Witch – Chapter 78 – The Two Witches (58)

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Josie stood in front of a large mirror and let out a sigh.

Her makeup, heavily applied to cover her scars, and her hair, neatly pinned up to cover one eye, made her reflection look like a stranger greeting her.

The tightly laced corset, meant to make her already slender frame appear even slimmer, made it hard to breathe, and her chest, unnaturally pushed up, looked pitiful.

The dress, adorned with excessive frills, was another matter… Her exposed skin through the gaps in the dress kept drawing her attention.

The high-heeled shoes made it difficult to stand properly, and she felt like she might fall if she didn’t focus all her energy on walking. The accessories hanging from her body were not only uncomfortable but also heavy.

This wasn’t like Josie.

She sighed at her somewhat ridiculous appearance.

“Miss Josie, you look so beautiful!”

“The gentleman who gets to dance with you at the ball is so lucky!”

Unaware of Josie’s discomfort, the two maids who had done her makeup and dressed her continued to shower her with compliments, almost screaming in excitement.

“Haha… Really?”

Is this okay…?

Wondering if her standards of beauty were different from the maids’, Josie tried to adapt to her unfamiliar appearance.

With only two hours left until the ball began, she didn’t want to trouble the maids any further.

These maids were from the Laplace family, recommended by Emily… so they must be trustworthy, right…?

“Leo will be your partner, right?”

“He’s tall and handsome… You and Leo make such a perfect pair.”

“The maids are all talking about it.”

“I heard Leo is trying on a really dashing tuxedo.”

The maids’ chatter continued incessantly, cutting through Josie’s thoughts.

A perfect pair… with Leo?

Josie blushed as she imagined Leo in a tuxedo. And herself, dancing face-to-face with him…

It must be like a scene from a fairy tale.

In contrast, her reflection in the mirror… was far from the princess she had imagined while reading fairy tales, which made her confidence waver.

If her mother were here, she would have given her all sorts of advice. But Estelle hadn’t shown herself since they returned to the mansion last night.

“Sigh… Where is Mom…?”

Josie muttered with a sigh, almost like a complaint. She tried to calm her trembling hands, which were shaking from nervousness.

Though she had dreamed of attending a ball, the ball was an unknown territory for Josie, and it all felt so unfamiliar.

“Heh… Our Josie has become a different person in just one day.”

“Mom…?”

As a soft pink glow appeared behind Josie’s reflection in the mirror, she quickly turned around, unable to hide her smile.

Leaning against the door, Estelle yawned repeatedly, looking tired, and scanned Josie with a lukewarm gaze.

“Aren’t you going to change into a dress, Mom?”

Josie questioned, seeing her mother in her usual attire.

She didn’t think her mother would dance with anyone, but deep down, Josie wanted to see her in a dress.

A gorgeous dress, elegant movements… her mother’s captivating gaze, exuding grace.

She would surely look beautiful.

After all, she was her mother.

“Why would I wear a dress when I’m not the main star of the show? I have no intention of dancing at the ball. Yawn…”

Crushing Josie’s expectations, Estelle yawned again.

“More importantly, Josie. What on earth is that outfit?”

Estelle frowned as she examined Josie’s dress, makeup, and everything else.

“We followed the latest fashion trends for the dress!”

“Miss Josie will be the star of the ball!”

Seizing the moment, the maids proudly continued.

“Disqualified.”

“…….”

Estelle’s firm words turned the maids into ice statues, silencing them.

The outfit was overall too excessive. Why was there so much unnecessary exposure? Did they tighten the corset this much just to make her waist smaller? Even a wasp’s waist isn’t this extreme. What if she injures her organs?

And the makeup? She’s not a circus clown. Caking on makeup like this only hides Josie’s natural beauty. And who gives a debutante killer heels to dance in?

Estelle was so tired from working all night that she almost lost her temper. She wanted to sentence them to death. Well, how could mere maids understand Josie’s charm?

“Get out.”

“Eek…! Yes!”

“Excuse us!”

As the maids fled the room, silence filled the space.

So Mom felt the same way, right?

Josie sighed in relief at her mother’s critique of her appearance.

If she had faced Leo like this… and if Leo had laughed at her appearance… she didn’t even want to imagine it.

“Today, I’ll be Josie’s stylist and makeup artist.”

“Pfft. What’s that?”

“It’s a thing. Simply put, Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!”

