I Taught You Carefully, So Why Are You Obsessed?

As expected, the booming voice belonged to Vivi.

She woke me with her loud voice and shoved me into the bathroom before I had even fully opened my eyes.

Sure enough, inside the bathroom stood maids, all lined up with brushes, oils, and massage tools in hand.

“Do we really… have to go this far, Vivi?”

“Of course! Madame Zed made such a beautiful dress for you! You must dress accordingly. Oh, though you’re always beautiful, my lady.”

Vivi chattered on, paying no mind to my reluctance.

Over the past week, Madame Zed had visited the ducal residence to take my measurements once more, and, as usual, I was scolded for still being too thin.

Despite all the fuss, the dress she completed was indeed beautiful.

It was a halter-neck gown with a white base and subtle teal accents, full and flowing—the true mark of Madame Zed’s craftsmanship. Vivi had practically lit up with crazed excitement the moment she laid eyes on it.

After a lengthy bath, I headed to the dressing room, where Madame Zed was already waiting, having arrived at dawn with her luggage and maids in tow, all lined up.

‘She seems more nervous than I am.’

I had told her several times that there was no need to go this far, but Madame Zed had chosen the exhausting path with the justification, “I cannot sit idly by for the Grand Duchess’s first Imperial banquet.”

“Your Grace! Did you sleep well? Did you apply the natural pack and supplements I recommended yesterday?”

“Yes… Vivi took care of it.”

“Well done!”

She gave me a thumbs-up and then spun around to scrutinize the maids.

“Please take good care of the Grand Duchess today, ladies. You must make her the most beautiful lady!”

“Madame Zed?”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

“Today is the princess’s birthday. The spotlight is not on me, so please go easy.”

Unable to watch any longer, I quietly tried to dissuade her, and Madame Zed made a startled expression.

“I made a mistake! Then we’ll make you the second most beautiful lady!”

That’s not how you correct that…

I let out a sigh, but seeing the enthusiastic look on her face, I chose to give up, realizing it would be impossible to stop her.

“…Fine, do as you wish.”

“Yes, Your Grace! Leave everything to me!”

There it was again. That signature crazed glint in Madame Zed’s eyes.

Though I truly adored and appreciated her, whenever I saw her in this full-throttle, brake-less state, her genius became a little frightening.

Whether I had those thoughts or not, Madame Zed began leading the dressing room with military precision, mobilizing the maids.

“Alright! Let’s move quickly! Even if we start now, we’ll be pressed for time!”

“Madame, should this be tied around the waist once?”

“Oh, that ornament is not for the waist but for the head. We’ll put the decoration on top and then wrap the lower string around the hair. For now, hold off on that.”

“Yes, Madame. How about this part?”

“Perfect! Wait a second, pin that brooch where the skirt begins, and that’s not a necklace—it’s a bracelet to be layered multiple times. Ah! The waist ribbon should be loosely tied once and left to drape naturally.”

“Yes, understood!”

“Understood, Madame.”

The design was so different from a typical dress that the maids, though confused, diligently followed Madame Zed’s instructions.

“We’ll be pulling all the hair up with nothing left loose. Her Grace has a long, beautiful neck, so we must accentuate that. Could you bring me several hairpins?”

“Yes, here they are!”

At Madame Zed’s request, a maid presented a tin filled with hundreds of hairpins.

“…You’re not planning to put all of those in my hair, are you?”

“Exactly right, Your Grace. I’ll make you look absolutely stunning, so don’t worry!”

“Is my look today inspired by a hedgehog or maybe a porcupine?”

“Of course not! Today, Your Grace’s theme is ‘descended goddess!’”

“……”

I felt a wave of dizziness and nearly stumbled on the spot.

Madame Zed and the maids, oblivious to my dismay, teamed up to sit me down in front of the vanity mirror and began busying themselves with my hair.

Watching them move in such perfect unison made them seem like a small factory assembly line, and I couldn’t decide whether to be amused or exasperated.

After a full three hours of this meticulous process, Madame Zed and the maids finally took a collective step back.

Their faces, flushed with excitement, showed how breathless they were, as though they had just finished a marathon.

“All done!”

“You look stunning, my lady!”

Compliments poured out from all around me. Exhausted like a wilted spinach, I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

“…Oh.”

Just moments ago, standing still had felt like it was draining my soul, but now, seeing my reflection in the mirror, a small gasp escaped my lips.

‘It’s beautiful….’

In the mirror, Eloise radiated a graceful yet enchanting aura.

