Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 150: Dance With Me

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty: Dance With Me

Ella's face flamed as she stood in front of the magic mirror.

"No," she growled. "I am not wearing this." 

"Come now, Ella, it makes you look so beautiful," Amelia crooned, pleading with her eyes. "You claim to love Phil! Don't you want to just let loose and be a girl around him for a single night?"

"I'm a girl around him all the time!" she snapped, affronted. "Regardless of what I wear, I'm a woman inside and out!"

"Let me rephrase that," Amelia sighed. "Don't you want to wear something beautiful for him? Like you did that night at the ball?"

Ella frowned.

"I stood out then, too," she muttered uncomfortably. "What I think to be beautiful and girly, others think is too bland and simple to be acceptable. I felt beautiful then, and wearing this would make me feel beautiful, but would I truly be beautiful if everyone frowns on it?"

"Who matters more?" Amelia pressed, trailing her hands across Ella's thin waist; grabbing the sheer white ribbons that hung from the sides of the dress, she carefully tied them into a beautiful bow behind her back. "The opinion of unfashionable strangers or the man you love?"

Ella swallowed, knowing she was right, but not wanting to accept it. 

She was wearing a beautiful white gown that greatly resembled her favorite black dress.

However, the top of it was carefully cut so it didn't go very low, and it had been finished with golden embroidery that mirrored the style of the tunic that Xaphile had put on.

Ella had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't a coincidence, but she let it slide.

The sleeves stopped near her upper shoulder, but they still had billowing trains that hung down to her hips. 

The skirt was slightly ruffled, almost pleated, and oddly enough it had two layers to it: the first consisted of the basic white fabric, but the second began near her upper waist, stretching out from beneath a built-in sash of soft, sheer material. 

Ella touched the outer layer, marveling at how weightless it was. The strange glittering substance seemed to sparkle in hues of blue and violet. What it was made of, she had no idea, but she figured it had something to do with magic. 

Amelia set her hands on her shoulders and leaned down.

"You're beautiful, Ellameira," she said simply, smiling at her in the mirror. "You've changed so much since we first started this trip. Your eyes are glowing, your cheeks are rosy, and your heart is growing lighter with every step you take forward. I'm very, very proud of you."

Ella swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat.

"Thank you," she said, turning and shaking her hair out of her face. "I believe the two of us are ready. You're looking rather gorgeous yourself, Amelia."

"Oh, stop, you flatter me too much," Amelia laughed, waving a hand. "I'm nowhere near as beautiful as you."

Ella raised an eyebrow when she wiggled happily and shyly clasped her hands together. Her brown hair had been undone completely after the boys had left, and it fell down to her waist in glossy brown waves. She was wearing a familiar blue gown with a square-cut neckline that revealed the barest hint of her cleavage.

The sleeves billowed loosely around her slender arms, and the fabric hugged her bosom and waist tightly, revealing her shapely figure far more than her typical generic array of high-collared gowns and old-fashioned dresses.