Silence

Chapter 9

"Now, I've already come with a few designs, but I need to take your measurements first," Nina explained.

She quickly took out her tape measure and held it against all of the necessary parts of Adalina's body. Then she wrote down each of the measurements as she took them.

"I think that blue is definitely your color. It will bring out your skin tone marvelously! I'll add some black lace to it to make you stand out a bit more. And I'll let the neckline dip so that everyone can see your beautiful shoulders! The great thing about designing your clothes is that the butler isn't here to make any of his ridiculous comments!"

Adalina smiled a little, knowing how much Nina really disliked Sebastian and constantly argued with him when it came to fashion choices. She was one of the two people who was actually capable of intimidating him, Ciel's Aunt Francis being the other.

Downstairs, the doors burst open and a blur of red ran into the foyer and up the stairs.

"Ciel! Ciel! Ciel! CIEL!"

Ciel turned around and was immediately swept up in a tight hug that almost made him lose his breakfast.

"Hello, Lizzy," he mustered out. "So good of you to come."

"Well, I couldn't pass up a chance to see you, now could I? Where's Adalina? I want to help her get ready!"

"Wait a moment, how did you know about that?"

"Nina was so excited she got to make a dress for her that she told me she wanted me to help her out!"

"I see. Well, she's just upstairs in-"

"Thanks!"

Elizabeth bounded off through the manor to find Adalina and Nina. Ciel looked after her and smiled a little. He would never admit it out loud, but he did find Elizabeth's excitement over things rather charming.

"What are you smiling at, young master?" Sebastian asked with a teasing smirk.

"Nothing," Ciel answered quickly, his face reddening a touch.

When the door burst open, Adalina sighed a little when she saw who had come in while she was in nothing but her undergarments. First Nina, now Elizabeth. She was beginning to question if agreeing to this whole plan truly was a mistake.

Elizabeth was very nice to her, and it wasn't that Adalina disliked her in any way. On the contrary, she thought that Elizabeth and Ciel made an utterly adorable couple. It was just that Elizabeth had a tendency to be very...overzealous.

"Good timing, Lizzy!" Nina smiled. "While I'm making this, can you start doing her hair and makeup? I thought you'd be the only one to truly make her look beautiful."

Elizabeth squealed happily. "I'll make you look so adorable that you'll attract everyone's attention!"

Adalina didn't care about attracting attention. She just wanted to get Lord Daniel's attention and that would be good enough for her.

Elizabeth forced Adalina to sit down in front of the vanity. While Paula was usually the one to do Elizabeth's hair, it didn't mean Elizabeth was incapable of doing hair altogether. She was pretty adept at hair care for someone of her age and class. After all, she wanted everyone, especially her, to be cute at all times and that meant knowing how to properly do hair and makeup.

For the next few hours, both Nina and Elizabeth did everything they desired with Adalina. She felt herself pushed one way and pulled another and dragged all over the place as they both did what they could to make her look like a woman of higher class. Unfortunately for her, that meant Nina had to shove her into a corset.