Aurora li Arakiel had trouble not expressing her excitement at every turn, for the city in the middle of the desert turned out to be an incredible source of wonder to her with its myriad attractions.
Be it the lovingly white walls, the differently shaped towers or the houses, some of which were even decorated with all kinds of flourish.
Or maybe it was the wondrous scent of all kinds of spices, some of which she couldn’t even ascribe to something she knew. There was pepper, chili and some kind of curcuma, but also vanilla, chocolate and some herbs which had a pungent and slightly smoky odor. There were many others too, but she kept getting distracted whenever she thought she had pinpointed something particular.
And then there were the people that walked the marvelously white streets with the golden braziers and the multitude of torches and lanterns that decorated just about every house, entrance and corner. Lightcrystals didn’t seem to be a thing here on this foreign world, this foreign plane.
Or how about the little towers with their tiled domes, the little pavilions that seemed to be on every other street, the rows of blooming flowers or the mighty palm trees, some of which even bore coconuts or bananas.
While the members of the Shamshierum had been clad in black, the citizens of al-Aliriq were of an altogether different breed, using a myriad of colors akin to a kaleidoscope for their wide, loose and airy attire. Some had lighter, warm colors in all shades, some went for altogether cooler ones and some daring one even went for a wild combination of seemingly random colors, although the majority tried to keep their attire to a maximum of three to four different colors. Nonetheless, turquoise and chestnut color mixed with a light pink with a red cap on top… it was certainly an experience although Aurora doubted that the man wearing it had ever heard of the harmony of colors. Still, all of it mixed together into a lively, positive atmosphere that she found most pleasing, perhaps even enticing.
There was a lack of women walking around, but given the tale that the so-called jinnum had told to her champion, Aurora wasn’t too surprised even if she couldn’t understand them. Why stay at home when it was so much more exciting outside?
She also wondered whether Arakiel or Lady Mellia had realized that Aurora had long since learned – or perhaps rediscovered – the language that these people spoke. It was an ancient dialect of the ‘smokeless flame’, although Aurora didn’t know what the ‘smokeless flame’ was… but ever since she became aware of the fire inside her, it taught her things or so she liked to believe as it didn’t really feel as though she learned things. It felt more like her recalling it, as though she had always known it in the first place.
And the people here, they looked at her – pretty much all of them. They stopped and stared. Aurora made sure to always relay the message that she belonged to Arakiel and Arakiel alone. Whether it was a little kiss, a brief yearning gaze or a fleeting embrace, it always caused them to regard her champion with envy, wonder and most-often: respect.
As they should, for he would conquer this plane, conquer all of them.
Aurora didn’t quite follow all the hows and whys. Truth be told, she didn’t care too much. She only wanted to be beside her love, to see him grow and assist him the best way she could.
And, on a more personal level, she really wanted to take a bath, get some new clothes so that she could enchant him all over again.
Now that she had regained her instrument, it was only a matter of time until that wish became another reality. These things happened often now – her wishes coming true.
Zari Amar, the bronze-skinned jinnum leader, was also treated with the utmost respect by the citizens of al-Aliqir – especially when they saw the piles of food that he had brought along. The jinnum loved to hear the people’s praise and he often stopped to tell his tale, of how he raided a Middle village, made the pathetic and whimpering citizens hand over their valuables and food. Later on, he told the story of their defense against the count’s punitive expedition and, of course, the event on how they had rid the Middle Kingdom of one of their rulers.
He and his Shamshierum were treated like heroes – and they relished in it, even those who had been bound to a wheelcart for the past weeks.
Aurora found these tales embellished and a bit dreary given that she had witnessed most of it. Arakiel’s contribution was mentioned, but not to the degree that it should. Alas, she would besmirch his honor by her making a fuss about it. He didn’t do it and probably found it beneath his notice – and so she treated it the same.
Still, it upset her a little, for it had been his actions that caused the count to get captured, just as it had been his and Ezekiel’s intervention that saved the Shamshierum from their predicament.
However, most of her initial displeasure at the jinnum leader was washed away when he offered them to stay at a house close to the Djinnum Palace which was his home. It was thoroughly separated from the rest of the population, including any potential guests, no matter how important they were. Only jinnum and their consorts – all of which were also jinnum except in some exceedingly rare cases – were allowed to enter.
