Page 8 of How to Seduce a Slender

Melody laughed sheepishly, “Sure!”

Agatha squealed as she waltzed out of the wardrobe with a ruby dress made of satin in her arms.Oh, I’m absolutely ruining that.Melody tried to protest to a dress as elegant as the one in Agatha’s arms, but she danced away from the wardrobe. For a ghost, Agatha was firm.Or at least her grip is.Melody was given little time to adjust to the spinning of the room before she was undressed and secured into agown.Not just a dress, this was agown-gown.The kind she used to walk past in shops, dead stop, and dreamily sigh after like a pining schoolgirl.

She peeked at a floor-length mirror inside the door of the wardrobe and her heart skipped a beat.

Oh…that’s why…that’s… Oh!

Melody didn’t realize tears formed until a soft handkerchief was brushed against her cheek. Despite her wild mane of chestnut hair or the smudge of dirt still on her nose, she looked at herself for the first time in a long time in admiration.

The top framed her in a box cut, making her breasts into perfect, bouncy mounds. Sleeves that didn’t pinch her biceps or make her shoulders look bulky wrapped around her arms. It was high-waisted to show off her apple shape in the way classic paintings made women her size look edible. Melody clutched her hands in front of her, struggling to swallow.

“You know? Hot damn! That’s me?” Melody glanced at Agatha who nodded vigorously. Melody beamed, returning her attention to the mirror. Despite the tears blurring her eyes, she couldn’t help the surge of pride. “I’m really pretty…under the grime and the bacon grease.”

How would I recover? How could I survive after this?After she’d gotten a taste of this then returned to the dull, shapeless existence of a diner t-shirt and jeans.How cruel.

Agatha cleaned the smudge from her face before floating behind her. Melody held still, watching in reverence as Agatha gathered her hair behind her in a simple clip, letting tendrils of it frame her face in shaggy lengths while the rest was clipped away from her neck. Then Agatha popped her chin onto Melody’s shoulder, smiling at her. “How’s that?”

“You’re a miracle worker,” Melody confessed with a single breath.

“It’s not hard to craft a masterpiece when I’m working with such stunning clay.” Agatha winked sweetly before floating away. “Now, best we get down to see Mr. Smith before he electrifies the house. He’s been worried sick about you sleeping for two whole days.”

“Two days!” Melody howled, racing after the ghostly figure from the room. Her bare feet slapped against the groaning floorboards. She skidded to a spot as Agatha dropped a pair of simple black slippers for her to wear before beckoning her further.

Two days?Melody didn’t feel like she’d been unconscious for two days. If anything, it felt like a good night’s rest.

Agatha chuckled as the pair descended a grand staircase. Melody was racing to keep up, but also stopping frequently just to take it all in. A massive manor with vaulted ceilings, drenched in gothic delight, she wanted to appreciate all the details. Walls blended into doors, spider webs collecting at every corner, long running carpets as well as paintings blurred together in her head.This place is a maze.She wasabsolutelygetting lost in here.

“This way, Ms. Deathless,” Agatha giggled, tugging her arm.

“Melody,” she panted for air, grinning from ear to ear. Melody spun in the main hallway one last time to absorb it. “Please, just Melody.”

“Of course, Ms. Melody.”

“Well…okay,” she grumbled to herself as she trotted after the floating woman. Agatha paused outside a door and motioned for her to step inside. Melody slid around the corner and stopped.This room!“So, it wasn’t a fever dream.”

“Ah! Ms. Deathless, good morning!” Smith sprung up from his desk, hastily tucking papers away into folders.

“Pfft, can everyone not be so formal?” She snorted, taking up the front of her skirt as she cleared the doorway. A buzzing room of movement was a breath of fresh air to the dark, empty abode around them. Papers, books, files, and newspapers all zigzagged over her head into their own little pipes using access points across the ceiling. In the daylight, the room was alive with fluttering quills and ink wells. Misty hands plucked books from the wall and scribbled in them before putting them elsewhere.

Her gaze finally fell to the slender once more. This time…this time she remembered him clear as day. Her favorite usual. Pancakes with extra butter, syrup on the side, coffee with a shot of espresso and enough sugar to rot his teeth. Smith was always dressed in an expertly tailored suit, usually black on black on black. However, today she was greeted with a completely new sight. Him in just a cream button-up blouse under a cinched, black vest, rings around his sleeves to keep them against his biceps, and slacks.It’s just a singular, cream shirt but it was different.She noticed the distinct lack of gloves. Sparks of electricity zapped out of his hands and skull into the walls. Flickers of lights in amber globes lit up before going back dark again.

“Apologies, hard to teach an old dog new tricks, Ms. Deathless—er…Melody.” There was a slight wheeze in his voice at the sound of her name. She arched a brow. He motioned at her with one hand, the other tucked behind his back. “I see Agatha got to you this morning.”

“Oh? You mean the magic makeover?” Melody beamed, twirling for him with a giddy expression plastered to her cheeks. “Swanky, isn’t it?”

“Uh—not the term I would use, but you look wonderful. How do you feel?” He motioned with a singular, flickering hand to his couch before he rushed to pull on his gloves.

Melody eyed him curiously, creeping toward the couch without ever putting her back to him. “Fine? I guess.”

“No lingering exhaustion? Do you feel weak in the knees? Or sick to the stomach? Are you hungry?” He asked one after the other as he produced a silvery bottle of something onto his desk. He popped the cork on it and poured shimmering liquid into a shot glass at his desk.

“I shouldn’t be sleepy in the least as I’ve been knocked out for two whole days, but you know a girl can always eat. What ‘cha got there?” She pointed at it, refusing to sit until either he downed it or explained it. The last thing she wanted was to drink mysterious liquid from the haunted manor in the middle of the woods where no one would ever find her body. She trusted Smith to an extent, but he was stilljusta regular. She didn’t even know if Smith was his real name or if there was more to fear here than being chased through the woods by animated monsters.

“That was a bit unexpected, I’ll admit. But we assumed you just needed the rest.” He exhaled softly, stepping around his desk and offering her the shot glass. “It’s a recovery potion. You were bitten by eldritch beasts. Their bite is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg with them. You may feel fine now, but as the day progresses, I assume you’ll feel the effects of it. Life-force drain is nothing to laugh at. This will return you to your usual vigor, I’ve been told.”

“Uh-huh.” She squinted at him.

“I’m not here to poison you, Melody,” he chuckled.

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