I momentarily lost my ability to breathe when Emily pulled the strings a little more tight which squeezed my waist in the most uncomfortable manner possible.

And I'll tell you why.

Because I was putting on a freaking corset.

Let me tell you something, the so-called fairytale comfortable life of princesses in movies are a lie.

"Is this necessary?" I groaned out earning a surprised look from my handmaiden.

"We all wear this, your highness. It makes it easier to wear the gowns."

"Gowns?" My eyes widened when I realised something.

Oh no.

"They don't have pants or shirts for women here, do they?" I asked in a faint whisper knowing the answer even before it came.

Emily shook her head looking horrified while I pinched the bridge between my nose.

Kill me now.

"Shall we go find you a gown?" Emily muttered looking confused with my sudden show of agony.

She opened a wardrobe on the right.

I felt my mouth hang when I saw the largest variety of dresses I had ever seen.

"His highness had someone send in the dresses moments ago," Emily said after seeing the expression on my face. "We may have guessed your size but we aren't sure of your preferences."

Damn right you don't.

I was on the verge of breaking down.

I don't do dresses and all that I could wear here was dresses.

"You will have an opportunity to pick out your own dresses later." Emily said.

I groaned.

This was going to be a disaster.

And my words couldn't have been truer.

Never in my life before have I experienced more discomfort while wearing a dress.

I groaned as I reluctantly allowed my hands to pull through the frilled sleeves, hissing and muttering so many curses that my handmaiden who was tasked to dress me up started to turn white with anxiety.

"Are you alright your majesty?" Emily asked her head bowed down with nervousness instantly making me feel guilty. "Would you like me to fetch you another gown?"

For the sake of keeping her conscious instead of fainting from fear, I tried to smile.

"No Emily," I whispered trying to keep the frustration out of my voice. "This one is perfect."

Emily's face regained its colour as she nodded not having noticed the heavy sarcasm dripping down my tone.

The gown she chose for me was, in my opinion, uncomfortable, heavy and buried under too many layers of cloth but it also was undeniably the most beautiful dress I had seen.

It was cream in colour, having an off-shoulder neckline, with a pattern of blossoms sewed into it from top to bottom. The thread work had been done so smoothly that it almost looked unreal to me. Lastly, the design was adorned by lacy frills, completing the dress in an elegant manner.

How I miss my baggy shirts and pants.

Despite its beauty, I was partially unhappy wearing a gown due to its weight and the stupid corset but I knew I didn't have a choice because no matter what I did I wasn't gonna be able to return home. Certainly not by myself.

As I see it I could do two things about my situation, I could either completely act like a toddler, refusing to do everything which I didn't even consider. I was a person with morals and I most certainly wasn't about to step back and let anyone let alone my supposed brothers intimidate me. Now the only option lay in simply playing along and trying to convince them to send me back. Chances of which were lower than the sky turning green.

I snapped out of my thoughts as Emily seated me on the chair facing a mirrored dressing table that appeared to be carved out of marble. She pulled back my hair, skillfully braiding my front strands and gently trapping them in place with pins and then tucking them into the bun she had put together with the rest. She opened the drawer and to my amazement pulled out what looked like flower buds made out of gemstones making my eyes widen, torn between horror and astonishment.

Exactly how rich were my brothers?

I couldn't wear this!

"I don't want that." Emily abruptly paused midway her expression morphing into surprise.

"But your majesty-"

I shook my head anxiously.

God forbid with my carelessness I might just lose them and that terrified me more than the idea of wearing them.

"Keep them back," I whispered tightly, my throat feeling trapped in a knot at the sight of the fine hair jewellery meant for me. Viola would have lost her mind if she saw that.

Emily nodded uncertainty as she kept the valuable piece back in its place.

I put up with wearing a gown but I am most definitely not submitting into wearing a hair jewellery worth millions.

"Your majesty may I?"

I looked up to see various small containers set out in front of me.

"Now what's this?" I asked my expression morphing into extreme frustration and I'm sure I heard a concealed giggle from Emily.

Well, at least she's no longer trembling in fear.

"It's concealing ointments and eye paints your majesty," Emily explained as she pointed to each container.

"Like makeup?" I asked out loud unable to turn my head completely towards her because of the rigid dress.

"Makeup?" Emily looked at me through the mirror in confusion.

Oh right.

I shook my head wanting to smack myself. She wouldn't know what makeup was since she's probably never been to the human world based on her confused expression.

"Ah nevermind." I waved my hands and asked her to continue.

I was however proven right. One of the ointments resembled something we humans would call foundation, the eye paint equalled to an eyeliner that Emily applied to my eyes gently with the use of a small brush. She added something that looked like blush to me over my cheeks and finally shaped my eyebrows into a more suitable shape.

