Serena yelped when a strand of her hair was tugged too roughly, the older woman muttered a careless apology and continued the assault on the golden hair. Serena tried to sit as still as possible but every now and then she flinched from the woman’s touch.
She looked at herself in the mirror placed before her, her eyes were downcast and her green eyes seemed even duller today. The Dawnbreak party was arriving today. The woman had been up before sunrise, due to half excitement and half fear. She could not help the way her stomach leapt and twisted every now and then.
She imagined the meeting over and over in her head, she hoped everything would go smoothly. As soon as the cock crew, Livia was already up in arms with her assistants following quickly behind. The assistants Serena saw today were very much different from the ones that helped Livia during the gathering. This update is available on NovєlFіre.net
Oh no, she brought older women who looked stressed beyond their ages with their mouths set in a thin line. They looked mean and Serena came to find out that they were. They treated her like a disposable doll, like she was incapable of feeling pain and feeling uncomfortable.
She squeezed her eyes shut as the brush hit another snag, thankfully this time the woman tending to her hair took her time to detangle the knot. The second woman was on her fours, specifically on Serena’s foot scrubbing away at the callouses.
Serena thought with amusement how they were cleaning her up and prepping her like a princess. It was all so surreal but she understood why they had to do it. She had to look otherworldly, not a single strand of her hair was to be out of order. She needed to exude that elegance that she had seen in Beatrice.
The blonde woman exhaled slowly, she encouraged herself, the night before was met with frequent short bursts of dreams. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at herself in the mirrors, her hair was nearly free of its loose waves. She wondered how much hair she had lost in the process of trying to give her pin-straight hair.
"Am I at liberty to style my hair?" Serena asked quietly.
The woman behind her looked at her from the mirror and she frowned a little. Her eyes were downturned and Serena thought it made the woman look adorable, her black hair was pinned tightly to the back of her head and she had the aura of a no-nonsense teacher.
Serena nodded slowly and interlaced her hands in her lap. The other woman was done with her feet and wiped them off. She on the other hand had smaller eyes and cropped brown hair, she took instructions from the other woman, presumably her senior.
The senior woman was adept with her hands and began to pull and tug on Serena’s hair in an attempt to put it in a bind. Serena winced and then jerked forward pressing her hand to her hairline.
"Please, be gentle," she said firmly.
In as much as she was to look her best it would not come at the cost of her comfort. If the woman pulled the hair too tightly she was afraid so many hairs would be pulled from her scalp and a nasty headache was sure to follow. The woman’s hands fell slowly and she shook her head.
"We were under strict instruction to make you as best we can," the woman replied grimly.
Serena’s brows pinched, at this rate she would be squeezed half to death in her clothes if she let them continue. She shook her head gently and peered up at the woman.
"I understand and I appreciate your efforts but this is hurting me. Just loosen your hand a little," Serena said.
The woman huffed and then took up her hair in her hands again, this time as Serena noticed she was gentler. A small win for the woman in the chair.
Somehow an intricate updo materialised under the senior woman’s hands. Loose braids were done on the side and to the other it was pulled back. Serena turned her head to the side to see what was done of the bun, the senior woman stood a step back. The bun was encased in some sort of iron net, chainmail perhaps, Serena was not sure. Underneath the chainmail the bun was twisted in a circular shape, some of the hair braided and then circled in the opposite direction.
It was simple enough but still beautiful. "Thank you," Serena said.
The senior woman nodded and soon she was at Serena’s face, applying rouge generously to her lips and then next her cheeks. Serena tried her best to stay still but a tingling sensation in her nose arose and she let out a sneeze.
"May Lunara bless you," the senior woman muttered.
"Thank you," Serena replied.
They were there for a couple of minutes, a wet rag dabbed on her face here and there. The senior woman’s eyes narrowed in concentration and soon she was done. She stepped aside for Serena to inspect herself in the mirror, the woman blinked slowly and then smiled.
It was natural looking but she could tell there was something done to her face, she was afraid they would put heaps of white powder on her face and make her look as pale as a ghost. She nodded to the senior woman in silent thanks.
A few other things were done and then came the dress. Serena readied herself for the ordeal but to her surprise it was a simple task. The laces at the back were not done too tightly and yet again Serena marvelled at herself in another of Livia’s creations.
The woman touched her cheeks in awe and regarded herself in the mirror. She felt beautiful.
Just then the doors burst open with Livia who donned a black dress and had her hair pinned behind her ears in a simple fashion. Her face looked paler than Serena had ever seen it. At that moment the women in the room left, leaving Livia and Serena alone in the room.
"Do you know how to ride a horse?" Livia asked.