Chapter 15: Fourteen

Voiture-Lit 1st Classe № 1 ﹠ 2

By the time Anastasia finally decided to wake up and start changing out of her clothes, Machel had already announced dinner service in the dining car. 

“You got to hurry up, Anastasia,” Rasputina huffed, bending with much difficulty to slip into her dress slippers. “We can’t be late to the dining car twice in a row! What will everyone think of us?” 

“I-I’m trying!” She yanked at the stubborn laces of her corset, not even sure if she was tightening or loosening them. “Do we really need to dress up like this every time??” 

“But you’re just doing the bare minimum?” Rasputina said in disbelief. “I’m sure that the ladies in the dining room are wearing twice as many layers as you, you know, complete with bustle and train to boot.” 

Anastasia uttered a noise that sounded like a groan and laugh at the same time. “O-okay, I think this should be good enough…” She hurriedly put on her corset cover and tied her petticoats around her waist before opening her closet door. “Uhh, what dress should I wear, Rasputina?”

“Just any evening gown will do, this isn’t too formal of a dinner yet.” 

“And would you mind telling me which is considered an ‘evening gown’?” she mumbled, staring at the colourful mess in her closet. “If only kimonos existed in this world…”

“Give me a moment, I’m almost done here.” Rasputina fastened a simple gold necklace around her neck and dusted herself off. “Alright, let me have a look…for a princess’ first appearance at dinner, you have to wear something striking, something that will leave men unable to peel their eyes away from you. Something like…” She threw dress after dress on the bed, searching for a garment that would fit her vague description. “Ah, this!”

Anastasia stared wide-eyed at the white satin duchesse gown she was holding up in front of her. “Uh-huh. This is basically a wedding dress, isn’t it?”

“Trust me, it’ll be the most eye-catching dress at the dinner,” she said happily while tugging the gown over Anastasia’s head. “Adjust the gown yourself in the mirror, okay? I’ll get the accessories ready.” 

“Huh? I-I still have to wear accessories?” 

“You might as well be naked if you aren’t wearing any jewellery out there.” She found the jewellery box tucked away at the bottom. “Wow, you haven’t even unpacked your accessories?” 

Rasputina swiftly rummaged around for a suitable necklace and bracelet. She initially settled on silver to complement Anastasia’s white dress. But on second thought, silver didnʼt seem like a colour that would stand out in a gaslit room. Abandoning the silver jewellery, she eventually chose a teardrop-shaped black obsidian necklace paired with a rose gold bracelet set with pink tourmalines—colours that would nicely contrast Anastasia’s outfit. 

“What do you think?” she asked, showcasing the jewellery to Anastasia.

She let out a gasp of awe. “They look absolutely gorgeous! T-these are mine? I can really wear them??” 

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“Please, you’re a literal princess.” Rasputina laughed as she helped her put on the necklace and bracelet. “You can wear anything you wish, Anastasia. Doesn’t that feel wonderful?” 

“Yay for the monarchy!” She giggled, fingering the beautiful flawless black stone surrounded by tiny, encrusted diamonds excitedly. “Oh, Rasputina, since we’re both wearing white dresses, why don’t we match hairstyles? I’m sure there are hairpins inside the box.” 

“Technically, I am using your hairpin…” Sorting through the jewellery, Rasputina found a gold hairpin fashioned in a similar floral design to hers. “Hmm, this should match your hair colour well. Stay still for a moment, alright?” 

She quickly combed Anastasia’s hair and twirled her rose-coloured locks around the hairpin in a chignon. And for the finishing touches, Rasputina first dusted a little carmine powder on her nose. “Open your lips for me.” 

Anastasia meekly did as she requested. Rasputina mixed a small bottle of lip salve with a bit of the carmine powder—a neat trick she learned from a fashion magazine—and glossed her lips red, making them even more enticing than usual. Finally, she dabbed a little lilac perfume on her neck to complete the transformation. 

“Voilà, you’re now ready to represent a mighty Empire.” 

Anastasia stared at her reflection in the mirror, surprised at how effective Rasputina’s little makeup ritual worked. “My god, this is like a dream come true…” she said, admiring how the gaslight sparkled on the crystals and mother-of-pearl shells embroidered on her bodice. The gown’s round neckline revealed her ivory skin, which her necklace nicely contrasted with as it sat on her collarbone regally. Her left hand gingerly touched the bracelet on her right hand, feeling the row of smooth, round tourmaline beads. 

Meanwhile, Rasputina also did some finishing touches for herself in the mirror by putting belladonna in her eyes and spraying her own eau de toilette. Carefully fixing her veil to her hair, she arranged the sheer, gold-trimmed, white tulle to fall in graceful folds over her dress. Very Saintess-like indeed, she thought in self-satisfaction. 

“Rasputina, are you finished?” Anastasia came over and took a look at her face. “W-what’s wrong?! Why are you crying all of a sudden?” 

“Crying?” Confused, Rasputina wiped at her eyes before realising what she meant. “Oh, it’s just the belladonna taking effect. See, don’t my pupils look larger now?” 

Anastasia stared at her eyes again and nodded her head. “You’re right…but doesn’t it hurt? I feel squeamish just thinking about putting in contacts.” 

Rasputina shrugged as she put her gloves on. “Don’t forget your own gloves,” she reminded Anastasia before they leave. “And remember, only remember to remove your gloves when you are about to eat. Ready?” 

Anastasia eagerly slipped on her gloves and gave a thumbs-up. “As ready as Cinderella is when she goes to the ball!”

 

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