"Second Miss, I've brought the dress your mother sent over", said a soft voice on the other side of my bedroom door.
I walked over to the door to receive my delivery, greeting Anna, my mother's maid, in the process.
"Thank you, Anna", I said with a gentle smile.
Gracefully, I extended my arms to accept the white decorative box that contained the dress my mother picked out for me.
I had to be very mindful of my movements as making a mistake in front of Anna was the same as making a mistake in front of my mother.
Anna was my mother's eyes and ears around the mansion, reporting on anything that was out of place, and I was no exception.
After accepting the box I retreated back inside of my room to begin the ritual of getting ready for Sunday Mass.
This was naturally a very important day for the family so I woke up early to begin applying my overly complicated skincare routine and light amounts of makeup.
It was my hair that always took the longest. It was naturally down to my waist, cascading down my shoulders in gentle waves.
Usually, my mother liked for my hair to be partially up, styled in some ornate way. Today however I decided to keep a more natural look, letting it down in light waves.
Opening the white box, I saw a beautiful white gown with white lace accents along the neckline and sleeves.
"Looks like Mother went all out for today", I mumbled, marveling at the beautiful dress.
Today would be the first Sunday Mass that Christian would accompany us. This meant the first time my family could show off their newly forged alliance with Christian Vittoria.
I'm surprised he agreed to this, but I figured that Father convinced him to spend more time around Morgan to cultivate feelings.
After stepping into the white gown I looked at myself in the mirror. The white lace coupled with the matching lace headband made me look innocent and even somewhat ethereal when coupled with my dark brown hair.
Part of me felt like I was wearing a wedding dress if it wasn't for the darker cream-colored skirt.
As I continued to look into the mirror, I felt the world around me begin to cave in. The small smile on my face slowly vanished as my thoughts began to wander.
Why does any of this matter? This dress doesn't matter…this meeting doesn't matter
…Do I even matter?
A knock on my door brought me back to reality.
On the other side of the door stood Morgan donning a proud expression.
"Ah Leslie, what is this get up? You look like a porcelain doll", she said with a smirk while flaunting her beautiful sapphire dress.
"You look beautiful, sister", I said in a gentle voice. Faking everything about myself was what I did best, and since there was no other option, I decided that I would continue faking it.
Maybe one day I can fake my way out of this cage.
Morgan frowned at my innocent appearance. She hated me to the core for whatever reason, but I never allowed her the luxury of getting under my skin.
"You know Christian will be joining us today. Make sure to keep your distance, I don't want anyone to accidentally think that he's with you", she spat out and turned to leave without waiting for my response.
"I could care less about you or him", I whispered watching her disappear into the hallway. My only salvation was the possibility of getting betrothed to a kind man, someone who could set me free from this shackled life.
Taking a deep breath, I donned my typical "virtuous" and "innocent" expression, walking softly down the long hallway to the foyer where my Mother was waiting.
Morgan was talking with her when I arrived. It sounded like another round of scolding, reminding Morgan to behave appropriately when conversing with Christian.
My mother turned to look at me, inspecting every aspect of my appearance.
"Leslie, next time do something with your hair. I'll accept it this time as it fits the style of the dress, but I want you to take better care of your hair in the future"
Her eyes were cold as she lifted a few strands of my hair with her hand.
"Yes, Mother", I replied, as anything more would land me with punishment.
"Good. Let us go. Your father and brother are already at the cathedral, waiting to greet Christian", she said and led us out the door to the car.
It wasn't uncommon for us to take separate cars to Sunday Mass, as my father and brother usually went early to meet with the other patriarchs of prominent families to discuss business and current affairs.
As we pulled up, I saw a crowd of people circling the entrance of the church.
"Ah! That must be Christian!", cried out Morgan. Her face flushed at the thought of seeing him, earning her a strict look from our Mother.
I subconsciously looked out of the car window, searching for the handsome man I had just recently met for the first time.
-
After getting out of the car Morgan and I followed our Mother towards the entrance, keeping a proper distance between each other.
"Oh if it isn't Madam Moresi and her two beautiful daughters", a woman's voice called out.
My mother's steps paused as she turned to greet the woman.
"Ah! Madam Lombardi, what a pleasant surprise", said my mother, showing off her signature elegant smile.
The Lombardi's have been a direct competitor to our family for a few generations, and while everything seemed very peaceful on the surface, the truth was far from that.
"Eve, come greet Madam Moresi and her two beautiful daughters", said Madam Lombardi to her daughter who was standing beside her.
A pretty girl of a similar age to my sister walked over. She had soft features and large green eyes. Her hair was golden blonde, styled into soft curls that reached beyond her shoulder.
"Greetings to Madam Moresi, first miss, second miss", greeted Eve politely.
I returned the greeting with a simple curtsey while my Mother did the talking. "Oh, Eve! You're like a blooming rose! You must surely have a line of suitors lining up for you"
Madam Lombardi smiled, "Oh surely you jest. Morgan, as the eldest of the young ladies naturally gets the spotlight", she said turning to look at Morgan.
Morgan straightened her posture while my Mother smiled, "Since it only happened just recently, you may not have heard the news, but my Morgan is too soon be engaged".
My mother's words clearly shocked the mother-daughter pair. Madam Lombardi froze momentarily before inquiring further.
"Well, this is joyous news indeed! Who might the lucky man be?", she asked curiously. News of the eldest miss of the Moresi family getting engaged was great news in the upper circle.
My mother paused slightly and looked over at the crowd in front of them. Her eyes landed on the tall and handsome man who was standing at the center.
"Christian Vittoria", she finally said, in a bold and gloating manner.
These words were spoken with an air of absolute victory, dropping a bomb on the two women.
Eve's expression broke as panic flashed through her eyes. Madam Lombardi was also stunned to the core, unable to process how this could have happened under her nose!
She's been trying to push Eve into Christian's lap for a while now, so to hear this news must have been truly unnerving.