Chapter 3: Getting Dressed
Next came make-up. Amy helped me apply an anachronistic moisturizer, followed by a primer. She then applied liquid foundation, concealer, and foundation powder. I was getting the whole treatment I realized. I waited as she worked through bronzer, blush, and highlighter. I realized she hadn’t asked for my input. I wondered if the rival had a default make-up or if the rival had instructed Amy on what kind of make-up she should apply? Or maybe the game just provided the rival with a single look. Either way, I let her carry on. She was doing an amazing job, so I wasn’t worried. Eye shadow came next, and Amy applied a dramatic gold eye shadow. I loved it. These weren’t my colors. I was a winter back in my world. But the rival was an obvious autumn. Amy applied eyeliner and mascara in a dark forest green. She styled the eyeliner in a bold all-around wing design. Next, she applied a coral-orange lipstick. And then she finished off with a setting spray. The bottles and equipment she used had a Victorian style. But the tools themselves were modern. Still, as I looked in the mirror, I found myself impressed.
I’d never been a classic beauty. But the rival was exactly that. And I found myself enjoying my new look.
“You did amazing, Amy. This is brilliant.”
Amy looked at me with wide eyes and an open mouth, “Really Lady Ren? There are no adjustments that I need to make?”
“None, at all. I applaud you. You made that look effortless.” I clapped to indicate my approval.
Amy looked at the floor, “Thank-you Lady Ren.”
Finished with hair and make-up, we headed to the wardrobe. And I stopped dead. Three enormous wardrobes covered an entire wall of my bed chamber. They reached the ceiling. Gilded floral designs accented the stained rosewood. I felt excitement bubbling up from my heart. I was a noble lady. I had fashion!
Amy looked back, her voice wavered, “Have you changed your mind about the gown? We may have to redo your make-up if you have.”
I shook my head; I needed an explanation for her.
“I realized how lucky I am. How privileged. Look at those wardrobes. I love clothes. I love fashion, but isn’t it ridiculous that I have all that? How many times have I seen those, and not realized how lucky I am?”
“They are new, Lady Ren. They were only delivered last month, after all.”
“But it’s still so much. And it’s crazy how much I’ve taken everything for granted. Be honest, have you ever seen me look grateful for this luxury.”
Amy shifted her feet and looked away, “I don’t know how to answer that, Lady Ren.”
I nodded, “You mean you don’t know what to say that won’t set me off like a rabid dog.”
“No! Of course not.” Amy said, rushing the words out.
“You know I’m right. You don’t want to get in trouble, if this is some elaborate game. I understand. And I promise that it’s no game. I don’t even mind that you don’t know how to answer. Well, I mind that I’ve made you this scared. But that’s me being angry at myself. I don’t mind you being cautious. I’ve earned worse than caution.”
“We should hurry Lady Ren,” Amy said, “it’s getting close to the time.”
Amy helped to dress me in an appropriate outfit, a forest green maxi dress. She added a matching green corset with golden accents that fit over the dress. The corset on top was another flourish from the game designers. But I liked the look.
I blushed as Amy helped me dress. She was beautiful and I was self-conscious about what she thought of my body. Was it my body though? I suppose it was now. I checked my new body in the mirror as we changed. Despite everything that had happened, at least this was an upgrade. I was tall and pale, with curves in all the right places. On top of that, I had perfect breasts and a perky ass. The boob job necessary to make these ladies would have been expensive in my old life. Here they were a perk of being a major character. The old me would have asked the new me out if they’d met at a party. No, that’s not true. The old me would have blushed and stared at a distance while cursing my cowardice.
Amy’s hands brushed my hips as she helped me step into the maxi dress and I gasped as a shiver ran up my body.
“I’m sorry Lady Ren! Did I hurt you?”
My face went beet red, “No! Not at all. You didn’t hurt me. It was nice. I mean, it was fine. Fine, no problem. It just, I mean, it tickled a little, that’s all.”
Amy looked at me, she raised an eyebrow, “I’ve served you for three years, Lady Ren. I’ve never known you to be ticklish before. I’m sorry for not noticing.”
Then she paused and looked at my face. I flinched as she stared. Her eyes opened wide. Then a small, crooked smile crept across her face. I tensed. The world of Moonlight Hearts had no taboo against same sex attraction. But her catching me in arousal like this was excruciating. A second shiver rolled across my body, and I gasped again.
Amy composed herself and said, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, Lady Ren. I didn’t realize your interests lay in the same direction as mi- that is to say, I didn’t realize your interests lay in that direction.”
I raised my eyebrows, “The same direction?” I said. Now Amy began blushing. And so, we stood, faces red as tomatoes, staring at each other.
Finally, Amy spoke. “Has it been like that for the past three years?”
I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to say. It hadn’t been me three years ago. I wasn’t even sure that any of this actually existed three years ago.
After several minutes of silence, Amy said, “I see.”
“I’m sorry.” I said, guessing at her thoughts. “I should have said something. I’ve been such a terrible person. I’m not good at, I mean, I’m not good with beautiful people.”
“You think I’m beautiful?” She asked.
“A blind woman would think you’re beautiful.” I answered.
Amy looked away. I could see her blushing. I waited as she composed herself, and turned back to face me.
“So, what will we do now?” Amy asked.
“I don’t know.” I said. And now I looked away. I knew enough of the game to know the challenge. The rival needed to marry a member of another noble family. She needed to protect her position and the position of her family. A maid was not going to do that. But I wouldn’t need to explain that to Amy. She would know that. What I would need to do was find a way to make her feel better. She was uncomfortable with what she thought I’d been doing for the last three years while she helped dress me. I ran my mind across everything I’d seen Lynn do while playing the game. I considered everything else she had told me during many conversations.
