Page 35 of The Last Dragon King
The thought of going home now, after my date with the king, made a pang of sadness creep into my heart.
“I’ve been practicing my braiding on Mida, another maid. I have this idea I want to try with your hair and some jade stones I was able to get from the royal jeweler.” She dug into her pocket and pulled out a pouch.
“Sounds fun! Do whatever,” I told her as she unzipped the back of the dress.
I slipped out of my clothes, now comfortable with Narine seeing me naked, as she had bathed me many times now. Narine had me raise my arms over my head, and then slipped the dress over my small frame. The inside was lined with silk, so the glittery fabric didn’t itch.
“Deep breath in,” Narine said.
I frowned. “Why?”
She pulled the string to the corset and suddenly my rib cage was squeezed. “Ahh.” I sucked in a deep breath to widen my chest and she loosened it a bit, laughing.
“You enjoyed that,” I sniped at her playfully.
“Just a little.”
After dressing me, she made me promise not to look in the mirror, and then brought me an old book to read while she went to work on my hair.
I was a slow reader, never had much opportunity to read full novels, but by the time she was done with my hair I’d read six chapters of a gripping fantasy about a wolf shifter and a shadow demon who fell in love.
“Who wrote this?” I asked, looking at the leather cover.
The letters J.E. were embossed in gold.
“She lives in town, a highborn,” Narine said, and then tapped my shoulders. “Ready to look?”
I set the book face-down so that I could pick back up where I left off, and nodded.
Stepping over to the mirror, I had to walk slowly so that I didn’t trip. When I faced myself, I startled for a second, not recognizing the woman before me.
“I’m so clean,” I exclaimed, never having seen my skin and fingernails and hair so spotless in all my life.
She laughed. “You’re more than that. You’re beautiful.”
I really took myself in, then gasped when I saw the lattice-like pattern she’d somehow managed with my hair. It was like a net had been braided over my ponytail and then small jewels glittered throughout.
“You’re an artist!” I exclaimed.
Narine blushed. “Hardly. I just like to be creative.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s what artists do.”
After applying some light makeup, we set off for the main ballroom, where our dinner was to be served.
Each and every girl I walked by complimented my hair, and every time Narine beamed with pride. Kendal wore a truly stunning red gown that complemented her hair, and we sat together and talked immediately. The girls had heard I’d had some sort of illness a few days ago but not what it was.
“Is your fever better?” asked Joslyn, the girl from Grim Hollow.
She and Kendal seemed to have formed a friendship. Tonight she wore a bright gold gown with black beading, which complemented her bronze skin tone and dark hair.
I smiled. “Yes, thank you.”
Murmurs rose up, and I peered at the front of the room to see that the king had entered. He looked devastatingly handsome in his black leather Royal Guard uniform. His eyes scanned the crowd eagerly, and then stopped on me.
My back went rigid as his pupils glowed yellow for a split second. Leaning over, he whispered something to Regina, who stood next to him, and she nodded and then left.
I swallowed hard, unsure if he’d said something about me or not. It certainly looked like he had.
