Ten minutes later.
"Actually, let's try both."
Michael had long since given up resisting.
Eventually, the dressing room curtain opened once more. The store became noticeably quieter.
Arianne slowly stepped out. For several seconds neither she nor Michael spoke. Even Arianne seemed stunned by her own reflection.
The flowing noble dress she had worn earlier was gone. In its place was a cream-colored long coat layered over a soft black turtleneck sweater and a fitted dark skirt that reached just below her knees.
Simple. Modern. Elegant.
The outfit somehow emphasized her emerald eyes and golden hair even more than her noble attire had.
Arianne stared at the mirror. The woman looking back at her felt familiar. Yet unfamiliar. Like herself. But also not herself.
A middle-aged woman immediately clapped her hands.
"I knew it!" She pointed dramatically at the mirror. "Look at her!"
The woman turned toward Michael.
"Young man, your friend is beautiful."
