Cassia instantly burst into laughter while I squirmed inside the corset, itching unbearably.
"Is this your first time wearing one? Wait, let me help you."
She reached behind me, untied the laces, and opened the corset just enough to create a blessed gap at my waist. The rush of air and the slight shift of fabric alone made me melt with relief. But then my waist felt like it was expanding, a dull ache blooming where the pressure had been.
I breathed out heavily and collapsed onto the bed, not moving a single muscle. I wanted to scratch my back so badly, but everything would fall apart if I did.
"Wait, why does the gown look so long and stuffed inside the corset?" Cassia asked, narrowing her eyes as she got a better look at the dress.
I was feeling too relaxed to answer right away, but I forced myself to.
"I didn't have a ball dress of my own," I started.
"So basically, I borrowed two gowns from Mother. One shorter and one longer. One had what the other was lacking."
The words came out faster than I intended. I took a small pause. "Then I layered them on top of one another. Resulting in this."
Cassia's mouth fell open. She was stunned.
"Two gowns? That's the reason you're feeling so fatigued."
I don't know when I closed my eyes, but it felt so comfortable and peaceful. With a sleepy voice, I murmured,
"I know. Anything to look pretty." I added softly, "But I think I've taken my share of compliments. I'm done."
"That's so like you," Cassia said with a soft giggle.
"Oh, Tamsin, where were you? And why do you look this way?"
Tamsin had returned. Wait—Tamsin? I snapped awake from my comforting haze instantly. I spoke with a faster pace, as if I hadn't been tired at all.
"Where did you run off to? And that too at such an important time. I was worried, you know."
I looked at her closely. Tamsin wasn't meeting my eyes. She was blushing deeply, a light sheen of sweat on her skin.
"I… I apologize for making you worry. I... was…"
Tamsin started, but her eyes kept drifting toward the ceiling and her hands fidgeted nervously in front of her. Cassia and I exchanged a confused glance.
"Alright, you'd better explain now," I said in a casual tone. "Because your behaviour is weird without context."
Cassia crossed her arms while I leaned forward, both of us waiting. Tamsin covered her mouth with her fist, clearly flustered.
"Well... Edmund was here. He suddenly pulled me and..."
My mouth fell open. Cassia still looked confused. Edmund? That guy who tease her on the roads. What was he doing here?
"So you were doing lovey-dovey stuff with him while we were here," I teased, keeping the playful rhythm with a bright smile on my face.
That probably made Cassia even more confused.
"Can any of you two explain?" Cassia asked, clearly lost.
I couldn't stop the smile spreading across my face at the secret I was about to reveal. Tamsin just stood there, looking utterly hopeless.
"Actually, a guy..."
Then I explained everything about Tamsin and Edmund and their strange, on-and-off relationship. Cassia's reaction was exactly like mine the first time I heard it—initial interest, followed quickly by righteous outrage and thoughts of calling the royal police.
"Sure, this can be a forbidden novel~" Cassia commented with a grin. She blinked a couple of times before moving toward Tamsin with a distinctly teasing smile. We were both about to melt her.
"So~ what exactly were you two doing?" Cassia asked.
We both turned our full attention to Tamsin's face, staring at her with eager, demanding eyes that wanted every single detail. Tamsin covered her mouth with both hands and took a nervous step back.
"So, did you ask him what I told you about?"
Before Tamsin could even think of answering, I fired off another question. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. We narrowed our eyes at her. Then she finally started.
"W-Well... I did ask him a lot of questions. But he ignored half of them."
Tamsin said, her fingers fidgeting awkwardly. She stepped backward as we stepped forward. We practically pinned her against the wall.
"But he did answer half, right?" Cassia asked, and I backed her up with an eager nod. "Spill the tea."
Tamsin paused, looking around the room like a lost idiot before scratching her head with an embarrassed little smile.
"Well... to be honest... he didn't give me a proper answer either."
Cassia pressed a hand to her temple and backed down in open frustration. I breathed out in disappointment, staring at the floor.
"Really! Please tell me you at least know his age now."
"Ohh yes—he is actually seventeen. And exactly one and a quarter years older than me. So he is fine."
Tamsin smiled brightly, as if that single fact would satisfy our curious brains. I was glad he wasn't some creepy old pervert, at least. He still wasn't completely clear, though.
"And also," Tamsin started, crossing her arms behind her back and lowering her voice like she was analyzing some great mystery. "I'm not sure what got into him."
She sounded thoughtful, almost clinical. Cassia and I weren't as invested as before, but we weren't ignoring her either.
"But he was acting kind of... extra happy in a way."
Tamsin took a pause, thinking hard.
"Extra happy? Maybe because he got to meet with you. You dummy," Cassia said in a casual tone.
Tamsin was so deep in thought it looked like she was trying to solve the biggest mystery in the world.
"Yes, he acts that way, but he was extra happy," Tamsin continued. "He said something about my behaviour… then proceeded to kiss me out of nowhere."
"Yes, you two kissed, alright," Cassia said casually.
For a second I agreed with her, basically ignoring the word "kiss," and it looked like Tamsin hadn't even noticed what she had just said. Then it hit us all at once.
"Wait—you two WHAT?!"
We pointed at her, voices loud and dripping with juicy scandal. Tamsin's face flushed crimson as she snapped back to reality and realized what she had just confessed.
"So how was it?"
"How can you just let that happen?"
"Yes. Did you protest, even a little?"
"Did you enjoy it?"
We were back in her face again, firing questions one after another—first me, then Cassia—barely giving her space to breathe, let alone think.
"W-wait, please..."
Tamsin was red all over, breathing heavily, her hands placed defensively in front of her. We eased back a little, not wanting to overstimulate her completely.
"I-I was talking to him and..." Tamsin covered her face with both hands, hiding her burning embarrassment. "He held my chin and then... He didn't give me time to protest."