Rebirth of an Imperial Princess (Lily)

The foreign object in her mouth neared her throat, causing Xina immense discomfort. She repeatedly gagged, but nothing came up. Instead, the object pushed further in. "Princess, stop playing. Today is your coming-of-age ceremony. If Madam finds out you're like this, she'll be furious! Little Snow will be punished too!" With that, Little Snow signaled to the maids to hold Xina down and force her into the smaller, high-heeled boots. It was less a matter of wearing them and more of cramming, and by the time she was done, Xina could no longer feel her feet. Next, Little Snow fastened the anklets. These were worn by all noble ladies, designed to restrict their stride, preventing them from taking large steps and thus avoiding slips, while also ensuring they couldn't engage in unladylike behavior. Immediately after, Xina was forcibly propped up. This time, it was for the final tightening of the corset. Xina's single glove was removed and tied to the long rod again, stretching her waist as much as possible. Then, two male and female servants began to pull the corset tighter. Xina could no longer feel her waist. She desperately wished she had never woken up. What was the difference between living like this and being dead? Yet, she didn't even have the right to die. Finally, the corset was successfully fastened. Xina fainted simultaneously. Xina was awakened by the pungent smell of smelling salts. However, the stinging pain and weakness in her waist, coupled with her numb arms, pushed her to the brink of collapse once more. "Princess, next we will dress you in your favorite ceremonial gown!" Little Snow said, as if to comfort her, and had the maids bring out the taffeta gown. The snow-white dress was adorned with exquisite embroidery and patterns. From the neckline to the tightly cinched waist, scattered diamonds spoke of its costliness. Combined with the voluminous skirt that cascaded down, it could be described in four words: magnificent and beautiful. Yet, this dress was meant for her, and to fit its waistline, her own had to be shrunk to seventeen inches. A thought flashed through Xina's mind: wearing it would make her the most beautiful princess at the ceremony, surpassing even royal princesses. But she quickly dismissed the idea. She needed to endure, to find a moment of freedom and escape this hellhole.

"Send the maid away and close the door," the sister whispered, "Come, help your sister with these restraints!" Sheena nodded and approached her sister. She lifted the robe, revealing a figure with alluring curves, clad entirely in white. Her sister was wearing a white safety suit. Sheena struggled with the straps at the back, even with the key. She thought that if something truly happened, she wouldn't be defiled, but if she were kidnapped, it would be difficult to resist in such a tight suit. Next was her sister's mask. Upon closer inspection, Sheena noticed that Isabel's mask was hollowed out. Through the openings, she could still see her delicate face and beautiful skin. The mask looked more like an ornament. "Isn't it beautiful? Anyway, it's under the robe, and I know it looks good. No one else can see it!" "Then you can only see it when you look in the mirror, which isn't very interesting!" "That's different. At least I feel better about it. Hurry and help me take off the single-hand glove. I got back late last night and fell straight to sleep, forgetting to have them remove it. They're not very considerate, are they? They didn't help me take it off, and now my arm is numb!" Sheena inwardly gasped. Isabel must have worn the single-hand glove when she left the affluent district. If she hadn't removed it all night, she would have worn it for almost the entire day. Sheena could only imagine the discomfort, compounded by the pressure of the safety suit, making it truly unbearable. Sheena unfastened the glove and massaged her sister's arm to stimulate blood circulation. After a while, her sister moved her arm, and sensation returned. "What are you wearing underneath?" her sister asked, undoing other restraints herself. "I... I'm just wearing underwear!" Sheena hesitated to say it. Throughout the empire, wearing such attire was practically equivalent to being naked, even with a robe. "You..." Her sister's eyes widened. "What if an assailant attacks you? Your purity will be ruined!" Sheena shook her head and retorted, "The noble district has always had the best security. Besides, I only walk in the core areas of the noble district. The chance of encountering an assailant is lower than the chance of the empire collapsing tomorrow."

