Hey guys, I know this doesn't mean anything, but I am slowly working my way through the first part of this constituency. I just want these chapters to be perfect; and I can't wait to share them with you. Much love, RSD. Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo.
After I got changed and Evie had left to go and find Doug (after changing into a dark blue, jewel encrusted ballroom dress) I couldn't help but look at myself in the floor length mirror that was in my bedroom. Not in a vain way; I just wanted to make sure that everything looked perfect. I didn't want to disrespect or embarrass Ben or our hosts in anyway by looking a mess.
As I smoothed my hands down my dress I smiled; Evie had worked a number on this one. She has made me a traditional Chinese royal dress which I absolutely adored.
First, my hair was neatly arranged in a loose bun; which Evie had manipulated it to make it look bigger than it normally was and in front of the bun Evie had made me a hair slide which looked like a hand fan. There were gold embellishments on it and the background was a dark purple with a dark green border.
Me and Evie had decided to keep my makeup basic; so we had used nude shades however we used purple eye shadow and dark purple lip stick. Which in my opinion worked lovely against my already pale complexion.
We decided to not overwhelm myself with my jewellery, so I decided to only wear my normal jewellery. I decided to wear the purple stoned necklace that Ben had given me on our first Christmas together, my promise ring, Ben's signet ring, my dragon ring from our quarantine lockdown number one and finally my hand fasting bracelet. I never took these off unless I could help it (apart from the necklace) and due to Evie sticking to my usual colours they set my ensemble off beautifully.
The main part of my dress (the long arm length sleeves and the jacket like part) were made of a dark purple material. However on the low collar which went down to the top of my stomach and sleeves were a dark green shiny material. In the front of the dress to conceal my modesty Evie had stitched a piece of the same material of the belt which really worked against the dark purple material.
The belt itself was one of my favourite parts to the dress; it was the same material that Evie had bought in the market place in Hook's bay. However in the centre Evie had made a golden double dragon embellishment which sat in the centre of the front of the belt.
Falling from underneath the belt there was a piece of light blue material that swept down until the top of my thighs. And falling to the floor from my thighs Evie had decided to use different colours of material to finish the dress off. I loved the fact that Evie had decided to use mine and Ben's colours in this dress. So the bottom of my dress was filled with flashes of dark purple, dark green, dark blue and white.
Finally underneath my dress I was wearing a pair of dark purple, leather flats; as you couldn't see under my dress. This was a blessing in disguise as I didn't have to wear heels my feet weren't going to ache as much as they would normally.
I heard a knock on my side door and I couldn't help but let a large smile spread across my face. Ben didn't know anything about this dress; and I couldn't wait to see his reaction. So after having one last look in the mirror I turned and walked quickly and eagerly towards the door and opened it. I giggled as I watched as Ben's eyes widened in shock as his eyes roamed all over me.
"Wow Mal!" he exclaimed as he quickly stepped into my room and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"You say that every time" I noted as I saw that he was wearing his traditional royal dark blue suit.
"Well you always astound me" he said lovingly as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
"Are you ready my love?" he asked as he brushed his nose against mine.
"Always" I smiled before I pressed a brief but loving kiss against his lips. Ben then chuckled at me and we stepped apart and I slid my left hand into his right. I then eagerly led him from my room, very eager to see what tonight had in store for us both.
After we watched as the rest of our royal party walked down the main staircase to the grand ball room in Han Imperial Palace it was now mine and Ben's turn. Me and Ben both smiled at each other when we heard the herald call and I let Ben start to lead me down the stairs as people gasped at my dress. Me and Ben then stood and smiled at the press as they took photos of our arrival. I made a mental note that when we got back home I was going to have to do something for Evie. She probably wouldn't want anything, but I needed to thank her for all these lovely dresses.
As we made our way towards Emperor Li Shang and Empress Mulan I couldn't help but take in the grand ball room. It had a very high ceiling which was painting a light green, but there were gold patterns painted on it with a dusky red border around it. On the right-hand side of the room the wall was glass and you could see the large and elegant gardens that was lit up with multi-coloured lanterns. The room was littered with large circular tables and there were large glass dragon centre pieces on them. However at the back of the room there was a long table where we were going to be sitting; and there were large golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
When I greeted Empress Li Shang and Empress Mulan I found it a little bit weird; not meeting them of course. It was the fact that Jay and Lonnie were stood next to them. Yes I knew that this was how our lives were going to be now; I knew that Jay was now going to have a lot on his plate after the tour had finished. He was now a council member like me, Jay and Carlos, he also was waiting to hear back to see if his trial was successful from the Auradon Panthers. Jay had also told me that Emperor Li Shang wanted Jay to help him with his military school; but he wanted Jay to live out his dreams first. Jay had confided in me and said that he was very happy to help the Emperor with his work; he found it a great honour. I was so happy that Jay had managed to find his place in the world; just like me, Evie and Carlos. We just wanted to belong somewhere. It meant a great deal to me to see my family doing everything that they wanted. Yes it might feel weird that our lives are changing; but I knew that we would always be there for each other – like always.
