“Were you always friends?” I asked.
“With Victor? Are you kidding me? We used to fight a lot. Believe it or not, he’s more pleasant now compared to how he used to be.” Frid sat on the bed watching me.
“I thought he was very popular with girls.” I glanced at her.
“It’s a mystery to me. I don’t know what they see in him,” Frid muttered.
“Well, he is good looking.” I raised my eyebrows.
Frid frowned, looking unimpressed.
I kept working until it was time for dinner. Grace had brought us some soup and freshly baked bread. After dinner was finished, I lingered in the kitchen, watching Tynan and Victor washing the dishes together. I felt stupid for wantingto stay in the room just to admire the muscles under Tynan’s shirt flexing when he picked up the plates. This madness had to stop. I forced myself to go back to the room where Frid was throwing a tiny leather ball up to the ceiling and catching it with a strangely concentrated expression on her face.
The next morning, I returned to sewing first thing after I woke up, and then continued after breakfast. Tynan had already left by then. I did not stop working to avoid thinking about where he could have gone. Frid was too bored to stay in the room with me, and all I could hear was her laughter and Victor’s voice coming from the sitting area.
It was almost time to leave for the castle when, at last, the alterations were completed and I asked Frid to put on her dress one more time.
“I can’t believe I’m doing it,” she muttered, picking up the dress.
“It should fit right this time,” I said, taking a step back.
Frid needed help putting the dress on, and then I tightened her corset. Everything was perfect, finally. I exhaled, feeling satisfied with my work.
Frid looked magnificent in the dress that accentuated her beautiful curves and made her look incredibly feminine. The softness that she had in her face was framed by the delicate waves of her loose hair.
I gasped and clasped my hands together. “Can I please do your makeup,” I begged.
“Huh? Alright, I suppose. Sure. Since I’m already wearing this, it wouldn’t hurt.” Frid scrutinized herself in the mirror.
I found some pigments in the drawers earlier and used some crimson paste on her cheeks and lightly patted her lips.
“You look . . .”
“Laughable, pathetic?” Frid bit her lip.
“Like magic itself,” I finished, noticing an eye roll coming from the girl.
“I suppose you’re not going to change. Since you always look beautiful,” Frid grumbled.
“I found a dress that I think would fit.”
I returned to the closet, picking out the long peach-colored dress with a modest neckline and a matching suede corset. I put it on and removed my hair pins, allowing my curls to drop freely onto my shoulders and back. I could not remember if I had worn my hair loose since I found myself in Talman.
“I hate you,” Frid muttered.
“What?” My hand stilled on a lock of my hair.
“I thought you would spend hours, but it took you two minutes,” she added.
“Let's go. I want you to look in the large mirror.” I pulled her toward the door.
As soon as I opened the door to the sitting room, I saw Victor sitting on the couch with his legs stretched out. He looked like he was ready to take a nap. When we walked in, his head snapped in our direction and his eyes, once they landed on Frid beside me, could not look anywhere else.
“Frid,” he whispered.
“I know. See what they made me do,” she muttered, walking to the glass mirror.
I watched the young man sit up, his eyes glued to the blond girl as she checked her reflection.
