XI #2
And Y/N wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and never wake up.
Right as she woke, the pain began. Her body felt slightly warmer than usual, she felt a little lightheaded, and there was a general ache coursing throughout her body.
Today was the day. Her birthday. She quickly took some painkillers to mask the pain throughout the day.
There was absolutely no way she was going to let this day be ruined.
"Irene, does Healer Ellis expect everyone to develop the plague while they're here?" Dante complained.
"With how many people that are going to be in attendance, you never know. If one person has something and someone else catches it, we might have an epidemic on our hands." Y/N stated monotonously.
Leon shifted his gaze to his brother's and rolled his eyes at his horrified face. "Not funny," Leon deadpanned.
"Wasn't trying to be." Y/N smiled mockingly at him.
Dante regained his composure. "Well, we're certainly going to have our work cut out for us these next few days, that's for sure."
"Well, someone's going to be busy ditching tonight." Leon pointed out.
Y/N placed her hands on her hips. "Hey, it's only for one night. Besides, I've been working the hardest out of the 3 of us today to even things out. Neither of you flat-out rejected the idea, so you have no right to complain! And don't forget,
I caught some mysterious illness and will be bedridden for the rest of the night. "
She had neglected to mention the fact that she was currently barely able to stand up because of her soulmark pain. She didn't want to bring attention to it and have them get all excited or freaked out. She just wanted that topic to be left alone.
Leon smirked. "And don't forget your hands are still covered in Flame Lily powder."
Y/N looked down to where her fingertips were resting on her hips and groaned. "I just washed my uniform!"
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
Y/N put on a theatrical-worthy performance in front of Healer Ellis, letting her know she would be out of commission for the rest of the night and asked Leon and Dante to cover for her during the Investiture.
While she had her suspicions, Dante vehemently defended her by saying she had been feeling poorly for some time now.
Leon, being the good friend that he was, simply nodded his head in agreement.
Running straight to her room after work and bidding everyone a goodnight, Y/N stood in her room looking at everything laid out before her.
First, she had her gown laid out across her bed.
Second, her shoes were placed in front of her bedframe.
Third, her desk was covered in her skincare and makeup products.
And fourth, all of her hair tools were strewn across her washroom counter.
Y/N cracked her knuckles. "Alright, now the real work begins."
She started off by washing her hair thoroughly before doing a deep conditioning treatment.
She used her favourite citrus soap to scrub all over her body.
Once she was all done in the shower, she stepped out and rubbed her matching body lotion all over, making her skin feel soft and smooth.
She then washed her face and applied all of her moisturizing skincare to have the perfect base for her makeup.
Putting her wet hair up to get it out of her face, she started on her makeup.
She used every single product she owned to achieve that formal makeup look, making sure the coloured products she used matched her gown.
And with only a swipe of lipstick left, her makeup was done.
Then she took on the challenge of styling her hair just like she had imagined it, coming out victorious (although it took her longer than she expected).
All that was left now was to put on her gown and shoes.
Stripping out of the robe she was wearing, she began putting the pieces of her gown on one by one.
First the top, then the skirt, and finally, the scarf.
When she lifted the garment gown to put it in her closet, she found it was still somewhat heavy.
Confused, she looked at the bottom and saw that there were two fabric bags. She pulled them out and opened them.
The first bag held all of the jewelry that Y/N had worn the day before when she tried this gown on in the store.
She gasped, looking at the gorgeous bangles, necklace, and earrings.
In the second bag was the most stunning (f/c) mask she had ever seen.
The detailed embroidery on it and the ribbon that was used to tie it were breathtaking. Where did these come from?
She got her answer when she noticed the business card for The Bodice with a handwritten note, "Thank you for your purchase, sir. Please come again!"
Her heart ached. Kent.
Smiling down at her gifts, she quickly went to put all of the jewelry on.
And this time, when she glanced at herself in the mirror, she couldn't believe what was looking back at her.
With her makeup done just how she liked it, and her hair styled to perfection, she truly felt like she was looking at a princess.
She hardly recognized herself. And when she put the mask on, it was like the final piece locked into place.
Popping one last painkiller into her mouth, she smiled.
She was ready.
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