40 Chapter 11: Banquet 3 (1/2)

I crossed my arms, looking at two boxes before me.

One is from Levi and the other from Kain.

I should have asked Mama for an advice.

I heaved a sigh and just randomly took one.

I carried the one that came from Levi.

I did received it first, I thought, convincing myself that this is the right choice.

I turned to walk off but my feet stayed.

There's that issue about me being his official fiancée.

Is this set up really destined to be this way until the priestess arrives or something?

I shook my head.

No. I need to think this thoroughly!

If I'll be greeting people, I better wear something much reasonable. A dress from Prince Kain would rather be befitting for such occasion since we're under the same family lineage.

Besides, I rather not greet people as a young Lady of Greenrun while wearing an Osteell dress. I bet it might even have the crest of the Osteell empire. It's an irony to be in one dress that shows a nation's emblem while representing another.

I nodded at my own reasoning.

I'll just have to wear the dress Levi gave me for the last part of the banquet. It's for the closing dances. That way, I'll be wearing it while we dance together.

My face suddenly flushes as my mind began to imagine the scene.

I swatted off the dream clouds above my head and just pump a fist.

Okay! I'll go with this decision!

I took the other box and marched off, leaving the waiting room and into the corridors.

Apparently one of this room is supposed to be my fitting room.

I turned to look around but the place is deserted. No one to ask which door is the right one.

Oh well, I thought, shrugging. I'll just have to choose one and quickly change into this dress then head out!

I walked a few more times and then randomly opened one door.

The room looks exactly the same as any of our spare rooms with all the carpets and chandeliers and all but this one has a divider panels in one side and a tall mirror near it.

I walked towards it, stood behind the divider panels and began to work on my dress. So exactly how did they take this off again?

I groped at my back, at my torso and to my sides. No zippers nor laces to pull. Nothing.

It would be a shame to rip this dress just to take it off though.

I uttered a sigh of defeat.

I sense someone coming. Finally a form of help! I thought. But then I figured I should just take the dress off normally. Maybe it could work despite it being fastened tight around my waist.

I grabbed the hem of the skirt and pulled it off high over my head. Tagging and pulling as if I'm trying to give birth to my own body out from this womb like dress. I heaved and blow, and poof it went off... with a rip.

I suppose the rip was inevitable...

I opened the box and saw a soft white cloth with few layers beneath it, folded carefully in place. I took it out and saw a beautiful white dress that drapes down in an A-skirt. It has a cuff like collar by the neck with one big blue tear-shaped stone exactly by the middle of its chest. It reveals a bit off shoulders but closes back into a two layer silk cloth that fans out by the wrist. A golden lining embossed a shape of fleur-de-lis by the waist then spreads out, curving around with few sparkling tiny gem stones by the bottom of the skirt.

Such a majestic looking gown!

Unexpectedly, a crest of Greenrun is embroidered by the back of it where the spine would end. At least it wasn't the Grantzæl's crest! I sighed in relief to see such and began to grope where the opening is.

Wait...

How does one wear this?

Where's the opening?

That's it! I need help of the chamber maids! Maybe the one that just arrived could help me.

I place the gown down and stepped out of the divider.

In my great surprise, I saw Eriol by one corner from across the room instead —and topless.

I never noticed how wide his shoulders are. His posture is a bit slanted because of his tall stature but it has its charm somehow. Wait. Why am I even looking! I should look away now!!!

And then he began to undo the buttons of his pants.

I screamed, covering my eyes. ”Stoooooop!!!”

My nose will bleed.

I opened my eyes and saw him from the slits of my fingers, already standing tall before me. Since when did he—!

”Look, I know we had that talk awhile ago about treating you as a woman but you really shouldn't rush thing this way.” He says.

And for some reason, which I believe is my instinct's fault, my eyes gravitated downwards.

From that well meaty chest down to his vivid muscles of his abdomen and then that enticing well chiselled curves down the navel, all laid bare with one button of his pants almost undone. ALMOST.

The heck am I looking at?!

I gasped, stepped back on reflex but stumbled on my footing and slid down towards the floor

But he reaches out to grab me on impulse but the ripped gown I threw awhile ago on the floor near us made him lost his footing as well as he stepped on it.

We both fell to the floor.

I opened my eyes and realized he had protected my head, his arms carefully wrapped around it. And then slowly he loosens.

”You okay, kiddo?”

”Y-yeah.” I answered. He slowly pushed himself up by an elbow, straddling on top of me and covering my view of the lights. The shadow that had covered his face somehow left his eyes too vivid. The deep purple colors in them almost seem to have portrayed an entire night sky inside those two gentle orbs. I was left gazing back at them.

I do remember the first time I saw those eyes.

The first time I stared at them, his entire face was covered in bandages like strips of cloth.

They were cold and lethal to look at before but now they seem calmer; kind but daunting.

He suddenly blinks his eyes several times and quickly knelt up, turning his head away and reaches a hand to covered his face with his knuckles touching his nose. His face and even his ears are flushing red.

”Are you okay?” I ask him, sitting up.

He rolled over to the side and sat down, slightly stretching his feet across. ”What are you even doing in here anyway, snow head?” he grumbles. He kept his face turned the opposite direction.

His ears are really red.

How odd.

I reached out to touch it, ”Are you okay?” I repeated.

He abruptly moves away, glaring at me in a rather shocked expression as he hides his ears where I touched them. ”Wha—!” He closes his lips and the frowns. ”I'm fine. Stop touching me for a bit. It's too dangerous.”

Dangerous?

I tilted my head to a side.

”I mean look at you!” he says this but he kept his eyes away. ”It'll be trouble if I lost control.”

What is he talking about?

I looked down.

Ah.

I'm just wearing my tunic.

It's not that malicious looking though.

I watch him stand up, rubbing at his nape. He scans the room and spotted the dress I have left in an opened box. ”Hand that thing over!” He points at it.

Without questions asked, I grabbed it and stood up, handing it over.

He works on something and manages to unlock the back of the dress, opening it for me to wear. ”Now get dressed!” he demanded. ”NOW!”

Geez. Why is he being so pushy all of a sudden?

”Thanks” I replied, taking back the dress as he began to walk back towards the other far end of the room where several clothes are hanged in a clothes rack.

I walk back behind the divider and stepped inside the dress. Pulling it up in place but then I can't reach my back to close it.

I sighed.

Eri might be changing. I don't want to look now, I thought to myself.

”This is suppose to be my fitting room. I'm betting you didn't saw the sign outside the door” I can hear him talk from the side of the divider.

There's a sign?

Really?!

”Sorry. I didn't notice it” I answered.

”I thought so.” he chuckles.