“I’m sorry, just ignore me. It’s been a long morning already and I’ve gotten lost more times than I care to count.”
“It’s no problem, Lady,” he stops in front of a door and gives me a wink, “feel free to run into me again and I’ll be happy to ease your time here in any way.”
Ugh.
I immediately regret my apology.
“Thank you,” I give him a small smile and duck through the door, actually welcoming the wafting smell of black pepper.
“Until next time, then!” he yells at my retreating back.
I shake my head and head straight for the chef, grateful beyond measure that Tadeo chose not to follow me inside. The chef sets me up with a generous bowl of soup and bread for two cinerin, his grin downright infectious when I finish the full of it. When I ask him where I can find a seamstress, he leads me to the kitchen door and points down the hall.
“Third one on the right. Can’t miss it.”
A young human girl greets the door after I knock, her eyes widening as she takes in my Court of Knowledge attire standing at the threshold. I peer around her shoulder and notice the handful of Warrior dresses in the room behind her, sighing in happy greeting as I quickly explain my request.
“Let’s see what you came with, then,” she smiles and turns to the room behind her, “I’ll be back, Ambra. Keep working on Lady Cristine’s dress for tonight.”
My brows quirk up at the command. The girl is too young to be issuing a request like that. She can’t be older than eighteen.
“After you, Lady.”
“Um…” I bite my lip and look around the hall, “right. I think my room is this way.”
The girl does her best to hide her laugh and gives me a friendly smile.
“You’re probably in the guest wing. I can lead us.”
“Thank you,” I nod.
It becomes obvious in the few moments we’re walking that she knows of a faster way to get my room. My door quickly comes into view after only a few halls and staircases.
“Let me show you the dresses,” I smile and let us in, offering her the small armchair in the room as I move to the armoire. I pull out both of the floor-length gowns and lay them on the bed, turning with an apologetic smile when the girl comes to stand at my side.
“I’m new to Gaumond and very unaware of its trends at court, but I’ve seen what the ladies wear in the southern cities of Warrior and the city below us…”
The girl reaches for the dresses on the bed, her fingers brushing over the gown made of emerald silk with a frown.
“There’s too much fabric on these, Lady.”
I let out a small laugh and nod in agreement.
“Yes, I get that impression too. The alterations I want for both of these gowns will ultimately end up removing that fabric. I will pay you handsomely to get one done tonight before court and another by tomorrow night.”
The girl looks at me in silence for a small moment before a sly smile graces her lips.
“What do you have in mind?”
Gail worked tirelessly all afternoon, pinning and slicing the green emerald gown until the sun started to set through the window in the room. At some point in the early night, far quicker than I had anticipated, Cal stopped by my door asking if I was ready to leave. I told him to go ahead without me,twice, and assured him both times that I was okay. We heard him sauntering off with Holis and Mana through the door, the three of them mumbling under their breath about girls taking too long to get ready.
While Gail prepared my dress, I took the time to get everything else ready. I applied a small amount of coal to my eyes and ended up brushing my straight hair so thoroughly that it shined under the torches in the room. I was just finishing buckling my smaller dagger to my thigh when the girl finally announced that the dress was complete.
“I think this is it,” she grins, beckoning me to her, “can you undress, Lady Alexis?”
I strip bare before the young girl and watch as she takes the hem of the fabric and gathers it in the middle. She lifts up on her toes and reaches her arms up high, letting the dress fall over my head before she tugs it in different places along my chest and waist. Every now and then as she nods as she makes her adjustments, then she finally takes a step back to admire her work.
“Oh.”
