Jayna entered the room to see Lillian on the bed, hugging the pillow and blanket closer to herself, streaks of tears were seen on her cheeks, her lips moving lightly with no words heard.
She made a mental note to relay the event to Lord Harold, but for now, she needed to wake her mistress and prepare her for the ball, since she had missed lunch.
Jayna walked towards the windows. The sun was slowly sinking, displaying bright colours of orange and pink in the sky. It truly displayed a canvas for a talented painter.
She switched the lights in the room on before waking Lillian up.
"Mistress Lillian, wake up; it's almost time for the ball; you need to get ready." Jayna's stern voice came.
Lillian mumbled, with traces of spit coming out the side of her mouth as she turned to the other side, covering her head with the blanket.
Jayna glared at the sleeping figure; taking the blanket in her hands, she dragged it.
"Mistress Lillian, it's almost time for the ball, and you need to be presentable to the other debutantes!" she shouted.
Lillian's eyes opened immediately. "Ball, debutante, ally, Lord Harold," she said out loud.
Her hair was in a mess, resembling that of a bird's nest.
She looked at her hands and the bedsheet, then looked to the side, wondering who had dared disturb her sleep.
Only to see Jayna's frown.
"Oh, I'm still here." She groaned, stretching her limbs out.
Jayna dropped the blanket on the bed, then walked behind the folding screen, turning on the tap in the bathtub.
After the bathwater was at the right temperature, she walked towards Lillian's wardrobe and brought out some choice oils.
Then added them to the bath so that her skin would smell great.
Lillian dragged herself out of bed, the words of Lord Harold's threat echoing in her head.
Dread settled under her skin, but her system had other things in store for her.
She pulled off the chemise she wore and got into the bathtub, the water just the right temperature, as there was a slight chill in the air.
Summer was almost ending, and it was ushering in the cold weather little by little in Androva.
Jayna stood behind Lillian, taking up the sponge. "Don't, I can bathe myself," Lillian protested.
But her protests didn't move Jayna; she needed to get this done so she wouldn't have her head on a silver platter before Lord Harold.
"I'm sorry, Mistress, but I need to get you ready for the ball, squeaky clean and presentable before Lord Harold and the royal court."
"And on time to, if I may add," Jayna stated, pouring water over Lillian's hair.
Lillian stopped struggling, letting Jayna have her way, feeling extremely shy and weirded out by another human bathing her.
By the time Jayna was done, Lillian's body felt like she was born anew; she could feel the slightest movement in the air. Jayna didn't bathe her; she cleansed her thoroughly.
Lillian was wrapped in a towel, applying her creams, and all she saw on the vanity table was when Jayna brought out a box from underneath the bed.
In the box lay a midnight blue gown; it was smooth to touch.
It was made of the finest silk and had some layered ruffles underneath, giving it the princessy vibe of wedding gowns she always saw online during character creation or when looking for dress designs.
The gown had white butterfly designs on the body; it was an off-shoulder, collared gown, and the front of the dress covered the ruffles, with a big belt strap at the back to make a bow tie.
Lillian's breath hitched at the details; she slowly took her hands over the dress.
This looked too good to be true; she finally got to wear the dress she so admired on her Pinterest board back at home.
Inside the box lay a plain black mask that covered the eyes, stopping at the nose.
It had laces attached to the side to allow her to tie the mask at the back of her hair. "Oh Lord, Harold truly has outdone himself," Lillian muttered.
As she picked up the mask. She saw a folded paper under it; she picked up the paper and dropped the mask on the bed beside the dress, not wanting to manhandle it.
She unfolded the paper.
'I matched you with the second prince; don't mess this alliance up. The stake of my position rests in your hands, or else,' came the words with the same threat he had given to her in the morning.
At the ending it had an inscription, 'L.H.'
Lillian's cheeks reddened, blood rushing to her neck. 'I have to work a way to end this charade and return home.'
Jayna helped her wear her undergarments and the dress, making sure her waist was cinched in order for the dress to accentuate her figure, while Lillian picked out subtle jewelry consisting of a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet so that it'd balance out the extravagance of her gown.
At this rate, Lillian couldn't even feel her ribs or the midsection of her body anymore; the hunger pangs she had been feeling a while ago had gone due to the tightness of her bodice.
"Jayna, if you're trying to kill me before my time or make me lose more weight, just say so," Lillian grumbled as she followed her maid, who led her towards the courtyard to meet the other debutantes.
Jayna stopped at the bottom of the stairs, her eyes softening slightly at the sight of her young mistress, knowing there wasn't more to do for the lady, and she had to be stern towards her since it was her own way of protecting her from Lord Harold's wrath.
"It's a miracle that your sickness hasn't acted up since we got here," Jayna muttered. "I thank goddess andressa."
The other debutantes looked pretty as well; even the commoners were given a generous wardrobe, and if one could see them now, they wouldn't even recognize them.
The butlers from earlier came to the courtyard; the ladies formed a single file as they read out a list. Each debutante will enter the ballroom according to how their names were ordered on the list.
Lillian was the sixth in line, which was a strategic position.
They had gotten to the big oak doors of the ballroom, which had carvings on them, like they were telling a story, but had no one to interpret them.
"Lady Lillian of the Gregory house," came a loud muffled voice from the other side of the door.
Lillian inhaled and exhaled, relaxing her jittering nerves; it was time to play the part and truly immerse herself in the story; this was real, and right now she was Lillian, not Shannon, and she needed to find her way home.
She wore her mask and tied the strings behind it as the doors opened slowly on their own.
Lillian walked towards the railings; a bright light shone on her, making her squint her eyes.
Everyone in the crowd looked up at Lillian; there was a subtle pause as their eyes soaked her in.
The gown began to sparkle as the lights hit her, with butterflies glimmering on her dress as they came to life, and her mask took a darker shade.
Her gown shimmered like a living galaxy, catching the light in waves of black and midnight blue.
"Great, he had to go and make me the sacrificial lamb for tonight." She murmured to herself, trying to adjust her eyes to the lights.
What Lillian didn't want right now was attention, but Lord Harold had other plans for the night.
Lillian bowed slightly before taking the steps down to the ballroom. Other debutantes who entered before her haughtily eyed her.
Wondering who she was, while the other men in the room began preparing to approach her for the first dance, maybe also make a profitable alliance with the house of Gregory.