Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
The gown I had chosen for the gala was hanging back in my wardrobe when I returned from my argument with Sebastian. Just like I had expected, he was waiting to walk me back to my room when I finished eating. Neither of us spoke the whole way back. I had nothing to say to him.
The setting sun snuck into my room through the gap in my curtains.
I had just finished showering and sat wrapped in a towel in my armchair, combing through my freshly washed hair.
I braided the sides loosely and let the rest hang free.
When finished, I dropped my towel to put the appropriate undergarments on, then pulled the dress off of its hanger.
I bunched the fabric of the skirt so that I could step into it and pulled the gown over my legs.
The tailor did an incredible job, as the gown slid past my hips and up my torso with ease, fitting precisely as it should for my body type.
The satin hugged me in all the right places, emphasizing the indent of my waist and the curve of my hips, while also leaving just the right amount of cleavage at my bust.
I struggled to lace my corset when I heard a female voice coming from the other side of my door. “Is anyone in there?”
I shuffled to the door, expecting it to be Jocelyn standing in the hall, but was instead met by an unfamiliar face.
“Sorry to bother you, but it seems like our whole floor is practically men, and I knew a woman must live here because I saw the seamstress bring in some gowns earlier. Anyways, would you mind buttoning the back of my dress for me? I can’t reach the last few,” the girl rattled on until she was out of breath.
She appeared disheveled, her strawberry hair in disarray on top of her shoulders and her cheeks flushed as if she’d been running.
I was slightly taken aback at the way she rambled like we already knew each other, but she smiled at me and I found myself returning the gesture.
“Of course.” I stepped aside, granting her entry into my room.
She sighed in relief, leaving the door cracked open then shuffling to my armchair. Her dress dragged on the floor as she walked, making me question if she had no shoes on yet or if it was just too long for her. She was quite petite, so I assumed the latter.
She sat and twisted her body so that I had access to the line of buttons on her back, then my fingers got right to work, moving meticulously to fasten her gown closed. Her dress was simple—a dark shade of green with no appliqué or shimmer on it.
“Thank the gods for you, I’ve been trying to button these darned things for the good portion of an hour. Every time I get one done, another one pops open,” she complained.
“I’ve been fighting a similar battle with my corset.” I let out a small huff of laughter.
“My name is Pia Hawthorne, short for Piper,” she introduced herself as I brushed her hair to the side so that I could reach the buttons at the top.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Maeve, not short for anything.” A bit delayed, my eyebrow raised when I recognized her last name. “Wait. Hawthorne?” I asked, stepping to the side of the chair when I finished the last button. “Are you related to the king?” Oh gods, did Sebastian have a sister?
Pia rose from the chair and made straight for my washroom. “Yup!” she called back to me. “The king is my uncle.”
That made that arrogant ass Sebastian, her cousin. Poor girl.
Pia’s hair was tidied up when she emerged from the washroom.
She positioned herself behind me, lacing my dress without me having to ask.
I gasped as she yanked on the ribbons of my corset, cinching the waist way tighter than I would have.
I didn't say anything though, and once I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror in my washroom, I didn’t question her lacing abilities, either.
I’d always loved dressing up, but this took it to a whole new level.
Pia came in to stand by my side. “We look hot,” she stated. I chuckled because she was right, and also because that’s something Delani would have said.
I chewed my lip to prevent tears from spilling at the thought of my family.
“Wait a second, you’re the one everyone’s been talking about?” Pia asked, catching a glimpse of my gemstones glistening in the mirror.
“Um, I guess?” King Hawthorne said he hadn’t announced my gift to the kingdom yet, but I had disregarded that people may have discovered it for themselves at the Jewel-Light ceremony.
“You are!” Pia put a finger out to feel the jewels on my cheek bone. She was awfully touchy for someone I just met—as everyone in this castle was it seemed—but I didn't shoo her away.
She gaped at my cheek. “I overheard a second year student say that one of the newly gifted had been blessed by Blythe, but I thought it was a joke.”
“Really? You're in the royal family. I would have assumed you’d be kept in the loop,” I said, her words taking me by surprise.
Pia scoffed. “They don't tell me anything, but I like it better that way, anyways.”
