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“Ok…”
“Ok,” she says, ending the conversation. “You are going to be angry, but there is nothing any of us can do about it. The Queen’s Birthday Ball is tonight. And as you know, the king has demanded Felix bring you.”
“Ugh. I forgot,” I groan, throwing myself into the chair across from Tia.
“I figured. And I didn’t expect Felix to remind you. We need to get you a dre—”
“I have the perfect one!” Kaelin says, bursting into the room carrying a huge bag in her arms. “I am so excited. As soon as I heard you were demanded to be at the ball, I went straight to the different seamstresses and dug through their designs until I found the perfect one!” She is so proud of herself that I can’t come up with any kind of barb that could wipe that smile off her face. And I don’t know if I want to. What is wrong with me?
“Well, don’t keep us waiting!” Tia rubs her hands together and turns to face her sister to get an unobstructed view.
“I thought you would never ask!” Kaelin squeals. Her tiny hands fly quickly over the garment bag. “I know this it isn’t your favorite color, but it will look so good with your pale skin. I also got you shoes to match. You are going to look stunning in this. Oh, also, I brought some more dye. We may need to touch up your roots.” She finally frees the massive amount of flowy, deep red fabric and turns to face us.
It has layers of fabric lined with jewels and ruffles, making it hard to see which part is what.
“Kaelin…” is all I can get out around the lump in my throat. She went through all this trouble to find something I would love, even though she didn’t have to. I don’t know what to say.
“Oh! And look! This is my favorite part!” she grabs the skirt and reveals a very high slit in the fabric.
“Wait…What? NO!” I complain.
“Really, Nyx? You hunt down killers, but a slit in a skirt scares you?” Tia chuckles.
“It doesn’t scare me! The prince already has a hard enough time keeping his hands to himself. This just seems like a way to give him more opportunities to touch me.”
“Is his touch a problem?” Tia watches me carefully, making this feel more important than it sounds.
“It isn’t anything I can’t handle. I will break his fingers if I feel like it is going too far. I am not a weakling.” I cross my arms, daring her to challenge me.
“Oh, trust me, no one thinks that. But if I find out that he is pushing things too far, I will kill him myself,” she says sweetly. But there is a hardness to it that is just hidden below the surface. I can feel my eyes widen at the realization that she means it. This female would be upset with her own friend if I said he was bothering me. “Don’t be shocked. I do not put up with that shit. No matter who is doing it.”
“Yeah. That stuff is not okay. I wish the king felt the same way. But he is the worst offender. Could you imagine the world we would live in if—”
“Kaelin,” Tia warns.
“Sorry. Now! Try the dress on!”
I decide to let the conversation go for now and allow them to poke and prod me while they dress me and fix my hair and makeup. But I turn it over and over in my head until it finally makes sense. They seem to hate the mistreatment of women and maybe even pets as well. Maybe…I can let my wall down a little more. None of my alarm bells are going off…I guess let’s see how this goes.
They turn me to look in the mirror, and my breath gets caught in my throat.
Kaelin was right about the color being perfect for my complexion, but I can’t get over how well it fits when she didn’t get any of my measurements.
The sleeves hang off my shoulders, causing the thin, see-through fabric to bunch and ruffle down my arms, ending right where my fingers begin. The bodice has a small slit between my breast and cinches in my waist. The skirt is form-fitting all the way down and the slit starts right below my hipbone. But the train is what makes the skirt look full. It starts on each hip and flares out in soft waves, dragging along the floor a foot or two behind me. I have never felt so beautiful in my entire life.
“Okay, so you have never been a pet before,” Tia says, walking around me and inspecting their handy work.
“And I am not one now,” I growl.
“Says you. But the king believes you are. So, you must conduct yourself like one tonight if you wish to stay out of his hands.” Her brow raises, expecting me to argue with her…but I stay quiet. She is the expert on this. It would be dumb not to listen to her advice.
“Oh, yes, there are many rules. Like, keep your eyes downcast,” Kaelin supplies from where she is lounging on the bed.
“And no eating unless your master hands you a plate,” Tia says, motioning for me to sit at the small table. My gaze bounces between them as they spout off rules faster than I can keep up.
“No talking unless spoken to.”
“Don’t touch anything.”
