Lilac stared at her reflection, her golden eyes took in her false form of painted blood red lips, unblemished skin and rosy cheeks. She gritted her teeth as her sister combed through her hair getting rid of her curls and tucking it behind her horns.
"Griza, why are you doing this?"
Her sister set the hairbrush on the vanity table and picked up a slender, glass perfume bottle and sprayed once at both sides of Lilac's face. She could taste the odour on her tongue and tried her best not to swallow it.
"You have to look radiant for Lord Rothfuss. He plans to ask for your hand tonight so you must look exquisite and you must remember to be poise Lilac, we can't let father down."
There was a short pause before Lilac spoke up. "But I don't love him."
Griza lifted her head from what she was doing and locked eyes with Lilac in the mirror. Her face was plain and strict but she seemed to soften as she came to stand at Lilac's side and placed a hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her.
"You should keep that pretty mouth of yours shut, Lilac" said Griza her tone growing forceful, "This is what you were born for so there is no use crying about it. It's your duty to provide for our family, would you rather we have nothing? Do you want us to live like those peasants out there?"
Lilac bit down on her tongue to stop herself from snapping back. Her family were one of the richest in Brodrick and the greed ran deep in her father and sister and other members of her relations. She wondered if her sister realized just how much she sounded like their father, repeating the lies that he always told and now it seemed that she had started to believe that what he said was true.
With a heavy sigh she looked back at her reflection and realized that there was no going back.
A small smile curved on her lips and from the corner of her eye she saw Griza relax and give an encouraging grin.
"Yes, you're right Griza. You're always right."