The Pure-Hearted Princess and the Kiss of Darkness

- KATALEYA ~

"A little more volume, don't you think?" Raihana asks as she tilts her head towards Delsanra.

I can't give my input as the mirror in front of me is covered up by Raihana, who said I can't look until she has finished getting me completely ready.

She's got her own hair in curlers and she's wearing a satin floral gown. We're all getting our hair and makeup done before we get into our dresses. Well, us three anyway.

Delsanra takes a look at my hair before she nods from where she's sitting on the floor in my room, applying her own makeup.

"Kat, you are really going to stand out tonight," she says, smiling at me.

"I'm nervous," I admit.

"Don't be. No one will be able to keep their eyes off you tonight."

"I think that makes me more nervous," I say, making her chuckle.

"You're a Rossi, own it, I know you can. People will stare at us whether we want it or not," Raihana says proudly. She did love attention, but I don't want all eyes on me. I want to hide away when people look at me.

I glance at the three dresses Raihana had selected for me; there's a deep red, a dusky pink, and an antique gold with flecks of pink. I had picked the one that stood out to me the most, and it happened to be Raihana's favourite, too.

I do love a pretty dress, but I feel a little nervous because of the design, especially knowing many eyes will be on me.

Rumours had spread about me and Enrique already. And with him making someone else Luna, a woman who isn't even Marie who he had originally stated would become his Luna, people will be observing, gossiping and watching our every move to see where we stand tonight.

"Where's Skyla?" Raihana asks, and I blush.

"Royce arrived a short while ago... so...

"Going on two hours ago," Delsanra states, as she giggles.

"Ah well, then she has a fair excuse." Raihana smirks.

"Her date is here, and it's her mate. I'm still worried about mine? Won't you tell me who he is before he gets here?" I whisper nervously.

Raihana chuckles. "Patience princess, your date will be here soon. Honestly, I might not even know them myself, so just wait patiently. Alright, all done." She sprays some hair spray lightly into my hair before putting it down and picking up another bottle. "Now me and Del will leave this room for a bit, spread this shimmer over the rest of your body, and I mean everywhere." Raihana waves the bottle of shimmery oil in front of me.

"But you already did my arms, back and legs. The dress will cover the rest of me. I don't think I need more." I murmur. "Who knows if it'll remain covered throughout the night?"

I stare at her, appalled. "Wh-what does that mean? We aren't going to do anything!" I whisper, not wanting anyone to hear us. My cheeks are already burning with what she is insinuating.

Raihana chuckles.

"Always be prepared, besides I know what you want. So just have fun and live." She winks at me as Delsanra shakes her head although she's smiling.

"Would I see you helping Heaven like this one day?" she teases.

Raihana smiles faintly. "Yes, if I know that the man or woman loves her, and she loves them, that would be enough for me. Enrique is an idiot, but he loves our Kataleya, and tonight it's all about the charm. Maybe we shouldn't send Liam to the party. I can imagine him getting stressed out," she adds in a whisper.

I smile. "Uncle won't tell on us. He doesn't like when Dad gets grumpy and tells us off." I giggle. I feel bad using that against my uncle even if it is the truth.

Delsanra nods in agreement, "Oh absolutely, he's calmed Rayhan down several times. That's the Rossi temper and

stubbornness that shines through." She hugs herself and it's obvious she's missing Rayhan as she smiles fondly, lost in her thoughts for a moment. "Rayhan couldn't come?" I ask.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

She shakes her head. "He's pretty busy, and he's better off there with the kids and Mama Marie." She smiles at me, and I nod in understanding.

Heaven, Sienna, and Tatum would be with him and Mama Mari. It's good Ahren is here, as he stresses his dad out a lot.

"Don't worry, you have Liam as your date," Raihana says as she places the bottle of glitter in my hand and ushers Delsanra out the door.

I sit down again, looking at the nails Delsanra had done for me earlier. I smile happily at the design I had selected. All my nails are either painted a gold, or a dusky pink with a sprinkle of glitter and crystals.

I finish off oiling the rest of my body, allowing it to dry whilst I put on my jewellery. I sit there for a moment looking at my hands, wondering how tonight will go.

Enrique...

I'm losing my mind with thoughts of him. This morning when I woke up, I felt as if I could feel his presence in this very room. Imagining that a hint of his scent lingered.

I take a deep breath and stand up; I slip on my pink thong and pick up my dress. It flows beautifully and I step into it, and pull it up, holding it over my breasts as I try to reach for the zip but fail.

"I'm all done. I need a little help with the zip," I call out. "Please."

The door opens instantly and Raihana steps inside as if she had been waiting for my call impatiently. She stops in her tracks, her eyes widening.

"Oh my... oh Kiara is going to be a wreck when she sees you. You look..." Her eyes seem to sparkle, and she fans her face with her hand. "Phew, you're making me emotional, and I don't want to ruin my eye makeup. Alright, let's get you zipped up." "Thanks, Ri," I say softly.

She smiles and zips my dress up, and it tightens around me, fitting me like a glove. I can feel the zip barely comes to my waist. I look down at the dress which has one off-shoulder sleeve and pray I don't have my boobies spilling out. But I do look pretty... "This is a very risky dress..." I say worriedly.

"Yup," Raihana replies, not seeming phased. "What's a dress without a little risk? It just adds to the appeal. I'm sure Enrique will be imagining all the ways he could get that dress to show just a little more." "Ri!"

She laughs before she looks towards the open door. "Del! Sky!"

Both women hurry in, Skyla is in a bathrobe, having just showered and Del is in a gown now too. They both stare at me." Damn... you look f*****g sexy." Skyla whistles as Delsanra nods in agreement. "Breathtakingly beautiful, ready to see yourself?"

I nod as Delsanra whispers a spell and the cloth Raihana's hand used to cover the large mirror is removed and I find myself staring at my reflection.

I'm not expecting the result I see...

Raihana smiles as she moves away, leaving me alone in front of the mirror as I stand there, speechless.

The dress itself is exquisite, made of tiny metallic sequins, the entire dress is covered in them, with a pattern weaved into the design, mixed with some gems and the dusky pink and navy glass crystals that are adorning certain parts of the dress. They sparkle brightly when they catch the light.

The underlayer of the dress, which can be seen from the big slit down the right, is made up of antique gold. The dress is fitted to my hips before it flows out nicely and trails slightly on the ground. I'm wearing dusky pink satin heels.

My jewellery is gold, consisting of three additional necklaces to my locket that adorns my neck, one made of dusky pink jewels that match my multi-coloured dangly jewelled earrings.

I have an upper arm band, which has a pink crystal dangling down my arm. I also wear a hand chain and a matching double chain that wraps around my thigh with a dusky pink strap. I'm wearing two bracelets on the other wrist, set with dusky pink stones.

My hair is pinned back with some volume at the top. Loosely curled strands frame my face, the rest of my hair is styled in big waves, and at the back, it's adorned with a hairpiece made of pink and gold jewels. My makeup matches my dress with soft pink lips. I am good at makeup, but Ri is definitely the queen of makeup in our family.

I look... beautiful.