Kaila didn't respond.
She stood where she was, facing them, her body still adjusting to the weight of a name that didn't belong to her. The two women remained bowed in front of her, waiting with a stillness that stretched a little too long before they slowly lifted their heads.
Kaila stared, and their gazes dropped again at once. One of them drew in a small, uneven breath as her shoulders tightened slightly, as if bracing for something that had yet to happen. One woman's skin carried a muted blue tone, deepening faintly along her hands, while the other was green, pale and almost translucent beneath the light.
The silence lingered between them, settling heavily into the space. Kaila's fingers shifted faintly at her sides before stilling again, unsure how to move through a moment that seemed to expect more from her than she understood.
When she finally stepped forward, the reaction was immediate.
Both women dropped to their knees, the motion sharp and reflexive, one of them lowering herself so quickly her hands touched the floor while the other bowed low enough that her forehead nearly followed.
"Forgive us, Your Highness," one said quickly, the words coming faster than they should have, uneven despite the care placed into them. "We did not mean to displease you."
Kaila froze, her fingers pressing briefly into her sides before pulling back, curling in and catching at the fabric of her dress. The material gathered slightly beneath her touch, then slipped free as she let go, her hands dropping again before lifting uncertainly in front of her, curling inward until they rested against each other.
"...what?" she said, the word quiet and uncertain in a way that didn't seem to fit the room around her.
Neither of them looked up.
"We are here to prepare you, Your Highness," one said, her voice controlled, though it wavered at the edges. "His Majesty is expecting you for the morning meal."
Kaila shifted slightly.
The king.
"My father," she said under her breath.
"Yes, Your Highness."
She hesitated, then nodded faintly.
"...Alright."
They approached her and she stilled.
"Wait!" The women stopped immediately, exchanging a quick glance between each other. There was a brief pause before she spoke again, quieter this time.
"I can dress myself."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
Both stood at once and stepped back, moving just beyond the doorway so that they were no longer in the room, though their presence remained close enough to be felt.
Kaila remained where she was for a moment after they left, exhaling quickly.
Gazing into the mirror, she reached for the ties at her shoulders, her fingers slipping once before she managed to loosen them, and the fabric fell away as she set it aside. Her gaze lingered briefly, taking in the softness of the curves, the feminine shape of this body. It felt both foreign and entirely real beneath her skin.
She didn't look for long.
Instead, she reached for what they had left. The first layer went on easily enough, soft against her skin, settling into place without resistance.
The next piece was a challenge.
She turned it once in her hands, then again as she tried to understand how it was meant to go on. There were too many ties, too many places where the fabric overlapped without clear direction, and when she pulled it over herself and reached behind her back, her fingers searched for something she couldn't find. The fabric twisted beneath her hands, bunching where it shouldn't and slipping where it should have held.
She paused, hands still.
Then tried again, it didn't help.
The next piece folded wrong along her side, refusing to settle no matter how she shifted it, and when she tried to secure it, her hand caught awkwardly behind her back, unable to reach where it needed to close.
Kaila stood there, half-dressed, her fingers still caught in place.
"...wait," she said, her voice low.
She swallowed, then a little louder, "Can you come back?"
There was a soft movement just outside.
"Your Highness?"
"...I need help."
"May we enter?"
"Yes."
They stepped back in quietly, slower than before, neither of them looked directly at her. Their hands moved quickly, undoing the mess and setting it properly without comment, one adjusting the inner layer so it lay flat while the other fastened the back with ease, securing ties she hadn't been able to reach.
She watched through the mirror as the final gown came together. The yellow and white fabric fell in soft, controlled waves, each fold settling into place as they smoothed and adjusted it, the structure holding without stiffness. She didn't recognize the person wearing it.
The woman with blue skin gestured toward a seat in front of a small desk and mirror.
"Your hair, Your Highness."
She sat, her posture a touch more rigid now, her attention fixed on her reflection as they began.
They moved behind her, gathering her hair with careful hands, smoothing it back and lifting it into place as sections were twisted and pinned, forming a style that held without effort while still leaving a few strands to fall naturally near her face. Then one of them stepped away and returned with a small arrangement resting in a gold-trimmed box.
Jewels.
They caught the light immediately, delicate and bright, set in fine metal that curved in soft lines. The box was held out toward her.
"Which would Your Highness prefer?"
Kaila looked at them, then at her reflection.
"...you can choose," she said quietly.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
They selected with care, weaving the pieces into her hair until it was complete.
"It is done, Your Highness."
Kaila lifted her gaze and saw the woman in the mirror. Gold chains with pearls and brilliant rubies rested against her neck. Small winged jewels were pinned in her purple hair, complementing the pink hue of her skin and drawing out the faint, iridescent gleam beneath it.
"Your Highness?" a trembling voice asked.
"It looks beautiful. Thank you." She reached up, her fingers brushing the wings in her hair. Turning to the women, she offered a faint smile. "We can go now."
Kaila looked toward them. Neither of them met her eyes.
"As you wish, Your Highness."
They moved aside.
Kaila stepped forward, passing them, the fabric shifting softly around her as she walked, the glint of the jewels catching the light with each movement. She paused at the door for half a beat before reaching for it, but one of the women moved quickly to open it for her.
"Thank you."
The woman seemed caught off guard. "Of course, Your Highness."
Kaila stepped through.
A thought lingered faintly at the back of her mind that she didn't know where she was going, and yet her feet carried her forward without pause as the door closed behind her with a soft click. The guards fell into step behind her as she moved, turning when she needed to, continuing through the corridors as if the path had already been decided somewhere deeper than thought.
The palace stretched around her in quiet grandeur, pale stone and gold catching the morning light that poured through tall windows. Every surface it touched revealed carved details and raised patterns tracing along the walls and pillars in designs that repeated without ever quite mirroring one another.
Her focus drifted as she walked, taking in the height of the ceilings, the painted arches, the way gold had been worked into everything without excess, placed with intention rather than display. Nothing was out of place.
She continued forward, steady and certain, even as her thoughts lagged behind, trying to understand how she knew where to go when she had never been here before.
A turn. Another corridor.
At the end of the hall, she slowed as large doors came into view, carved and set with gold that caught the light in sharp lines.
One of the guards stepped forward and knocked.
"Your Majesty," he said, his voice clear, "Princess Lailyra has arrived."
Kaila stood just behind him.
The name still didn't feel like hers.