Chapter 133: Jewels, Heels, and Other Dangerous Decisions
Chapter 133: Jewels, Heels, and Other Dangerous Decisions
Elyn’s POV
Vaelory hit Rin in the shoulder with the back of her hand.
It wasn’t hard; it was more of an urgent tap, but Rin swatted her hand away anyway, like Vaelory was disturbing her.
Vaelory, undeterred, hit her again, and Rin swatted her hand away.
"Stop that," Rin muttered under her breath, crouching slightly. "We need to pick these up before the queen even sees them."
I had already seen them. There was nothing the both of them could do right now that would make the picture wipe away from my brain.
Vaelory glanced down at the scattered jewelry like it had personally betrayed her. "I am picking them up. But that’s not why I’m hitting you."
"You are hitting me because you are panicking, and I don’t like humans like you touching me," Rin told her.
"Well, I don’t like demons like you working with me or even dressing the queen, but there’s nothing I can do about it either way," Vaelory told her.
"At least we both agree on disliking each other," Rin muttered.
"That’s the best thing you’ve ever said since I’ve had the displeasure of knowing you," Vaelory told her.
"And you’ll soon have the displeasure of knowing me if you do not shut up and pick these jewels up. Imagine what the queen would do if she sees us with jewelry like this."
"Wait, did you steal them?" Vaelory asked her.
Rin turned to her and rolled her eyes. "I do not steal. Unlike the snake, I am not a thief."
"I can hear you," Azerion said from where he was standing right next to me, his hand in mine as he licked a sweet.
Don’t ask me how he got it. I just happened to see it with him when we left the demon territory.
Vaelory paused at that, then hit Rin—this time, hard.
"What is it?!" Rin asked her angrily.
Vaelory pointed shakily at the stairs where I was with Azerion. How Rin had not heard Azerion’s words was beyond me.
"She’s looking at us."
Rin stiffened so fast it was almost impressive. She straightened immediately, spine snapping into perfect posture, hands folding neatly in front of her.
She bowed—deeply. So deeply I briefly wondered if she planned to kiss the floor.
"My lady," Rin said, voice steady and reverent. "You’re back."
She knew I was back. I had been here for minutes already.
Vaelory, not one to be outdone even in a crisis, scrambled upright and bowed just as deeply, nearly wobbling in the process.
"Your Highness," she said quickly. "You’re back."
I nodded, choosing not to reply, because my gaze was fixed on Vaelory.
Let me start by saying this: Vaelory is pretty. She has always been. Her blonde hair, eyes—everything about her features fitted her perfectly. It made her her. And even the clothes she wore, even if they were from Aelthryn, made her uniquely herself. But this?
This was... what even was this? What was she wearing, and why was she even wearing it?
Her dress had been altered within an inch of its life. The fabric was different too—it wasn’t the same material as the one from Aelthryn. This one looked like it belonged to the demon realm. It was similar to the material Rin was wearing.
The dress clung where it had no business clinging, dipped low in the front, cut high at the sides. It was undeniably bold. And yes, sexy—in a way that made absolutely no sense for someone who hated exposing her body.
And then there were the jewels.
Numerous was not a strong enough word.
Necklaces layered over necklaces, each shinier than the last. Gems clashed violently—reds with blues with greens—all competing for attention like unruly children. Bracelets adorned both wrists, rings crowded her fingers, and something sparkled in her hair that I was fairly certain had not been there a moment ago.
She looked like a treasure chest that had exploded.
Azerion followed my line of sight and visibly recoiled.
"...Why," he asked flatly, "do you look like that?"
Vaelory opened her mouth, but Seraphielle beat her to it.
"Oh," she said lightly, stepping closer, wings folding in with deliberate elegance. She smiled at me, all satisfaction and sharp amusement. "That would be my doing."
I turned my attention to her.
Seraphielle’s smile widened. "It should be known, Your Highness, that your personal maid has taken an interest in Naviel."
Hold up—she was dressed like this because of Naviel?
"I walked in on her and Rin trying to pick the perfect look for Vaelory, something that would help make him notice her."
Rin nodded eagerly. "And I picked the jewelry," she added, then frowned. "At least we were picking them. We still hadn’t gotten the perfect shiny jewelry to go with the dress."
"True, but with the way she is dressed, if she continues like this, Naviel will notice her. His ex was a succubus, after all," Seraphielle said to me with a smile.
All three of them looked at me.
Expectantly.
Like children waiting to be praised for a drawing they were very proud of.
I said nothing.
I simply looked at Vaelory.
At the gaudy, mismatched jewels—yes, shiny, undeniably expensive, but completely wrong. They overwhelmed her, swallowed her whole. Instead of enhancing her, they turned her into a walking distraction.
And the dress—though beautiful—wasn’t for Vaelory. It didn’t suit her at all. This fashion was more for Seraphielle. Vaelory didn’t have the confidence to go with the dress.
"Your Highness?" Vaelory asked me.
I sighed.
"Get rid of the jewelry," I said calmly. "And the dress. I’ll explain why later, but for now I need to do something, and I need to change out of this dress. I’ve been wearing it for hours already, and it’s itchy right now."
"Yes, Your Highness," Vaelory said.
"Yes, my lady," Rin echoed.
Vaelory turned to move, but then she slipped, stepping on her dress and falling flat on the floor.
She twisted awkwardly and cried out softly.
"Ow—"
Seraphielle clicked her tongue and turned toward her, unimpressed.
"How many times do I have to teach you how to walk with heels?" she said coolly. "How is Naviel ever going to notice you?"