Due to the volume of fabric draped across the floor, Noble wasn't able to enter the room at all.
And not just the floor.
The furniture, walls, and even a pedestal were completely obscured by silk, satin, and other weaves of every shade and hue.
'What in two worlds?'
In the center of the chaos, a thin dress form was standing on the pedestal with a frantic grey-headed woman draping color after color over the mannequin.
"No. Too Bright. Too yellow. Too shiny...." On and on Emira dismissed each swatch of fabric before the poor old lady could even finish placing it.
Hearing Noble's stifled gasp, the decrepit woman glanced up and paused long enough to bow her head. Emira addressed her niece over her shoulder. "Good, you are here. Did you get the speech of affirmation that Lord Alyx wrote for the ceremony?"
"Indeed I did. I will practice it later." Noble had gotten the speech that morning.
She had read the flowery words, but it did not have the trick she was expecting. It merely affirmed the Queen as the sovereign.
Either Alyx had decided to do exactly as the queen required or Emira had edited it before sending it her way.
Noble had not committed the speech to memory. She still had a couple of days to work on it, so she did not feel any rush. Anyway, this matter was more pressing.
Satisfied with the answer, the Queen beckoned her forward with her hand. "Don't just stand there, child. Come on over. Perhaps you will make a better model than the dummy."
"Thank you, I think," Noble scrunched her nose.
She and Lenore picked their way through the mountain of cloth to the pedestal.
"Up here, My Lady," the old lady pushed the mannequin aside.
"This is Seline. She is taking over your dressmaking." Emira nodded at the elderly woman.
"Where is Agatha?" Noble wondered as she climbed the steps. Agatha had done all of the measurements and sewing for her garment up until this point.
"That seamstress caused this crisis." Emira's expression darkened. "I took care of her."
Noble's heart skipped a beat. "When…when you say took care of, do you mean…"
Her words caught in her throat. Lenore and Seline averted their eyes at the implication.
Clicking her tongue, the Queen waved off the concern. "Calm down, niece. She is just in prison…for now."
The last two words hung in the air just like Agatha's future.
"I am sure the seamstress was just doing as she was told and had no ill intent," Noble tried.
"That remains to be seen. She knew that she would need Royal approval and never sought it. Unless she is willing to admit that she was forced–Did you force her to make the dress that color?" Emira narrowed her gaze.
"Me? No!" Noble couldn't speak for Brenna, but she most certainly had nothing to do with it.
The Queen accepted the answer at face value.
"Then there is little you can do for her. You already have one counsel," Emira rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.
Pressing her lips together, Noble was forced to let the situation go. 'This is a Nightmare. The woman isn't real.' But that didn't help her conscience. 'I will do what I can to help Agatha later, but for now, I have things to do.'
"I understand," the floating Awakened dipped a small curtsey at her aunt. She looked around at the rainbow of colors. "It seems you have been working hard in my absence. Am I late?"
"No, My Lady," Seline answered barely above a whisper. "Her Majesty just wanted to reject all of the bad fabric so you would only have to look at the good ones."
"It will expedite the process," Emira agreed, her mood shifting once again.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Noble really was grateful. Going dress shopping for the Valor ball had been an ordeal, and those dressed were pre-made!
'If it hadn't been for Rainy, I would have felt lost.'
All Noble cared about was making Emira happy for her ceremony and celebration. With that goal in mind, Her Majesty had helped a great deal.
The Queen clapped her hands. "Bring out my selections!"
Noble tensed as the room seemed to come alive. Buried under the mounds of fabric, a half dozen servants appeared to comply with Emira's request.
Even though Noble had been able to sense their emotions, their appearance still startled her. Lenore looked like she might faint.
'It's a good thing neither of us stepped on them when we came in! Lenore might have died of fright.'
A space toward the middle of the room was cleared and around thirty options were laid out for Noble to peruse. After seeing how easily Emira had been rejecting choices, Noble was shocked that so many had been deemed worthy.
Most of them were shades of blue, but a few were other hues. Noble ran her fingers along them, weeding out a few that she thought would be uncomfortable on her skin. She also rejected one that was super sheer.
The rest were, overall, acceptable. 'I don't want to have to pick. This is a fictitious dress in a fake world.'
"Which one do you prefer?" Noble looked to the Queen for guidance.
Though her face didn't show it, the request pleased Emira. "The turquoise one."
Her niece nodded seriously.
"That is perfect," she told the seamstress as she pointed to the turquoise fabric. "What style should it be?"
The question was directed at the queen.
"A woman can never go wrong with a well-structured dress." Emira gave her answer before frowning.
"You heard Her Majesty," Noble told the seamstress. "All I ask is that I be able to breathe."
"I can do that!" Seline chirped, her old hands clasping the fabric as she dipped her head.
"Thank you."
Emira's frown deepened. "You know, niece, I would like how agreeable you are being if it were not so suspicious."
'I feel like a child about to be scolded once again by a parent.' Noble noticed this was something the monarch and Counsel had in common.
"I would lie and say that I just think your decisions are the best ones, but that would only increase your distrust. Really, I just want this to be over and I am willing to do whatever you like within reason." Noble spoke the words plainly and without malice.
Her gamble paid off. Emira allowed a ghost of a smile. "Your honesty is refreshing. Very well, I will just give my opinion and make it so."
"I appreciate it. It will save us both a lot of time and energy." Noble smiled.
"Are you so eager to escape my presence?" The Queen raised her eyebrows.
"No, after we spoke last night, I found that you can be rather nice to talk to." Noble complimented.
But Emira rejected her answer. The room warmed slightly. "Oh? Then tell me the reason for your haste."
Instead of being offended, Noble giggled. "I thought it was obvious. I do not want to stand up here like a statue while being pinned and measured. It's uncomfortable in more ways than one."
The fire in Emira's eyes faded, replaced with a small smile on her lips. "It is the curse of a wealthy woman to be a dress-up doll."
"Then I suppose I will try to make the best of it." Noble held out her arms as Seline began her measurements. She instructed Lenore on what to do and both women went to work.
Emira watched her niece for a long while in silence. "You really are taking this well. You didn't even bring Counsel to argue against the need for a new dress."
Noble nodded seriously. "I'm sure he would have been willing to engage you in a lively discussion…probably one that would have ended up with him being burned to a crisp."
"Then you should have brought him," Emira's face was solemn but her eyes reflected her mirth.
"Maybe next time." Noble swallowed and braced herself.
'Here we go.'
"But since you brought Counsel up, there is something I wanted to discuss with you…"