Their temporary home, a small house near one of the central squares, lay close to the oasis and more importantly, it was spacious and had its very own separate bath, which Aurora scouted right away. An inlaid, tiled pool with warm, crystal-clear water and if the many little bottles next to it were what she thought it was, she couldn’t wait to jump in it.
For now, though, she had to attend Arakiel which made her return to the entrance hall, a small, light-flooded room of marble and some few well-made pieces of furniture. Wardrobes and shelves, mostly.
As much fun and excitement as the adventure out in the wilds had been, Aurora was more than ready for some of civilization’s amenities.
Zari Amar noted that he had to report his return and his gains to the rulers, but he invited them to come along for a victory feast in the evening, which meant that they had still quite a bit of time to kill.
As soon as her champion saw him off, Aurora hurried back across the spacious, naturally lit and well-furnished living room that had a faint banana scent lingering about. Over there, past the heavy red curtain, her goal lied and while her wings brushed the fabric in an almost unpleasant manner, she forgot about it right afterwards after having entered the promised land.
A brief moment later, she had thrown off her shackles, more or less jumping into the wide and surprisingly deep basin. She was met with cool, clear water that gave her body an extremely brief but potent shock until her flame rushed throughout her body to even it out.
And then, she let herself soak in the water, looking at the ceiling which had been made from wooden planks with a heavy cross-bracing. She heard the timber creaking alongside a muffled noise – someone was up there and then, someone moved the curtain aside and when Aurora looked, she saw Lady Mellia approach. The Enchantress asked whether there was still some space for her in her usual, archaic manner, which Aurora affirmed.
The young woman sometimes broke her character and whenever she was particularly excited, she didn’t even notice – just like she had just done after entering the water. It made her endearing and Aurora greatly liked her champion’s little sister.
The fact that Lady Mellia now considered her trustworthy had truly been a relief and although the two hadn’t spoken a lot over the course of the last journey, she felt as though she understood Lady Mellia, who was as lost as Aurora had been.
There was an entire scary world outside, and only Arakiel had the means to protect them from it.
The two bathed for a while, with neither speaking much, but Aurora could also tell that Lady Mellia had been very strained, especially over the last week. Now, she could finally relax a bit.
They took their sweet time in the bath and near the end, Aurora added a bit of vanilla-scented oil after having finally found the right bottle. For some reason, it had been the dark-colored one instead of any other she had tried. Vanilla was supposed to be a soft, creamy yellow… but whatever.
Once outside, she was surprised to find two sets of fairly wide but differently-colored robes right behind the red curtain, the lighter-colored one of which had large slits in the back.
The two dressed and as soon as they returned to the living room, Arakiel went to the bathroom, stating that Ezekiel and Selene had left for another place without specifying anything further.
It took him too long.
Aurora initially spent some time in front of a large, brass-framed standing mirror in which she tried different poses that might accentuate her slim curvature which kind of got concealed beneath the widely cut cloth that held lighter shades of color. A mixture of white, soft pink and yellow, but there was only so much one could do with a single piece of clothing. The fabric felt fairly pleasant on her skin, but she longed for something a bit more form-fitting and more than a single piece.
At some point, Lady Mellia briefly joined her, asking what exactly she was doing. When Aurora answered truthfully, Arakiel’s sister handed her a long, golden bodkin whose top opened into a blooming flower with layered petals that was beset with lots of little jewels, most notably green emeralds, red rubies and yellow topaz.
Lady Mellia’s soft reddish eyes with inlaid golden speckles glistened suggestively as she proposed that Aurora try to pin up her hair instead of bothering with superfluous fabric. After all, she only needed to accentuate the physical representation of her bond with Lady Mellia’s brother.
It took a few tries, but Aurora had become a quick study and she easily pinned her hair into a loose bun that saw a few strands of her golden hair escape the bodkin’s grasp, letting them coquettishly fall over her shoulders and the upper part of her wings. Meanwhile, her slender neck and the adorning golden collar with the little cut alexandrite laid thoroughly bare.
Feeling particularly daring, Aurora immediately put Lady Mellia’s theory to the test without even wasting another glance or word on the girl. She hurried over towards the bathroom, stormed past the thick, crimson curtain and she found her champion just exiting the bath.
His own reddish eyes widened in surprise while his body briefly froze on the spot, which allowed Aurora a perfect look at Arakiel and while she certainly appreciated his still wet body covered with hundreds of little watery droplets that left streaks of glistening promise on the chiseled peaks and valleys, there was also something that bothered her greatly.