I blinked a little taken back by Emily's perfect grooming skills. My hair was perfect, not a strand out of place, my makeup was elegant yet subtle, all its coating even and going well with my dress.

"What do you think your majesty?" Emily asked stepping back and folding her palms nervously.

I looked at myself in the mirror again. I didn't resemble the elegant beauty of Merida but I certainly looked presentable more than I have ever let myself be.

"This is amazing." I grinned as I stiffly forced myself to turn towards her. "I love it."

For the first time, Emily gave me a genuine and big smile which did momentarily surprise me.

There was a knock at the door and Merida's muffled voice spoke through.

"Are you done, your majesty?"

I stood up stiffly trying my best not to trip on the dress, cursing the stupid corset when I tried to turn towards the door which Emily mercifully helped me with.

The door opened and Merida stepped aside as she gestured me with one hand to step ahead of her.

"To the left corridor if you please your majesty."

I nodded smiling anxiously as I breathed in trying to calm my nerves.

It's just a meal. Surely things won't be that bad.

The air only grew colder as I walked ahead Merida following close behind and I was glad for once that my gown had enough layers of cloth to keep me warm from the cold palace air.

The setting was the same. Flamed torches were present in every nook and corner blazing light for its occupants and the stone walls, grey and cold, stretched till the sight could go.

It wasn't until I took the left turn did I realise that we had company. Multiple guards stood straight against the wall, so still that you'd mistake them for statues, their black horns and wings sticking out from their bronze armour and sallet.

I swallowed turning back to Merida with uncertainty.

Merida smiled in amusement as she gestured me to continue walking.

"Its alright Lady Helen." She whispered trying to conceal her smile. "They're here to protect you, not harm you."

"Right." I nodded my voice dripping with sarcasm as I tried to untangle my legs from the dress.

They all looked so bloody intimidating that nobody could blame me for being so anxious.

I walked ahead trying not to trip or appear rude by staring at them. Intimidating as they were, I was undeniably fascinated by their black wings.

They were long, black all the way through, shining and smooth like leather, the upper bend of the wings narrowed into one single sharp horn each.

Merida cleared her throat from behind as she pointed to the next corridor which I obliged reluctantly still wanting to take a closer look at the wings.

"Do all the people her have horns and wings?" I asked out of curiosity briefly turning my face to watch Merida's expression while paying close attention to where I kept my leg.

This gown is a death trap!

"No, not really." Merida mused as she walked ahead. "Some of us don't, like Emily for example."

"Why not?" I asked feeling interested to learn more about my handmaiden.

"You see your majesty," Merida tugged the door open in front of us as she ushered me through. "Some of us demons are born without powers. Reduced to something similar to a human. It's not the parent's fault, of course, just a flaw in the bloodline. Although cases such as these are pretty low, they certainly aren't unheard of."

"Is that why Emily is asked to work as a servant?" I asked my tone full of sympathy for the hardship she would have to face.

Merida smiled softly at me as she shook her head.

"Your Majesty being a servant in the castle isn't as bad as you imagine," Merida explained. "It is in several terms way better than resigning your fate to serving the nobles."

Merida's tone turned bitter towards the end as her expression turned grim.

"Who are the nobles?" I asked confused.

"Nobles are the demons from purest of demon bloodlines," Merida answered darkly. "They are as horrendous as they are purebloods. Greedy as they are evil and arrogant as they are powerful."

I shuddered as I remembered the stories I had heard about the different kinds of demons.

"Are they the said enemies?" I whispered pausing and turning towards my guard.

"Afraid so." Merida nodded. "Never trust a demon, your majesty. They are better kept at hands length."

I exhaled pursing my lips and nodding.

"Are you a pureblood too?"

Merida chuckled as she shook her head.

"A pureblood will always have black eyes, your majesty. Dark and evil like their soul." Merida pointed me to the opposite door before offering me a smile.

"Your brothers are waiting for you over there. I will wait for you outside."

I looked at the door my nerves creating havoc once again as I breathed in and out to keep the rational side of my brain.

I can do this.

I could hear the sound of chatter coming through the entrance as I came near.

I knocked on the glass door, as the voices died down and I heard footsteps.

The door flung open as Aiden's tall figure towered over me as I contemplated whether to take a step back or not.

Aiden golden eyes turned amused as he smirked at my scowl.

"Took you long enough."

Another voice interrupted us just as I opened my mouth which I recognized as Dominic's.

"Let her in Aiden. We don't have time to waste."

Thank you the_bookbitch for recommending the dress image ❤

Well here's the new chapter. Hope you all like it and I'm sorry if there are any grammatical errors 😅 Opinions and Votes would be appreciated, I hope everyone is doing well. I will try to update as soon as possible and will probably be uploading many chapters at one go so might take some time. Apologies for the late update and thank you for your patience. ❤