A few seconds later, I found myself on a wooden stool dressed in my nightgown, which I had thankfully managed to put on in time. Adelheid was mercilessly brushing my hair through any knot while Emma was wiping the floor with a wet rag. I was still mortified, in total silence, by their initial reaction when they came back.
Adelheid’s usually calm but stern face showed noticeable creases on her forehead, and Emma once again couldn’t help but blush when she saw the whole extent of the night Janus and I shared. For a while, no one said anything, and I just let them do their work.
My hair was brushed, my nails were filed and polished until they shone, and my skin was cleaned with a wet towel. Thankfully, Adelheid let me do the cleaning myself, although she and Emma stood watch behind a partition.
The dress I was going to wear was a heavy white shoulder-free ball gown with a blue rose motif and blue lace on its hem and the ends of my sleeves. Thankfully, the dress fit around my belly, and due to my pregnancy, I didn’t have to wear a corset. The hem ended just above the floor, and the sleeves were bell sleeves, fitted from the shoulder to the elbow and gently flaring from my elbows onward. And my feet and legs were fitted into light blue stockings.
My hair was braided into two long braids that began at the top of my head and ended in a low bun just above my neck.
Around that time, Emma was finished cleaning, and Adelheid’s creases had vanished as she took great care braiding my hair and adorning it with all kinds of dark pearls, ranging from black to almost blue. A small smile even appeared on her face as she looked at her work.
I still didn’t dare to speak, feeling a knot of anxiety tighten in my chest, fearing that any wrong word might deepen the creases on her forehead.
Next was my makeup. Adelheid had chosen an array of blue and purple shades for my eyes. She used light blue at the edges and slowly switched to purple, then red, as it got closer to my eyes, creating a seamless transition around my eyes and eyelids. My nails were painted the same light blue as around my eyes, the same light blue as the roses on my dress.
Even the lipstick Adelheid had chosen was the same light blue. Now I understand why she was so angry. She had prepared all this beforehand. And I had nothing better to do than to cause her even more work.
“I-Im sorry that I…”
I had just started to apologize, but I could already see the creases on her forehead come back, so I quickly shut my mouth. Even Emma seemed scared of the look on her mother’s face.
I thought. Finally, we were done when I put on the shoes. Simple white soft-leather shoes with a single strap, secured with a small blue gemstone. They had soft soles perfect for dancing.
But we weren’t done yet.
For the finishing touches, Adelheid presented me with a wooden box containing two small silver earrings with blue gems, and a silver necklace with a round, deep blue gem half encircled by a crescent silver moon, on a black velvet cushion. The earrings were easy, I just had to make some earholes with death magic, but the necklace…
Isn’t that a moon necklace? The ones that lovers wear for each other.
…
I looked towards Emma for help, but she still pretended like we weren’t in the room she was cleaning… for the second time…
So, I had to ask.
“Ehm, Adelheid, I’m not really familiar, but isn’t Janus supposed to be the one to give me my moon necklace… or is this from him… I don’t understand.”
Contrary to what I believed, my question didn’t upset Adelheid, and she just answered calmly,
“No, it is not ‘The Moon Necklace ‘. It is a moon necklace that every woman wears during the Lunar Festival, see.”
She pulled out two moons on a thin necklace from her bosom. One like mine had a gemstone in the middle, though hers was a beautiful dark brown that was so dark it looked almost like a polished piece of the night sky. While the other was a silver locket with intricate floral engravings with a moon in the middle.
She held up the locket and put it in my hand while explaining,
“This is a real moon necklace. Inside is something that reminds us of the person we love. It can be anything from a lock of hair to a painting of your beloved. For me personally, it is the first love letter he wrote to me.”
The melancholy in her voice was so heavy that it almost made me tear up. The whole time she seemed so harsh, but when she was looking at the locket, she sounded… like a girl in love, and I couldn’t help but envy her. Despite all the pain she must have felt when he died, and all the time that has passed, she still loves him.
Careful not to let my tears ruin the makeup Adelheid had applied, I ask,
“And the other one?”
“This one, as I said, is just for the Luna Festival, though some also wear it to other festivities. They are called eye of the moon or sun, respectively, and are usually the same color as the person’s eyes.”
For a second, I was confused. Her eyes were brown but not as dark as the gem in the necklace, and my eyes were red. Until I realized that the gem had the same shade of blue as Janus’s eyes.
While I had my little revelation, Adelheid continued to say,
“Perhaps it will remind the two of you make some actual moon necklaces for each other.”
Adelheid put the necklace around my neck and presented me with a small handheld mirror.
I was still a bit embarrassed by my own misunderstanding until I saw the work Adelheid had done on me, and I blurted out the only thought that remained.
“That’s me?”