Chapter 194: The Carpet of Doom, Sounds Like The Red Carpet From Elyn’s Former Life
Chapter 194: The Carpet of Doom, Sounds Like The Red Carpet From Elyn’s Former Life
Elyn’s POV
I had only slept for a few hours.
It had not been restful sleep either. It was the kind that felt like sinking beneath dark water—heavy, brief, and far too shallow to count as recovery. When I opened my eyes again, light was already flickering against the carved ceiling of my bedchamber.
The ball.
The thought settled over me like a weight.
Vaelory assisted me with taking a bath, and by the time I was done, my room had transformed.
Platters of snacks covered the low table. A pot of tea steamed beside them, fragrant and calming in a way I desperately needed.
I appreciated the snacks, but my nerves wouldn’t even let me enjoy them.
"Give these to Azerion," I told Rin.
She made a face but nodded all the same.
Then she and Vaelory assisted me into the gown.
The silk slid over my skin. The structured bodice settled perfectly against my torso, neither suffocating nor loose. The high neckline rose to the base of my throat, sleek and composed, forcing my posture straight.
When Vaelory fastened the last hidden clasp, I stepped onto the platform.
The mirrors caught me from every angle.
Black silk formed the base—deep and absolute. Gold embroidery climbed from the hem upward in intricate patterns. Ruby threads shimmered subtly within the design, catching the light when I shifted.
The back dipped low in a refined curve, exposing my spine down to the small of my back before tapering neatly into the fitted waist.
The attached embroidered stole draped from my shoulders, flowing behind me in restrained elegance.
Rin circled me once, critically.
Then she turned sharply to Vaelory.
"Vaelory," she said with intense seriousness, "you must make sure my lady’s hair is spectacular."
Vaelory blinked. "That was the plan. You don’t need to tell me she needs to look elegant."
"Who’s talking about elegant, you human? I said spectacular," Rin scolded Vaelory, then rolled her eyes. "She needs to be extremely spectacular because all demons will be seeing her."
I glanced at her in confusion.
"All the demons?" I repeated. "Rin... only nobles are attending the ball. How will every other demon see me?"
They will likely see me during the after party, but not during the ball.
Rin turned to me with wide, almost scandalized eyes.
"My lady."
Her tone alone made me nervous.
"There will be pictures."
I paused.
"Pictures?" I asked her with a frown.
"Yes."
"For what purpose?" I asked carefully.
She stared at me as though I had just confessed to living under a rock.
"The demogazine," she breathed.
I stared back at her.
"The what."
"The demogazine," she repeated, slower this time, as if that clarified everything.
I felt my brain attempt to process the word and fail.
"What," I said flatly, "is a demogazine?"
Rin gasped softly, clutching her chest as though wounded.
"My lady," she whispered dramatically. "How do you not know what a demogazine is? Morthen is supposed to have told you..."
She shook her head. "He didn’t tell you about the demogazine, right?" she asked me.
"No." I shook my head.
Vaelory hid a small smile as she began brushing out my hair.
Rin recovered quickly, shifting into explanation mode.
"It is a paper," she began grandly, "distributed throughout the entire demon realm. It informs everyone about the best dressed at events, notable appearances, alliances hinted at through attire, subtle insults woven into fabric choices—"
"That sounds... intense," I muttered.
"It is culture," Rin corrected firmly. "It also covers political developments and matters within the realm, but primarily—primarily—it focuses on fashion."
I blinked.
"And they will be here."
"Yes," she said. "They are always at significant events."
I looked at myself in the mirror again.
"And they will take pictures."
"Yes."
"And publish them."
"Yes."
"And everyone in the demon realm will see."
Rin nodded slowly.
"If you are best dressed, you will be on the cover page. You will be plastered everywhere."
I stared at her with wide eyes.
Vaelory cleared her throat delicately.
"The human realm does not have anything like that," Vaelory told her.
Rin rolled her eyes. "I’m not even surprised," she said. "Boring humans, only good for fainting, would have destroyed my lady’s beauty."
Rin resumed speaking like she did not see Vaelory gasp at her words.
"My lady," she said gravely, "you must secure best dressed. And nothing less. If the demons see that you are not dressed to meet the King—who is always best dressed at most events—they will talk."
I stiffened slightly.
"They will whisper," she continued. "They will question."
Vaelory’s hands paused for only a second before continuing their work.
"They may even start a war, one that would have the theme of taking down the current queen," Rin told me like it was absolutely normal. "We demons are very vain after all and take fashion seriously."
Okay... that sounded very peaceful and not in any way meant to make me more nervous than I already was. Rin wouldn’t do that after all... except she did.
"That is why you must be the best dressed. Pictures will be taken on the carpet of doom," Rin told me.
"I’m sure you just came up with that name," Vaelory said with a laugh.
"I did not," Rin said, offended. "It is real. Everyone who will be attending the ball must pass through the carpet of doom, where there will be pictures taken and also interviews. People go viral from there. One time, when something like this ball happened, Lady Seraphielle was the best dressed, and at some point every demon started dressing the way she did."
Wait a minute. Why did this sound like the red carpet and a magazine from my previous life?
I remembered red carpets were available depending on the occasion, and just like Rin said, there would be interviews and pictures taken, and yes, there was also best dressed at those events sometimes.
I chuckled at the thought. It didn’t make sense... oh, who was I kidding? It did.
Who would have thought I’d be walking down a red carpet in my life, although this one was the carpet of doom?
"My lady, there’s nothing funny about this," Rin said to me.
I smiled at her. "True, and that is why you are going to do my makeup so I can look spectacular on this carpet of doom."