Bab 185: [39.3] Della POV: A Mother's Pride
I walked in beside Reika and into the studio where Caldwell was already scribbling on a paper. I smiled at him, "Hello, Mister Owl. Did you finish the outfits?"
He jumped up with excitement, "I have! Oh! And I guarantee it'll far exceed all of your expectations!"
Reika looked around, "Is Cyrus here?"
"No… My Young Master has decided that he's too old to come with me. He stayed back to prepare for the upcoming competition. I think he's a little stressed." Caldwell grabbed Reika by the shoulders with a mischievous smile, "But once he sees Young Miss Reika in this dress, all of his stress will disappear."
Reika looked at him unconvinced, "You seem to be overestimating me."
"Oh, Young Miss… You need to give yourself more credit." He motioned to the helpers who came over and started dragging Reika into a changing room. He turned to me with a smile, "Fear not, Miss Della. Reika will be the star of the ball."
I laughed, "I can't wait. My daughter deserves to shine the brightest."
After waiting a while, Reika eventually walked out. She wore a long ball gown that transitioned from light blue to pearly white. Gold lace covered the dress and shimmered as it reflected beautiful lights. Her gloves and shawl were made from the same materials and made her look as if she was actually glowing.
Her regal attire and the permanent look of disdain on her face made her resemble a Queen so much, I almost didn't recognize her.
I covered my mouth and felt tears surfacing in my eyes, "You… You look so beautiful…"
Caldwell adjusted his glasses smugly, "It's the best creation of my career! I found iridescent pearls and then shaped them down and attached them to the dress to give it its shine. The lace itself was made from the finest quality textiles that were imported overseas."
Reika's mouth dropped, "That sounds expensive!"
Caldwell shrugged, "Your father gave me more than enough funds to make this dress."
I stepped over to Reika too impressed to touch the dress, "Oh. Aldrich! You really outdid yourself. There's no one else in the world that could make such a beautiful dress!"
Caldwell smiled, "Oh! But Miss Della… Aldrich also requested I custom-make you a dress as well. He also gave me more than an adequate amount of money for it."
My face twitched, "Hm?"
Red cheered, "Yes! Finally! New clothes! I was tired of these rags! Please let it be red! Let it be red!"
As I was being led to put it on, I could hear Red continuing to chant.
I closed my eyes and held my breath.
Please don't let it be red.
When I opened my eyes, I realized it wasn't red, but a deep satin purple dress and white gloves. I let out a sigh of relief. I went out of the changing room and to where Reika and Caldwell were waiting.
I paused when I saw Aldrich standing next to them slackjawed.
Reika beamed with joy, "It looks like my mother will also be a shining star at the ball."
Zephyr elbowed Aldrich.
Aldrich cleared his throat and walked over to me. He held my hand and bent down to give it a kiss, "That dress is beautiful, but it's dim in comparison to your dazzling soul."
It felt as if an arrow had shot through my heart.
I had no idea what to say, "E-Eh?!"
Aldrich turned to Zephyr who gave him a thumbs up.
Reika gave an impressed nod, "That was a good one."
I pulled my hand back in embarrassment, "T-That… What kind of compliment is that…"
"NO!" Red screamed, "NO NO NO NO NO! You can't say that! You have to compliment me! ME! It's my body!!! MINE!"
Aldrich turned away from us and went to walk out of the room. He paused and glanced at Caldwell, "I will double your payment for a job well done."
Caldwell cheered, "Yes! More money for my hobbies!"
Reika frowned, "You're still doing that?"
Caldwell paused, "Ah. Well… A little. But recently I've gotten really into crafting perfect letters and gifts to send to the one I admire."
Reika burst out into laughter, "So you're Uncle Gonza's stalker!? He thought there was a conspiracy to scare him away!"
I laughed happily as the two spoke.
Ah…
It's times like this that I'm so happy to get another chance at life.
"NO!!!" Red screamed, "YOU DON'T GET TO BE HAPPY!"
I leaned forward in pain and clutched my chest.
Zephyr noticed and tugged on my dress. He looked up at me with large doe eyes, "Della? Are you okay?"
I swallowed my pain and forced on a smile, "I'm fine. Now let's get out of these dresses and go home."
During the ride home, I had to endure the shrill screams of Red as she demanded my cooperation. Once we were finally back, my head was pounding so hard I couldn't even hear my own thoughts.
I stood up and went to walk inside, but suddenly felt my vision blur causing me to almost fall over. I grabbed the railing, wincing in pain.
Red screamed, "KILL THEM BODYSNATCHER! THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS KILL THEM!"
Why won't she shut up!?
Aldrich called after me, "Della… Are you feeling alright?"
I forced on a smile, "I just have a little headache. If I lay down, I will be alright."
I didn't give them time to question me and quickly rushed up the stairs. I stumbled into my room and laid down on my bed. I covered my head to lessen the pain, but I couldn't summon any ice so it didn't help.
Eventually, I felt myself drifting off into sleep.
Red peeked over with a mad smile, "Since you won't listen to me, I have no choice but to remind you of just how terrible those people were… Then you'll definitely help me wipe that entire territory off the map!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone