A Tale of One Deviant (Book One)

Chapter 23: Birthday "Debut," Missed

"Fir, it's time to wake up. Fir, come one. You don't want to be late to the party, do you? Wake up!" Mother was shaking me impatiently, getting on my nerves.

     "But I'm tired," I struggled while frowning, dazed. "And we just got here."

     Whatever happened to that well-known scenario in historical web novels:

     "We just finished our journey and are awfully tired. We will rest today and visit so-and-so tomorrow."

     ???

     Did that typical haughty noble scene not exist for this world, where you rest after traveling or something?

     "No, we didn't. It's almost nighttime," Mother tapped my shoulder. I resisted slapping it away, since I absolutely loathed people tapping me. Unreasonable anger that boiled up inside, but I pushed it down.

     My dazed mind tried to work.

     "Evening?"

     "Yes, you slept the whole day."

     "What?!" I bolted upright, throwing covers off my back. I was laying down in a very soft bed, a room completely unfamiliar and daunting. The feeling that I was in a haunted house was back as I looked around, seeing portraits of unknown people and old items everywhere.

     "Let's get dressed, the party is going to start in only an hour. I can't believe we are going to be late!" Mother graciously picked me up while in her own night gown, scolding us both.

     "Hey...could it be, you fell asleep too? And that you forgot about the party," I accused, eyes narrowing at her. I could tell that something was off.

     Don't blame me when you're at fault too, I thought.

     Her face was tightening bitterly as she drily laughed.

     "What're you talking about, I'd never forget my childrens' birthday...or oversleep on a day like this."

     "Sure."

     Thérèse chose this moment to walk in.

     "Madame, why aren't you dressed yet?! The reception is going to start soon!" She saw both of us still tired and barely stripping for a bath, and then this whole storm of maids came through the doors after she rang the service bell repeatedly, and we were basically dehumanized. I was scrubbed in places unmentioned, places that shouldn't be touched ever, and places that I was sure I could do myself.

     In the end, Mother was given the same treatment as me after they put a magic canceling collar on her so she wouldn't retaliate too strongly.

     We looked like we went through a car wash, then a dog grooming salon, and finally a jewelry store, all in one.

     Minutes later, we were walking out the door hand in hand, heading for some random and unknown place that the maids didn't elaborate on.

     Mother was dressed in a red dress, a modest one with gold highlights and buttons down the back. It had full sleeves with rings to loop around the middle fingers, so they stayed down. Her hair was down in a simple adornment of gold ribbons and metal clasps. Her feet were shoved into high heels, not too high so she didn't eclipse Father who was only a bit taller than her. They were more like wedges, and how I knew that I could only blame on one of my first female friends back in Japan: Matsumoto Kagame.

     I was in another light blue dress, no idea why it was blue again, with small ruffles on the skirt part that went down to my ankles. It looked like one of those princess dresses American children wore on Halloween, with the one purple gem on the chest and purple lacing up the front. Even my shoes were purple, for some reason. It felt like I was Ariel the mermaid with the red hair that was hanging loosely on my shoulders, a bit tucked behind my ear and pulled across to the left side.