Aurora’s eyes fixated onto the way his skin’s color had turned uneven, had become blemished. Some parts of his head, especially around his eyes, still had the red of the sunburn while the rest of his body was a mixture of darker and lighter tones depending on how effective his clothes had been at shielding him from the sun’s rays.
Aurora immediately and quietly walked over to him while her eyes narrowed at the unsightly patches, ruining his formerly impeccable fair tone. She hadn’t realized just how much his skin had suffered since she hadn’t seen it for the entirety of their journey here, but now that she saw it, she had to act.
Her soul’s golden fire rushed out of her skin as she imagined her champion like he used to be and when she reached him, she called upon her flame inside him, causing his body to burn with her soul’s fire while the edge of his irises gained a golden halo.
She heard Arakiel say something, but for now, it didn’t matter to her.
Instead, she gently slid her right arm around his waist while her left hand, the one adorned with the thin golden ring he had gifted her earlier this year, began to gently reach for his face. As soon as her own milky skin met with his unsightly red, their respective golden auras merged and with it, she purged his skin of its impurities. Wherever Aurora’s fingers went, beauty and purity returned to her champion, as it should be.
“Aurora, what–” she heard him say as her left hand began to travel downwards, but she shut him up right away, whispering in an affectionate and caring tone.
“Hush, my champion. Let me attend you properly.”
It was her wish, to see his purity restored. Arakiel il Kalanaar was her champion and Aurora li Arakiel didn’t want an ugly champion, she wanted a handsome, strong and powerful one; a true conqueror just like in the novels.
He initially tried to back away, but as soon as he realized that she’d brook no pushback on this subject, he let her attend him properly from head to toe.
With the last impurity cleansed, Aurora’s fire retreated back to her soul and as she looked up from her kneeling position, she became aware of three things.
First, his skin underneath her soul’s fire had been restored to its proper, untainted state, which Aurora found to be a great relief.
Second, Arakiel’s eyes looked down and right into her and if Aurora had to take a guess, he was mightily displeased at her sudden initiative. It was understandable and she couldn’t fault him for it. After all, his very nature rebelled against any outside influence.
Third, the way in which Aurora would need to make up for her transgression lay in plain view, but if anything, the sight and the resulting thoughts were a cause of excitement, not concern.
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She felt his right hand gripping her hair and the accompanying needle tightly as his lips formed transgression and sentence in one. “I let you toy with me, now I’ll toy with you.”
She looked forward to.
Maybe Aurora had been a little daring, or maybe she hadn’t been able to cool her passion for over two weeks… but right now, she really wanted him, she really wanted him to take her.
Maybe Aurora was just a little bothered, or just maybe her fire had flared to the point where it couldn’t be quenched by just a little bit… because right now, she wanted Arakiel to conquer her all over again and what better way to entice him than by challenging him?
Her starting in a kneeling position made for a novel experience at first, but Aurora soon found out that Lady Mellia’s intuition had proven to be correct and her brother’s flame flared the hottest when he pinned Aurora against the wall while kissing and eventually biting her neck.
Over the next hour, Aurora’s earlier wish became reality once more – and she hadn’t even used her instrument yet.
When she later emerged from the bathroom alongside her champion and conqueror, Aurora felt satisfied for the moment, although she couldn’t wait to further explore the latter side of him in more detail in the future. Today, she had learned that passion flared the hottest when mixed with a little bit of pain. And while she fondly recalled their first union, this one had been more intense and overall more enjoyable. Either way, she lightly squeezed Arakiel’s hand to let him know that she only loved him all the more for his secret rough side and given his reaction, he seemed to approve.
Outside, they saw Lady Mellia who had once again chosen to conceal herself beneath her thick grey cloak, yet judging by the way she swayed back and forth on the divan, she seemed a little agitated, especially as she jumped up the moment they entered.
She began to speak, but her words held clear distraught and she broke off almost right away, muttering. “Thy… thy…”
Arakiel let go of Aurora and hurried over towards his little sister, saying in a slightly awkward sounding tone. “Mellia, I… I didn’t realize… I’m sorry,” he apologized, adding. “Aurora is rather lively.”
Aurora approached Lady Mellia, feeling quite flattered by his compliment. She was rather lively and more importantly, she was a quick learner and she’d only grow better at it. The red streaks on Arakiel’s back stood as proof to that.
“Thy passion is rather infectious,” Lady Mellia muttered in a low, abashed voice.