The game involved three main factions. They were the kingdom of Hyperborea, the island of Ys, and the kingdom of Agartha. The game took place on the island of Ys, the heroine and the rival were both from Ys. It was a small island nation between Hyperborea in the north and Agartha in the south. What did I know about it? It was a constitutional monarchy; the real power lay with the house of lords. The technology was an odd mix of fantasy Middle Ages and Victorian England. The designers had used whatever they thought looked cool or romantic. Ys had gender equality as the norm and no discrimination based on race or sexual orientation. It did have a massive helping of class-based discrimination though. The game ran on the drama caused by class discrimination. I could use that to put Amy’s mind at ease.
“How long have you felt this way?” Amy asked. I snapped back to the conversation.
I considered how to answer before I spoke. Less than one hour seemed like a callous answer. And one she wouldn’t believe in any case. I’d never been undressed by another woman like that before. The effect had been electric. I shook my head.
“Long enough. Too long.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, “So, you like me?”
I made a guess based on what I knew about how the rival treated servants in the game. I looked her in the eyes, “How much have we spoken these last three years? Be honest.”
“Conversation? Not commands and instructions? We’ve spoken more today than in the whole three years combined.”
I nodded, “Exactly. So, I admit that I’m attracted to you. Yes. Do I like you? I think so. You’re nice. But have we spoken enough to know that with any certainty?”
Amy bit her lip and didn’t answer immediately. I tried to figure out what she wasn’t saying, and then a thought hit me.
“Wait. Amy, do you like me?” I could hear the disbelief in my voice.
“Maybe,” Amy said.
“But I’ve been terrible towards you!”
“That doesn’t make you less beautiful, Lady Ren. And I see you every day. It’s hard to ignore how good you look. And you’ve always been less severe to me than you are to the other maids.”
“And I didn’t even notice your interest until I pulled my head out of my behind. And even if I had, what good does that do?”
Amy sighed, “But you could have told me.”
“And then what? I take you as a lover. Have you become my ladybird? How does that help you? I don’t want to hurt you.”
Ladybird was a term for an illicit lover, and was commonly used in the Moonlight Hearts game. I knew she would understand it. Amy turned and looked out the window. I considered things again. In all the endings where the rival gets a suitor, she ended up with a man. There was no ending where she ended up with the only female romance option: Fiona. I thought about that, and a ball of frustration knotted itself in my stomach.
“I’m going to end up marrying some man, either a nice idiot or a useful monster. Neither option is a happy one.”
“You don’t like men?” Amy asked without turning around.
I shook my head, “No. I don’t understand the attraction at all. Only the fairer sex interests me.”
“That sounds so limiting,” Amy said.
“I guess. But my point is that pursuing anything with you would tie you up in that mess as well. And that seemed too cruel.”
“May I ask a rude question?”
“Of course.”
“When did you change your opinion on cruelty and how to treat your maid?”
She wasn’t holding back. But I guess that was only fair. But how to answer her? I’m not your lady. I replaced your lady and am currently driving her body around like a rental car. Not the best response.
“I don’t know exactly. I don’t even know how it happened. It crystallized when I woke up this morning. I couldn’t go on being the person I was anymore. I wasn’t her anymore.”
That was as close to the truth as I could manage without letting Amy think I was crazy.
“Would you rather have a different maid?”
“No.” I paused, “But I’d understand if you would prefer to serve another member of the household.”
A knock sounded on my bedroom door, “Is lady Karen coming down?”
I recognized the voice from the game. It was the rival’s father: Jean Octavian. My father now.
Amy raised her voice, “My apologies Lord Octavian. We are dealing with some wardrobe difficulties. A lady’s clothes can be quite troublesome.”
“Fine, but hurry it up.”
Amy turned back to me, “I am not going to abandon you after that speech. I don’t know what to do about this. But I do know your father will skin you and fire me if we don’t get down there in the next five minutes.”
Amy helped me into my gown. She then helped me put on my shoes: a pair of gold slingback shoes with kitten heels.
“I’m going to tower over the boys, even in short heels like this,” I noted.
“I wish I had that problem,” Amy said, “You look so regal my lady.”
I smiled, “Oh, there are benefits but there are drawbacks too. The fragile male ego is one of those drawbacks.”
“But at least you don’t like the boys,” Amy said, “That must make it easier to handle.”
“It does. Although I know it means that I’m destined for a loveless political marriage. Although my behavior can’t have helped matters.”
Amy coughed, “Let’s get your jewelry on Lady Ren.”
If I hadn’t felt like a princess before this point, I felt like one now. Amy handed me a pair of gold chandelier style earrings. The jeweler had set them with sparkling orange tourmaline gemstones. I put on the earrings. Amy produced a necklace, a gold sautoir style affair with a rose cut orange tourmaline in the center. The chain included gold roses that increased in size towards the gem at the center. The chain looked like a princess length, about sixteen inches. Next Amy handed me a pair of gold cuff bracelets. They consisted of three thick lines braided together. And last, Amy handed me a gold ring with a half rose cut red garnet. I slid the bracelets on, and then placed the ring on my right index finger.
“Okay, Lady Ren, any last-minute thoughts or changes?” Amy asked.
“Changes? No. Thoughts? I need to be more grateful for all you do.”
“Oh. Um. Thank you. Then I guess that means you’re good to go. Best hurry, we don’t want people waiting on you again.”
I nodded, “I don’t want people waiting on me at all, not any longer.”
Amy raised an eyebrow. I stepped out of my room.
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