Dressmaking is Magic

The winged, doll-like girl began spinning in circles within the screen at a fast pace.

“My first question is, are you some magical creature?” I asked.

“Yes, yes! I am a pixie… I can…”

“Okay, secondly, can you possibly get me better clothes? This outfit is horrid,” I said.

“Wait a moment,” she said, swinging on a branch.

She floated down the screen and stretched her arms.

“I thought you would ask something more important,” said the girl.

I crossed my arms and pouted.

“This is important. The maid purposely left this ugly dress for me.”

“Hmm… I cannot do much while trapped in this screen. Oh, you should get your magic gem by signing up. Then, you can choose any talent of your wish… Ouch. Be easy with the screen!”

I tapped with my nails and entered all my personal information. I was met with a long contract, which I began skimming through.

“Okay! Okay, I got this,” I said.

I traced my fingers to write “Dressmaking Magic.”

A clear, crystalline gem flew out of the screen and into my hands as it spun and formed a rose-gold wand.

Yes, finally! It’s my turn to shine.

I spun it around, and sparks began to fly as my ugly excuse of a dress transformed into a green nightgown and fuzzy slippers.

“Perfect for lounging in!” I said.

The wand stopped spinning, shrank, and was attached to my neck as a gem on a chain.

“Beautiful, beautiful. I wish I had something pretty to wear,” said the pixie.

I tossed myself onto the bed and said, “Thanks! Now that it’s taken care of, what’s your name? Why are you trapped in the screen?”

The camera zoomed out, and the pink-haired girl stretched her arms and jumped up and down. She wore a frilly sweetheart top and a full black skirt. Her black wings shed glitter on the inside of her room.

She said nothing and stared into my eyes for quite some time.

“Sorry, no one ever asks me for my name. I am Comet and a sky pixie. We pixies are known for troublemaking, so the royals prefer to trap us in boxes.”

“Okay… It’s too bad. Yikes,” I said.

“Yeah, you get used to it. Next question!”

“It’s about Prince Cassius… can he be trusted…”

“Ha! You are the millionth girl who has asked about him today! No, he is no longer available; he thinks God has granted his prayer. A random girl fell out of a tree, and he thinks she has some magic that will grant him the throne. He may be pretty, but he is pretty useless when it comes to magic… Oh! I forgot this is the palace network! Bye!” said Comet.

The screen shut off immediately.

“Hey! Come back. I’m not done with you!” I yelled.

“Hehe!” said Comet.

The screen lit up and went back to darkness no matter how many times I tapped on it.

I went to bed and buried my face in the pillows.

Ugh! I should have known. The prince is a good-for-nothing! He can’t use magic. But I'm way less useless than he is! I can sew, paint on fabric, hammer down grommets correctly… He just wants someone to perform magic in his place. And here I thought that we were off to a start of a romance.

I slept for a few minutes. No matter how hard I tried to wake up, all my brain showed me was a black-and-white video of the first time I met Kevin.

I was singing karaoke at a con when he was the only one who wanted to listen. To be fair, I had been singing for twenty minutes straight when the limit was five. He told me that I should try to become a singer and attend open mic sessions. Back then, I replied that no one was grateful, and that I’d sing for him for as long as he’d want me to. Kevin said that he’d love that… And so I sang to him. He would record my guitar videos in various costumes. Sure, I could barely hold a note… He’d always tell me that he was proud of my progress.

All of a sudden, I was unable to breathe. It fast-forwarded to the scene when water filled my lungs and I had no oxygen…

Coughing loudly, I woke up at once, crossed my arms, looked around, and then opened the curtains.

There was a stretch of lush trees in front of the stream, which reflected the bright sun. Cool winds brushed across my skin as a sparrow sat on my windowsill and chirped.

I don’t think I’ll ever sing again. I need something to distract me.

“Comet?” I asked.

I heard snoring all of a sudden.

“Hello, Comet?!” I said.

The monitor turned on with a chime, and Comet flew across the screen, rubbing her eyes.

“My apologies. What do you need?” said Comet, yawning.

“Where do you suppose I can grab a bite to eat?”

“You are in the castle, are you not? You may go to the common dining room during your stay,” said Comet, bouncing up and down the screen.

“Fantastic!” I said.

There was a knock at the door.

Opening it, an old lady in a linen dress and apron said, “Prince Cassius invites you to dine with his highness…”

“Oh. Alright. I’ll be ready in a moment,” I said.

She shut the door behind me as I locked it.

Surely, Prince Cassius won’t betray me, right?

I let out a deep sigh.

After I pressed on my gem locket, it transformed into the rose-gold wand. I imagined how I would pick the navy blue fabric, draw the pattern from measurements, cut the pattern, pin, and sew it. The wand let out light and sparkles, coating my nightgown into a wrap dress with velvet and satin. My shoes were black pumps with a gem in their center.

I sprinkled some of the magic dust onto my forehead, which was soon adorned with a bejeweled headband.

Almost forgot the makeup!

I summoned a circle which brought setting powder, concealer, blue eyeshadow, and berry-shaded lipstick. I applied each with a click of my wand.

That should be enough. I don’t need a purse. I don’t have a phone or even spare change in this world.

I grabbed the key and put it in my pocket. The wand turned back into my locket.

“I’m ready,” I said.

After opening the door, I saw Cassius at the edge of the hallway, almost like a shadow.

“This way,” said the maid.

“But the Prince…”

“That is his soul. A pity, really,” she said.

It can’t be that bad if the soul is just hanging around in the same place as its owner.

