Royalty? It's Not What You Think. (ON HOLD)

Chapter 8: Dresses, Diamonds, and Despair

We arrived to another chamber in which Queen Larissa waited with the tailor, jeweller, and the stylist. First, the tailor brought out the finished product of the engagement gown.

I gasped.

The gown was better than I could have ever imagined! The top of the gown was simple with its strapless neck which was trimmed with red lace. The body was dotted with diamonds in a flower-like pattern. It extended in a V-shape until the waist and then gave way to the ruffles. Diamonds also dotted the curves of the ruffles. It was so beautiful!

I became overly eager to put the dress on. I practically lunged toward it but was stopped by the Queen’s voice.

“You must bathe first, my dear.” She laughed. I guess she must have known that I spent the night here.

I mentally groaned.

The Queen’s eyes flickered to the bandage on my left hand. She registered the injury but made no comment save, “Take care of your wound.”

Dragging my feet, I made my way toward the room set aside as the bath and took off my clothes with the help of a maid. I smiled to myself remembering the embarrassing ordeal I had been through just the previous night.

“Thank you for your assistance.” I said as the garment dropped to the ground.

“I..” She grew puzzled at my comment. “O-of course, Princess.” She stammered.

I am sure she did not understand the meaning behind my words. I laughed confusing the maid even more.

The tub had already been pre-filled with warm water. I stepped into it carefully so as to not make a splash and avoided putting my left hand in yet. I unravelled the bandages the Prince had bound last night and let it fall to the floor in spirals. I examined my hand. It still contained a hint of redness, thought the swelling had gone done by a significant amount. Touching the skin I was relived to feel that it did not make my cry out in pain, though I did wince at the touch. Contemplating on whether or not I should lower it into the tub, I flexed the hand a bit being cautious so that I did not over exert it and split the already stretched skin. Deeming that it would be okay, tentatively, I lowered my hand into the tub slowly feeling the temperature. It was not too bad. I relaxed as the warmth settled onto it.

The maid set to washing my hair as I soaked myself in the sudsy water. After a while, I asked the maid to fetch me soap and a washcloth. She rinsed her hands in the water and left my hair with the soap in instructing me to keep the shampoo in until she returned.

When she came back, she set the soap in a dish on a stand at the side of the tub. She soaked the cloth in the warm water and handed it to me, then continued to lather my hair.

As the soft cloth glided across my skin, I became thankful for the bath. It felt as if a weeks worth of grime had settled on my skin and to be rid of it felt like bliss, like I just shed a pound of weight.

The maid set to rinsing my hair out. I watched as white foam thinned while it floated around me. When she finished, the dirty water was drained and ever so carefully, the maid poured clean warm water down my head. I closed my eyes as the water ran down my face, my neck and the rest of my body savoring the tickling sensation of the streams it created.

The maid handed me a long towel as I stood and I wrapped it around my body while stepping out of the tub. The maid scurried to my side and offered me assistance. I placed my hand on her thin shoulder and lifted one foot out carefully and placed it on the stone floor. A chill ran up my skin raising goosebumps. I lifted the other foot out as well and hugged the towel around me. I released the maid’s shoulder and she scuttled away to a rack on the other side of the bathroom. She opened the cabinet and pulled out a robe. She rushed back to me and helped me don the robe. I eagerly complied welcoming the warmth.