- Hana

“We need to go buy a new wardrobe for you,” Grandma said as I washed up and put on my dress.

I frowned, “Why?”

Although we’d never been poor, we didn’t exactly have the money rolling around to buy me a whole new wardrobe.

“For you to work in the castle,” Grandma said, looking at me sharply. “I will not have my granddaughter looked down upon just because her clothes are not of quality.”

“And what about today’s classes?” I asked, exasperated.

“Don’t worry, it’s all been settled. After all, it’s going to be your Sewing Mistress and a coach man from the castle taking you to the tailors.”

“From the castle…?”

“The royal family has a generous hand,” Grandma finally said. “They would like to buy you new clothes.”

“Oh…” I said with understanding.

After a short wait, a knock came at our door. A well-dressed man was standing at our door with a carriage waiting on the street.

“Lady Hana,” he bowed. As we escorted me to the carriage, I threw an uneasy glance back to Grandma. She gave me a small smile, a look of worry in her eyes.

Inside the carriage, Sewing Mistress greeted me, looking as lovely as usual. She was probably old enough to be my mother, but she had the beauty and grace of a woman less than twenty-five.

“Excited for your new dresses?” she asked me, her usual friendly smile on her face.

I sighed, “I’m not sure…”

We arrived at the busy town square, and the carriage stopped in front of the most popular tailor shop.

“Hello Cissana,” Sewing Mistress greeted the lady.

She looked up, seeming surprised at the voice. “Amia, I haven’t seen you in so long! What brings you here?”

“We’re here to order dresses for my student,” Sewing Mistress said, bringing attention to me.

The tailoress’s eyes fell on me, and I could see her looking me up and down, studying me, sizing me up.

“Is this…?” she asked.

“Yes,” Sewing Mistress said. Her eyes seemed to dare the tailoress to challenge her.

I curtsied, “Hello, my name is Hana.”

The tailoress stepped closer to me and looked at my face closely, her expression unreadable.

“So you were not lying, Amia,” she breathed.

“I told you to not take my words lightly,” Sewing Mistress said, walking away to look at the various clothes displayed in the room.

The tailoress stayed by my side, still observing me. I felt uncomfortable.

Finally, she gave me a deep curtsy, to the point where I felt uncomfortable. After all, I was a child, and she was an adult.

“My pleasure to meet you, Lady Hana,” she said, taking my hands dearly into hers. There were deep emotions in her eyes. Sadness?

“Cissana,” Sewing Mistress said sharply.

The tailoress dropped my hands and quickly took a step back, saying a quiet apology.

“Jane, please take the lady’s measurements,” the tailoress ordered one of her seamstresses.

As I was being pulled away into the back of the shop, I heard the tailoress saying to Sewing Mistress something like, “She looks exactly like Leana…”

But the thought quickly got pushed out my head for I had two girls measuring my sizes and occasionally poking me with needles.

“You are very beautiful, miss,” one of the girls said. “Is it true that you’re going to be the princess’s new lady in waiting?”

“Yes,” I answered, unsure how word had spread so fast.

The girl looked me straight in the eye, “Miss, I know it is not my place to say this, but it’s going to be difficult. The princess… we have all experienced how awful she is, right Rosie?”

The other girl nodded, her eyes wide.

“And she is very jealous too,” the girl added. “She always has to be the prettiest gal in the room.”

“I have heard,” I half sighed. “I’ll just have to try my best to get along with the princess.”

“I hope you fare better than the other ladies,” she said sadly. “This is not our first time measuring for the princess’s new lady in waiting. There have been many throughout the years.”

“How long do they usually last?” I asked with mild curiosity.

“I have not heard of one outlasting two moons,” she sighed. “Good luck to you miss.”

I headed back to the front of the store with a heavy heart, but I quickly forgot about it as Sewing Mistress and the tailoress walked me through fabric after fabric, putting it up to my skin, feeling the texture, measuring the thickness.

“I dare say,” the tailoress said after hours of picking out fabrics. “Lady Hana will have a wardrobe fit for royalty.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it doesn’t have to be that great,” I quickly said.

“No miss. I will not have you be dressed anything short of stunning in the castle,” she replied, defiance flashing in her eyes. It struck me hard how similar she was being to how Grandma was earlier.

“I will have then delivered to your room in the castle according to your arriving day,” the tailoress said.

“Send your best one to her home,” Sewing Mistress added. “To wear to the castle.”

I frowned, “Is appearance really that big of a deal in the castle?”

“You’ll see when you get there,” Sewing Mistress said. “Everyone who officially works directly with the royal family must meet the beauty standard. The family itself is no exception. Beauty is considered something of utmost importance.”