dress was so sheer that depending on how the torches illuminated it, I looked naked beneath.
Gold stitching was etched throughout the gown in heavy, thick spirals that tapered off as it hit the floor. The design reminded me of Sie’s Tennebrisian markings. There were no sleeves, exposing my jutted collar bones, thin arms, and bandaged wrists.
I glanced around at the other dresses in the room. Most of the gowns’ sleeves never reached the forearms. It seemed no matter what they dressed me in, my wrists would always be exposed.
Annabel redressed my bloody bandages before ushering me over to the mirror. Her crooked smile came up behind me as I gazed at my reflection. The gown fell to the floor, dragging slightly whenever I walked.
Roslyn pulled out a pair of tall heels as I protested, “No, please. I can barely walk straight as it is. I’ll fall in those heels.” The amount of times I tripped over my own two feet in my guard boots made those shiny heels look like death traps on straps.
