WCTPWMMA – Chapter 27

Mother’s gaze grew cold like she was looking at the world’s biggest fool.

“Dori, did you even hear a word I just said? What did I say this party was for?”

“…….”

“Don’t worry about His Highness. It’s not like you, the daughter of the house, will be blamed for welcoming the guests.”

“But Mother, you don’t just want me to focus on hospitality, do you?”

“Of course not.”

Mother tightened her grip on my shoulder and continued,

“This is your last chance to change your life! Even if you end up caught in a scandal with someone, people won’t blame you—not when they’ve already seen how Your Highness has been behaving lately.”

Just then, Natalie interrupted.

“That’s awfully optimistic of you.”

“Natalie!”

“It’s the truth. If she succeeds in snagging the Young Duke, the respectable people will criticize Lady Dori for abandoning her fiancé, and those who coveted the Young Duke will gain justification to run wild.”

“…….”

“Of course, if you just brazenly left straight to Frost Hill, it’ll hardly matter either way.”

My elder sister said it sarcastically, but Mother seemed to take it literally, her expression brightening considerably.

“Right, that’s it! At Frost-Hill, you won’t have to mingle with the high society you hate so much! Or you could live in the Blue Atrium! Oh, which would be better?”

The Countess’s eyes lit up, already picturing her daughter and son-in-law shuttling back and forth between their two estates.

Meanwhile, my mind was swirling with worry.

Arthur is hopelessly devoted to Maria; he’d never waver toward me. But what about my Sacred Salon bet?

And—

‘That dress…’

Clothes are just clothes.

Yet why am I so hesitant to break out Tristan’s gift in a place he won’t even be?

* * *

Party preparations went by in a flash. Of the people the Count and Countess invited, about half seemed to have refused, saying the notice was too short.

Please let Arthur refuse too!

…That was my hope, but—

“Young Duke says he’s coming! How wonderful. He must surely have feelings for you!”

Why is he doing this again?! It’s not like Maria’s going to be there!

Maybe he’s coming for dating advice?

Mother, all aflutter, suddenly put on a grave face.

“Besides him, there will be many young men all from prestigious families, so don’t do anything that would embarrass yourself.”

“Yes… still, more people are coming than I expected.”

“They’re probably trying to find the best partner before the hunting competition. We invited a number of ladies as well, so dress in a way that you won’t suffer by comparison.”

Figures, they couldn’t just invite men outright.

It’s almost like the Count’s mansion is turning into some reality tv speed-dating show.

‘I’ve never even watched <I am Solo> or <Love Transfer>.’

I just want to watch without participating…

While Mother was putting her heart and soul into organizing the banquet, I was focusing my attention elsewhere.

The participants for the hunting competition had been decided.

While my excited father was training the Basset Hounds, I looked at the list of hunting competition participants placed on the table in his room, searching for information to pass on to Rick Ray.

The bastard who would harass Maria at the hunting competition.

‘Found him. That stuck-up noble.’

Alex. The Marquess’s second son.

In the original story, this jerk catches a rabbit and puts it in House Meyer’s tent. The injured rabbit thrashes around, Maria is startled, and Alex enters the tent under the pretext of helping Maria. He was probably trying to get handsy while avoiding watchful eyes.

But then he gets grabbed by the collar by Rick and takes a tumble down the hill.

‘Rick would have taken care of it on his own anyway, so it’s a bit embarrassing that I’m the one telling him.’

Still, I should take credit where credit is due.

Even as I got ready for Saturday, a small question kept circling the back of my mind.

‘Tristan. Why did you send the dress?’

My parents argued that now that the Blue Atrium is in danger of being taken away, he must be regretting that his fiancée might abandon him.

‘Yeah right.’

They’ve lost all objectivity, too busy dreaming of snagging the Young Duke for their youngest daughter, but I’m not exactly the type of Lady people would cry over losing on the marriage market.

My only selling point is the diligence of waiting five years for my fiancé.

Rather than ruining my reputation by hitting on Arthur and becoming some dog chasing a chicken, it’s best to stick with Tristan.

…And that is exactly why I don’t want to wear the dress Tristan sent to this party.

Finally, Saturday arrived.

Mother, still giddy, was decorating the hall.

I sat before the vanity. The maids worked on me with painstaking care. It felt less like makeup and more like being sculpted anew.

“The makeup is done! My lady, should we use pearls or green quartz for the hairpin?”

“Anything is fine.”

“Anything is not fine. The Countess told us to do our best.”

“Then the green one.”

Under the maids’ earnest hands, my reflection in the mirror gradually transformed into something like the cover of a romance fantasy novel featuring a beautiful female lead.

I’m kind of…… pretty?

My stiff expression relaxed without me realizing it. The maid smiled brightly and brought over the dress.

“Time to put on the dress!”

The maid brought the dress Tristan had sent. The dress, unfolded by the two maids, was elegant and beautiful, as if it had captured a lake on a rainy day.

……But this, has exposed shoulders?