“It’s all thanks to you, Lady Mellia.” Aurora fluted sweetly while presenting the bodkin to her conqueror’s younger sister. “Without your gift, I feel like things would’ve turned out slightly differently.”
“You gave her that?” Arakiel asked, sounding genuinely surprised while Lady Mellia followed up in a quick, hushed tone.
“Keep it! Consider it a gift for thy service, aurea!”
And then she ran upstairs, clearly thoroughly distraught, yet Aurora could only smile while Arakiel seemed a little perplexed, even baffled.
Aurora could relate, having been in a similar situation a few years ago with Arakiel and Marianka. One’s bloom was a fascinating thing. In a way, even Aurora was still blossoming.
“Did she really give you the hairpin?” Arakiel eventually queried after a minute of relative silence. Outside, life was still going on and the streets of al-Aliriq were rather well-frequented.
“Do you like it?” Aurora asked as she skillfully spun her wavy golden hair into another loose bun before fastening it with the long needle, this time from below.
“It suits you very well,” He began, his greenish eyes with a slight red tinge feasting upon her neck and the marks he left upon it.
Aurora looked over her conqueror’s pristine upper body and felt pleased, saying. “You look much better as well, my love. I daresay I did good work.”
“What did you even do, Aurora? I feel excellent?” He asked as he began to briefly assess her work on his body.
“Oh I noticed.” She added with a shrewd smile.
“Don’t do it again without my permission.” Arakiel responded, however. He seemed a little upset.
“It’s my duty to attend you, my love,” Aurora returned confidently, approaching him swiftly. She put her left hand’s pointing finger right in the middle of his rather impressive upper chest while using her wings to create a screen on either side, so that there was only him and her.
Then, she lightly tilted her head while calling upon her soul inside both of them, causing his eyes to once again take on a golden halo while their skin began to burn in soft golden flames. Looking him straight in the eyes, she spoke her piece of mind. “This is how you should appear, my love. Regal, confident, divine… wreathed in my flame for all the worlds to see.”
“Aurora,” he began in a tone that demanded she listened closely.
“Yes, my love?” She returned, meeting his gaze.
“You offered me control over your soul. Abide by that.” Her champion stated, reminded.
“But you have free control over me, my love?” Aurora returned, not understanding what he tried to allude to.
The next moment, the sheen in his eyes faded while both his and her auras retreated back beyond their respective skin, with Aurora having done nothing at all. She called upon her flame just to be sure, but no answer returned.
“Huh, I didn’t notice,” he admitted with some shame after which he began to stroke her flushed cheeks while drawing fire from inside her, which made the sensation all the more intense.
“For as long as the covenant remains unbroken, I shall acknowledge you as my lord, Arakiel.” Aurora heard herself say in an oddly ceremonious tone, the words having left her lips before she even realized that she had spoken them.
“Huh, what did I…?” She immediately followed up, but he sealed her lips with a kiss first after which he drew her close, embracing her waist with one hand while the other began to softly stroke her left wing’s furred skin. The sudden wave of sensation that followed caused her wings to flap wildly in panic while she tightly clung to him. He initially retracted his hand at her rather extreme reaction, but her conqueror quickly realized that he had found another avenue with which to supple her.
Thankfully, he wasn’t in a conquering mood right now because just that little touch had left her in a shambles.
Sometime later, both had properly dressed and although Aurora had initially wanted to leave the marks on her neck, he had convinced her to heal all but one bite mark that was right underneath her right temple. One could even see the little notches his teeth had left on her skin and it made her feel all sheepish with underlying excitement.
Arakiel had donned a monochrome turquoise garb akin to a mantle that was tied around the waist with a contrasting red sash in which he fastened his sword. He also wrapped a white shawl around his head in order to protect most of his skin while concealing his dark hair beneath.
Finding the prospect enticing at first, Aurora had almost imitated him until she realized that it’d most likely destroy her hairdo, at which point she just opted for nothing.
Her soul kept her safe from the elements anyway, so instead of concealing her hair, she concealed most of her neck, allowing only a little glimpse at the bite mark and the aurea’s symbol beneath.
Then, he held out his right hand that was adorned with the oddly-smooth grey ring from which he occasionally pulled objects, inviting her to go shopping.
Given that the last time that happened had been over a year ago, Aurora accepted excitingly while Lady Mellia announced in her adoring way that she’d come along, which neither had a problem with.
