In the Open Cage

Chapter 7

It took a good three hours for Misa to be readied for dinner. The maid sent to her was silent the entire time she worked on Misa's attire. After a hot bath, Misa was presented with the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. A shimmery red dress made of the softest satin, embroidered with dark laces and flowers along the sleeves and neckline.

It flared out from her hip, though it wasn't wide enough to be cumbersome. Misa was almost afraid to move in fear of tearing it. She couldn't imagine how expensive it must have been.

The maid directed her to a chair to style her hair, and it was this that had taken the longest time. Loosening the painful kinks, roughly brushing, pulling, and braiding had Misa sporting a tight headache by the time the maid finished. She couldn't complain, however, as she noticed the skill that had gone into pinning up her hair.

Misa had never been so pampered in her life. She wondered if this was just a mundane part of the princesses' lives in the palace. If so, it was no wonder the royal children could come across as entitled.

The maid disappeared as soon as she finished touching up Misa's face, brushing her cheeks with pink powder and coloring her lips with a tinted balm. Misa couldn't stop admiring herself in the mirror. She never knew she could ever look like nobility. It was just so different. So...exhilarating. She loved every part of it until she joined the witches.

Nisha's mere presence knocked all sense back into her, and she couldn't stop the overwhelming guilt from rising. How could she enjoy such a luxury when she had been the reason Kairin lost his finger? It took everything in her not to burst into tears. She subtly avoided Nisha and Rithian on the walk to the dining hall, lagging behind where she could talk to Brin and Sha'ka.

Both were as extravagantly dressed as Misa. Brin's dress was slightly too large, but she still managed to look natural. Sha'ka had on a long silver dress that only someone of her height could pull off.

"You both look beautiful," Misa said, carefully pushing her dreadful thoughts away. A distraction was what she needed, and seeing the witches dressed glamorously was enough.

"Thank you," Sha'ka replied with a small smile. "So do you."

Brin glanced at Sha'ka and opened her mouth to say something. She hesitated, then with a shrug, said, "I'm surprised they had dresses for all of us. It usually takes a while to tailor one after taking measurements."

"It's likely they chose dresses closest to our size from their personal dress shops," one of the witches in front, Ferma, said. "It's not like these perfectly fit." She tugged at her dress as if to emphasise her point. Based on her constant adjustments, it was obvious she was immensely uncomfortable.

From her peripheral vision, Misa caught Brin nudging Sha'ka. The latter shook her head and a stern, "Not yet," slipped through. Despite her curiosity, Misa didn't ask. They were the only two witches she could trust, and she wasn't going to push them away by prying.

They wouldn't have had much longer to explain, anyway as they had finally arrived at the dining hall. Her questions were thrown out of her mind the moment they entered the brightly lit room. It was massive, as most rooms in the palace were, and a single long table was lined with silver plates and cutlery.

There was no one seated at the tables yet, and the guards directed the witches to their seats. Misa wanted to sit next to Sha'ka, but Nisha grabbed her and sat her down next to her and Rithian. Misa tensed. The witch still had her fingers around her wrist.

"Why do you always defy me?" Nisha hissed. "Have you forgotten what we talked about? Think of what you're doing, sister, or someone is going to get hurt."

Misa twisted her wrist from Nisha's grip and glared. "I can choose who I want to be with. You don't own me."

Nisha smiled. It hadn't taken much to make the witch beautiful, but the expensive attire fit the witch like a glove. Misa shuddered to think Nisha could have both the power of magic and wealth on her side. A truly terrifying combination.