‘Tristaaan! You know I don’t wear clothes like this!’

“Isn’t this a lot of shoulder? Not as much as my sister usually has on display, but…”

“Even my grandmother wears clothes like this when there’s a party.”

The maid answered firmly. The other maid nodded in agreement.

“Don’t worry. It will look really good on you! Now, let’s take off the dress you’re wearing.”

“You’ll get used to it quickly once you put it on. Arms up……. Eek, I’m already excited. At least six or seven men will fall for you!”

“If only this weren’t a house party but a grand ball. So we could show off just how pretty our lady is!”

Even if I tried to think of it as just flattery, seeing the maids’ excited expressions made me feel excited as well.

‘Will I look good to other people?

I hope so.

……But why does my fiancé have to be absent today of all days?

I wanted to see that grumbling jerk-face get all flustered.

And since he sent this dress, it feels like he should be the first to see me in it…

“Gak!”

Suddenly, I felt breathless.

The maid who was helping me put on the dress was flustered.

“Oh my, what’s wrong? My lady, is it okay if we tighten the corset a little more?”

“If you tighten it any more, I won’t be able to eat!”

The other maid pulled at the dress and said with difficulty.

“It doesn’t seem like tightening the corset will do the trick. My lady, where did your highness say he had this made?”

“Designer Aston? Something like that……. It’s where Mother had my debutante dress made.”

“It seems like they made the dress based on the measurements from then. Forgive me for saying this but… It seems like you’ve gained a liiiittle bit of weight since your debut….”

“…….”

Everyone gathered here knows the main cause of my weight gain.

My main diet, consisting of carbohydrates and fats, must have stepped on the accelerator.

Oh well ♪

“Oh dear, how troublesome! It’s a shame that I can’t wear this beautiful dress!”

“My lady, are you sure you’re sad about that?”

“Definitely! Whatever shall we do? I suppose I’ll just have to wear one of my usual dresses?”

I carefully and cheerfully slipped off the blue dress.

But the maids didn’t give up easily either.

“My lady, please look in the mirror and think again. You look so beautiful today, do you really have to cover it up with the dress you usually wear?”

“I think so too! Oh, how about trying on the dresses that Lady Natalie gave you?”

Oh no, the maids know I received the dresses.

“Those clothes are too revealing….”

“We’ll cover up the revealing parts with accessories! Please stop staring at dresses that would make my grandmother ask if they were mass-produced at a convent!”

“I think you’re being a little harsh, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry! I misspoke! But I wanted to say it at least once before I get fired!”

“You won’t get fired for that!”

Maybe it was the dopamine spike from party prep. I bickered with them like I was gossiping with high school friends and picked one of my sister’s dresses. Of course, it wasn’t one I’d ever worn to the Sacred Salon.

“Gasp… We’re done. You look truly beautiful, Lady Dori!”

It wasn’t just flattery. At least, I agreed with it when I looked in the mirror.

At this point, I could really be a RoFan heroine, couldn’t I?

Just as I was getting carried away—

“Are you done?”

My sister Natalie entered my room, and I could only say one sentence.

“Sister…… you look really beautiful.”

Natalie didn’t even bother to reply, as if it were obvious. With a flick of her chin, she dismissed the maids.

“It seems like the guests are starting to arrive. The main dish, the Young Duke, will be arriving at seven o’clock sharp, stickler that he is, so prepare yourself.”

“…….”

“You don’t look too happy?”

“Sister.”

“And you’re not even wearing the dress His Highness sent. Is it because you want the giver to be the first to see it? How dutiful.”

The same spitefulness as when we first met rippled over her face. I told the truth.

“The dress is too small.”

“…….”

The spitefulness vanished from my sister’s face. Then she broke into laughter, eyes full of mirth.

“Ahahaha! I thought you were being sentimental! Ah, as expected, the clothes I picked out for you suit you well.”

“Thank you. You seem to be in a good mood, sister.”

“Mother put a lot of effort into this banquet, so I think it’ll be fun. Two orchestras and two circus troupes are coming. I wonder how many dance requests I’ll get this time!”

Right, Natalie likes banquets. The boisterous music, the lavish decorations, all the different eyes drawn to her beauty.

“I’m glad that at least you’re having fun….”

“You already look exhausted. Dori. Do you dislike the Young Duke that much?”

“It’s not that I dislike him as a person. It’s just that I hate banquets, noisy places, and dancing, and most of all, I hate my love life becoming fodder for gossip.”

“…Now I get why you’re so fixated on the banquet snacks. That’s the only thing you enjoy.”

“That’s right….”

“Haa…. You’re already looking so dejected.”

Natalie looked me up and down and said.

“It’s a waste because you look so pretty today. If you had to choose between participating in the banquet or spending your time freely, which would you choose?”

“I want to choose the latter, of course!”

“Should I help you?”

“Pardon?”

“If you don’t want to stand out at today’s banquet, say the word. Your sister will make sure no one notices when you slip away.”

Natalie smiled, brimming with confidence.

 

 

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