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo was a spell from a fairy tale that allowed a woman who couldn’t attend the ball to go, and Josie decided to trust her mother’s spell.

Josie let her mother undress her layer by layer. Starting with the dress that slid off, followed by the uncomfortable high heels and all the miscellaneous accessories. When the corset came off, she could finally breathe comfortably.

It was a little embarrassing to stand naked in front of her mother… but soon, Estelle pulled a dress from her inventory and carefully helped Josie into it.

“A simple yet dreamy dress suits Josie better than a flashy one.”

It wasn’t completely devoid of frills, but they weren’t excessive. Her shoulders were exposed, but without shoulder pads, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

The skin visible through the cutouts on her sides was shaped like butterflies, and the soft blue color of the dress complemented Josie’s hair, making it seem like the dress was made just for her.

The skirt reached her knees, and the waist decoration flowed down to her ankles, giving the dress a skirt-like appearance.

The flowers growing freely from her body added to the dreamy atmosphere.

Even without the corset or the effort to push up her chest, Josie was still beautiful. Estelle felt she had done well making the outfit overnight.

“Where did you get this dress?”

“Get it? I made it myself. It’s Josie’s first ball, so I had to do at least this much… Otherwise, what kind of mother would I be?”

Finally, Estelle tied the straps on Josie’s back into a butterfly-shaped knot. Even without tightening it too much, Josie’s waist naturally formed a beautiful curve. Estelle used magic to ensure it wouldn’t come undone, making it comfortable to breathe.

Josie felt her mother’s meticulous touch through the mirror. Every gesture was filled with care and love for her.

“Next, let’s fix the makeup.”

Estelle ignored the makeup on the vanity and pulled out her own makeup kit from her inventory.

“Josie doesn’t need heavy makeup. Light, but with strong accents.”

She carefully removed the makeup covering Josie’s face and applied a light base with a brush, then used a soft pink lipstick to color her lips. She emphasized her eyebrows and added just enough eye makeup to enhance her features.

“Where did you learn to do makeup?”

“There’s a witch among the ones I know who’s into fashion. Somehow… I picked it up.”

“You’d look pretty with makeup too, Mom… Of course, you’re already beautiful!”

“Hehe. Well, whose mom do you think I am?”

Estelle gently touched the scar on Josie’s face.

“Shall we get rid of this scar now?”

“Do you think… it’s better to remove it?”

“I don’t mind how Josie looks, but… I’d like to see your face without scars too.”

“…….”

Estelle wanted to remove even the flower mark, but it had almost become part of Josie’s identity. At the very least, she wanted to get rid of the scars.

It would be better for Josie and Leo.

“Alright, Mom.”

Josie nodded as if making a big decision.

Estelle dipped her fingers in a potion she always carried and gently touched the scars. The scars on Josie’s right side began to heal visibly.

“Thank you for making such a big decision.”

“No, I’m sorry for being stubborn all this time.”

As they chatted warmly, Estelle let down Josie’s hair and restyled it. Neat yet elegant and vintage… while maintaining Josie’s dreamy aura.

Though not much different from before, she covered one eye.

“These shoes should do, right?”

“Glass slippers…?”

Estelle pulled out a pair of glass slippers from her inventory.

She had put more effort into making the glass slippers than the dress.

She had enchanted them with so many spells to ensure they wouldn’t break or hurt Josie’s feet.

The heels were moderately low to make dancing comfortable, and translucent spiral straps rose from the back of the shoes, wrapping around her ankles, with a butterfly decoration at the end.

“Let me help you put them on.”

Estelle crouched down and carefully slipped the glass slippers onto Josie’s feet.

“How do they feel?”

“So comfortable!”

Josie walked around the room and even tried running, but she didn’t feel like she would fall or get hurt.

“Thank you, Mom.”

Estelle smiled with satisfaction.

Josie now looked like a fairy with a swarm of beautiful butterflies resting on her. Of course. Whose daughter do you think she is?

Josie, too, seemed pleased with her appearance, standing in front of the mirror, mesmerized by her completely transformed look.

“This is… me…”

Josie was, unmistakably, a girl in love.

Her appearance was both heartwarming and bittersweet…

Estelle quietly left the room.

There was still more to do.

To make this a ball Josie would never forget.

Bearing the name of a mother, Estelle dragged her tired body and moved her weary steps.