Hopeful (My Sequel to Heartless) Unfinished

Chapter 20 - Another Brilliant Ball (Part 1)

The dress Cath was fitted into was made of silk so light and smooth, it felt like she was wearing nothing at all. It was a dress that clung to her body in a way that made her wish she had worn a burlap sack instead considering it would have been more comfortable. And the design of the dress confined her legs to a point where she had to shuffle her feet instead of walk. It flared out at her knees into a layered train that trailed 3 feet behind her. The bodice of the dress had a V dip in the middle that would make a sailor blush and made Cath feel uncomfortable in many ways. The straps were the only thing that kept certain body parts from showing, and even they weren't the most decent. And it most certainly didn't help that the entire thing was raspberry red. Mary Ann bit her lip as she arranged her hair into an updo shaped like a heart on the back of her head. Her lips were painted to look like a heart as well and tinier black hearts were painted around her eyes. She looked like the entirety of the Kingdom of Hearts all mashed together to form a person in a crazy dress.
But Jest would be there as well. Her heart sped up with the reassurance and she smiled at the feeling. With her situation, she was so happy to have found some joy in her life and it was tremendous to feel her heart again. Mary Ann smiled as well. "If you want to look at your heart and see how much it's grown, the doctors have machines to do that." Cath nodded and placed a hand where her heart is. Maybe she would.
Earlier that day, she had told her old friend about everything that had been going on for the past ten years. She spoke of her children whom she realized she missed dearly and told her of her heart. She told about all the bad things she had done, a task that was not easy, and her plans for ending the war. In the end, both girls ended up happy and asleep in Cath's bed before the upcoming ball.

"Okay, I'm ready." Mary Ann offered her an encouraging smile as she opened the door.
She was met by four guards sent to escort her. Their skin was pearlescent and reflected the light while their hair looked like it was spun from pure spider silk. Cath had never seen anything like them in her life. They were beautiful.
One of them gave her a grunt and a sneer and she took those thoughts back. It was clear they weren't gentlemen.
They escorted her to the ballroom at a pace that made it hard to keep upright with the confinements of the monstrosity they called a gown. She thought she'd break her neck in the heels she had been given to match her dress.
They threw the doors open to the grand hall and made a motion for her to stay in her spot. Furrowing her brow, Cath stood at the entrance tapping her fingers against her arm. Who was she waiting for exactly? She didn't care anymore, so she slowly made her way down the steps. Whoever it was would have to deal with it.
The scene reminded her of the Black and White ball all those years ago where the King tried to propose to her. The night she met Jest. 
The entire ballroom was filled with white dresses and suits. No one wore any other color, well, no one except Cath who happened to be wearing the brightest color red possible. 
All eyes veered toward her in surprise to see their future queen not in white. Cath waited for the humiliation to wash over her, but it never came. She felt surprisingly comfortable with their stares, after all, she had been enduring them almost her whole life.
A single figure made his way through the crowd and her heart melted, another feeling she would never get tired of. Jest smiled at her as she reached the bottom step and they locked eyes. It was like a scene in one of her mother's old romance novels where the damsel in the ball gown was swept off her feet by a dashing gentleman who would eventually be her love interest. She thought she remembered the line that usually went with the situation, something like 'They looked into each other's eyes and the world fell away' or something like that. It all made Cath fly so high that no number of queens of princes could try to take her down. 
That is until Chrystal walked up with the Crowned Prince Callum by her side.

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I know this chapter doesn't have much to it, but it's taking forever to align the details and transition to more of the story. 

ALSO, I made a Pinterest board on Heartless/Hopeful where I pin the dresses and ideas I have for this book, my user name is broadwayyo and I hope you guys check it out!
-GMTS