Chapter 235 - Wedding Gown?
I sat in the store at one end as the lady continued to show gowns like no other. The dye and the silk were of the best quality that was out there. The shop was lit with bright yellow light, enough to blind you if you looked up. Fang had led me at the far end into the VIP section, where both of us sat on a couch while a lady held up dresses at full length in front of her. Every time she was done showing a gown, she would let it rest on the table in front of me.
However, my mind kept wandering back to what Fang had said. To have killed the defense minister was one thing and to kill his family for his mistakes was another.
"This will look good on you milady, would you like to try it on?" I heard the saleswoman and looked at her with a weak smile. I simply nodded and grabbed the nearest gown I saw before getting up from the chair. "Milady," I heard the saleswoman's voice, "I was talking about this one. If you want, you can try both of them on. Let me help you with the fitting."
"I'll go," Fang commanded, and I could not even dare to look back and meet his eyes.
We walked to the fitting room and I went inside the room, where there was a small pedestal kept in the middle with a variety of corsets and petticoats at the side. Fang was oddly quiet but I knew why he had followed me. Even I needed a space to talk with him, but now that I had it, it was difficult to start. I walked ahead to place the dress in my hand on the backrest of a chair.
"Stand up there," Fang spoke over my shoulder with a dangerously close space between us.
I turned around to find myself trapped between the chair and Fang. The man that I saw in front of me was different. The cold look in his eyes was back. "I should wear something inside before that," I said, and without any more questions, Fang left the room. I was left alone in the big white room as I clutched my t-shirt around my chest. Had I failed to know who he was? Fang had never exactly filtered his words about his evil thoughts but I had also never caught him doing it.
In the past few days, Fang had been respectful towards me and I was finally starting to accept him as he was.
I strolled to the rack and pulled a petticoat of my size. After undressing and putting on the petticoat over my inner, I tried to match the corset with my gown. My mind wasn't even in the right place. I am sure he had his reasons but the entire family was not to be held responsible.
The door clicked and I wrapped my hand around myself. The thin and loose fabric of the petticoat made me feel exposed.
Fang took long steps towards me before reaching for the upper shelf and pulling out two corsets, "Try these." He handed them to me and I awkwardly stretched my hand to check the color, which matched the best. He had good judgment. Both of them almost matched the dress but only one of them was a perfect color. "Let me help," He stretched his hand ahead. I looked at his hand and after pondering about it, handed him the corset. It wasn't like I knew how to wear these two century-old clothes.
Fang walked ahead of me, gesturing me to hold my hands above my head and I followed suit. He put the corset on me before he started with his handiwork of the strings.
There was an awkward silence for me in the room, "why did you do it?"
Fang continued to pull each string like a master, as if he knew perfectly well how to fit a corset. Or maybe how to remove it. "I already told you. That man stepped on my nerve," Fang replied before he gently pushed my back, careful not to touch me, "could lean against that bar?"
I nodded and rested my hands against the wooden bar, giving Fang a better view of my back.
Fang was actually working every string to fit me perfectly. Even Dandeline had a problem with this the last time Fang had sent such gown for me. "Their family had done nothing wrong," I said as I jerked with a light pull of the corset strings.
"Something leave behind a deep scar, Selene," Fang said, "No matter how much revenge you seek, it never heals."
He was being vague about his answers. I had never seen Fang answer this philosophically. There were so many things I found were instinct-driven and wild inside him, but I had not taken him to bring such injustice to others. Maybe I was the one who took his talks lightly. He never said he was an angel. But that also reminded me of something else, "Is this the same revenge you want from the Queen?"
Fang hummed before giving a last tug of the string and bringing it around in a circle to secure it. "Comfortable?" He asked as I turned around.
"I don't know," I said, "What was it that you seek revenge for Fang? How deep is that scar?" I had always tried to run away from asking more about him. To let my curiosity indulge in finding the answers to his actions. This time I could not hold back. I wanted to see him under his thick skin. I knew how dangerous it was to get involved with his secrets, but for the first time in years, I wanted to follow my heart and try reasoning with his actions.
Fang clenched his jaw and I could see his knuckles going white beside him. There was so much conflict he faced, even with me.
"Losing someone you love is everyone's pain," Fang spoke nonchalantly, "But to see them be humiliated as a subject of example for others. To see them lose for the ideals and the good they had upheld." His eyes darkened as he looked at me. So much rage that never poured onto his face. His eyes were distant when he looked at me as if trying to not trample me.
It was a scary feeling that felt like it was going to grab me and pull me into the darkness.
"Is it so important to throw your life away for revenge?" I asked him, knowing very well how dumb that question was. Fang had always been going after revenge and what had he got till today? Nothing. Knowing my mother, she wasn't going to sit back and wait. If she was the proprietor behind the scars Fang carried, then she knew very well to stay wary of him. She had taught me as a child to look out of the enemy's ghost after you have killed them, till your last breath.
Fang stared at me as if reading my thoughts before he ran his fingers through my hair, "It is important for me. Nothing else matters."
I calculated my next words carefully before asking, "How...did it."
"Let me help you dress up," Fang motioned to the pedestal, and I did not ask further. He followed me and helped me with the gown and fitting as I stood there keeping all the burning questions back in my head. "Can you wait, Selene?" He asked suddenly.
"For?"
"I will tell you all to you," Fang said as he stood up straight, and even when standing on the pedestal, I could not be taller than him. He raised his eyebrows in question, "can you wait till then?"
There was nothing I could do but nod.
He smiled at me before stretching his hand and I took it. Fang led me outside to make me come and stand in front of the mirror. The gown was white in color at the base with a golden belt around the upper waist. the outer layer was a soft net, forming a black design for the upper section while it lightly extended to the upper part of the skirt. There were puff sleeves and net, nothing to hold the gown over the shoulder. All I had to do was get the petticoat out of the equation.
The more I looked at it, the more it felt like a wedding gown of the black net on top was removed.
"Hm, wedding gown? I like the idea," Fang said with an approving smile.
"Dream on, Fang, Dream on," I replied, to have him chuckle.
Fang looked at the saleswoman, "Bring me a black three-piece suit with white design.. we should match tonight."
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