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I wait outside of Lady Violet’s door, hoping that she will allow me in. I have only seen Violet from a distance and I wish to get to know her more, she’s unusual in a way that I have never seen before. I should be in my own quarters, allowing my handmaidens to dress me, but my curiosity is far too strong.
When she opens the door, I am in awe of her state. Her hair, in a boyish cut that I have never seen on a woman before, is combed down to the best of her ability but it is still far from sleek or smooth. She only wears a chemise that shows off her muscular figure and I notice now just how lovely her eyes truly are, a slate gray with a hint of blue in the correct lights that I find entrancing.
It takes her a moment to register that I am standing before her and she bows, saying, “I apologize for my state of disarray, I was expecting it to be my sister, your highness.”
“May I come in?” I ask, blushing faintly. “I wish to speak to you, Lady Violet.”
“Of course, your highness,” she says, stepping out of the doorway and I follow her. On her dresser, there lays a red dress with a corset thrown on top of it. The room is in good order, everything neat, but there is very little to show off personal ornaments.
“Your dress looks lovely. The lacing is rather beautiful,” I say, nodding at her. “Are you dressing for the ball?”
“Yes, I am. I am very grateful for your family’s invitation,” Violet says. “Do you mind if I continue in the process? I need to help my younger sister so I am trying to do this as quickly as possible.”
“Oh, of course. I have helped my handmaids get dressed for things such as this before, I could help you if you please.”
Violet nods, walking towards her bed and picking up the corset, frowning. “Thank you for the offer, Princess, but I would hate to treat you like a servant.”
“It is no problem at all, I promise,” I say, smiling. Violet frowns before nodding.
“Whatever you please, your highness.”
“Call me Caitlyn, please. At least when we are alone, I despise most of these useless formalities,” I say, voice flippant. Violet’s eyes widen and she smiles, holding her hand to partially cover it.
“Of course. I would appreciate it if you called me Vi then, no one calls me Violet,” Violet, no, Vi says. “My sister is the only one who calls me Violet.”
“Of course, Vi. And you have to put your petticoat on first,” I say, laughing hesitantly. My eyes widen a bit before I say, “Oh, I do not mean to insult you, it just makes things easier.”
“I have… I have never worn a dress like this before, I suppose I am not the most experienced person on the matter, I take no offense.” She moves towards her dresser and takes out a petticoat, slipping it on and nodding at me. “If anything, I appreciate the advice.”
“It is time to put on the corset now,” I say, tilting my head. “Do you need any help? It can be rather difficult to put on yourself, especially if you do not have much experience with them.”
“Oh, I would love that. I have not worn one since I was a child, Vander has never been particularly focused upon my appearance to the outside world.”
“Your family is treated as an outcast within our courts for that reason,” I say before holding my hands over my mouth, staring at her. “Oh, I am so sorry, that must have sounded so rude. I just meant to say that your family is seen as some sort of pariah by many for how little you seem to care about our social norms.”
“I take it as a compliment, you have no need to worry,” she says, chuckling. “Vander will as well. He only accepted your family’s invitation to help trade in our duchy.”
She picks up the corset again and slowly smiles at me. I walk towards her, pulling it around her waist and tugging on the strings. “I will put it on fairly loosely, so you know. I imagine it could be a bit of an adjustment for you.”
“Thank you, Caitlyn.” I like the way she says my name, without the reverence there usually is for people I’m unfamiliar with.
We stand silently as I slowly start to lace her corset. Her back is muscular, clear through the near sheer fabric of her chemise. I swallow as I admire her physique, I can not help but imagine how much she must exercise. I am close enough to her that I can smell the oils she put in her hair and the smell of rain rests on her skin.
“You have not moved in nearly a minute, Caitlyn. Do I need to be worried for your health? Is there something wrong with the corset?” she says, voice light.
“Oh, I got lost in my thoughts for a moment, I apologize.”
“I would take at least an hour to do it myself and I particularly bought this because it is a relatively simple one,” Vi says, smiling. “You can take as long as you please with this.”
“I would like to talk to you more, Vi, if you don’t mind. I find you interesting. Everything can be rather stifling here and you are exactly what I imagine freedom to be like.”
“If you can help me get on my dress, I would do anything for you,” Vi says, grinning. “And I am completely serious about that.”
“You really do not take things seriously, do you?” I say, smiling. “You are promising your time and effort over nothing more than a corset.”
“You have no idea how much I value this.”
“Well, I will be done shortly. I hope to speak to you later tonight, if you have the time.”
“I think my head could fall off if I can not make time for you,” she says and I laugh.
“Oh, I would never do that.”
“You have no idea how much I am able to offend you,” she says and I am surprised by how she makes her own death sound like a challenge of sorts.
“Oh, I am sure you can not find anything too bad,” I laugh. “But I hope that you have fun trying.”