After receiving the Empress’ approval, the Poster Newspaper took a bit of time before extensively covering the Imperial ball. Starting with small articles and moving on to large, feature-length pieces, it captured the public’s full attention.
Among them, the most popular piece was about the Imperial announcement of the “Lady in Green Selection Contest.”
The name sounded tacky enough to remind one of those local beauty pageants like “Miss Pepper Queen,” but commoners couldn’t stop talking about it day after day. And naturally, the nobility’s attention shifted there as well. Lady in Green, really? The winner would wear a cloak, a tiara, dance with the prince, and make a round of the ballroom. But… was that really a reward?
“My lady, Madame Dewey has arrived.”
I had entrusted this year’s Imperial ball gown to Madame Dewey once again.
“Welcome, Madame Dewey. You must be incredibly busy these days—thank you so much for making time for this.”
“Oh, how could you say something so disappointing, Viscountess! If it’s about Lady Roha, of course I’d set everything else aside.”
Her gaze toward me was soft and knowing. Madame Dewey was one of the few who already knew about my secret relationship with Armin. After all, placing an order with the highly sought-after Dewey Salon meant contacting her months in advance.
“By the way, I heard green fabric has completely sold out lately?”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right. Everyone is requesting green outfits nowadays.”
She gave me a playful wink as she said it.
“But of course, I’ve set aside the finest fabrics just for Lady Roha. There’s no need to worry about that.”
“Oh my!”
“Now, shall we take your measurements? I doubt your figure has changed much, but we also need to consult on the dress style you’re aiming for.”
Her hands clapped cheerfully, movements light and brisk. Avoiding her strangely excited gaze, I turned to ask my mother.
“Madame Dewey seems oddly happy today. No matter how much we paid, it feels like she’s going above and beyond for me.”
“Madame Dewey is a romantic at heart, Vivi.”
My mother gave me a knowing smile.
“She was so moved to hear you met the Young Duke at that ball wearing a dress she made.”
“Ah…”
Right. That burgundy dress I’d ordered from her. I’d worn it to the imperial ball with a large shawl—and ended up meeting Armin, starting our relationship there. No wonder she was so fired up.
Despite claiming she was busy, Madame Dewey spent plenty of time taking my measurements and discussing dress styles.
“Lady Roha has such a lovely neckline. How about another off-shoulder dress this time?”
“The weather’s a bit cold for a shawl, though.”
“Oh my! Lady Roha, were you thinking of bringing one of those shawls old ladies wear again? Absolutely not! My pride wouldn’t allow it!”
“Uh… then I don’t think off-shoulder is a good idea.”
Madame Dewey’s normally bright expression turned serious with surprising intensity. I instinctively took a step back. But since I had a busy schedule that day, I couldn’t afford to wear anything too revealing anyway.
I gave an excuse.
“Also, Armin probably wouldn’t like it if I wore something too revealing.”
The moment I said that, Madame Dewey let out a squeal-like gasp and twisted her whole body in delight.
“Oh, youth! Such a beautiful time! It’s enough to make me nostalgic for when I first met my husband.”
“Vivian? If you want to wear it, wear it. Even if you’re dating, you shouldn’t have to worry about someone else’s opinion.”
My mother seemed displeased, likely thinking I was letting Armin’s opinion sway me too much. But Madame Dewey waved it off and sided with me.
“No, Viscountess, actually…after hearing Lady Roha’s concern, I have a great idea. We’ll use thin woven straps for the shoulders and layer it with sheer fabric that gently flows along the shoulder line.”
She quickly sketched a few lines in her notebook, producing a lovely dress design. The sleeves were wide and free-flowing, ensuring they wouldn’t get in the way when moving.
“It’s feminine, and it suits a young lady like you who dislikes uncomfortable clothes.”
“But won’t it look a little too mature?”
“You might think so from the sketch, but the fabric I’ve saved for you is a bright, fresh green—like new spring leaves. It’ll be lovely. And it won’t cause any mishaps for you and your young man either.”
