The Devil's Cursed Witch

Afterwards, Ember was directed to her wardrobe room.

Ember blinked. 'Is it just me or are there more clothes than yesterday's?'

Yesterday, there were merely a handful of pretty dresses hanging on the racks attached by the wall, but now, it seemed that a dozen more clothes were added inside. Nightgowns, colourful casual dresses, even fancy dresses she remembered seeing in books, all of them were present.  She could see some similar to the simple elf clothes Leeora gave her, while there were others that had delicate frills and ribbons. Meanwhile, the shelves contained accessories, shoes, and everything else that a proper lady needed to get ready.

Of course, for Ember who had lived a reclusive life in a mountain, many of these were things she had seen for the first time.

"What do you think, Miss Ember?" Yula asked, satisfied with the human's look of awe. "Many of the girls had worked hard overnight to finish these dresses for you."

"What? I'm sorry to have bothered—"

Reya chuckled at the sides. "Oh, Miss Ember. You do not know how happy everyone was making these dresses for you. We don't know your taste so we made one of each style. We will be extremely happy to see you wear them."

Ember blushed shyly. "Everyone's nice to me. They're all beautiful. Thank you."

"No, we should be the one thanking you, Miss," Clio said this time. "It is our honour to serve you."

Ember was then directed towards the tall mirror placed on one side with a wooden stand supporting it. She sat on the wooden stool placed in front of it and Reya and Clio began to work on her long hair.

'Hmm? What are they doing?'

The elf servants were holding a strange metal item in their hands. They had put a grainy powder inside that container, and after lighting it up, it emitted a warm fragrant smoke. While one was gently brushing her long mahogany hair, the other was holding that container close to her head, moving it back and forth.

'It's…hot? Are they drying my hair? Why can't they just rub it with a towel? These people really do strange things,' she could not help but think, unaware that what they were doing was considered normal among ladies of nobility.

Once her hair was dry, Yula approached after spending some time on the racks of clothes. She pulled out a long dress for her. "This will look really nice on you, Miss Ember. What do you think of changing into this today?"

Ember looked at the dress through the mirror and her eyes widened.

Pretty? No, the dress was more than pretty. What Yula had in her hand was an elegant layered dress with loose sleeves and delicate pale blue fabric hugging the body. Clusters of white flowers were embroidered on the chest area, and those small flowers were stitched on the flowy floor-length skirt as well, making it look as if it's a dress of a fairy princess who had emerged from a flower garden.

To her eyes, she had never seen a more beautiful dress. It was just like those she read in those fairytale books but…she was not sure if she could handle wearing it. It looked light and dainty, the type of dress that if she missteps would probably tear from the slightest force. Not to mention that long skirt that would drag on the floor.

She was used to wearing simple sturdy clothes that were comfortable to move around, but wearing this dress…

"Won't it be a little uncomfortable?" Ember asked. "I was thinking of touring the palace…"

Yula put on a graceful smile. "You have nothing to worry about, Miss. We have tailored this with your height and the heeled shoes in mind. Though it has been prepared according to what human royalty casually wear, we used silk made by the fairies and threads from magical creatures so be assured this will be comfortable to wear."

Ember could not say 'no' to Yula since she put it that way, and the two elf servants also had expectant looks on their faces. In the end, she quietly stood up to wear that dress and the pale blue heeled shoes that came with it. After Reya and Clio helped her put them on, she turned to see herself in the mirror and could not deny that the dress looked beautiful though she felt uncomfortable in it.

Before she could voice her opinion once again, Yula praised her. "This dress looks stunning on you, Miss Ember! I am sure His Majesty will be happy to see you in it."

Reya and Clio also nodded, smiling pleasantly, agreeing to what Yula said.

The moment she heard the title of the King, Ember swallowed her words and decided to keep wearing this dress. As she was staying here, she thought it would be better to be on the good side of the King.

Clio and Reya started to put on some makeup on her.

"Wait, what is this?" Ember asked as they were about to add something on her skin.

"This is the powder for your face, Miss."

"It tickles," she commented as they applied it over her face.

Yula smiled on the sides. "Cosmetics are used to enhance a person's beauty. I believe you have never used it before?"

"Ah…Umm…Yes, I never used it before…"

"Rest assured, Miss Ember. Just close your eyes and wait for Reya to finish," Yula assured. "Among the female servants, you can say she's an expert on makeup."

The female elf didn't use much on her face. Ember had exquisite facial features, though they were not noticeable due to the scars on her skin. The servant simply covered those marks, and kept the rest mostly untouched, especially around the eyes. They could see that her emerald green eyes didn't need anything, perfect the way they were. In fact, adding eye makeup would probably lessen their beauty.

"I knew it. Miss is really pretty!"

"If only those scars disappear soon."

Ember was amazed as well. Reya did wonders covering the fading scars on her face to the point they didn't seem to exist. Her pale, sickly pallor was gone as well, and her thin face looked healthier thanks to the soft blush she put on her cheeks.