Rows and rows of dresses made from the finest silk hung across the entire chamber of the Imperial seamstress.
The chamber was probably twice the size of Zarah's own, with beautiful fabrics, intricate embroidery, and half finished gowns scattered across the room.
Zarah looked around curiously, watching the seamstresses dusting the dresses and sewing intricate designs and patterns onto the fabrics.
The head seamstress, Bailey, came forward and lowered her head in greeting.
"Welcome, Lady Peirce."
She then looked up and glanced at Zarah and Iris, smiling warmly at them.
"Welcome, Lady Zarah. Welcome, Lady Iris."
Zarah and Iris returned the greeting with polite nods.
"Thank you, Bailey."
Marceline simply offered a smile of acknowledgment before making her way towards the beige coloured couch. She settled down comfortably and turned towards Bailey.
"Have you prepared the designs I asked for?" she asked.
Bailey nodded immediately before excusing herself to fetch the dresses.
Meanwhile, Marceline patted the empty spaces on either side of her, signalling Zarah and Iris to sit down.
The younger girls walked over and settled beside her.
"Did you really need me to call you both over?" Marceline asked with a raised brow. She then turned towards Iris.
"Especially you, Lady Iris. We have been shopping together quite often now."
Iris sighed dramatically, placing a hand against her cheek in a gesture of exaggerated resignation.
"Oh, whatever can I do, Lady Peirce? Zar gets too shy! I can't just leave her standing alone now, can I?" she said, deliberately teasing Zarah.
"What? When did I get shy?" Zarah protested, looking at Iris in disbelief.
"I've been here before as well! I was just looking at the sewing patterns!"
Marceline let out a faint chuckle.
"I don't know, Lady Zarah. You do seem very shy to me," she said, a hint of teasing slipping into her tone.
"Is it because you're thinking of my dearest cousin?"
Iris gasped dramatically, bringing both hands to her mouth.
"Oh, my Zar! Really? You're thinking of Her Majesty the Empress every waking moment? So much so that you get shy just walking into the chambers?"
"Iree!" Zarah scolded, her ears turning pink.
She lowered her head, avoiding both their gazes.
"I was not thinking of Her Majesty. Lady Peirce, you're being far too influenced by Iris's shenanigans," she muttered quietly.
"Am I?" Marceline asked, her lips curling into a slight smile. "So Lady Zarah doesn't think of my cousin at all?"
"That's not what I said..." Zarah sighed. "I do think of Her Majesty, but at that particular moment, I wasn't thinking of her."
She took a deep breath, trying to collect herself.
The two ladies had managed to leave Zarah's face flustered and red with embarrassment, but she had recovered rather quickly.
"Then you are thinking of my cousin at this very moment?" Marceline teased again.
Zarah realised that no matter what she said, the two of them would keep teasing her.
Instead of arguing further, she smiled.
"Don't we all think of people we admire?" Her gaze shifted towards Iris. "Right, Iree? How's your Dragonfly?"
Iris's expression went from smug amusement to a pale peach in a matter of seconds.
"That's not the same, and I do not admire her!" Iris protested, turning her face in the opposite direction.
Marceline noticed how quickly Zarah had redirected the teasing from herself onto Iris.
She could call Zarah out on it...
But why would she do that to her future cousin-in-law?
Even if Ines hadn't asked Zarah to be her consort yet, Marceline had a feeling it was only a matter of time.
She smiled at the thought.
Perhaps the Empress Dowager would finally stop pestering her about finding a spouse for at least a few months if Ines found herself an official consort.
"Lady Celine has been coming out more often than she did in the past week or so," Marceline said thoughtfully.
"And apparently, she is also working on herself?" Zarah added.
"Penny said that Celine's assigned maid has seen her practising how to control her outbursts."
"I know. She told me herself that she's working on herself," Iris said, thinking back to their encounter in the garden a few days ago.
"So she informed you herself, huh, Iree?" Zarah teased.
Iris gave Zarah a stink eye.
"Really, Zar?"
Zarah shrugged innocently.
"I was simply asking. Is there anything wrong with that, Lady Peirce?" she asked, turning towards Marceline.
"Absolutely nothing wrong with it, as far as I know," Marceline replied with a grin.
"Oh, really? Then Lady Peirce should also tell us more about her love triangle, should she not?" Iris asked, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Marceline let out an amused huff.
Iris really was something. Sometimes, Marceline wondered whether Ines would be like Iris if she were more open about teasing people.
For some reason, the two of them seemed a little similar in that regard.
"It isn't a love triangle, Lady Iris," Marceline said. "Sorry to disappoint your theories."
At that, both Iris and Zarah laughed.
Just then, Bailey returned with six racks of dresses, each more stunning than the last.
"Here are all of them, Lady Peirce," Bailey said, her voice sounding a little tired.
She placed both hands on her hips and took a deep breath.
"Are you alright, Bailey? You didn't have to bring them all at once. You could have brought them one by one," Marceline said with a gentle smile.
"No, no, it's all alright!" Bailey replied, waving her hands before straightening her back.
"If I don't present your entire order myself, what kind of Imperial seamstress would I be? Certainly not the head of all the other Imperial seamstresses!"
Marceline smiled at her enthusiasm.
"True. Hardly anyone else can compare to your work," she said, gesturing towards the dresses.
"I had already selected a few designs for both of you in advance for the banquet," Marceline continued looking at Zarah and Iris. "See which ones you like best."
With that, Bailey began handing dresses to Zarah and Iris.
The first dress Zarah was handed was a beautiful emerald green, with golden embroidery running along its sides.
The dress was truly gorgeous. Marceline certainly had excellent taste in fashion.
"Do you like it, Lady Zarah?" Marceline asked, looking at Zarah as she picked up a dress of her own.
"It's truly beautiful," Zarah replied gratefully. "But I feel the sleeves are a bit too tight."
She slipped her hand into one of them, and indeed, it was a little too tight.
Iris examined the sleeves.
"Ah, yes, but that would give it a good, structured look. It might also be uncomfortable, considering the entire evening will be spent at the Imperial banquet."
Marceline nodded before turning to Iris. "That butter yellow dress would look lovely on you, Lady Iris."
"Thank you, Lady Peirce! I saw it and knew it was the one," Iris replied with a pleased smile.
Zarah picked up a sapphire blue dress and admired its silver embroidery. The fabric felt cool and smooth beneath her fingers, and its texture was beautiful.
The princess sleeves looked lovely, too.
She smiled as she held the dress up to her chest, imagining how it would look once she wore it properly.
"How does this look?" she asked.
"Beautiful!" Iris answered excitedly.
Marceline smiled. "Well, it seems both my favourite ladies have already found their dresses."
She then held up a peach-coloured dress adorned with beautiful crimson lace.
"And mine has been found as well."
"Wonderful!" Zarah exclaimed.
"Gorgeous," Iris commented appreciatively.
With their dresses chosen, the girls continued selecting jewellery to complement their respective outfits, examining different pieces until they found ones that suited each dress.