Chapter 57
POV Melissa
Two weeks later
I’m so tense that I feel pain in my neck, and it’s even hard to breathe. It feels like something heavy is pressing down on my chest every time I take a breath, and no matter how much I try to relax, I can’t.
And Gen definitely knows that I’m really nervous; she must be able to hear my heart pounding fast, but she doesn’t say anything while she plays with my hair, sending shivers down my spine.
I will never forget our first meeting, how she was shouting at Kaleo, and even though I didn’t understand her language back then, the azuri surely didn’t say nice things. But Kaleo insisted that his sister had changed after seeing how happy he was with me and that she swore on the laws of the azuris not to harm me, especially on the day of our wedding.
So, I stay still in the chair in the middle of the room while Gen continues to handle my hair. She decided to use a transparent azuri paste, something that looks like hair gel, to help keep my short hair in place.
The problem is that after she entered this room, in the cabin where I’m getting ready, a few more azuri females showed up to “help” too. But I feel like they’re more likely to find a way to make me bald again than actually help me get ready.
There’s about an hour left until the wedding, and all I’ve done is take a bath and put on my set of pants and sweater with an inner heater, which is the only thing keeping me from turning into an ice cube while walking around the village.
“I think this hair is too short to do anything with, Gen. It won’t even help if you try,” says one of the women in front of me.
She’s smoothing out my dress, which is laid out on the bed, and it reminds me a lot of a reimagined version of a character’s clothes from an animated show I watched, but in a wedding version.
I’ll definitely feel like “Katara” from “Avatar” when I put on this light blue dress with fluffy white borders, long sleeves, and a high collar to protect me from the cold that is this planet. It’s much more beautiful than any other piece of clothing I’ve ever had, making me feel like a princess with its long skirt and the part of the bodice that fits closely to my body, made in record time.
Kaleo asked for my help showing him wedding dress examples on the hologram, and he passed everything to his trusted azuri tailor, who’s made all my clothes since I arrived.
My wedding dress even has a decent-sized train, and I fear and pity thinking about the animal that died for me to wear its fur.
This creature was truly huge, and I never want to cross paths with one of those again!
But Kaleo said he found the dead male bodino, and every animal the azuris find, they use every part of it, from the meat to the bones. Even the blood is used for cooking and planting, because that’s the azuri way of life, and they literally have no other option. They’re not like humans, who kill for sport or can afford to not consume animal products.
“It’s fine to decorate Melisha’s hair with the nokil tiara, no problem,” Gen argues with the females still talking about my hair, and I even widen my eyes. I never expected her to advocate so fiercely for me.
Nokil is a plant that forms bushes here in Selvaria. It has green leaves, small blue flowers, and is one of the only plants here that doesn’t have any poison. Most have some hidden trick.
“Any male has more hair than this outsider, and the tiara is going to slip off her head and fall...” another female says, fiddling with the blue boots I’ll wear, and I make a face, wanting to kill Kaleo.
He’s the one who suggested I “fit in” with the women, but I think half of the ones who’ve shown up so far hate me for marrying “General Ni,” and the other half hates me simply for thinking I’m too ugly because I’m pale, short, and have “a small face,” whatever that means.
If I’m 1.55 meters tall, of course my face is small!
“She understands your language, Mon, and we can put the tiara on her without any trouble!” Gen insists, but since she’s still messing with my hair, the female pulls a bit now that the others are annoying her, which makes me nervous. I fought hard for the hair I have, and I don’t want to lose a single strand!
“And the paste I’m using will practically glue the tiara to Melisha’s head, and she’ll be a very beautiful bride!”
VERY BEAUTIFUL?!
Either this woman has really changed, or she has some darker plan than ever to get rid of me once and for all!
“If you think there’s any chance this will look nice…” The female Mon keeps spewing her poison, and before I can even intervene, Gen lets out a growl so loud it reminds me of the roar Kaleo can make.
“Get out of here! I’ll do it myself, Melisha! She doesn’t need any of you to look beautiful!” she roars, and at first, the women seem to take my “sister-in-law’s” outbursts as a joke, but then Gen keeps insisting they leave, so less than five minutes later, it’s just her and me in the room.
“Are you okay, my sister?” she asks once we’re alone, and I’m taken aback by her sweet tone and the “my sister.”
Jesus Christ, she’s going to try to poison me!
“Y-yes,” I stammer in response, not knowing whether to feel relieved or scared about what’s to come.
I even sit up straighter in the wooden chair I’m on and prepare myself in case I need to run to find Kaleo. Right now, I’m in a cabin very close to Virg’s castle, and I know my giant is in another one nearby, getting ready.
I think I can run to him if Gen starts with any weird talk.
“Are you nervous because of these useless females? Your heart is pounding so fast, but you don’t need to be like this. They’re just jealous because they couldn’t get Kaleo,” she says and finishes fixing my hair, then steps away from me, grabs a mirror, and holds it up in front of me so I can take a look.
Gen actually didn’t do a bad job. My short hair now looks wet and more “formal.” She fixed my bangs, which had grown longer than the rest of my hair, and gave me an elegant “cow licked” style.
“Thank you for defending me from them,” I murmur, because maybe if I seem really sweet and polite, Gen will give up whatever she has planned for me.