Royal Bonds | Y.Jw

| 37 |

"Lim. Fricking. Jiyeon," Lin let out a small laugh as she saw me walk into the sewing room, immediately bunching up some baby blue silke fabric, "the future queen of this country."

"Careful with what you say," I warned her as I walked up and sat down on my usual stool, immediately turning my head at the unusual noise down in the sewing room, "you got a music winder?"

I looked at the weird construction beside me, this surely wasn't something the town's people had. The fundament was a light-colored squared box decorated with delicate carvings, on which a thin black circle was rotating, while the finest needle stroked along the surface. From the box sprung a big horn in a glistening bronze color, it most of all looked like a big blooming flower. It was from the big flower that music played, slightly scratchy but still loud and clear.

"It's a gramophone," Lin softly corrected, "it was a gift from the Japanese Royal Family," she informed and I just nodded, keeping my eyes on the weird construction, "well... future princess get up on the pedestal and let me take your measurements.

I let out a small laugh before standing up and walking over to step up on the pedestal. Lin was quick to pick up her measuringtape and rush over to me. She would then continue to guide me on how to make the measurements as easy for her as possible.

She would pull up my arms, measure my waist, hips, arm length and so on. You get the deal.

"I heard it was pretty..." I spoke as Lin noted down the last measurement and she smiled softly, "the dress."

"I have to make sure you look unforgettable," she excused with a small smile as she sat back down at her working table, turning a bit up for the gramophone, "I have a name to live up to after all... Greatest seamstresses... wonderful."

"Lin... you are the best seamstress," I reminded her as she glanced over at me before letting out a small huff, a small smile growing on her face.

"Do you wanna see the dress?" she questioned and I widened my eyes at her, "I am allowed to, relax," she assured and stood up, going to grab a mannequin from the corner of the room.

"Wait, are you serious?" I questioned in disbelief and she nodded with a small hum as she placed the mannequin beside her table and threw the light blue silk over it.

"I know how much you love your tavern dress," she excused with a small smile, "and then the Prince told me how dazzling he thought you looked in it. So... we're making a more formal version of the dress."

"You're kidding," I murmured as she let the dress fall down over the mannequin.

For now there was only the bodice and skirt of the dress, clearly not finished yet but with Lin skills it could easily pass as a finished dress. The bodice of the dress had a sweetheart neckline, just like my tavern dress, but there was something about the shape of it that was different. The bodice stopped around the waist and began flowing out into a skirt, forming a perfect cone shape.

"And..." Lin proudly started as she turned the dress around, showing me the back and pointing along the eyelet holes down the back, "I'm gonna add a zipped between the two parts, which will be covered up by corset lacings. I recall you complaining about the lacing getting loose as you dance around, so that's gonna be fixed with this one."

"Lin it is beautiful," I murmured in disbelief and sat back down on a chair, in disbelief that I actually was gonna wear something as incredible as that dress, "absolutely stunning."

"It's not finished yet," she shook her head, "I'm gonna add some sleeves. Not the Snow White like sleeves there is on your tavern dress, I'm not gonna use the lace either. But the plan is, my plan is to cover your shoulders because October is gonna be fairly cold. I don't think it'll be long sleeves, but I've considered loose sleeves that go halfway down your upper arm... I'll have to wait and see... and then I'm considering adding more material to the skirt to make it more full... what do you think?" she questioned and looked over at me.

"I-- I," I stuttered in utter disbelief that she actually asked me for suggestions, knowing very well that I probably was completely blank in that moment, "I trust you completely with this. But don't go overboard and stress out yourself," I reminded her and she just nodded before waving it off, while looking back at the dress.

"I'll have you down here about a week before the ball and I can make the final adjustments," she assured and I quietly hummed with a small nod, "now go and find Loverboy, he's probably wandering about in his little 'Miss Lim' land at the moment."

"It's not that bad," I defended with a small laugh and she just looked over at me with a look that very clearly showed that she did not believe me, "it's not!"

"All of the staff talks about it," Lin reminded and I immediately clasped a hand over my mouth, "don't you go thinking that when a staff member sees something they don't pass it on. And it all goes right around your pretty little nose missy."

"Oh my god," I murmured in disbelief.

"I already know you two were enjoying each other's company this morning," Lin nodded in agreement as I just felt the embarrassment raise in my body, "tickling each other, falling down on the floor and all cutesy stuff."

"Oh yeah? What about you and Pianist Kim then?" I questioned in defense as she froze and slowly looked over at me before shaking her head.

"I know he agreed to marry you if there was no other way," she remarked and I let out a small laugh.

"We promised each other that, because he thinks you and WoodWorker Ahn has something going," I shook my head making Lin freeze up before looking over at me, "oh yeah, he has no idea that you and WoodWorker Ahn are cousins. So I suggest you, on the night of the ball, show up in that rose colored dress, I know you have and love, and then when the waltz starts you go up to him and ask him to dance. Alright?"

"He has to play," Lin shook her head quietly as she stepped back to look at the dress from a bit furtehr away.

"And the waltz can do just fine without a piano," I reminded her, "I saw how he stole glances at you at the wreck of an engagement party. Don't you dare think I'm blind miss Lin," I let out a small laugh as Lin just looked down at the floor before up at me.

"I don't... I can't keep working under these conditions, Jiyeon, I can't," Lin admitted as she glanced up at me, "I don't remember the last time I even saw the sun. I go to work before sunrise and I go home after sunset. We don't even have a window down here."

I directed my eyes to the floor, suddenly feeling guilty that she had been born into such working conditions. Her job might just be a rank lower than mine, but our working conditions were still so different from one another.

"I uhm... I should continue working on the dress," Lin murmured before walking back to the dress once again, "don't you have a lunch to serve?"

"Yeah..." I murmured before getting up from the chair and glancing at her.

Maybe it just was best I left the sewing room for now.