Chapter 63: Tiny Hands
—ARIA—
Ren watched the glowing creatures fly around the room before speaking carefully.
"Pixies? What are they doing here?"
Pixies.
Pixies?
...
"Haaah?! Pixies?!" I gasped so loudly that one of them nearly crashed into the curtains.
My eyes widened in complete disbelief as dozens of tiny winged creatures zipped through the air around us like floating stars.
Trails of shimring dust scattered behind them every ti they moved, sparkling beautifully beneath the sunlight pouring through my windows.
Their tiny bodies glowed in soft shades of gold, silver, blue, and pale pink while their wings fluttered so quickly they almost looked transparent.
It was srizing.
For several seconds, I completely forgot about my stress and my unfinished dress.
Because there were literal fairies in my room.
Tiny magical fairies.
I stared upward in awe while one pixie flew past my face carrying what looked suspiciously like one of my embroidery needles.
"...This world is insane," I whispered to myself.
anwhile, Ren looked equally stunned beside , though significantly more composed than I was.
One of the pixies suddenly flew directly toward .
I instinctively leaned backward slightly as she hovered before my face. Up close, she looked impossibly delicate. Her tiny dress resembled flower petals layered together while silver light shimred faintly through her hair.
Then, she perford a tiny curtsy.
I froze imdiately.
"Oh my god."
The pixie smiled brightly afterward before speaking.
Or at least...
I assud she was speaking.
Because instead of words, all I heard were soft chiming bell sounds every ti she opened her mouth.
Tiny musical ringing noises echoed around us while she gestured enthusiastically with both hands.
I blinked.
"...Uhm."
She continued speaking.
More bell sounds.
I looked helplessly toward Ren.
"Do you understand her?"
Ren calmly shook his head.
"No."
Ah.
Cross-species communication failure.
The pixie tilted her head afterward, clearly noticing our confusion. Then she placed both tiny hands against her cheeks dramatically like soone realizing they forgot an important detail.
"Oh no," I muttered weakly. "She’s cute."
The pixie suddenly brightened again before flying away from in a flash of gold light.
I watched curiously as she landed directly atop the finished sketch resting on my table. Another pixie imdiately joined her while several others circled around the half-finished gown nearby.
Then, one grabbed thread.
Another picked up tiny needles.
A third began tugging fabric into place.
I blinked
"...Wait."
The pixies were organizing my materials.
No...
They were working.
One tiny fairy carefully folded lace while another carried pins twice her size through the air with terrifying determination. Several others hovered around the embroidery patterns examining them closely like professional seamstresses conducting quality inspections.
I stared at them in disbelief.
"They want to help ."
The mont those words left my mouth, the pixies collectively chid excitedly.
One even spun happily through the air afterward.
Ren looked equally stunned now as he watched the pixies begin sorting fabric pieces with efficiency.
Tiny glowing hands carried ribbons across the room while others folded lace, threaded needles, and organized pearls into neat little piles like an entire sewing departnt had suddenly descended from the heavens.
"...My lady," he said slowly, still staring at them cautiously, "I believe that elf doctor sent them."
I imdiately looked down at the vine bracelet wrapped around my wrist.
Right.
The crystals embedded within it still glowed faintly beneath the light, pulsing softly every few seconds like a heartbeat.
Aelith.
That elf doctor really sensed my stress through the bond.
I stared blankly at the bracelet for several seconds before looking back at the groups of pixies currently invading my room and reorganizing my entire work station.
One of them was currently dragging expensive velvet across the table.
Another had sohow climbed into my bead box.
"...He sent them because I was stressed," I whispered weakly.
Ren remained silent for a mont before answering carefully,
"Although I hate to admit it... I think so too."
I ended up laughing softly at that before finally breathing out the tension that had been strangling since this morning.
Sohow, the panic that had been sitting heavily inside my chest eased.
I looked down at the bracelet again, watching the decorative silver vines shimr faintly beneath the candlelight.
Then smiled unconsciously.
"I will make sure to thank him when I see him again."
A nearby pixie imdiately chid happily like she approved of that statent.
I quickly composed myself afterward before clapping both hands together and turning toward Ren with renewed determination.
"Well then!" I announced. "I am officially returning to war."
I pointed firmly toward the door afterward.
"I am going to start working properly now, so you should go handle your responsibilities too."
Ren glanced once more toward the dozens of glowing pixies currently swarming my room before turning back to .
"...Are you certain you will be alright alone, my lady?"
I imdiately looked offended.
"Ren, I currently possess an army."
As if on cue, several pixies raised their tiny needles proudly into the air.
Ren stared at them silently.
Then sighed.
"...I see."
He bowed slightly afterward before turning toward the door, though I caught the faintest trace of amusent lingering on his face before he left the room entirely.
The mont the door closed, I imdiately spun toward the pixies.
"Ladies," I declared while pointing toward the unfinished dress spread across the table, "we have two days to work on this so let us fo our best!"
The pixies exploded into excited chiming noises.
And thus...
My conquest resud.
Heh.
The pixies and I imdiately divided the work between us. So focused entirely on the jewelry designs I had sketched earlier, carefully arranging gemstones and silver chains into elegant patterns while tiny sparks of magic fused the pieces together seamlessly.
Others worked on the headdress.
And by worked, I ant they transford my rough concept into sothing significantly more beautiful than I originally imagined.
Pearls floated gently through the air while silver threads twisted together beneath glowing fingertips. Tiny flowers crafted from translucent fabric blood one by one beneath their magic until the entire piece looked delicate enough to belong inside a royal treasury.
anwhile, another group focused on my shoes.
Which, frankly, was revolutionary.
Because unlike the cruel foot-destroying aristocratic shoes currently terrorizing noblewon across this kingdom, my design prioritized comfort beneath elegance.
And the pixies understood the assignnt perfectly.
I watched in complete awe as soft enchantnts settled into the soles beneath their tiny hands, making the structure lighter without sacrificing shape.
"Oh my goodness," I whispered emotionally. "I love it!"
The rest of us, including , focused entirely on the dress itself.
And when I said these pixies were magical...
I ant genuinely magical.
Actual terrifyingly useful magic.
At one point, I watched a pixie brush glowing fingers lightly across a section of fabric and the color changed instantly.
I gasped so loudly several pixies startled midair.
"No way."
Another fluttered proudly toward before touching the silk again. The texture softened imdiately beneath the glow, becoming smoother and lighter while still maintaining its luxurious appearance.
I stared at the fabric in complete disbelief.
"...This is cheating."
The pixie proudly crossed her arms.
Honestly, she deserved to.
Because this was incredible.
They adjusted textures.
Enhanced embroidery.
Strengthened delicate lace without damaging its appearance.
Even the gemstones beca brighter after they infused tiny traces of magic into them.
I felt like I accidentally unlocked premium crafting mode.
And sowhere between watching floating needles stitch fabric automatically and seeing ribbons braid themselves through magic alone...
A sudden realization struck .
"I feel like Cinderella," I muttered thoughtfully.
One pixie tilted her head curiously.
"You know. Except instead of mice..." I looked around the room at the glowing winged creatures flying everywhere. "I got pixies."
The image imdiately made laugh.
"Cinderella and her magical fairy sweatshop."
Several pixies chid proudly like they took that as a complint.
User Comments
0 comments from readers