Page 61 of Burning Crowns

Lei Fan beamed, delighted by her flattery. ‘If you were trying to get me on your side,then you have succeeded. Come on, I have new dresses that you haven’t seen before!’

‘Thank you,’ said Rose, eagerly following her into the bedroom.

Once inside, Lei Fan skipped across the messy floor and flung open her huge armoire.

‘Take your pick,’ she said. ‘I personally think the blue silk … no, not that one … the one behind the yellow one … yes, there … would make a real statement. It would look incredible on you.’

‘So, what exactly is going on tonight?’ said Rose, as she reached for the dark blue dress. It was made of such fine silk it nearly slipped through her fingers.

Lei Fan hesitated. ‘You have to understand, it’s a Sunkissed Kingdom tradition …’ she said, almost apologetically. ‘It’s a custom for every new monarch to hold a suitors’ ball.’

‘I knew it!’ said Rose, as she slipped the delicate blue dress over her head, grappling blindly with the straps.

‘But what’s unusual about this one is that so many foreign royals were invited,’ Lei Fan went on. ‘The King’s Choice was once only open to maidens here in the Sunkissed Kingdom. But since we’re ready to make our debut to the wider world, it seemed wise to use the event as an opportunity to establish relations with other nations.’

‘And whose bright idea was it to exclude Rose from the guest list?’ said Celeste.

Lei Fan frowned. ‘I’m afraid I wasn’t consulted on the guest list. But I am certain you would have been invited! There must have been some mix-up … you’ll have to ask Shen.’ Then her eyes lit up. ‘Although if you ask him wearingthatdress, he might not be able to form words! Oh, Rose! That is absolutely the dress for you.’

‘It does seem to fit rather well,’ Rose admitted, as she admired herself in the mirror.

‘It looks like it was painted on to you.’ Celeste smirked.

Rose grinned at her reflection. The bodice was form-fitting, cut daringly low at her chest and held up by gossamer-thin straps. The silk skirt hugged her hips, and there were two high slits on either side revealing the pale columns of her legs as she walked.

Lei Fan pursed her lips. ‘It’s almost perfect.’ She rummaged around in a nearby jewellery box and returned with a pair of raindrop diamond earrings, each one the size of an almond. ‘Here, wear these. And put your hair up like this.’ She deftly piled Rose’s hair on top of her head and secured it with a silver pin, leaving a few artful curls to hang about her face.

She leaned back and assessed her work. ‘There’s something missing … Ah! Good thing I’ve been practising my enchantments.’

Lei Fan pinched some sand from a jar on her nightstand and set her attention on Rose’s gown, whispering a spell under her breath. The dress fluttered and when Rose looked down, she gasped with joy. Tiny iridescent stars twinkled across the gossamer silk. As she moved, the stars did, too, like tiny starcrests casting her future in real time.

‘Oh,’ Rose breathed. ‘This is the most beautiful dress I’ve ever worn. And I do owna lotof beautiful gowns.’

‘That is impressive,’ said Celeste, peering closer. ‘I can barely enchant the holes in my stockings to mend!’ She looked hopefully at Lei Fan. ‘Do you have anything that will fit me? I know I’m not confronting my lover but—’

‘Celeste!’ said Rose, blushing.

‘Or whatever it is you want to call Shen,’ she said,rolling her eyes. ‘But the fact remains. This is my first time in the Sunkissed Kingdom and I’d like to make an entrance, too.’

Lei Fan appraised Celeste. ‘Yellow,’ she said, definitively. ‘I have a yellow gown that will look ravishing on you.’

Lei Fan was right – Celeste did look ravishing in the yellow dress. It had a square neckline and a narrow bodice that tapered in at her waist, before cascading into a full skirt. Celeste twirled in the middle of the room, round and round and round, until the dress floated up and whirled around her knees. ‘If the dress can dance, then so can I,’ she proclaimed. ‘It’s perfect!’

Rose was having such a good time getting dressed up with Lei Fan and Celeste, she almost didn’t want to go back to the party.

But.

She had to see Shen.

No.

Shen had to see her.

Specifically, inthisdress.

He had to explain himself, and this whole outrageous situation, immediately.

And then Rose needed to find the weapons she had come here for.

---