"Did you get enough sleep last night, young lady?" asked Sera, her brows were furrowed. She held the makeup brush to her chin. "There are bags under your eyes."
I just found out the real identity of my mother, how was I supposed to get even a wink of sleep? I thought about lots of things and possibilities, it kept we wide awake until dawn lulled me to close my eyes.
I lifted my gaze from the mirror of the dresser to the freckled maid in front of me. "Well, you can just cover them with makeup, right?"
A flash of light glinted from Sera's eyes. "Of course, you can leave that up to me!"
Whatever the maids saw me do last night, it seemed like they didn't think much about it. I guess they were used to seeing me like that.
"You might want to take a nap while waiting for us to finish, young lady." Vivian said. She was preparing my hair for tonight's hairstyle.
If I had to take a nap for the whole duration of this then it obviously means that it would take a lot of god-awful time for them to get it all done. And it was still the peak of the afternoon, the banquet was set to start at eight in the night.
Two maids were massaging my feet and arms with fragrant oil essences and I admit it was the perfect setup to be sleeping.
"Okay, wake me up when you're done."
"Aira, fetch some pillows for the young lady's head to lean on."
***
When I woke up, it was already the nighttime. The chandelier was lit and the mirror in front of me was covered with cloth.
"What is this?"
The maids chuckled. "It's a surprise young lady. We'll only let you look once you wear the gown and be completely ready for the night!"
I smiled at their playfulness. "Fine, I'll look at myself once I'm really done."
"Quick, help the young lady." ordered Anette, she looked intensely happy while looking at me.
I wonder how I look like. The makeup felt light on my skin, Sera probably went for a natural theme.
After a minute of wearing the gown, heels and accessories, they finally let me stand in front of the huge gold-framed body mirror.
"Did you really have to cover this up too?" I laughed.
"It's to add more thrill, young lady." Vivian said cheekily as her brows went up and down.
I let out a breath. "Okay, you can remove it now."
Lianne, the youngest of the maids, went forward to remove the cloth from the mirror.
I heard Sera squeal. "You think she'll like it?"
"Shut up, you're making us nervous."
"Well Vivian sure isn't, she did a great job with the hair."
I shook my head, even if I looked like a troll right now, I'd still thank them for their efforts.
Lianne finally pulled off the cloth and the mirror unveiled my reflection.
My hands loosened the grip on the sides of the gown—something I didn't know I was doing.
The room fell silent as I stared at myself in the mirror. I took a step closer to take a better look at myself. My eyelids were painted with soft silver like fairy dust, my eyes were lined with glittered blue eyeliner—below each wing were little white gems. The cheeks were tinted pink like a baby's. But what I loved more were the lips, a pastel light blue with glitters.
The hair did not allow to be outshined, for braids that trailed at the sides were studded with rose-shaped ornaments in different colors. Shiny thin highlights of blue streaked my long hair that fell loose on my waist.
I found that they left my rose necklace on my chest which was supposed to be replaced with the sapphire necklace. But they did use the paired sapphire earrings that fell like three jeweled droplets from my ears.
And the gown… oh this gorgeous gown— it left my upper chest bare, the transparent white silk acted as off-shoulder sleeves. From the embroidered bodice, it was a shimmering white but fell into a gradient of a darker shade of blue on the ends of the skirts. A white fabric hugged my waist that was tied into a loose ribbon.
You could say that I almost looked like a flower enchantress.
Sein said that he'd intentionally given this to me so that we could wear matching attires. I wonder what it'll feel like once I see him later.
I took a step backwards and took in the view of myself from the mirror. These girls had done an utterly wonderful work out of me.
The last time I looked at myself in this mirror, I had thought that I was completely someone else living off from the body of another person. But now that I know that I own both lives, everything feels so different. My memories of this life were still missing, but for tonight I am satisfied.
I turned to the maids behind me. "Thank you." It was all I could say.
They must have noticed the appreciation in my voice and the look on my face when all of them suddenly looked like they were about to cry.
"W-we're so happy…" Sera said in between sniffs. "That you like it… young lady."
"Come on, I love it. You should only cry when I decide to erase all of this from my face, all your hard work thrown away."
Vivian wiped the forming tears in her eyes with her fingers. "The young lady is correct, we should not be crying on such a happy occasion. It's her birthday today, you know?"
"Right, how could she have grown up so fast? I remembered the first time I came here, she was only this tall while running around the mansion and throwing dirt everywhere."
Say what now?
The maids cried even harder. "I… I thought she was such a cute child, jumping off from balconies and all."
Are you kidding me?
"The young lady's face was so adorable when she threw a vase at me."
Anette was now covering her face with a handkerchief, her shoulders were shaking.
Alright, this has got to stop.
I threw my hands in the air, gesturing them to cease fire. "Whoa whoa, that's enough. Okay, listen."
They finally looked at me.
"You don't want your eyes to be all red and puffy while dancing around during the banquet, do you?"
The maids' eyes registered confusion. "What do you mean, young lady?"
"You can use the gowns Anette and I brought that were supposed to be worn tonight. I'll let you borrow some accessories from the dresser as well."
"B-but young lady…"
"What? You're not part of the banquet committee aren't you?"
"Well, yes we aren't…"
"I won't allow you to just spend the night lying around in your quarters."
"What will the other servants say about this, young lady?"
"Don't worry, I'll tell them that this is my reward to all of you for the job well done."
Upon hearing my words, their faces lit up with brightness.
I waved a hand to them. "Now go take a pick from my wardrobe, it's almost eight."
All of them turned and headed to the closet, except for Anette.
I sighed. "That includes you, Anette."
"B-but young lady, I'm supposed to be there for you."
I closed my eyes for a moment and pressed my lips. "Come on, loosen up for tonight. Please?"
"A-alright…"
"Good." I grinned. "And call Vivian back here for a second."
"Yes, young lady."
As Anette walked away to call the redhead maid, I went to the dresser and picked up the necklace I was supposed to wear.
"You called, young lady?"
I handed her the necklace. "Take this, it's a gift."
She gasped. "I can't possibly…"
"I insist. This is your last day working here in the mansion, right? You'll have to prepare for your wedding next month after all. Think of it as a remembrance from me, or you could wear it on your wedding day if you want."
Vivian blushed. "I'll treasure this greatly, young lady."
From a distance, I heard Sera groan. "Oh to be given a gift by the young lady, I guess I should find a husband tonight."
The bedroom rang out with laughter.