Winter shrugged.
With a drawn-out sigh, Scarlet said, “Fine, I’ll go put it on. But I’m not going to stay in it for an hour. I still have chores to do.” She slipped out of the bedroom carrying the dress, and a moment later they heard the click of the bathroom door in the hall.
“I’ve never heard of that tradition before,” said Cress.
“That’s because I made it up,” said Winter.
Iko beamed at her. “Well done. Now, quick.” She hurried to the tuxedo and pulled it off the peg, passing it to Cress, who passed it to Cinder. “Get that down to Wolf before she comes back.”
Cinder rushed it to the staircase and hissed. Within seconds, Kai appeared in the foyer below with a garland of ribbon and roses draped across his shoulders. Cinder smirked. “Having fun down there?”
“Surprisingly, I sort of am. Turns out Thorne has a weird knack for this wedding thing. He says it’s because Cress has been poring over wedding feeds for the past few months, but … I think he’s secretly enjoying it.”
Thorne’s voice came booming from the sitting room: “Don’t mock a guy for having good taste!”
“Here, give this to Wolf,” said Cinder, lowering the tuxedo to Kai. He flashed her a thumbs-up before retreating.
Hearing the click of a door, Cinder pivoted around to see Scarlet emerging from the bathroom, wearing the white dress. “I need someone to zip it up,” she said, pulling her curls over one shoulder and turning her back to Cinder.
“Er, we should let Winter do it,” said Cinder, coaxing her back into the bedroom. “You know my tendency to leave grease stains on every pretty thing I touch.”
The other girls were anxiously anticipating Scarlet’s return, and her appearance brought on another chorus of swoons. Winter pulled up the zipper and Scarlet gave a half turn, letting the full skirt swish around her legs. It was the girliest thing Cinder had ever seen her do, and even Scarlet was beaming when she caught sight of herself in the full-length mirror in the corner.
“Oh, Scarlet,” Cress sighed. “You’re getting married. It’s all like a dream.”
“I guess it sort of is,” Scarlet agreed, her cheeks flushing pink around her freckles.
Iko petted the edge of the bed. “Sit down and let me do your hair.”
“My hair? What are you going to do to my hair?”
“I’m not sure yet, which is why I need to practice for the big day.”
With Scarlet’s back turned, Iko winked at Cinder, who alone knew that Iko had been researching popular wedding styles and practicing on the palace maids for weeks.
Scarlet groaned. “How long will this take?”
“Why, you have somewhere else to be? Stop whining and sit down. Cinder, you have those hair accoutrements I told you to hold on to?”
“Oh. Right.” Cinder had forgotten all about the brush, clips, bobby pins, and curling iron that Iko had ordered her to stash in the hollow compartment of her cyborg leg before they’d left Luna. She sat down and pulled them out.
Scarlet’s jaw dropped. “You’re frighteningly prepared,” she said, pushing a fingertip through the pile of bobby pins that Cinder set on the bed. “What if I told you I just wanted to wear my hair down, like normal?”
“Then I would use my powers of persuasion to change your mind.” Iko grabbed the sides of Scarlet’s head and forced her to face forward. “Now hold still.”
The others sat down to watch Iko work. She’d just finished teasing the hair at the crown of Scarlet’s head when Scarlet asked, “Why is Wolf’s tuxedo missing?”
Cinder traded looks with the others. “It … um … we were…”
“Thorne came up and took it,” interrupted Cress. “When you were changing.”
Scarlet frowned. “What for?”
“Because … he wanted to…” Cress swallowed. “Um … compare it to his own tuxedo. To make sure they were, uh … matching?” Her gaze darted to one side as she realized how implausible that sounded, even for Thorne.
“She means,” interrupted Cinder, “that Thorne was concerned that he and Wolf might have purchased the same tuxedo, which I guess is considered a big faux pas. You know how Thorne is about that sort of thing. Can’t be seen in the same tux as the groom! How embarrassing, right?”
Scarlet opened her mouth to speak again, her brow furrowed, when Iko asked, “What shoes are you going to wear?”
Scarlet moved to turn her head, but Iko grabbed it and faced her forward again. She huffed. “I don’t know. Winter said she had a pair I could borrow.”
Winter snapped and hopped to her feet. “Right. They’re still packed away. I’ll go get them.” She darted across the hall into the guest room, rustled around for a moment, then returned carrying a pair of red heels, almost the exact color of the dress’s sash.