Aria’s hair now stopped just below her collar bones. She'd never had it that short before.
"Oh my god," she said. "If I had known you'd cut so much off, I never would have agreed!"
"Come on, it looks good," Grace said, shrugging.
Aria wasn't sure. And it wasn't like she had a mirror, so she couldn't even tell if Grace was serious or not. Aria was pretty sure that Grace had done it on purpose, maybe in the hopes of making Aria look ridiculous.
She tried to look at her reflection in the water, but she couldn't really get a clear view. She decided to wait until she saw what it looked like in an actual mirror before yelling at Grace again.
Grace gave Brent and Peter haircuts too. But unlike Aria, they actually got trims. When Grace was finished with Peter, she looked at Mara, raising her eyebrow.
"Oh no," Mara shook her head, "Don't even think about it."
"Come on!" Grace yelled, "They all look so good!"
"And I don't?" Mara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Point taken," Grace said, smirking.
Aria was pretty sure that they were flirting. They'd been doing that more and more lately. And the only other person that Grace smiled at so much was her brother.
Chapter 24
Eventually, they had to head back. By the time they reached the palace, the sun had almost set.
Aria was starving, but she decided to go to her room to wash up before dinner. But mostly, she wanted to look in a mirror.
She went straight to her vanity table as soon as she got to her room. She was a little surprised by the girl she saw looking back at her.
Grace was right. It looked good. Really good, actually. Her dark hair was wavy and clean, and it framed her face perfectly. She felt like a brand new person. She didn't know haircuts could do that.
She took a bath and got ready for dinner. She decided to wear something other than her typical shirt and pants combo in a moment of sheer giddiness. Searching through her dresser, she settled on something she thought she'd never wear.
But she'd felt so different with the haircut, so maybe it was fitting that she picked up a long red dress and put it on. The neckline plunged a little, and the material was soft and light. It was a plain dress. The most notable thing about it was the slit on the side that came up a little past the middle of her thigh.
She picked up a thin silver necklace that she'd gotten as a present when she got married. It took a few minutes, but she clasped it behind her neck.
She looked at herself in the mirror again. The girl staring back was almost unrecognizable. She'd gained weight, her face round, and her breasts full. Her face had gotten a little tanner in the past few days, and her hair was healthier than she'd ever seen it. The girl looking back at her looked like a queen.
She made her way to the throne room in good spirits. Once inside, she walked straight to her table. She noticed a few people staring.
A few of her friends actually did double-takes. The thought made her want to blush. But she'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it.
Once she was close enough to look at Lex and Grace seated before her, Aria was reminded of all the ways they looked alike. Both of them had stopped talking; both of their mouths were slightly parted in surprise. Both of them had their eyebrows raised, just a fraction. Aria tried not to laugh.
They looked away at the same time, too.
She sat down and tried not to blush.
"You cut your hair," Lex stated after a few minutes of silence.
"Actually, Grace cut it for me," she said, meeting his eyes.
"You're welcome," Grace said from Lex's other side, a smile playing on her lips.
"Oh," Lex said. He cleared his throat, and in a much quieter voice, he added, "It looks nice."
"Thank you," Aria replied, now blushing in earnest. It wasn't like she'd never received a compliment before. But something about the way he said it made her skin heat.
She poured herself a glass of wine, figuring that it'd help her relax a little.
"Did you have fun today?" he asked, still looking at her.
"Yeah, um, it-it was fun," she said, taking a long sip from her glass. "It's a beautiful place. I'd like to go again."
"Well, maybe I'll take you next time," he said, smiling.
"It's not too far. I think I can manage to go by myself," she said. She hoped he understood that she was teasing him.
"Ah, yes. I'm sure you could."
"Maybe next time, I'll take you."
He smiled, taking a sip of his own wine. "I'd like that," he said, turning back to face the crowd.
What the hell...were they flirting?
"I'm gonna head out," Grace said, "You two...enjoy your night."
Aria felt herself blush again. It was stupid; Grace had only wished them a good night. It wasn't like she was implying anything. Or was she?
"I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before," Lex said after Grace had left.
"I was in a dress when we got married, you know. But then again, I'm sure you had more important things on your mind than my wedding gown."
"No, I remember," he said, "What I meant to say was that I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress voluntarily."
Aria laughed at that, taking another long sip of her wine. It seemed to be helping; she was feeling a lot more relaxed.
"So, I've been thinking," she began, "I need like...a job or something."
"You're the queen."
"Yes, but you actually have things to do. I haven't done much of anything. I have a lot of spare time on my hands, so I'd like to do something productive with it."
"Well, I've got to admit I'm a little surprised. Queens don't typically
