“…Oh? Sir Harij! Shouldn’t you be getting to work soon?”
“I switched my schedule to work in the afternoon today, so we have plenty of time.”
I hope he didn’t switch just for this!
They draped a lapis lazuli–blue fabric over her right shoulder and a periwinkle fabric over the left while she was busy being flustered over Harij’s schedule changes.
“Don’t you think bright pastel colors suit her best?”
“Elegant colors suit her well, too.”
“I know Rose is concerned with standing out too much in a crowd, but dark colors make her look old. A rosy-cheeked bride shouldn’t look like she’s going to her own funeral.”
“Hey! That’s rude!” Rose quipped, unable to let Tien’s insult pass. But he didn’t even acknowledge her interruption.
“I recommend these colors over here: rose red, chartreuse green, saffron…”
“Don’t you think the parrot green is easier on the eyes…?” Harij responded.
Rose squirmed away from the brightness reflecting off the striking bolt of cloth Tien held up.
“You don’t have to decide everything today, but you should pick out your fabric sooner rather than later.”
“Ugh,” Rose groaned. She had a harder time fighting back when he worded it like that. It was always like this between them. She didn’t know how Tien pulled it off, but he’d manipulated her into wanting to decide this instant.
“Just one?”
“That’s it. Though you’re welcome to pick as many as you like.”
She pressed her lips together and looked around the room. Tien’s personal recommendations aside, he’d made sure to also bring a variety of colors and fabrics. Rose didn’t know how or what to choose, but one bolt of cloth kept drawing her attention back to it. It was the color she felt most comfortable wearing.
“…I like that one.”
Rose pointed to a pitch-black fabric reminiscent of the nighttime lake in the dead of winter.
“Of course it comes back to that.” Tien glanced in Harij’s direction, seeking his approval, though he seemed not at all surprised or bothered by her choice. “Are you all right with her picking that color?”
“Absolutely,” Harij responded without a moment’s delay. He had no issues with anything she decided for herself.
“It’s not a bad choice. The fabric has a glossy finish, which will look stunning under the lights. Black dresses also have the double meaning of ‘I will never be dyed in the color of another.’”
“You like your superstitions, don’t you?”
“I am a merchant, after all. Besides, a black wedding dress is perfect for a witch.”
“…What’s a wedding…dress?”
Harij and Tien were rendered speechless by Rose’s genuine question. Tien showed his astonishment in the most exaggerated way.
“…How could I have failed you so? I should have made sure to better instruct you in the basic ways of the world.”
Rose was giving Tien the evil eye, as he still hadn’t let up on treating her like a child, when Harij spoke up, his voice concerned.
“Rose, do you know what a wedding ceremony is?”
“Marriage requires a special kind of ceremony to become official, right?”
Witches didn’t marry, and forest animals didn’t hold wedding ceremonies.
Rose had always thought weddings were simply where you made a vow to become family—she severely lacked knowledge regarding matrimony in general.
“That’s right. People are invited to attend this special ceremony. A gorgeous dress like this one is needed for the occasion. Naturally, you can’t wear a robe over it.”
“Heh.”
So that’s how it works. Rose nodded along with Tien’s harmless explanation. He had picked up a formal gown to show her, one with a considerable lack of fabric to cover the shoulders and chest. It was completely different in design and purpose from the simple garb Rose usually wore to disguise herself as a village girl.
“…Wait, what?” Rose finally put two and two together during the brief silence that followed. “Wear this without a robe? Who will? You can’t possibly mean me?” she asked, with the extra implication that they couldn’t possibly expect her to wear it.
Harij and Tien both gave big nods.
“…Haha.” A dry laugh spilled past her chapped lips.
“……”
She took another good, hard look at the dress Tien brought over. Silence was her only answer. A muscle in her jaw twitched.
Rose was a witch. Witches didn’t dress for appearances’ sake. Thus, Rose felt a greater sense of shame than normal for dressing up. She couldn’t even bring herself to put on rouge. Should a day ever come when she overhears someone comment, “What’s that witch scheming by making herself look pretty?” her humiliation would surely shatter, piercing her in the heart and killing her for good.
“Please,” Harij said in a tight voice. “This will be the first and last time I ask you to wear a formal gown. So please do it for me.”
He was serious.
“Is a glamorous dress that vital to a wedding ceremony?”
“It is—but when it comes down to it, I just want to see you wearing one, Rose.”
Harij was laying bare his true feelings, silencing Rose once more.
Of course Rose wanted to gladly wear the dress the man she loved implored of her. But her discomfiture reigned supreme.
Tien had just mentioned people would be invited to the ceremony. They would surely wonder, “What’s that witch’s problem, dressing so seductively? Did she enchant him?” She was well aware she was no beauty and absolutely did not want people thinking she was trying hard to become one.
“Mmmmm…”
“I will make it worth your while if you wear it. Ask anything of me in return.”
Rose lifted her head. Making a trade was something she could agree to.
“…I can ask for anything at all?”
“…As long as it’s within my power.”
This time Rose seriously contemplated his request. She placed her greatest desire and the ridicule of others on her internal scale. The balance tipped all the way to one side without ever swaying.
“…All right. It is a promise, then.”
Rose was a witch. Keeping promises was the foundation of a witch’s existence. If the deal was mutually beneficial, this witch was broad-minded enough to overlook earth-shattering humiliation.
“Really? Do you already have something in mind?”
“Yes,” Rose said flatly.
“Go ahead and ask. That way, I can prepare it.”
Rose faltered when Harij put her on the spot. It was too embarrassing to say out loud.
She glanced at Tien. He pretended not to be listening to them, but he so was. Rose knew it.
“Not now…”
“Why?”
“It’s not just us…,” she mumbled.
Harij froze when he saw the expression on her face. Red tinged the sides of his ears, and he cleared his throat.
“…All right, if that’s what you want. Let’s discuss it next time we’re alone—”
“Harij, I hate to interrupt when you’re anticipating something good, but I’m fairly positive you can hear her out now.”