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Except he didn’t force me. It is completely my fault that I fell for his tricks.
I can’t dwell on that. The only thing I can do is be better moving forward.
With how busy I’ve been, I can barely register that today I finally choose my ceremony dress. Our appointment is very early, being such a last minute trip, so I barely have time to eat breakfast before my mother and Anita are rushing me out the door. Before I know it, I’m inside Suzana’s with my friends and family, running my fingers along beaded chiffon and silk. Even some of Elliot’s female friends have come along, excited to be part of our big day.
Suzana’s has an amazing stock of ceremony dresses, with varying shades of whites, reds, greens, and golds. My mother is determined for me to be adorned from head to toe in gold. It makes me feel like a trophy rather than a bride, but she insists.
I’m still caressing the fabrics, lost in thought, when I hear my name.
“Amelia! Youhaveto try this one.” Imogen comes bouncing up to me, dress in hand.
I fight back a cringe at her choice. The bodice is not bad; it’s very light and changes between white and pale gold, depending on how the light hits it. Small round golden beads frame the neckline, but the torso is free of jewels. The truly unfortunate part is the skirt. It cascades into way too many layers of Victorian lace, each ruffle puffier than the next, with jewels hanging off the ends. Every time the dress is shifted, it sounds like a tambourine. I force a bright smile on my face, not wanting to hurt her feelings. “That’s gorgeous, Imogen.”
She beams back. “I knew you’d love it! I’ll put it in the fitting room.” She spins gracefully on her heel and hurries over to a hall at the end of the racks.
“I can’t wait to see you in that dress.”
I turn my head to see Olivia grinning at me. I roll my eyes and go back to the dresses. “Don’t start. Have you found anything you like?”
She walks to the other side of my rack and shrugs. “Everything’s so…extravagant.” She looks toward the other racks, currently overtaken by the other women. “Not that there’s much to choose from, given the ridiculously specific instructions from your mother.”
I snort and pull out a soft silk sheathe dress. “My mother and Anita are absolute control freaks, you know that.”
“You say that like you’re not.”
I pointedly keep my gaze on the dress, ignoring Olivia’s comment. “What do you think about this one?”
She walks closer to inspect it, eyes narrowed. “It’s pretty, but I think you need something a bit more…dramatic. Maybe not as dramatic as your mother wants, but more than this. That’s more for a guest, not the woman of the hour.”
I sigh and put it back, feeling overwhelmed by the choices in front of me. I’ve always enjoyed dressing up but have never envisioned my binding ceremony dress. I have absolutely noidea what I like. Maybe that’s why I’m letting my mother take over, because otherwise I’d be making choices blindly.
It’s another twenty minutes before I’m ushered into the dressing room, which is overflowing with choices. There are at least fifteen dresses littered around the room in varying shades of gold. I allow the sales lady to treat me like a doll, helping me in and out of each one.
It’s the ninth dress that gives me pause. I stare at myself in the full-length mirror, for the first time truly feeling like a bride. The fabric is light gold, with brown gold beaded flowers adorning the bodice, which hugs my torso and stops right under my rib cage. Gold teardrop gems hang from the bodice and the thick off-the-shoulder straps. The skirt looks much the same and flows out into a billowing A-line. I find it breathtaking. I look into my eyes and am surprised to find them moist.
The saleswoman hovers over my shoulder, a smile forming on her lips. “This is what we call in the business, a ‘yes to the dress’ moment. Hold on, I have some things to go with it.”
I continue looking at my reflection as the saleswoman leaves the room. My fingers graze the intricate patterns and make their way up the bodice and to the bare portion of my chest. A flash of anxiety comes when I realize I’m not wearing the amulet, but then I remind myself that I took it off for good reason. There’s no use for his protection, anymore.
When the woman comes back, she’s carrying a long, sparkling gold butterfly net veil and a large gold necklace.
I can’t imagine the dress becoming more beautiful, but when she places the items on me, it does.
I finger the elaborate necklace and a small smile appears on my face. Much better than an amulet.
~ ~·~ ~
After I showed everyone the full wedding outfit, there was no competition. My mother immediately went to pay for the ensemble, and then we all went our separate ways. Since I was at the dress shop so early, Elliot and I made an appointment last week with the bakery, Navaya’s Treats, to find our cake on the same day.
After a couple hours of rest at home, I pick up Elliot in the car and we head to the bakery.
The owner, Navaya, gets us set up in a special room that she reserves for ceremony testing. Luckily, there are a few different bakeries in the Society, so it’s a bit easier to get appointments. Plus, Navaya’s is the more expensive option in the area, so she mostly works with top officials and their families.
“Okay, this is it. We have to get this one.” Elliot groans as he takes another bite of lavender pastry, the fifth cake we’ve tried.
I laugh, rubbing Elliot’s arm affectionately. “You’ve said that about the last four pieces, too.”
Out of the whole process, Elliot has been most excited about our cake tasting. Another small thing I’ve uncovered about my True Partner in the past month: cake is his favorite dessert.
