Glenquartz shifts uncomfortably, and Esther enters the room behind him. She glares distastefully at the glass on the floor.
“An irreplaceable, hand-blown vase from the city of Tuvo,” Esther says, appraising the damage. “But as long as you got to sleep soundly…” She sucks at her teeth and turns her glare on me.
I nod, rising to my feet, doing a smooth curtsy in the bedclothes I scavenged from a wardrobe last night.
“Can I help you?” I ask in a too-sweet voice.
“Today will be your first time meeting the Royals en masse,” Esther says, “and your first etiquette lesson with Eldritch Weathers is tomorrow. I’ve brought you some proper clothing. If anything doesn’t fit, the tailor will pay you a visit sometime in the next few days.” She sets down an armful of brightly colored clothes. From the pile, she picks up a vibrant red bundle.
A small, displeased sigh escapes her lips as she surveys me as if I’m a dusty bag of rice for sale at West Market. I feel an old impulse, like a prodding weight at my back, telling me to simply walk out and leave.
Esther unfurls the bundle with an overzealous flourish. It’s a dress.
I give it my darkest glare. Hell, no.
Despite my profuse complaints, within ten minutes I’m more offensively bright than a red flame.
“This isn’t a dress. It’s a blanket with sleeves.” I hold up the excess of crimson fabric that hangs at my ankles.
“This dress is worth one of the sloops in the harbor,” Esther says as I tie the sash at my waist.
I deadpan, “Okay, it’s an expensive blanket with sleeves.”
Esther’s thick eyelashes flutter as she resists rolling her eyes at me. “You could at least try for a little decorum. You could even try for some grace and strength, if you liked.”
Her words sound suspiciously like advice hidden inside an insult. I want to play this game like the grifter I am, but I can’t seem to hold my tongue around her. I don’t know if it’s because she’s exactly what I expected of all of the snooty Royals or because she’s so immediately judgmental of me.
I give the dress a more careful inspection. Before today, the only thought I gave to clothing was whether it was warm, durable, and had enough pockets. Now, as I examine the fabric, I wonder for the first time what it would be like to feel beautiful. I suppose that, before now, I’ve never been brave enough to really try.
The broad neckline slopes down around the shoulders, and small shimmering beads cover the bodice. It doesn’t have a single pocket. Esther adjusts the fabric around my waist, carefully avoiding touching my skin. I thought the Nameless had a healthy sense of immodesty, but Esther didn’t even blink as she banished Glenquartz from the room and hurried me out of my my bedclothes and into this dress.
The streets. I’m surprised to find I miss them already. Back in the market, I pulled on a Legal coat to try to save Hat. As soon as the pale fabric covered my skin, I was different. Walking strong, standing tall, on equal ground with everyone I passed. Will it be as easy to put on this dress and become a Royal?
I smooth the red fabric, turning to Esther. Her gaze starts on my hair with a slight frown. A smile tugs at her lips as she observes the dress, but when she gets to my ankles, she frowns again.
“I guess there’s not much we can do about the shoes for now,” she says. “I’ll have to put a call out for a cobbler to visit you.”
“These are boots, not shoes,” I say defensively. “There’s a difference. Maybe I could just make you hallucinate that I’m wearing fancy shoes. That’d work, right?”
“As if you have enough focus and strength to maintain such an illusion,” Esther says with a drawn-out sigh. She spins me like a doll and tugs on the sleeves, which fall short above the tattoo. Then she pulls tight the tie around the waist, and suddenly the dress fits too well. “I wish the crimson was a bit brighter,” Esther says. “With your skin tone, you really are suited for bold colors.”
I can tell she pities me. And while I want nothing more than to be prideful and turn down her help, I have a lot of experience weighing pride in my hands. Do I want pride, or do I want to eat? Do I want pride, or a safe place to sleep? Do I want pride, or do I want to escape the guards chasing me?
Surprisingly, pride doesn’t win very often. That’s how I’ve ended up eating mold, being the monster in a small child’s closet, and half covered in fish guts—respectively, of course.
Esther hands me a smaller bundle of clothes, and I pick through them, a faint blush rising to my cheeks when I realize what they are.
“How many pairs of undergarments do I need?” I say.
Esther stammers, “You…A lot.” I can tell she’s coming to the realization that this, too, is a luxury the Nameless are not afforded. “Every time you take a shower, you put on a whole new set of clean clothes. Every day is best.”
I frown. “Are you saying I’m supposed to bathe more than once a season?”
She squints. “You’re joking, right?”
I break out in a sly grin. “You’re quick. Well, you’re clever at least. We can work on quickness later.” I push the clothing to the side.
Esther is not as amused by my quips as Glenquartz is.
“I’m sure this is more than sufficient,” Esther says. One last look over and she sighs. “That is the best we can do, I suppose.”
Squaring my shoulders, I stand straight and tall. Be Royal, be confident. Esther opens the doors to the corridor to let Glenquartz back into the room. She turns around and does a double take when she sees my posture.
I bet she wasn’t expecting me to act the part. I need to find a balance between independent and obedient. If I can’t trust my temper to stay in check, I need to decide when to use it to show strength. For now, I need to show her I can stand tall and walk gracefully. I clasp my hands delicately in front of me.
Glenquartz reenters the room and has a delightful look of surprise when he sees the dress.
“I’ll see you at dinner tonight.” Esther offers an imitation of a curtsy, and I suppose I have to give her credit for making a show of being respectful.
“Did you learn anything?” I ask as she walks away.
“Pardon?” she says, pausing in the doorway.
I point to the clothes and dress. “Certainly this is something that would be managed by a servant of some kind. You wanted to come to size me up. Both literally and figuratively. So. Did you learn anything?”
She glares at me. “You’re quick. And clever.” She disappears into the corridor, and even though her words were phrased like compliments, they linger in the air with the sharp sting of insults.