NOVEL WEB Chapter 36: Ball
“I’m sorry? I’m going to a ball?”
The instant Naru said those words she felt her arms being dragged by the maid. The maids gave a scoff as they saw her reaction.
“Yes, you are being brought as a lady in waiting, and you must be presentable, come!” The head maid didn’t allow Naru any words of resistance and began to pull her towards a bathing room.
[They’re going to see my ears!]
Naru tried to resist the pull of the maid, before realizing that she was much stronger than Naru. This left Naru shocked, she was stronger than the average man and this maid was effortlessly pulling her along.
This was a strength that a maid shouldn’t normally have. Naru relaxed as she realized that these maids were more than they seemed.
She felt herself being plunged into a large tub full of lukewarm water. Naru endured as she was scrubbed with rough bushes all over, ignoring the fact that her ears and tail were showing.
The water that she was in was soon filled with all the gunk that she had managed to pick up in the outer city. It was not a particularly clean place and Naru herself was raised in a forest where the concept of self-hygiene was also more of a suggestion.
After Naru felt like her body had been scrubbed raw by the maids. At this point, she didn’t even care that her deer parts were being seen by the maids.
[This is animal cruelty!] She internally cried
The maids seemed to pause as they saw her tail and deer ears, which gave Naru some amount of fear, but the moment passed quickly and they immediately went to work scrubbing those portions of her body.
It seemed more like they paused because they didn’t know what to do with it, rather than being surprised by it.
In this chaos, Naru could barely hear one of the maids mutter.
The words stung Naru for a bit, it had been a long time since she had cared for her appearance, and she was now being insulted by this maid who was quite comely herself.
Soon Naru found herself dragged out of the bath and slathered with creamy lotions that soothed her skin. Her skin had been rubbed raw from the treatment earlier so this lotion was a welcome presence.
No sooner than she had been soothed by the lotion, she was then covered with fine makeup powders and then sprayed with all sorts of perfumes.
Eventually, she was then forced into a stuffy dress along with another coating of makeup, which included waxy lipstick and a hefty powdering of blush.
Her ears were gently tied together and then a circlet was then firmly placed on her head to hide them.
After this had been done she was finally deemed acceptable by the maid and thrown into a parlor room where she was told to wait.
Naru was dizzy from the whole experience, lack the energy to protect herself, and gratefully sat down on the ornate couch in the room.
After a few minutes of resting, Naru saw a familiar woman enter the room. It was Delta who was also in makeup and wearing a dress as well.
In a single quick motion, Delta began to press on all the facets of Naru's face. Although Naru didn’t resist she wondered why Delta was doing this, it only took a moment for her before she remember that Delta was blind and was trying to feel the makeup on her face. Too often, Delta made it seem like she had vision better than people who could actually see in the first place, but this was one instance in which she was unable to "see" normally.
“Mhmm, the maids did a good job, it seems like even an animal can be made to look like a human.”
Naru instantly pulled away.
“Who are you calling an ‘animal’ I’ve always looked like a human.”
Delta clicked her tongue.
“Ahh, with those manners perhaps you are still a beast, no worries we will work on that later”
Delta then gave a wry smile that chilled Naru to the bones, Naru paled and then backpedaled.
“Yep, I’m a stinky animal, not yet a human!” She yelped.
Delta smiled again, thing time without any of the previous coldness.
“Hmm, it’s good for the chaff to know their place.”
She flicked open a fan and began to fan herself.
“As you know, today we will be attending a ball, we will be guarding the crown prince along with monitoring a few… radicals. I am the Duchess of Yor, and you are my cousin’s daughter who is being my assistant who helps me navigate.”
Kotori nodded along with the explanation.
“So basi-”
She was then cut off by Delta.
“There are some rules you must follow. One, you will not speak unless I tell you to. Two, you must not leave my side, and three, you must absolutely not break cover”
The last rule had particular emphasis and was accompanied by a murderous tone that also scared Naru out of her wits.
“Yes Ma’am!” She said, giving an unconscious salute.
Delta flicked the fan she was holding shut.
“Good, our carriage is waiting outside,”