The streets of al-Aliriq were bustling with activity although they always froze just a bit whenever Aurora, Arakiel and Lady Mellia made their way past. It still pleased her, especially when they crossed over one of the wider squares whose marbled plates were partially covered with fine white sand that briefly came to a stop as Aurora strode across it, with people from all around staring at her and Arakiel.
Arakiel did not allow her to bare her soul, but she drew enough attention on her own and although she should’ve been terrified at the prospect given that all of these were foreigners and she wasn’t in the Colorchanging District. Instead, she only felt pride with a healthy dose of vanity and some satisfaction.
Let them gawk, let them leer, let them fantasize – it all boiled down to respect or envy and Arakiel had to fear neither – and so, Aurora also didn’t need to fear anyone or anything.
The air was dry, only occasionally and briefly holding traces of moisture when the winds changed a little, causing the oasis’ spout’s spray to grace them with a little shower. It mostly smelled of all kinds of spices, but her own vanilla and Arakiel’s… orange? Yes, he had definitely used some sort of orange perfume now that she focused on it. It had been so subtle that she hadn’t even properly realized it before, but this was great!
She focused so intensely on the smell that she kind of forgot about everything else around her for a while, only realizing that they were about to enter some kind of store when it was about to happen.
The house’s wall was white as were most, but the wide windows were thoroughly transparent, revealing over half a dozen types of cloth being displayed, most of them having some kind of flourish near the edges, whether it be floral, angular or squiggly.
A heavy set of dark green curtains acted as a door and when Aurora looked a little closer, she saw a small sign having been carved above the entrance, but she couldn’t read the letters.
As soon as Arakiel pulled the curtains aside, a cheerful male voice resounded from inside, shouting.
“Come in, come in! Dear customers, welcome to Sahil’s Sensational Silks, the finest…” the cheerful man’s voice trailed off when Aurora followed Arakiel into a well-lit ample showroom that had stretched-out attire on display which were remarkably similar to what Arakiel and, to a lesser extent, Aurora wore.
“God-in-Gold almighty!” The chubby, dark-skinned man dressed in a set of three layered robes exclaimed in shock and awe. “A messenger from the heavens themselves, in my humble shop!”
From one moment to another, the small shop owner most likely called Sahil moved over towards Arakiel and Aurora in a shockingly graceful set of swift movements, where he then made a deep and professional bow while taking off his flat red cap which he held to his chest.
“Welcome, welcome to my humble abode! Thank you for basking my humble shop that has only outfitted meager jinnum in your divine radiance, oh messengers from the God-in-Gold!”
The man sounded both obsequious and proud at the same time while also taking a jab at the rulers of al-Aliriq who would most likely feel a little offended by being referred to as ‘meager’.
“I, Sahil ibun Sa’d am your most devout and humble tailor… how may I assist you?” He then went on to say in a respectful tone, after which he straightened his back while constantly looking from Aurora over to Arakiel and back.
If he noticed Lady Mellia in the back, he did not let it show.
Arakiel spoke up first, addressing the man in a polite but confident manner. “Zari Amar al-Aliriq said that you weave the finest silks, Sahil ibun Sa’d. I request two set of suitable attire for me and my two companions. One for our stay in your respectable city and one for the way north.”
“His Lordship Zari Amar sent you?” The tailor asked to confirm, pausing ever so briefly. Then, it seemed to click and he even raised one of his hands to signal his enlightenment. “Ooh, you must be the divine envoys! Forgive my ignorance, your Radiances!”
Aurora briefly considered saying something, but she kind of wanted to leave Arakiel in the dark just a little longer. She just felt like it.
“You are forgiven. We require the clothing posthaste and I am willing to trade with goods I have brought from beyond the Boundary.” Arakiel answered.
Greed lit up in the man’s dark eyes and he lightly rubbed his palms together, saying. “Of course, of course! You will find my services most suitable for one of your radiant kind! Even the jinnum have cast their ruby-eyed gazes upon my craftsmanship and I daresay none is more suited to fashioning attire for you and your most immaculate companions than I, Sahil ibun Sa’d, a Level 8 Tailor!”
“So Zari Amar claimed, but I remain skeptical.” Arakiel commented but instead of taking it as an insult, the man’s eyes lit up with something else, something that thoroughly dwarfed the greed. Ambition and a fervent desire to prove himself.
“On the honor of my wife Safira and my two sons, I vow to fashion a set that will not only please, but make you acknowledge my skills!” The man claimed with a confidence that even surpassed that of Arakiel.
