The Grand Chantress’s New Shoes

The entire dressing process took well over three hours. The dress itself wasn’t particularly complicated or difficult to wear. Rather, most of that time was spent on less than proper activities, as Daphne found herself thoroughly tormented by the mischievous Edith throughout the morning.

Fortunately, before nine o’clock, Edith finally managed to help Daphne don the dress properly.

“You look absolutely stunning!” Edith exclaimed, bubbling with excitement. She stepped back, admiring Daphne from every angle, before pulling her into an affectionate embrace, rubbing her cheek against Daphne’s as if she couldn’t get enough.

She gently pushed the trembling Daphne back towards the full-length mirror.

“Pull yourself together,” Edith instructed. “You are now Grand Chantress Ellenore Perkin; you must be aware of your own beauty and nobility.”

After a brief pause, Edith added with a smile, “Perhaps your original self is even cuter than Miss Ellenore. Let me hold onto that anticipation for a while longer.”

Daphne was initially skeptical, but upon seeing her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

Pure, flawless white dominated as the main color. Delicate lace trim adorned the neckline, cuffs, and bodice, while a pristine white silk ribbon bow was tied at the collar.

The waist was cinched tightly, accentuating a graceful, winding curve. A larger silk ribbon bow, tied at the back, replaced a conventional belt, its edges adorned with lustrous, round pearls.

The skirt, cascading to her calves, layered like white lotus petals. Its ruffled edges were light and intricate, while the slender curve of her calves peeked out from beneath the hem.

Paired with her cascading mercury-like silver hair and emerald green eyes, a noble and elegant aura emanated from her, even without any deliberate refinement of her speech or mannerisms.

Beholding Daphne now, no one would ever imagine that such a beautiful and pure maiden was, in fact, a vile and lowly half-blood.

‘It would be truly difficult to suspect me like this, wouldn’t it?’

‘Perhaps having Edith’s protection isn’t such a bad thing after all.’

‘I just need to endure this for a bit longer. Once I’m strong enough to escape without leaving a trace, I’ll bid this wretched place a final farewell.’

‘I refuse to be a toy for my entire life.’

“Aren’t you captivated by your own beauty?” Edith asked, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. “I knew this dress would suit you perfectly.”

“Um… could the shoes not have heels?” Daphne inquired, noticing Edith clutching a pair of pristine, snow-white high heels that matched the dress.

“No, darling. You don’t have the right to set conditions. Everything must follow my arrangements,” Edith replied, her smile unwavering but her voice chilling.

“Ugh…”

Even normal walking required immense endurance. Wearing high heels would be like walking on tiptoes, wouldn’t it? If that were the case, she would definitely…

Daphne dared not voice her predicament, for it was simply too humiliating.

“Come, sit on the edge of the bed and lift your skirt slightly. I’ll help you put them on,” Edith commanded.

The half-blood maiden, held by her weakness, dared not defy the coercion.

She obediently complied, clumsily lifting the magnificent, intricate petal-like skirt, fully revealing her calves and feet, which were adorned almost perfectly by thin white silk stockings.

Her bones and flesh were perfectly proportioned, her ankles as exquisitely sculpted as a statue.

The half-blood maiden’s delicate feet were flawlessly beautiful, like polished jade. Through the thin stockings, one could clearly discern her round toes, clustered together like pearls, and the perfectly arched instep, curved subtly like a crescent moon, captivating the heart.

Edith sat sideways on the floor, cradling Daphne’s sole in her hand.

With just two gentle kneads, Daphne’s head tilted back, her jade-like neck arched, and her eyes grew moist and unfocused.

Edith understood implicitly, letting out a silent, soft chuckle. This caused the half-blood maiden to tremble slightly, yet she forcibly restrained herself from making any overt sounds.

“My little darling, your feet are so beautiful,” Edith murmured softly. “Wrapped in silk stockings, they look just like ice cream. May I have a little taste?”

“What—taste!? N-no… that’s so dirty…” Daphne gasped, startled by Edith’s perverse suggestion, shaking her head frantically.

“Just a joke, darling. After all, they only look like ice cream,” Edith said, a playful tone in her voice.

Hearing Edith’s words, Daphne relaxed slightly, relieved that Edith wasn’t that perverse. She didn’t realize, however, that this was merely a trap to distract her.

Taking advantage of the momentary lapse in Daphne’s guard and caution, Edith forcefully slipped one high heel onto Daphne’s foot in a single swift motion.

Daphne finally couldn’t hold back a startled cry.

Feigning ignorance, Edith then took advantage of the half-blood maiden’s dazed, spasming state to forcefully put on the other high heel, prompting an even more humiliating whimper from Daphne.

“Oh dear, what’s wrong?” Edith asked innocently. “It’s just putting on shoes. I didn’t hurt you, did I? Do they not fit?”

Daphne realized Edith was being mischievous, but she dared not call her out directly. To do so would be to admit she was a pervert who could be… stimulated… merely by her feet.

“N-nothing… The shoes… they fit perfectly, neither too big nor too small…”

Though continuous soft gasps made Daphne’s words incomplete, it was nonetheless true: Edith seemed to have specifically chosen a pair of high heels in Daphne’s size not long ago, and they fit perfectly.

Daphne found the high heels somewhat familiar.

They featured slender heels of about four to five centimeters, with pure white uppers adorned with sparkling diamond chips. A string of pearls served as an ankle strap, and a pair of silk ribbon bows graced the back of the heel, making them both elegant and charming.

These were Edith’s favorite pair from before, but she could no longer wear them. It turned out she had kept them all this time, never throwing them away.

“These were a gift from Father for my fourteenth birthday, you know. You must treat them well,” Edith said, placing Daphne’s feet back on the floor. Standing up, she brushed some imagined dust from her skirt. “If you damage them, I won’t forgive you.”

“Birthday gift?” Daphne murmured, nearly having forgotten herself.

“Yes, Father doted on me,” Edith confirmed, taking Daphne’s hands and smiling gently at her. “Alright, now stand up and try taking a few steps.”

‘So that’s it,’ Daphne thought, remembering the occasion. ‘It really did happen.’

‘But, stand up and walk a few steps?’

‘Having just experienced that, if I stand up on these heels now, I’ll definitely…’

Alas, before the half-blood maiden could argue further about her awkward predicament, Edith, with a gentle and benevolent smile, lifted Daphne’s small hands, forcing her to stand.

Not even a whimper could escape her lips.

Her entire body weight instantly shifted to her tiptoes, and Daphne felt wave after wave of electric current surge through every corner of her body, eventually racing up her spine to her brain.

She took tentative steps, like a newborn fawn, the rhythm of her heels striking the floor crisp and clear.

Daphne collapsed weakly into Edith’s arms, her once intelligent and elegant emerald eyes now slightly rolled back. In her dazed state, she heard her adopted daughter’s soft, chuckling whisper echo eerily in her ear.

“Now I know,” Edith whispered. “So this is where your weakness lies.”