Chapter 26 Display
\[Lilia\]
I stared at the image of my own reflection on the full-length vanity mirror, wondering if that woman staring right back at me is, well, me.
I could be hallucinating and mistaking someone else as me for all I know. However, the reflection copies every movement I made, and I am sure even the way I breathe is mimicked perfectly. I shifted once again, bending my upper body in order to get a better view at what the dress looked like from behind.
Aya was right. This wasn’t a kiddie dress fit for a ten-year-old. In fact, it was actually a kind of dress that children should never see.
If I say it is skin-tight, I mean, it could probably pass as duct tape plastered on my skin so obscenely, and if I move so recklessly, the onlookers would definitely see what I am hiding with my soul.
And that thing, so-called underwear, surprisingly worked out well for me. To be honest, when I initially placed it in, I honestly believed it might fall out the moment I take a step. As far as I can tell, the cotton-covered wire did its job admirably, and I was finally able to comprehend why it was designed in that way. To my other surprise, it is quite comfortable. I could even hardly tell that I was wearing it down there.
I hate to admit, Aya is once again right about the dress, about not wearing another type of underwear because the side portion of it is completely exposed. The dress wasn’t even adequately threaded. A thin line of string only held the pieces of fabric altogether and did not fall apart.
A plunging line barely covers my bust, crisscross strings weaving on my fully exposed back and a slit higher than my height, giving an illusion that I wasn’t wearing anything underneath and that my private little pearl was for everyone to see.
Maybe being wrapped up in a towel is quite decent than having this poor excuse of a dress. One aspect of it, though, that I enjoy is the sensation of its silky texture sliding on my skin.
“You look...” Aya suddenly appeared right behind me. Her hand brushed on my hair, preening from ear to ear, while her gaze brushed from my head to toe.
But before she could finish her sentence, I already beat her to it, supplementing her statement with dripping sarcasm.
“Like a stripper dumped on a garbage side.”
She gaped at me, her face contorting as though she was heavily offended at what I said. One of her hands even went automatically to her chest.
“No, absolutely not!” She wedges herself between me and the mirror, pirouetting on her heels with arms laid on her waist like a mother hen ready to chastise her chick for eating a rock instead of a kernel. “You don’t say that!”
My brows rose to the top of my forehead in response to her quick outburst, totally not expecting her reaction, but then her face softened and gently reached for my head and eased down the stubborn strands of my hair, smiling as she sighed dreamily.
“You’ll be stealing every man’s eyes for this day.”
“Wow, some attention I really wanted,” I remarked with a full tone of sarcasm, lightly pushing her to the side so I could take another look at myself, trying to adjust the dress a little so it would cover whatever modesty was left on my body.
“Oh, come on. You look stunningly beautiful and sizzling hot.” Aya grunted beside me, her hands swiping up and down, trying to make a point of what she meant, emphasizing my overall look.
Well, I get it, okay? But it was just…I don’t know. I don’t feel like it. My aura and everything, and I have never worn something revealing such as this in my whole life. Except for the part where I have been put in an auction. That couldn’t be counted as one, right?
Anyhow, aside from that, this is the first time I am wearing this kind of dress. Silently hoping this will be my last, though knowing about my situation, I highly doubt it.
After all, I am Kael’s doll. He dresses me in the manner in which he desires, and I have no right to object, despite the fact that my first itching is to punch him in the face.
Nevertheless, I can say Aya did great dressing me up and putting on all my makeup. She had curled my hair into big locks that bounced right behind me and had a fancy clip that held on one side. I may look good, but it is a total no. Though if there is something that I like about what she did to me, it is her cosmetic skills, working like a professional. She perfectly covered all the bruises that I could even hardly tell where they'd gone.
“Thanks for covering the marks,” I genuinely told her, lifting my arm and inspecting it closely. The foundation she applied matched seamlessly with my skin tone, and even my swollen lips looked like they were aesthetically enhanced. The makeup didn’t feel too hot on my skin as well.
I look rather perfect. Too perfect for my liking. I couldn’t even recognize myself in the mirror.
“Don’t mention it.” This time her mirthfulness evaporated, and her expression was only replaced with what looked like sympathy.
The two of us were enveloped in silence, as if the subject I had brought up was too delicate to broach. It felt as if she was walking on thin ice, and at any moment she could break through all of the feelings I was carrying and burst into tears. My heart swelled at her thoughtfulness, and I had already convinced myself not to fret about it and just get over it.
Thus, I sigh, offering her a warm, comforting smile to let her know that I am okay and that I will not cry. Just at that moment, a knock broke through the dense silence, and Val's voice followed through.
“Aya? Is Lilia ready? Boss is already asking where she is.”
“Oh, shit!” Fear spread across her face like a thin membrane of ice-cold pack dumped into Aya’s head, panic replacing everything on her expression as her eyes widened, instantly dashing back to my closet, completely disappearing from my view as soon as she was inside. Then not more than a minute, she emerges, hurrying to get into my side, and drops to her knees.
I had no idea what she was doing, but what caught my attention was the high-heeled pair of flaming red sandals she had in her hand.
“Quick! Put this on! We are running out of time.” She muttered so rapidly that I could hardly understand what she was saying.
She gripped one of my legs and lifted it, shoving the sandal on my feet, eagerly strapping them on as I tried to keep my balance.
I was about to complain to her and tell her to calm down, that we weren’t in a hurry, much less had someone setting us on fire. However, loud footsteps resounded right outside my room, following a booming voice. Instantaneously my door flung open, and the beast strode in. His face was flushed with rage.
“WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING HER SO LONG?!?”