Page 85 of Sold to the Devil
My brown eyes turn to my reflection and my lips part slightly in shock. I struggle to recognize the young woman I see in the mirror.
“That's perfect, Nance,” I reply in a whisper.
Her smile widens and she turns my chair a little so she can do my makeup. Once she's finished, I look back in the mirror. My eyelids are colored emerald green and gold, my eyelashes lengthened and thickened by the black mascara she applied, my full lips now tinted a vibrant burgundy red.
It's perfect.
She mutters a spell I don't know and smiles proudly. My gaze falls on my hand, I gasp in surprise. My nails are now almond-shaped and tinted green, matching my eyeshadow with a hint of gold.
She has to teach me this spell!
She mutters another spell, but this time I recognize it. It's to protect my hair and makeup; that way, they can't move unless I cast the counter-spell. I can enjoy my day without worrying about ruining my appearance.
She steps back and I stand up, heading towards my dress hanging on the dressing room door. My fingers glide slowly over the fabric and my lips curl into a small smile. I'm still nervous about getting married, but excitement is also starting to spread through me.
It's an arranged marriage, yes, but I've grown to love my fiancé and I'm looking forward to finally becoming his wife. For me, it no longer feels like an arranged marriage, because I can't imagine marrying another man. Plus, we were lucky and got to choose how we wanted our wedding to go. Normally, in arranged marriages, the fiancés' parents choose everything, from the theme to the dress, but Mattheo and I had the opportunity to plan it ourselves.
“Go ahead, honey. Put on your dress,” Nancy encourages me softly, pulling me from my thoughts.
I nod and let my silk bathrobe fall to the floor, leaving me in my matching red underwear.
Mattheo's favorite color.
I take the dress and put it on, turning my back to Nancy so she can help me lace it. Once she's finished, she gives me my white heels with red soles and I put them on.
I turn to the mirror and look at the woman reflected in it. I almost don't recognize myself. I'm gorgeous and it's weird. I know I'm pretty, but I never thought I was beautiful. I always thought I was a common beauty, like all girls. Yet, looking at my reflection in the mirror, I feel like a goddess.
“You look absolutely gorgeous, Aelys,” Nancy whispers as she comes up behind me, a smile on her lips and her eyes moist.
I turn to face her, feeling my cheeks burn. She tilts her head gently and her smile widens.
“Mattheo will be speechless.”
I blush even harder and she laughs softly. A knock at the door makes us jump and we exchange confused looks. She motions for me to stay out of sight of whoever is knocking and goes to open it, carefully to keep me hidden. I see her freeze and she looks at me, silently moving her lips to form the word 'Tom'.
My eyebrows furrow and I nod, silently telling him he can come in. She steps aside, still careful not to open the door wider so no one else can see me. Tom enters and his blue gaze falls on me. He freezes and his lips part slightly as his eyes widen.
“I'm going to get ready in your bathroom,” Nancy says to us, closing the bedroom door. “I'm going to put a spell on the door so you two can talk in private.”
I smile softly and nod, watching her disappear into the bathroom. I hear her mutter the spell and my eyes turn to Tom. I wait for him to start speaking, but he's still entranced, eying me up and down.
I clear my throat and he comes back to reality. He pulls out his wand and casts another spell on the room so anyone walking past us can't hear us either. I frown, confused.
What does he want to talk about that is so secret?
“You are… breathtaking, darling,” he says in a breath.
I cringe at the nickname but mutter a small thank you, not wanting to start an argument by correcting him. He slips his wand back into the pocket of his dark gray suit jacket and strides toward me. He stops in front of me, I have to lift my head a little because he's quite close and still taller than me despite my stilettos. His eyes flick between mine, and he sighs.
“Don’t marry him, Aelys,” he begs, his left hand moving to cup my cheek.
My eyes widen in shock, my lips part, but I can't form words. His thumb begins to gently stroke my skin, and I freeze. I want to step back, to escape his touch, but I can't move, frozen in shock.
“Please,” he whispers. “Don't marry my brother. Marry me.”
I didn't know it was possible, but I freeze even more, my whole body tense. My eyes feel like they're about to pop out of my skull, my lips are still parted, my voice still unable to make sound. I can't believe what I just heard.
It seems unreal. Am I hallucinating?