The doll was entirely encased in latex, cinched at the waist, with a single glove and anklets. A mask covered its face, revealing only a glimpse of the white latex suit. The eyes, set in the mask, were a sea-blue, identical to the dolls in her own room. Were it not for the faint rise and fall of its chest, one might have mistaken it for a life-sized doll. There were no such dolls in her house, meaning someone had brought this one in from outside. Who could it be? Sheena couldn't fathom it. She tried to move the doll from the bathtub, but her small frame was no match for its weight, especially with the cinched waist. The feeling of the restrictive garment was unbearable. With a grimace, Sheena covered the doll with a few cloths, washed herself, and got dressed. She then sent for her father, deciding it was best to keep this discovery quiet. The restrictive clothing was one thing, but this doll was another entirely. Such things were only favored in the neighboring country. The maid informed her that the Duke had left on urgent business. However, Isabella rushed over. Upon seeing the scene, she suggested Sheena help her hide the doll in the wardrobe. How had this doll arrived? Why did no one know? Moreover, the latex suit was clearly of a quality only the neighboring country's royalty possessed. This meant the doll could at least be presented as a royal noblewoman, making the situation all the more complicated. As the two women placed the doll in the wardrobe, a tapping sound emanated from within. They discovered the doll was contorting its body, repeatedly striking the wardrobe. They surmised it was trying to communicate something, as it had been motionless until they attempted to leave. They had no choice but to lock the room and move the doll to the sofa. Sheena stood before it and said, "Given you're wearing a neck restraint, nodding must be difficult. So, if you need something, kick the floor once with your high heel. If you're just thirsty or hungry, kick twice!" A single tap, followed by two more, with a distinct pause in between. It could mean both. But how to feed it? "I'll do it!" Isabella exclaimed, holding a glass of juice. She fumbled around the doll's face, near its mouth. With a soft click, an opening appeared where the mouth should be, revealing a gag. She pulled it out. Judging by its depth, it seemed to extend all the way down to the throat, or even further. It was likely the doll had to wear such a deep gag even with a normal-looking mask. Sheena instinctively felt nauseous, having only worn a gag herself that very day and knowing how it felt. After feeding it some liquid and water, Sheena examined the doll more closely. The single glove and mask seemed to be made of an unknown material. There were no visible seams or openings, as if they had grown directly from the latex suit.

Xi Na irritably grabbed a booklet from the bedside table, discovering it was a fashion magazine. Upon closer inspection, she found it filled with recently popular bondage styles paired with dresses. Though she disliked them personally, she found them pleasing to look at on others, especially since the models were beautiful. The magazine featured all sorts of items: single-hand gloves, long dresses, corsets of various lengths, and more. When she saw a description of a "back prayer" style, it instantly brought back her own experiences. While not firsthand, it felt as if she were transported back to that time. It was when she could endure wearing single-hand gloves for an entire day without conscious resistance that the "benevolent" Madame Isabelle ordered a maid to try the back prayer style on her. Despite Xi Na's desperate cries and resistance, she was fitted with a gag, her hands forcibly twisted behind her back, and then secured with back prayer gloves to prevent escape. A silk ribbon was then tightly bound around her back. This left Xi Na feeling utterly helpless, her entire arms burning with unbearable pain. The pain didn't numb with time; instead, it intensified. Xi Na dared not move even an inch, as any movement would require readjusting her position to a barely tolerable state. However, Madame Isabelle seemed quite pleased that Xi Na wasn't thrashing or writhing to escape. She then instructed the maids to help Xi Na up and dress her. This was agony for Xi Na. Her arms, which had been somewhat accustomed to the position, were twisted and contorted behind her back. Her face must have been completely pale. Xi Na snapped back to the present, her hand trembling as she held the magazine. She looked again at the picture: the model's hands folded behind her back, like in prayer, secured by gloves, and then covered by a cape. The cape barely reached her chest, creating a stark contrast with her slender waist, making it appear even more delicate. Following this was a voluminous skirt that cascaded down, its sea-blue taffeta fabric as beautiful as a blue ocean. Beside the image, there was a description stating that this style of dress required back prayer restraints to be worn. It also recommended a tight-fitting petticoat, along with anklets and extremely high heels, to prevent self-injury from walking too fast or moving too vigorously. Xi Na understood this situation all too well, because that model was her. Madame Isabelle, wanting to show off how early her daughter had adapted to the back prayer style, had contacted the editor of a magazine distributed exclusively to noblewomen, commissioning them to put Xi Na on the cover. Thus, Xi Na became famous, and other noble families rushed to emulate her. Xi Na could only imagine how many noble daughters were forced to learn the back prayer style at such a young age. Xi Na recalled an incident where, after a photoshoot, she had been too busy and overlooked. The maids, failing to remove the back prayer gloves after the shoot, had sent her off in a carriage to another city. Without a key, neither she nor the accompanying maid could unlock them. It wasn't until they reached their destination that a locksmith was found to open them. When her back prayer gloves were finally removed, Xi Na was so overwhelmed with discomfort that she felt an urge to commit suicide, but she lacked even the strength to do so. All her energy had been expended just to endure the back prayer style, leaving her unable to even muster the force to run into a doorframe.

"Don't move!" Isabel's voice cut through, and a groggy Xena saw her figure before her hand was seized. "You've endured it before, endure it this time too!" "I can't... it hurts too much..." Xena, in her dazed pain, instinctively tried to tear away. But her small hands were restrained, and she heard Isabel ask for a single glove. "You promised you wouldn't wear single gloves after we're married..." Xena's senses sharpened at this, and she tried to pull her hand away frantically. Isabel held Xena, speaking softly, "Be good, just this once. Constantly thinking about taking them off is torture for you too. Once they're on, your hands won't be able to move..." "I don't want to!" Xena struggled with all her might, but her hands were still taken by Isabel and bound behind her back. In her dazed state, Xena was no match for Isabel and was soon bound in a reverse prayer position. Then, she was fitted with a pair of hard, rootless leather boots – sleeping shoes, designed to maintain foot shape even at night. She was placed on the bed, and a rope connected her waist harness to the wall, preventing her from rolling off due to excessive pain.