A hard slap across her face brought Araminia jolting back into the world of painful reality, a startled cry escaping her lips as she lifted her head, a pained look in her watery eyes. As she hung there, feet barely brushing against the ground, she became aware of the soft murmurs behind her, as he began to address the class, her cheeks burning red from more than just the decisive blow he’d struck across her face. Her back was completely exposed, half of her only covered by the grace of a thin strip of fabric that loosely held up the front of her bodice after he’d torn her sleeve to use as a rag. But after her sheltered upbringing, she may well have been naked in front of them, hot tears welling up in her eyes. She could hear the maliciousness in his voice as he explained what her purpose was, before asking if anyone was willing to assist her.<br/><br/>Truthfully, she had expected no one to step forwards, as reviled and hated as her family name must have been in a place like this. But three young women did, about her age too, for a brief second, she allowed herself to think they might feel sympathy for her, but she knew better. As they stepped forwards the mist unceremoniously released from her wrists, dropping  her to the ground as her legs found themselves in a position unable to handle the sudden weight, held up only by two of the girls who had moved in to catch her. Half helping, half dragging her through the curtain of mist that granted some small measure of privacy, the women were quick to assist her out of her clothes which were already starting to slip, ripped and torn as they were, and stained with blood.<br/><br/>There were many garments hanging within the wardrobe, all of similar fabrics and designs, some more intricate than the others and most made of layers of gauzy sheer silks that, thankfully, were mostly opaque thanks to the layering over certain parts of her body. One dress had been carefully folded, laid out in the foot of the wardrobe, along with some accessories and a pair of matching leather and gold sandals. It was this one that the women decided was obviously intended for immediate use, one of them supporting her while the others helped her into it after the pale haired one cast a quick spell that cleaned the dried blood and sweat from her naked body.<br/><br/>Despite being made of such sheer and light black fabrics, the dress itself was heavy from the gold adornments. The front hung down loose and flowing over her body, accentuating her bust thanks to a single thin cord that passed across her back, just beneath her shoulder blades. The shoulders were crafted in such a way that they conformed to her slender limbs, a series of interlocking metal scales that almost looked draconic in nature. From them hung a series of five gold chains, with a few tiny gems that caught the light and drew attention to her bare, but branded back. The sleeves were almost a cape of sorts, a single piece of sheer fabric attached to the shoulders that draped down  her back so it hung below the chains, but curled around her arms in the front leaving just her fingers reaching out from beyond the silk.<br/><br/>Araminia was no stranger to having others dress her, but usually it was done without the cool indifference of these women, not even bothering to really speak to her. They simply did as their teacher asked, even releasing her hair from the tight chignon at the nape of her neck so the gold chain hair piece would sit properly, brushing her hair over one shoulder since their master obviously wanted the girl’s back on display. Were she not in pain, afraid, and deeply embarrassed, the princess would have marveled over how the gems seemed to perfectly match the blue-green quality of her eyes. Securing the necklaces that surrounded her neck, but did not hang lower than her collarbone, the girls helped her into her shoes and left, one remaining to support her as she was paraded back out, still unsteady on her own feet, her eyes downcast and red from the tears that had spilled throughout the process, though they’d been kind enough to dry her cheeks. Unless they’d simply considered that part of cleaning her up.