The night right before the bal, Lily went to bed early. But she didn't have a nice rest. Her sleep was filled with nightmares she couldn't quite remember well. But one scene in particular marked her memory and made her shiver in fear, still now.
In that scene, she was handcuffed to a bed with IV hooked on her, from her bed she could see the window with jail bars. The room was reeking of blood and medicinal herbs. A melody was being played but it was a chilling, creepy tune.
Next to her bed, she could sense a presence but she couldn't see the face nor the body clearly, only a vaporous shadow floating around. As the shadow was drawing near her face, she felt that less and les oxygen was making way to her lungs as she was struggling to breathe. The moment where she thought she was going to die of asphyxiation, she woke up in panic.
It was 7h00 am, the day of the bal. Lily sighed in relief and decided to kickstart her day by reviewing for the last time her notes.
By the time she was done, the beautifying team had arrived. The team was composed of a massage therapist, makeup artist, manicurist, hairstylist and fashion stylist. The fashion stylist was the leader of the team.
The massage therapist was a young girl who helped her release all her tensions and helped make her skin firm healthy and smooth. Her name was Rose. She was quiet and worked quickly. Once she was done, Lily was glowing from head to toe.
The hairstylist was an eccentric young men. As soon as Leo had laid his eyes on Lily, he thought it would be quite a challenge to find a better hairstyle than what she was sporting. Nonetheless, he went for the Greek goddess look by tying her hair in a sophisticated yet bohemian braided bun. Her braids were laced with thin rose gold ribbons which accentuated the sweet blush of her cheeks. Leo was brimming with satisfaction. This was his best work to date.
Kayla and Layla were sisters, one was in charge of the makeup and the other nails. They worked in sync, silently. But under their care, Lily's natural features were enhanced. She, not only, had a goddess hairstyle, but also a goddess face.
At last,Hikaru was the fashion stylist. Androgynous, ambiguous, Lily couldn't decide if the person gender was male or female. Hikaru had a deep voice, too deep for a woman, but the speech was effeminate and Hikaru's throat was hidden by a silk scarf, so Lily had no way to see if there was an Adam's apple.
"All done! Ran look into the mirror and tell me what you think?"
Lily was rendered speechless. When she had first tried the ensemble, she thought it looked amazing. Now under the care of Hikaru, it was at least 100 fold better. Hikaru has managed to accessorize it perfectly.
"Hikaru it's amazing! You definitely have a divine taste. No wonder you are so in demand!"
"You must be crowned Queen of the night! I can't guarantee the win but at least I need to help as much as I can..." Hikaru then winked jokingly at Lily. "I bet SongJae will like this look so much I doubt he'll want you to go out."
Hikaru was aware of SongJae's the possessiveness and was already pitying whoever would be foolish enough to flirt with his fiancée.