We walked down the hallway until we reached the garden, decorated with lanterns. After walking a considerable distance down the stone path, I saw Cassius under a grand gazebo with a chandelier.

“Pamela, is she not coming…?” asked Prince Cassius.

The maid stepped aside. My eyes locked with his at once, which widened, and a small smile curved as I grinned.

“Janessa?” he asked.

“Your Highness!” I said.

“Please, have a seat,” he said.

I grinned, and a waiter pulled out the chair for me to sit down. Cassius gestured for Pamela to leave, so she nodded and exited.

Cassius cleared his throat and said nothing. His face, however, was quite flushed, followed by another smile.

He wore a white, frilly shirt, paired with black trousers.

“I humbly wish to know more about you!” I said, in a high-pitched voice.

“Your tone does not imply humility.”

“Oh?”

Is that a roast?!

My grin turned to a frown.

“But I must thank you for not wallowing in pretentiousness.”

I wish I could say the same about him.

“You are most welcome," I said.

The waiter brought some rolls as an appetizer.

Woohoo, food!

“Please, Janessa, begin.”

I took a bread roll, slathered it in butter, and bit into it at once. On the other hand, I watched as Prince Cassius held the knife and paid attention to every angle that he covered with the butter.

The two of us seem so different from one another.

After I was done, I softly spoke, “Prince Cassius, tell me honestly, why didn’t you simply marry a lady you knew from before? How would I ever be your wife?”

“It will be difficult for you to comprehend at this stage. I will explain soon.”

“But Prince Cassius, I am not a powerful magic user.”

“Worry not, my sweet, it is not magic I am after. Besides, once you choose your talent, together we can simply…”

“I have already chosen mine.”

“Well, what did you choose?” he said, staring into my eyes. “If it is something powerful, then there is no point in our romance! How will my dream of us powering up together ever come true?”

He reached for my hand and I gave it to him.

The prince is a hopeless romantic. I shouldn’t be shocked, but I am.

“Dressmaking magic.”

“Come again?”

“I said that it’s dressmaking…”

“What in the world is that? I have never heard of it,” he said, laughing.

“Well, it’s dressmaking and magic.”

“That does not even make any sense.”

He covered his mouth with his hand.

“Your Highness, lunch has been prepared.”

The prince faked a cough and said, “Bring it in.”

Phew, finally.

My dish had an array of vegetables, chicken, fish, beef, and pasta.

Luckily, I had watched plenty of royal animes in my previous life, so I knew which forks and spoons to use.

“Janessa, tell me about yourself. Where were you before I met you?”

“I was in a terrible place.”

I didn’t even need to exaggerate that; it was a fact. Why does it seem like it happened years ago? That so-called boyfriend of mine laughed before he said goodbye and left me while I tried to rise.

I could hear his laughter resonate through the water while the boat kept sinking downwards.

My eyes burned while I drowned.

I could barely breathe as I stared at my food.

“What is the matter, dear Janessa?” said Cassius.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you are not.”

“I’m not, but there’s nothing you can do about it,” I said.

Exhaling loudly, I looked into Cassius’s eyes while mine nearly welled with tears.

“Janessa. There must be something I can do. What does your heart wish for? A journey to a neighboring kingdom? An afternoon of painting? Training in archery and swordfighting? I am quite a progressive man, but the other men despise me for it. Or perhaps you simply want to marry and settle down with…”

“Ca… Prince Cassius, I just need you to be someone I can trust,” I said, in a whimpering voice.

His face quickly turned to a frown as my eyes began to water a little.

“It is true we do not know each other. However, I will be the one you can trust, provided that I can trust you in return.”

He handed me a handkerchief from his pocket. I wiped the one teardrop I had and smiled at him.

“Much better,” said Cassius.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

I gave it back, but he moved my hand aside.

“Keep it as a token,” he said.

“Alright, Your Highness.”

He has so much, but all he gave me was his used handkerchief. I suppose I can’t complain about that. We barely know each other.

“Your turn, dear Prince.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Where were you before I met you?” I asked.

“Ah, it is my history you ask of.”

“Yeah?”

I don’t expect him to reveal his when I haven’t even revealed mine.

“Well, you see… I saw a woman in my dreams.”

“Oh,” I said, grinning.

What kind of dreams are we talking about here? Hehe.

“Every night, I would dream of her, and every day I would pray for her to come to life. I never would have imagined her to fall out of the sky like that. Although the woman I dreamed of looked rather different. Her hair was as dark as midnight… Alright, never mind. That is the only difference.”

“Really? Are you sure?” I asked.

He scanned me from top to bottom and returned to my eyes.

“Yes, it is quite odd that everything else matches.”

I giggled. Maybe he saw my past self in his dream.

We finished our meal, and the Prince asked me to return to my room.  He stared into the distance, where the shadows of trees rested on the walls of the castle. His eyes narrowed toward a shadow that looked so much like him.

"Janessa, you look tired. You should rest," he said.

"I'm not tired."

"Alright, I am the tired one," he said.

"Good night," I mumbled.

He faced me and said, "Good night, Janessa."

Clutching the handkerchief in my palm, I thought I should embroider it before returning it. But before that, I would need to iron it out.

As soon as I entered, I locked the door behind me and said, “Comet!”

“Yes? Was it you the Prince was looking for all along?”

“Indeed.”

“Strange. I would think he would warrant something more impressive than dressmaking skills.”

“Ugh! How would you know? You’ve never made a dress in your life!”

“True. Rest, you look angry at the moment.”

Changing back into the nightgown, I could have sworn I had heard Cassius outside my door. I opened it, but no one was there.