Madame Zed’s masterpiece of a dress was a perfect balance of the halter-neck bodice, the snug upper silhouette, and the voluminous skirt that flared from the waist.

“The back is the highlight of this dress, Your Grace.”

Madame Zed, looking immensely satisfied, gently turned me to face the mirror.

The back of the dress was a daring backless design that exposed my spine down to the waist. All of my hair was swept up to emphasize the line of my back, and a sheer shawl was draped over my arms, adding a tasteful layer of modesty.

I had caught a glimpse of it during the fitting, but wearing it now, I could feel how open and airy it was.

‘Good thing it’s summer.’

If I wore this in winter, I’d surely freeze to death.

Madame Zed proudly rubbed her nose with her hand.

“How do you like it? This is the masterpiece I poured my soul into. To me, you look absolutely gorgeous!”

“Well done.”

The back of the dress felt too bare. I almost voiced the thought but swallowed it down, knowing I’d probably see Madame Zed’s face instantly droop. Instead, I forced a smile.

“Now, just a touch of lipstick to finish…”

Madame Zed had laid out dozens of lip products with a flourish when—knock, knock—a faint knock echoed through the dressing room, drawing everyone’s attention to the door.

Is it already time to leave for the Imperial Palace?

I checked the clock and saw that we still had about 30 minutes before we needed to depart. It must be the butler checking in.

“Come in.”

At my permission, the door opened.

But standing there wasn’t the butler—it was someone else.

“I’ll be down shortly, so no need to worry… Your Grace?”

…Why are you here?

Ian stood there, perfectly poised, dressed in his elegant ceremonial uniform for the banquet.

“Are you still getting ready?”

“Uh… I’m almost done. But what brings you up here, Your Grace?”

Though I had gone out with Ian on several occasions, he had never come up to the dressing room before.

Still bewildered, I stammered as I asked him. Stepping into the room, his eyes slowly took me in.

His gaze, which had lingered around the hem of my skirt, moved up to meet mine.

“I wanted to see you early.”

“…What?”

As I echoed his words in confusion, I heard the maids around us quietly gasp.

I could feel the shocked glances they exchanged behind me.

‘What is he saying?’

I had to question my own ears. Did Ian Cloud really just say he wanted to see me? Seriously?

Even as my eyes darted back and forth, full of bewilderment, Ian maintained his calm composure and steadily held my gaze.

I had no idea how to react, so I just stood there frozen in place. Then, he spoke again.

“I was too impatient to wait, so I came to see you early. Now that I have, that’s enough. I’ll be downstairs waiting.”

As if he had only come to see my face, he gave me a small nod and turned to leave without hesitation.

Even as he grasped the doorknob, Madame Zed, the maids, and I all stood still, paralyzed, not one of us daring to move.

Just before he twisted the handle, Ian glanced back at me and added in an offhanded manner:

“You look beautiful today.”

Another quiet gasp echoed through the room.

❖ ❖ ❖

I had no idea how I finished getting ready after that.

If it hadn’t been for Madame Zed snapping back into action and reaching for the lip products she had laid out, the dressing room might have remained frozen for another ten minutes.

When I finally slipped on the gem-encrusted pumps and made my way downstairs, Ian was waiting for me in his usual spot.

Earlier, I had been too flustered to really take a good look at him, but now I noticed how much effort he had put into his appearance, too.

His white uniform was adorned with silver and blue embroidery, and the cloak draped over one shoulder shimmered with a soft blue hue.

‘He’s not wearing gloves today.’

My gaze briefly rested on his hands before I looked away.

Noticing my approach, Ian greeted me with his usual stoic expression.

“Shall we go?”

As he habitually reached out to place a hand lightly on my back, he suddenly froze.

I could feel his fingertips flinch slightly as they brushed against my bare skin.

‘Ah.’

I, too, stopped dead in my tracks.

For a moment, an awkward tension hung between us.

“Oh, um, Your Grace. This is, well… Madame Zed’s masterpiece, you see. She purposely left the back exposed…”

“……”

“Would you… prefer to hold my hand?”

“…That might be best.”

He slowly withdrew his hand and gently took mine instead.

Somehow, his movements felt a beat too slow. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at his face, too preoccupied with how dry my mouth had suddenly become.

‘Why am I so self-conscious all of a sudden?’

Feeling my face heat up, I widened my eyes in frustration.

This is all because of Ian Cloud, who had been acting strange today.

“……”

For some reason, I had a bad feeling that today’s banquet was not going to be smooth sailing.

♧♧♧

Support my translation for more and faster updates 🐳