20 Was someone watching all this?

It had been a good while since Muriel had done the more frivolous kinds of shopping. Seamstress shops for ordering new clothing. Cosmetics shops for various creams, powders, rouges, and other items for rejuvenating or painting the flesh. Fragrance shops for perfumes and colognes. Milliners' shops for hats. So many things! Princess Arya even took Muriel to a jewelry store and purchased a few pieces to wear on special occasions. They weren't foolishly expensive, but they were certainly fancy.

This was so wrong.

Muriel kept mental notes in the back of her thoughts to check everything for poisoned pins or medicinal smells before using anything.

When she was back at the castle with a new jar of hand cream, something odd was requested of her. The princess said that she should sit near a window in one of the sitting rooms. The windows there were bigger, and she claimed that the creams would be more successful if her hands could take in the winter sunlight, or what little sunlight that was left in the day.

This logic ... well ... it didn't seem to be true logic in Muriel's mind. What in the world could winter sunlight do? Honestly?

But she wasn't able to refuse without risking her livelihood.

So, Muriel sat in a sitting room, in an armchair near a large window, and rubbed cream into her hands. Beforehand, while she was still in her bedroom, she sniffed and examined the cream to the best of her admittedly limited abilities.

She let her hands dry close to the window, and she wondered about the true reason behind all of this. Why was she being so well cared for? Why was she asked to apply cosmetics outside of her private bedroom?

Something similar happened the next morning. After she got dressed, she studied and thought to experiment with her new face powder and rouge. The princess sent a message asking Muriel to apply the makeup the same room she had first used the cream. In fact, she asked for more than that. She asked Muriel to have her hair styled there too.

What in the ...?

Did the princess want some kind of proof to show that Muriel was doing these things?

Muriel severely doubted that winter sunlight had anything to do with this.

She placed her mirror on the windowsill in that sitting room. Then she wrapped cloth around her shoulders and bosom to protect her clothing. A maid kindly helped her comb and arrange her hair. A set of curling tongs had been heated up in some coals beforehand so they could make forced curls. In the end, the hair was smoothly pinned back into a bun just above the nape. With the help of a copper filigree comb and some mild hair wax, all the curls were arranged to seemingly fall over the bun and down her nape like a waterfall.

Then it was time for the makeup. Two layers of egg whites were brushed onto her face and allowed to set. Then it was wiped away with linen dipped in rose water. Very small amounts of carefully chosen powder of a pale flesh color was mixed with water in a bowl. The resulting paste was dotted only on certain imperfections. Then it was blended in.

Was someone watching all this? If so, why? It wasn't particularly fascinating for most people.

Some pink powder was soon mixed with water so it could be painted onto Muriel's lips. Red and pink were both highly popular, but sometimes shades of brown and orange were also seen on women. Muriel thought that pink would complement her features the best.

"You look so elegant," the maid said to her.

"Thank you." Muriel certainly thought she looked glamorous, at least. "I suppose all that's left are the cheeks." The maid then put subtle pink spots on her face, imitating a natural flush.

"When your hands heal, you'll be like a white feather on a silk pillow, perfect and soft," the maid told her with a smile.

In the mirror, Muriel saw Princess Arya enter the room. "Oh," the princess breathed out, "are you finished?"

Muriel rose. Both she and the maid curtsied. "Is this satisfactory, Your Highness?" Muriel asked.

Princess Arya stood before her and moved her head and torso into interesting angles so she could have multiple vantage points. Then she had Muriel slowly spin around twice. "You've improved significantly." She turned around. "Now come. Let the maid put your things away while we have tea."