EVENING GOWN

I woke up at 9 in the morning with breakfast already set on the table. Jea prepared the table already, flashing his wide smile once I opened my eyes to greet them a very good morning.

The smell of a freshly brewed coffee early in the morning radiates my body, waking up my inner soul. Sitting up on my bed, I smiled at Jea whose sitting on the sofa with her head leaning on the wall side. 

"Good morning" I flashed a bright smile on my face, while my hands traveled on the bedside table on my right side, finding my black velveted scrunchies that I always have.

Tying my hair in a messy bun, I went to the bathroom doing my morning routine. Washing my face with a foam cleanser, wiping it off next with toner, and lastly putting on a lightly scented moisturizer, that will help my face to be moisturized throughout the day.

"Where's Isabela?" I asked her after I went out of the bathroom, walking in her direction. Wearing a simple maroon knitted shirt and black denim shorts, I sat on the chair in front of her, making myself comfortable on the table. 

"She has a task, but will probably be back after lunch" She answered, standing up as she removed the bell-shaped glass cover, covering the food. 

I took a sip in my still-hot coffee, nodding at her words. The smell of the garlic fried rice and the cured beef lingered in my nose together with the sunny side up eggs on the side.

Cured beef or as what we called 'tapa' has a sweet and salty taste having a perfect combination with the garlic rice and with a balancing taste of the egg. My mouth watered, quickly getting up some food for me to be able to eat. 

The savory taste of the cured beef salivates my mouth. Every bite seems a paradise, making me crave for more. I quickly finished my first plate and is ready to dig in for the second time.

Thankful that there are huge servings of every food placed on the table, me and Jea can eat a lot. I should start working out again, I reminded myself. I've been eating a lot these past few weeks. Although I do have a fast metabolism, I don't want to risk it. 

I finished my second plate with a full stomach, drinking the last drop of my coffee. I helped clean the table as well as organizing the dirty plates on the tray beside her. 

"I'll be back later," She told me, waving her hands and smiling before finally leaving the room. 

Without anything to do in the room, I decided to continue knitting to improve the progression of the sweater. Getting interrupted by a sudden knock made me lose focus on what I'm doing.

"Yes?" I shouted cautiously at the person who's knocking on the door, standing up from the couch to open it.

"It's me" Jea's voice entered my ears.

Curious about why is she knocking on the door instead of going on. Warily, I opened the door and to my surprise, Jea is not alone. She's with a woman who is I think is the same age as mine. Wearing a black high-waisted satin skirt and a beige knitted turtleneck the woman bowed at me.

"May I come in, Lady?" The woman asked me in a low town. 

"Oh, sure," I suddenly answered without thinking, letting her in the room.

"Lady Celestina, I am asked to make you a dress for the upcoming event, here are the samples of the dress I know you'll like" She smiled, showing me a clear folder that has around 8 pages in it.

Flipping through the pages with amusement on my eyes. Every page has a different dress, yet all is glittering with beauty. Colors of white to black are in here. But the one on the end really caught my attention.

A brown feathered gown that has a plunging neckline can be seen on the paper revealing a little bit of the breast's area. The high slit on the right side, reaching the woman's thigh was enough to show the whole front face of her right leg. The gown was hugging the woman's body tightly, showing her curves that are placed in the right positions.

The gown is long, reaching the floor based on the length that is shown in the drawing. With a backless design on the back part, the gown seems very revealing and yet the beauty it holds captured my interest. 

The woman seems to know what is going on in my mind as she smiled at me without even saying anything. She took the folder carefully out of my hand. Eyeing the gown that I'm staring at earlier.

"This one suits perfectly for you." She smiled at me. "Do you want to adjust the color or add any designs on this gown?" She asked me, curiously.

"Uhm… no," I shyly answered her, lowering down my head.

"Great, I'll take your measurements now," She asked me to stand up, so I obliged.

The measuring went on smoothly, thank goodness that my size didn't change at all well except for the waist part which is now half an inch thick from my past waist size. Maybe because of the food I ate earlier.

Jea and I are sitting beside each other, talking about her friendship with Isabela. They've been friends for 8 years already that's why they treated each other like a sister already.

They met in the palace as she became Isabela's first friend when she got here to be a servant. Teaching her the things she needs to learn as Isabela in the past was a rich girl unlike her. Isabela was lost and is not talking on her first week, and yet Jea became close to her. 

"Isabela was popular in her first weeks here that's why they made a rule to prohibit dating during work times." Jea laughed, "the guys wanting her attention made a ruckus on the palace, making the prince mad" I laughed, imagining Isabela's face that time. 

"But then a guy captured her attention, which she's not telling me," She said in a low voice.

"Isabela said sh-"

*Knock *Knock

A knock disturbed our talk, causing us to lose focus on our topic. 

"Lady, Prince Lianno is asking for you"