Queensmen

Chapter 90

~His Majesty's Grace~

Oris tried not to look proud of the fact that she was the only one wearing braids but it only took a moment for her to remember that she could look however she wanted beneath her veil.

Mayree noticed regardless and gave her a pinch at the back of her hand. "It will be best if you didn't look so thrilled, Mistress. We are also the only ones wearing tie-dye on an outing."

Andrea raised her handkerchief to her mouth and giggled behind it, drawing more gazes to them.

Seline shot her a cool look while Keziah went ahead and hit the girl upside the head, shaking some curls free from her bun.

Andrea scowled but said nothing.

They were all wearing buns, which once again set them apart from the rest of the women, who all had their hair on elaborate dos, too afraid of getting accused of imitating the Emperor's braids yet not self-sabotaging enough to pack all their hair back into a boring bun.

The trick was that when everything else was trying its best to shine hard, the dullest object in the room became the most eye-catching, if not for the contrast then for the sole purpose of giving the observer's eyes a place to rest.

Fortunately for Oris, Mayree's craft was exquisite. She had snuck glances at herself several times before leaving the room, just to admire the girl's handiwork.

Two ladder braids rose from her temples, one on each side, to join the rest of her hair at the nape of her neck in a braided bun.

And she was wearing accessories for the first time in what felt like forever.

Their decorated ends jingled with every step and sometimes swayed in her vision if she turned her head too fast.

They hung off her braids and surrounded her bun like a crown of pearls—some were pearls—but no one could say that she was trying to draw attention to herself because her maids were wearing buns too, and though for the first time since she arrived she was better dressed than they were, she appeared toned down when compared to the majority.

Another eye-catching item on her was the dress in all it's colors. It looked like something from a festival or circus, not at all formal—in shading, not design—and Andrea bemoaned the fact that it would be hard to pull off.

Red was the most dominant of the colors to match Oris' hair, and Andrea had still been the one to gush and start choosing the perfect jewelry when she had finally seen Oris in it.

A necklace, and earrings, of crystal were what the girls settled on.

Though her veil hid most of it, they promised that once light struck the pieces, she would be a sight to behold. This had also given them the idea to sew crystals on the next layer of the dress, which wasn't visible now but would be the next time she wore it.

"What do they want?" It was Keziah's voice that made her look towards the group of women that had broken off from the center of the hall, where the lesser ranked fawned over those most likely to not end up being a maid, to head in her direction.

The hall was large but was made stifling by the sheer number of women mingling then breaking off into factions. Oris had chosen a spot next to one of the large, floor to ceiling windows, unclaimed because it was obscure and at an angle where no one would notice her if they weren't looking.

Everyone here wanted to be the center of attention, wanted Hermes' eyes to fall on them the moment he stepped into the hall.

She watched the women exchange pleasantries with others while slowly making their way over, sure that nothing good would come from whatever 'socializing' was about to occur.