“Hm.”
“Alright. Let’s go with that.”
I hastily agreed. We’d spent nearly the entire day talking about dresses—I was bored to tears.
“Then I’ll visit the manor again once the dress is ready for fitting.”
With a smile as warm and large as her ample frame, Madame Dewey rose to leave.
* * *
On the night of the ball, the area in front of the venue was overflowing with commoners, all drawn by the newspaper coverage that had stirred up intense public interest in the imperial ball. It was so crowded that the carriage couldn’t make it all the way through to the entrance.
Originally, the plan had been for me to attend the ball with Armin. After hearing that I’d had my dress made at Dewey’s salon, the Duchess had requested Armin’s outfit be tailored in the same color as mine. If we showed up together dressed like that, there would be no need to say a word—everyone would know we were in a relationship.
But there was no sign of Armin near me. Even my brother wasn’t around. He rushed out early in the morning, saying something urgent had come up.
I waited for a long while, but the only message I received was to head to the ballroom ahead of them. Since we were to meet inside, I had no choice but to get out of the carriage and walk the rest of the way alone.
As I made my way through the crowd, I heard people murmuring about my dress.
Unlike the other young ladies’ dresses, mine featured intricate woven shoulder straps and distinctive elements that clearly caught even the eyes of commoners, likely because of how labor-intensive it looked.
It was a shame that Armin wasn’t the first to see me like this, but I still enjoyed the attention. After all, the imperial ball only happened once a year, and I never got this much attention in daily life—why not enjoy it now?
Inside the ballroom, it was still relatively quiet. Probably because of the crowded entrance, many guests were delayed.
As soon as I arrived, I glanced around for Armin and Sasha. But neither of them was anywhere to be seen—perhaps their business hadn’t yet concluded.
Since everything had been prepared the day before, there wasn’t much for me to do until they arrived.
In the past, without Armin or Sasha, no one would’ve come up to talk to me. But after receiving my commendation, more people had started approaching me.
I exchanged greetings with a few people, but I quickly began to feel exhausted.
“Oh my, look who it is!”
The voice was familiar. Impossible not to recognize, really. Even though not many guests had arrived yet, she was already surrounded by a crowd of women. All of them were faces I remembered from the last tea party.
“Enemies meet on a narrow bridge,” they say, and the timing of meeting Lady Rose again was too coincidental to be ignored.
Numbers matter in a fight. With a group of young ladies to support her, Lady Rose’s confident face stood in stark contrast to my solitude. Her maidservants, who used to serve her like loyal followers, glared at me as if I were a sworn enemy. Among her supporters, Lady Rose spoke.
“Shall we have a little chat?”
Her face, tilting slightly with a smile, was beautiful enough to make me sigh involuntarily. My opinion didn’t matter to them at all. The answer was already decided.
It was like being cornered by bullies demanding money in school. Surrounded by her entourage, Lady Rose’s face was full of self-assuredness.
“We’ll need to go somewhere less crowded if we want to speak freely, right?”
The force with which she hooked her arm through mine was strong, and I had no choice but to follow her steps.
They led me to a secluded part of the garden. After checking that no one was around, two of the young ladies gave a slight nod to Lady Rose and signaled her to proceed.
“How have you been, Lady Roha?”
I didn’t say a word. No matter how I answered, Lady Rose would only find fault with me. I knew she wasn’t truly curious about my well-being.
“I haven’t been well at all,” she replied unexpectedly.
Her voice came out thick and biting, as if she had gritted her teeth.
She had every right to hate me. If I had been more resolute, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Even if this all started with her somewhat forceful request, I couldn’t deny that I had some blame in it.
So I decided to acknowledge my mistake straightforwardly. It was pointless to offer excuses; I knew that’s not what she wanted to hear.
“I’m truly sorry for what happened.”
“You’re sorry?” she laughed, as if unable to believe my words. Her lips trembled slightly, betraying her irritation.