“I dare you to try,” Arakiel returned and the man thoroughly straightened his back while protruding a little white coil from his mantle’s pocket. On it, Aurora recognized lots of little lines above some of which a letter or number rested. If she had to take a guess, it was a measurement band.
“I, Sahil ibun Sa’d rise to any challenge, even one such as yours, your Radiance!”
When the man then more or less jumped Arakiel after he gave his consent, Aurora began to regard the little chubby man in a different light, one of respect.
The tailor worked swiftly, professionally and discreetly, even when he began to take Aurora’s and Lady Mellia’s measurements and it was probably because of this professionalism that Aurora didn’t feel uncomfortable while Arakiel’s sister allowed it to happen at all.
Furthermore, she noticed that the tailor’s right hand held an array or a rune of sorts on the back of his hand. It was of a light silver color and seemed to be inlaid into his skin.
In addition, Sahil’s pair of scissors and the quill he used to swiftly draw up some kind of multilayered design on a large sheet of parchment had to be enchanted in some manner as well, for the man’s movements were flawlessly straight and swift to the point where Aurora was left staring agape even if she managed to hide her surprise by the time he turned around to pose some pointed questions.
The tailor came up with a twice layered dress for her, one with a backless blouse with short sleeves and a fairly gracious neckline. Its fairly strict cut with the thin, inlaid strap would leave cups for her breasts to fill while also highlighting her overall petite frame. Furthermore, the strap was worked in just above the hemline, so the short blouse would leave a good part of her waist exposed, which was certainly a daring – but also enticing – design.
It was to be paired with a slightly flared skirt that not only reached all the way to her calves, leaving her ankles and feet exposed, but it’d also be slashed on one side. It promised her unrestricted movement while also letting all the important parts of her skin feel the special ‘kind of touch’ that only Sahil’s gossamer silk could provide.
Above, she was to wear a wrap of several, slightly staggered layers of differently-colored gossamer that would be fastened on her shoulders while reaching all around her. It’d let her wings breathe and move freely while veiling the rest of her body whenever she felt the need for it.
The last part sold her on the design and in her mind, she was already figuring out ways to tease her beloved, for temptation would always lead to much better results than merely presenting the bare flesh beneath.
Thankfully, Arakiel did not reject the tailor’s proposal, although he called it a little risque for an aurea, but when Aurora reminded him of one of Marianka’s ‘anniversary’ outfits, he quickly dropped that argument.
Her champion’s set of clothing was to be much simpler by comparison. It’d consist of a shirt with vented long sleeves, a pair of wide matching trousers and as the highlight, a high-collared brocade coat with long sleeves, a thin v-shaped cutout whose most notable feature would be the three shashes above knee-height. Sahil ibun Sa’d promised perfect mobility without sacrificing style as the region around the shoulder and neck were reinforced to give the wearer a regal, manly look while the shirt’s fine silk would give an inkling as to what lay beneath without giving it away.
Again, mind over matter.
The coat itself could be tied in whatever fashion the wearer desired, but the most common way would be with a sash or if so desired, a set of inlaid buttons that were invisible to the observer.
Aurora also approved of this design, most notably the part of hinting at Arakiel’s well-defined body.
Lastly, Lady Mellia’s design was to be much more tame, refined and innocent by comparison, although the Kalanite maiden had actually taken the tailor’s breath away for a brief while after having pulled back her hood.
For her, Sahil ibun Sa’d came up with a thrice-layered dress. The lowest layer would fully veil her body in a sheer layer that went from the shoulders all the way down to the ankles. The second layer was to further conceal her upper body alongside her hips and thighs with a thicker layer of silk while the third one would embrace her silhouette in full velvet, leaving only little snippets of her neck and her throat exposed without restricting her movement at all due to how light the material was.
In line with her wishes, Sahil would further fashion another white hooded cloak beneath which she could hide her countenance while also allowing her skin to breathe much more freely.
Given the respectful manner with which the tailor regarded Lady Mellia, she and Arakiel eventually came to an understanding and he affirmed for her, since Arakiel’s sister could actually only understand snippets of what the tailor said.
Aurora stopped listening when the men began to bargain over the price, instead choosing to focus her attention onto a boy that had watched some of the procedure from behind a thick curtain that led further into the house.
With a wink and a smile, Aurora left him speechless.
When she then heard snippets of the first set of attire being ready for the evening, she was the one to stare at the boy’s father with eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.