Deadly Silent | Book 2

T W E N T Y - T W O

T W E N T Y - T W O
Champagne vs. Vodka

"NOW PLEASE, MY lady, you have to at least appear for a while. The four kings are not going to be happy if they knew that you had skipped your own party." The petite little helper laid a packaged gown against the bed, smoothing down any creases before unfolding the wrappers as delicately as she could.

"I don't feel confident in going, Tilly. Things had been.. unpleasant recently, to say the least."

"Oh, I do hope you'll at least make an appearance nevertheless, my lady. His Highnesses had been preparing this royal ball for you since centuries ago. It's supposed to be.." She trailed off uncertainly.

"Supposed to be?"

"Oh my, I'm afraid I've said too much, my lady. Please excuse me." And with that, the little ghost girl dashed out of the room, feet barely even grazing the ground.

As my eyes trailed after the translucent disappearing figure, I couldn't help but let out a small sigh. From the locked connecting room that separated my best friend and me, I could clearly hear Minnie struggling to fit into her own impossibly tight dress. The people here were fixed to the old customaries of corsets and frilly gowns, and Minnie had fallen victim to this rule.

I, on the other hand, held no such fate. Laid on the edge of my bed was a smooth rose gold silk gown, one with a low v cut down the front with enough folds to hide whatever modesty I had left. It seemed to be figure-hugging, meant to accentuate my natural curves as well as complement my skin tone with its soft metallic glow. The dress had small (almost non-existent) straps to hold it up, along with a long slit down the right side of it. It seemed like a dress straight of a red carpet event, and it almost made me want to go to the ball so that I could have a chance to put the dress on.

At this ball, it almost seemed as though everyone was stuck in the past while I was stuck in the present.

The second hands of my watch ticked loudly in the silence, echoing all the way from my bedside table to my ears. It rang as an alarm, further annoying me as I gritted my teeth in dilemma. To go to the ball or not to?

"Oh to hell with it," I muttered under my breath before picking the silky material up gently with my fingertips, running into the bathroom just in case someone else had decided to barge in unannounced.

As expected, the gown fitted snugly, running down in smooth waves all the way to the ground, just barely grazing the marble tiles when I stood to the tips of my toes, just about the height in which my heels would be.

The said pair of shoes were also placed out nicely, settled by the edge of my bed, glittering like a thousand stars. Diamonds were used to decorate the shoes, or more specifically, its heel. With designs like vines and a flower that eerily resembled a chrysanthemum, the entire heel was carved out from a crystal clear diamond, the rest of it made of a rose gold material that complemented my dress.

In that moment, I felt nothing short of a perfect little princess, just like how I dreamt of being my whole childhood. Isn't it every little girl's dream, after all? To have a prince charming that is willing to sweep her off her feet and run off together into their own happily-ever-after. It was just a tad bit disappointing that my castle that housed my prince charming was located in Hell itself.

Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

Down the hall from where my bedroom was located, I could hear the soft echo of music slowly streaming along the walls of the enormous castle. Gentle classical music played smoothly, sending the thrill of an old world ball's design into my mind. By the time in which I had peeked out of my room, Minnie had but long gone to attend the ball herself. She was no longer in the room next to mine, and I was once again left alone to my own resources.