A Cold Dish

Chapter 16 - Dress to Impress

Lord William leaned into my touch as he interlaced our fingers. His eyes looked sincere and filled to the brim with love. That look of his should be illegal.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Lady Elizabeth. My heart beats only for you," he said.
I stood in silence for a while before sitting down.
"You are too kind," I mumbled.
"If you are still worried then don't be, I think Honorable Mielle Lockens is going to be able to help her."
"Mielle, huh." Her name left a bitter taste in my mouth, and even as our food arrived and I took a bite out of the spicy dish it merely left me with a tingling sensation which could not overtake the bitterness.

Our lunch date was cut short as lessons continued on. I was happy that despite my classmates holding a baseless grudge against me I was not alone, I had her, her confidence left me with a feeling of security which I had not felt before. The two of us happily chatted away after class. She told me about her life in The Republic of Obatala. The stories she shared gave me a glimpse of the freedom I wish I could have had. Alas, I would be stuck here my whole life. Amber was telling me one of those stories when the school day was over. When we left the classroom I saw a head of long orange hair waiting outside.
"Lady Elizabeth, and… who is this accompanying you?" Lady Violet asked as curiosity filled her eyes.
"I am Amber, an exchange student from The Republic of Obatala," Lady Amber responded with a smile.
"My, how interesting. I am Violet, daughter of Count Frigard, it is a pleasure to meet you," Lady Violet curtsied respectfully.
"The pleasure is all mine Lady Frigard."
"Oh, please, call me Lady Violet. You see, I have a twin sister so calling us by our last names tends to be confusing."
"Oh, of course."
"Anyhow, speaking of Daisy. I was just about to invite Lady Elizabeth to a tea party tomorrow afternoon, would you care to join?"
"I would love to, but I'm still trying to get adjusted here while catching up on my studies. So I have to decline."
"How tragic, maybe some other time?"
"Definitely. I'll get to studying now, I'll catch you some other time."
"Farewell," Lady Violet waved at Lady Amber as she left. "Now then, I believe you will join us tomorrow?"
"Of course-" before I could finish Lady Violet grabbed my hands as a mischievous smirk worked its way up her face.
"Great, then you will join me for some dress shopping, right?"
"I… suppose?"
And at that she dragged me to a different part of the school. 

Unlike our wing of the school where there was a clear female dominance this one was the exact opposite. Well-built lords roamed the halls, there was a certain burliness to them that the lords of the academic sector did not carry. I quietly followed Lady Violet and averted my gaze from the other students. 
"Are we searching for Lady Daisy?" I asked as Lady Violet looked into a classroom.
"Yes, the question is what lesson she is attending," Lady Violet sighed. 
We looked into the next classroom together, they seemed to be finishing up.
"Perhaps we should go and look by the training grounds? If she is not there we can simply wait by the entrance."
"Brilliant suggestion, Lady Elizabeth." Lady Violet placed her hand on my shoulder.

The main training ground was filled with half naked lords and an instructor yelling at them. There, amongst the students, was long ginger hair tied up in a bun. 
"There she is," I said and pointed to Lady Daisy.
"Look at her, she looks so spectacular when she spars!" Lady Violet's eyes were filled with excitement and she looked rather proud of her sister.
I took my eyes off Lady Violet to observe Lady Daisy, her form was immaculate as she parried the attack of her sparring partner who was twice her size. Despite the size difference her opponent seemed tired and had built up quite the sweat. With two more parried attacks and a swift strike her opponent had lost his sword. The instructor yelled once again and everyone bowed to their sparring partner. Lady Violet made her way through the other students to Lady Daisy, and I promptly followed suit.
"... years of training until I catch up." 
As we got closer we could hear the conversation between Lady Daisy and her sparring partner. 
"Not at all, you make quite the fierce opponent. It was a pleasure sparring with you Lord Andrew," Lady Daisy responded politely.
"Sister!" Lady Violet called out.
"Violet, what are you doing here?" Lady Daisy looked shocked at her sudden appearance. "And you brought Lady Elizabeth with you, what a pleasant surprise."
"Greetings, Lady Daisy." I curtsied. "That was an excellent display of skill."
"Oh… surely you jest!" She averted her embarrassed gaze. "...what are the two of you doing here?"
"We were thinking of going to the city and wondered if you wanted to join us," Lady Violet said.
"That sounds entertaining, I shall go get ready." Lady Daisy curtsied to us as she and her sparring partner left.

The busy streets of the capital city greeted me along with the strong floral scent of perfumes. Amongst the crowds were a handful of noble ladies I recognized, however Lady Violet whisked me away before we could be spotted by them. Lady Daisy was far too busy taking in the surroundings to realize where we were headed. The store we entered had several ball gowns on display, they were decorated with bows and pearls, which was the most recent fashion trend. The chime of a bell could be heard as we entered, the store was quiet and carried a light rose scent.
"Greetings, ladies, may I be of assistance?" A worker asked as she approached us.
"Most certainly, we are looking for a gown befitting an afternoon tea party," Lady Violet responded.
I could see shock and dread in Lady Daisy's eyes as she realized where we were. The worker beckoned for us to follow to another room where several more modest gowns were on display, they lacked the frill and intricate patterns of the ball gowns yet the pearls and soft material radiated an aura of luxury. 
"For whom is the gown?" The worker asked.
"It is a gift for my sister… Lady Elizabeth, do you have a fitting gown?" Lady Violet turned to ask.
"I do not believe so," I answered.
"How exciting, I shall dress you up too then!" A mischievous smirk made its way up her face.
"It would be an honor to have you dress me." I smiled kindly.
Together we browsed which gowns would be more fitting, weighing our personal opinions along with the likes and dislikes of Lady Daisy. We had been browsing and trying on dresses for about an hour, Lady Daisy looked exhausted from all of the dresses she had tried on however Lady Violet looked nowhere near tired. 

The bell chimed once again and the worker excused herself to help the new customers. As I walked past the door leading to the entrance I caught a glimpse of brown and silver locks.