Chapter 31
One month later
“I love it.”
Narcissa spun slowly on the raised platform before her mirror. The sunlight that shone through the tall windows of her dressing room lit the ends of her hair a fiery red, a vibrant contrast to the soft ivory white satin of her wedding gown.
“And it fits well?”
The future princess nodded, a radiant smile on her face.
It had only taken me three days of nonstop sewing.
The gown ended up being much simpler than I had envisioned.
No beaded decals. No intricately crocheted lace.
Only smooth, flowing lines of pleating that crisscrossed the bodice, a delicate jeweled sash tied at the waist, and a satin skirt cut on the bias cascading down to the floor with an impressive train.
“It reminds me of the dress I wore to the opera last winter,” Narcissa said, smoothing her hands over the skirt.
“Precisely.” I raised my brows meaningfully. “That was when you and Crown Prince Bennett confessed your feelings for each other, no?”
“It was,” Narcissa said with a wistful smile. She turned around and took my hands. “Thank you, Giselle. It’s perfect.”
I released a sigh of relief. My shoulders suddenly felt lighter; it was as if I could breathe again. This wedding dress assignment was finally finished. I felt like whooping and running through a field of wildflowers to celebrate.
“I’ll make sure you’re paid shortly, so you’ll have enough to reopen your shop soon,” Narcissa said.
I already had enough for a new shop ever since I received my payment for the Witch Committee assignment, but that hadn’t been touched.
“No need. I’m apprenticing,” I said. “At Jeraldine’s Dress Emporium.”
Narcissa raised her brows. “Apprenticing? But you’re so talented already.”
“There’s always more to learn.”
Most every witch child ended up apprenticing with an older witch with a similar skillset, though Ma had insisted on sequestering us in the family home, claiming there was nothing she, Pa, and Grandma couldn’t teach us.
I never had the opportunity to seek out a mentor, so asking for Jeraldine’s guidance had been equally exciting and nerve-wracking.
But the charmwitch had been generous, accepting me as an employee without hesitation last month.
I’d made friends with a few of her seamstresses too, humans and witches alike.
At the end of each day, when the shop closed, Jeraldine would show me how the ledgers worked, how she kept track of fabric stock, her suppliers, and so on and so forth.
Numbers had never been my strength, but under Jeraldine’s guidance, I felt that one day, I would be as capable as she was.
Moreover, she had promised that once I was ready, she’d allow me to take over her branch at Blanche de Clare.
I could hardly wait for the day when Edmund and Mr. de Clare saw the girl they had rejected take what she wanted after all.
“Any updates with Prilla Lewis and The Crown?” I asked Narcissa.
The investigation into the organization was still ongoing.
Most recently, the Royal Guard had uncovered a false sewage plate within palace grounds, equipped with a rope and pulley system leading straight into Witch Village.
Apparently, this secret tunnel had been built under Sir Sylvester’s orders without the notice of palace staff nor the witches in the village.
It explained how Prilla had managed to infiltrate so easily.
“They’re all being detained and questioned,” Narcissa said. “We’re cracking down on the other members...but some of them do have valid points regarding witch businesses.” She looked at me hesitantly, as if worried I wouldn’t agree.
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “There should be better regulations around witch businesses, especially those that directly compete with human ones.”
“As for Sir Archibald and Sylvester, Bennett put in a petition to demote them, but King Maximus is hesitating. They’ve been with him since he took the throne.”
I tamped down the injustice I felt at this. Even with solid proof of wrongdoing, those old councilmen still held their power.
Narcissa shot me a sympathetic look. “Olderea has a long way to go.” A steely expression came into her eyes, reminding me of Maddox. “But when it comes our turn, Bennett and I will do our best.”
I smiled. “I know you will.”
***
I WALKED SLOWLY BACK to Jeraldine’s Dress Emporium, breathing in the late autumn air.
Sadly, there wouldn’t be any wildflowers to celebrate in this season, so I skipped through piles of orange leaves on the paved ground, relishing the crunch of them under my boots.
Ever since my unfortunate run-in with the hired assassin, I’d felt uneasy stepping outside alone, but now, I felt lighter than I had in months.
My joyous gait halted when I spotted two familiar figures standing before Jeraldine’s shop.
Ma and Christabella were bundled up in their autumnal best, looking extremely out of place amongst the fashionable buildings of Delibera.
Ma was looking warily around her, narrowing her eyes at every pedestrian who had the misfortune of passing her by.
Christabella’s face was tilted up to the burnished golden leaves on the trees along the road, no doubt admiring them.
My palms grew sweaty. Jeraldine still had friends in the village, so there was no doubt word got around that I had become her apprentice. Ma must’ve caught wind of it and came up to visit me.
My first instinct was to turn back and run, but I forced myself not to, even as the blood rushed to my face and my heart began to race.
I had been wanting to speak to them, but I never mustered up the courage to go back down to Witch Village on my own.
I hadn’t expected them to come up here instead.
At the sound of my footsteps, Ma locked her gaze on me. The meeting was inevitable now.
I approached slowly, my legs feeling leaden, until I finally stopped before them. “Ma. Chrissy,” I said, clearing my throat. “How’s the village?”
“So you still care about the village?” Ma set her hands on her hips. “Didn’t you leave with that human?”
My face flamed. Ma had been right about Edmund all along, but I didn’t want her to know. She’d never let me live it down.
“It was for work,” I responded.
Ma harrumphed. “Didn’t seem like it.”
Christabella came to the rescue. “The sky is relit. The village is back to normal now.”
I gave her a thankful look, but Chrissy was looking at her shoes. Guilt sank over me when I recalled how we’d ended things the last time we talked. I had left her without warning all over again.
“I hear you’re apprenticing,” Ma continued, looking at Jeraldine’s shop. “It’s only natural for a witch to apprentice at some point.”
Was that approval I heard?
“I’ve been learning a lot,” I said carefully. I gestured to the door. “Want to take a look inside? The shop’s open.”
Ma nodded stiffly.
I stepped in first, the bell tinkling behind me.
Jeraldine was on vacation today, so it was just us employees working.
I didn’t know whether to be grateful or worried.
Chrissy looked around the pastel shop, her lips parting in amazement at the displays.
Ma went to the front desk immediately, where the receptionist, Kiara, was standing.
“Hello, welcome—”
“You there. Are you a witch?” Ma demanded.
“Y-yes ma’am.”
“I have some questions to ask you,” Ma said, throwing the end of her scarf over her shoulder. “How long have you been working here?”
I grimaced as Kiara threw me a bewildered look. “There goes Ma again,” I murmured under my breath as Christabella trailed behind me through the shop.
She snorted softly. My heart lightened a little at this, wondering if that meant I was close to being forgiven, but guilt crept up again, tightening my throat. I hadn’t even apologized.
Christabella was always forgiving me and being my biggest supporter. What had I been to her?
When we came to a stand of trims and ribbons tucked away in the back of the store, I turned to face her.
“Chrissy, I’m sorry,” I said before I lost courage. “I know that I hurt you when I left, but I did it anyway. That was selfish of me.”
She studied a spool of lace ribbon, not meeting my eyes. “You don’t have to apologize, Gigi,” she said quietly. “I know why you did it, and it wasn’t to hurt me.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that I did.”
Christabella shrugged a shoulder. “I’m happy you chased your dream.
Envious, too. I wish I could be more like you.
More...independent.” She threw a wary look over her shoulder at Ma, who was still interrogating the receptionist, then sighed.
“That’s my own problem to solve. I shouldn’t have lashed out like that. ”
I took her hands, wanting to say more, to express my gratitude and remorse at once, but the words caught in my throat and I could only squeeze her fingers. “I’m sorry for leaving you alone with Ma. Again.”
Christabella rolled her eyes. “It’s not so bad.
I have Sonny to split Ma’s attention with.
” She squeezed my fingers back, and just like that, I knew I was forgiven.
Tears welled in my eyes despite myself. “You know, sometimes Ma loves us in a way we don’t understand,” she added softly.
“Growing up, she only wanted to protect you from the rest of the village. If they all knew about your hypnosis magic it would’ve been hard for you.
It’s the same reason why she took on the role of tour guide for Edmund. ”
I frowned, not understanding. “What reason? Because she always takes over everything in my life?”
“Because she didn’t want the rest of the village to judge you for being naive and hanging around a...human man,” Christabella said the last part in a hushed voice, as if it were a curse. “If Ma were the one to show him around, they’d gossip about it less.”