Chapter 450 - 449. Entertaining Tea Party (1)
My father and brother were busy with the preparations of leaving for Denril for the official celebration of the establishment of peaceful relations between the two nations and also to felicitate the Princes who made it possible. So, I couldn’t see them as often.
The next day, Penny and the other maids dolled me up while I resigned myself to their excited chatter and nimble hands. There was no point in resisting—the maids were too passionate, and too persistent, for me to get a word in.
They dressed me in a gown cascadeed down my waist in the shades of soft lavender and silver-blue, with sheer off-shoulder sleeves that draped delicately around my arms. The fabric flowed like water, layered with the faintest traces of iridescence, catching the light with every movement. Intricate embroidery traced over the bodice and down the skirt in delicate patterns reminiscent of constellations and ocean swirls, subtle yet breathtaking.
My long, silver-white hair was left mostly loose, falling down my back like moonlight, with only a few strands braided and tucked at the side to frame my face. The maids kept the accessories to a minimum as they placed on the silver chain on my neck with the pendant that Rune gave me as a birthday gift on my 12th birthday and my communication brooch.
The tea party that Penny told me I had chosen to attend was actually a small get-together arranged by Earl Blois’s daughter, Chloe—the lady whom I had helped during the ball. She had sent me a letter thanking me again, along with an invitation to a tea party at her house with a few of her friends. Thankfully, she had mentioned that only four to five people were going to be there, so I wasn’t dreading it that much. There was just a little uneasy feeling at the back of my mind.
"Oh, my! This is so beautiful," Penny gasped before she proceeded to place something on my wrist, and my eyes widened as soon as I saw what it was.
"Wait!" I snatched my hand back before she could clasp it on.
"What’s the matter, My Lady?" she asked.
I had kept this far in the back of the drawer of my vanity—this bracelet, which was the beginning of my new problem. Davian’s gift.
"I’m not wearing that," I said, and Penny pouted.
"Why not? It’s so beautiful and it matches your dress as well," she said, and I shook my head.