“Well yeah…It's me,” I confirmed her suspicion. “But if it’s all the same to you, would you mind keeping it quiet until the king decides that it has to be everyone’s business?
I’m content knowing that it’s still somewhat a secret.
” I hated being the center of attention, and dreaded the moment that the king decided to announce my gift to the kingdom.
“I just would like to pretend that I’m a normal first year for at least a little while longer,” I continued.
Pia nodded in acknowledgment and moved her hands back to her hair, adjusting it in the mirror before we both reentered the living space. It was then that I noticed the amethyst burrowed into her hand.
“You’re a healer?” I asked in an attempt to change the subject. Before she could respond, a deep, male voice filled the room.
“Pia, what are you doing here?”
I turned to see Sebastian standing with one hip relaxed against the doorframe—he seemed to have a thing for lounging against entryways.
His attire was mostly black, aside from buttons built of diamond that ran up the center of his shirt and also held together the cuffs at his wrists.
His slacks were fitted around his thighs, accentuating the muscles of his legs.
His outfit was finished by a pair of shining boots, tied mid-calf with silver laces.
He looked dashing, and heat flooded my cheeks at the sight of him in his formalwear.
His eyes roamed me for the briefest of seconds, looking away when Pia waltzed over to him. “How do I look?” She smiled before doing a twirl and a curtsy.
He grinned and dipped his chest in a bow. “You look lovely.” His expression turned back to all seriousness. “Now, what are you doing here?”
Pia frowned. “Maeve was just helping me with my gown. Why does it—” Her mouth fell open in an epiphany. “Ohhhh,” she glanced between Sebastian and me, “Maeve is who Uncle Aldous instructed you to guard?”
Sebastian nodded, still avoiding me as if I wasn't even in the room, which Pia noticed.
She scrunched her nose at him. “Would it kill you to be friendly? You come off as such a jerk.”
I couldn't help but snort out a laugh. At least she recognized who she was related to.
Sebastian shot me a look of warning, which I disregarded as Pia turned to me. “Well thanks for your help, Maeve. I’ll find you at the gala! Sorry you're stuck with him.” She angled a thumb at her cousin and flashed me a smile before leaving.
I watched her go, then turned my back to Sebastian in hopes that he would go, too. He must have gotten the hint, because I heard the click of my door as it latched closed.
I moved for my window, one hand grasping the sill while I used the other to brush a curtain to the side. The colors of dusk crept into the room, painting the walls orange. The moon was a sliver of white in the sky, and a few stray stars twinkled around it in preparation for their time to shine.
I sighed, releasing a breath of anxiety about what Pia had said. I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was the hot gossip of the castle, but the confirmation that I already was didn't sit well with me. I hadn't been overly nervous for the gala, but I was now.
A throat cleared behind me.
My body tensed as I spun around, pressing my back to the window. Sebastian was standing against my door with his hands stuffed into his pockets.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I thought you left.”
“No.”
“Well I wish you had.”
He scowled, but inched forward. “I’m here to escort you to the gala. Are you ready?”
“No.”
“Too bad. You have thirty seconds.”
Clicking my tongue, I bent down and buckled the pair of heels that the seamstress had left for me, then gave Sebastian a nod of annoyance when finished. He tried to speak to me as I strode by him, but I held my hand up to silence him. I didn’t care to hear what he had to say.
Sebastian followed me from afar on our walk to the great hall. When we arrived safely, he strode off to meet with some of the other head soldiers, but still stayed within my sight.
The hall was much larger than I had expected. I spun in a tight circle to take in the entirety of it, every square inch of the space fascinating me.
The wooden walls had vines carved into them, beginning at the baseboard and climbing up to the ceiling.
A crystal chandelier dangled over the center of the room, lit with jewel-toned candlesticks.
White and gray marble made up the floor that was clustered with students, soldiers, and castle personnel.
The room was simple in nature, but the array of taffeta and glittering jewels that swirled around the dance floor made it spectacular.
“Maeve!”
Pia stood in a corner of the room with a group of other first years. She ushered me over and began introducing me to everyone. I really did try to focus on their names, but I could feel Sebastian's eyes on me. My gaze wandered to where he stood with two other soldiers.