It took another couple of hours to get Tianshi Xue into the dress that she was going to wear tonight. It was light blue in color with a tinge of green—like the ocean in the summer mornings. The fabric was light and the air moved freely around her exposed legs. This was the dress that she wore with the most frills ever! It travelled down from her arms and her sides.
"I look like a freaking ice cream," she said as she looked at herself in the full length mirror.
"Ice cream, Your Highness?"
"You know, I look so bright. Like I would melt."
Howin smiled at her. "You look gorgeous, Princess."
"Oh, you just feel obligated to say that."
Tianshi Xue turned her back and tried to check if there was something else wrong with her outfit. She was honestly getting used to this face (well, after having come face to face with the fact that there was no way that she would be able to return to her old body… it was something that she did without a choice).
Right… the princess could still be pretty in her own way. But Tianshi Xue missed her old face terribly!
Her head lifted when she heard the door open and from the mirror, she saw that the prince had walked in. He didn't even give a fleeting glance over to where Tianshi Xue and Howin was.
Howin bowed. "Should I call for help getting you dressed, Your Highness?"
"No," Prince Qui answered. "I'd really appreciate it if you would take your business in the bedroom though. I need to change."
Tianshi Xue only rolled her eyes at him before stepping out of the spacious closet. "Let's go to the hall now," she told Howin after her handmaiden had successfully strapped her shoes on.
"You have to wait for His Highness. He will be done soon."
"I'm so over being married already," she said and checked her face in the mirror again.
"Pardon, Your Highness?"
"Oh, nothing, Howin," she replied and reapplied a layer of lipstick. Thankfully, her 'mother-in-law' had the common sense of sending her a whole box of cosmetics. "Have you thought about getting married?"
"Uhm, of course, Your Highness," the handmaiden replied timidly.
"Don't," she laughed without humor. "I'm just kidding. Of course, you should get married. It would be a really good life, right?"
Howin looked like she was out of words. "I hope so, Your Highness."
"I think it would be alright as long as you don't marry someone with the same personality as the prince."
Just then, Prince Qui reemerged from the walk-in closet.
**
Tianshi Xue wanted nothing else but to widen the six-foot distance between her and the prince while they were both walking down the hall. All of her footsteps echoed on the marble floor. His were quiet stumps behind her.
She nodded at both guards at the front of the door to open it. She could already hear the booming laughter and the music. The two guards did not move. She raised an eyebrow at the both of them, willing them to catch her eyes.
How dare they refuse a command from me?!
The prince finally caught up with her and when he was the one who nodded at them, they immediately moved and pulled the doors open.
"You should behead them for refusing me," she said to him, not keeping her voice quiet. At the corner of her eyes, she saw that one of the guard's knees buckled a little.
"Well, you're not their boss. I am," he said with a forced smile on his lips.
Tianshi Xue decided then that the prince could be beautiful if he would just let himself. Maybe, if he would shed his cruel ways… maybe… just maybe…
The prince's arm snaked around her back and pulled her by the waist. The force was unexpected that she tumbled to his chest. At the same time, she felt her heart dropped to her feet.
"Let's go, then, wife."
If you want to see the frills dress, please visit the link!
Visual representations, story guide, and additional info Google Slides (no sign-in required): http://tiny.cc/jttcpics