On the day of the ball at the Count Sharon’s estate.
The guests were all left speechless by the jeweled decorations worn by Camilla and Letticia.
“Did you see the Countess’s dress? It was like looking at the night sky!”
“I can’t believe all of that is jewelry! Sharon Jewelry must have really gone all out.”
“Since Canotia released a jeweled dress, Sharon Jewelry had to come up with something new too, I guess.”
Camilla wore a navy dress reminiscent of the night sky, adorned with white-colored jewels like pearls and diamonds. The diamond chain wrapped around her waist received praise for looking like falling stars, and the pearl and opal chains sewn onto her shoulders and sleeves added a touch of splendor to the dress.
Meanwhile, Letticia also captivated the attention of the younger crowd. Unlike Camilla, Letticia’s outfit was accented with colored gemstones. She wore a green sapphire jeweled collar instead of a necklace, and her chiffon frill dress that exposed her shoulders was connected with a moonstone chain.
Moreover, the diamond, cherry pink ruby, and sapphire chains wrapped around the sleeves and waist of her dress dazzled the onlookers with their vibrant colors. Even the debutantes who had previously shown subtle hostility towards Letticia were now eagerly asking her about the jeweled chains.
“Lady Sharon, how did you decorate your dress with those jewels? I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Is Sharon Jewelry also planning to release jeweled dresses? If so, I’d love to order one!”
Letticia smiled at the unexpectedly positive reactions and began to explain as she had been instructed.
“They’re called jewel chains, a new product we’re launching. As you can see, they’re made to decorate dresses. You can use them to embellish your waist, sleeves, or even drape them over your shoulders like I did.”
“So, it’s not exactly a jeweled dress?”
“That’s right. These are decorative jewels that can be attached to any dress you like, as much as you want.”
The debutantes’ eyes sparkled at the thought of being able to customize their dresses with the jewels they desired.
“When can we start placing orders? I’d like to purchase them as soon as possible.”
“Thank you for your interest. Orders will be accepted at our main store starting the day after tomorrow, so please keep that in mind.”
Seeing the enthusiastic expressions, it was clear they weren’t just saying it to be polite—they genuinely intended to place orders. Feeling that her family’s hard work was finally being rewarded, Letticia continued to smile as she answered the repeated questions.
As Sharon Jewelry had invited not only their existing customers but also potential clients, an overwhelming number of participants kept pouring in. Although it seemed never-ending, the event eventually drew to a close.
“There you are. Thanks for the invitation, Letticia. I attended as a representative of the royal family.”
Around 10 PM, the highest-ranking guest of the evening finally arrived at the ball.
Eustace, dressed splendidly to match the occasion, made his way through the debutantes and approached Letticia.
As the royal made his entrance, everyone quickly moved aside in deference, while Letticia gracefully held the hem of her dress and offered a respectful greeting.
“It is an immense honor to have you here today, Your Highness. On behalf of the Count Sharon’s family, I extend my deepest thanks.”
“Of course, I had to attend a ball hosted by the Sharon Count family. I wished I could have brought my brother along as well, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.”
“It would be ungrateful of me, as a citizen of this country, to complain about His Highness the Crown Prince being unable to make time due to his duties. In fact, I’m honored that you could attend.”
Eustace, speaking casually, and Letticia, responding in a friendly tone as soon as the formalities ended, caused a stir among the debutantes.
Although it was well-known that the Count Sharon family was close to the royal family, seeing such a close interaction with the royals was quite different.
‘Maybe this will reduce the number of people who openly oppose me.’
Even a fool would know that falling out of favor with a noble close to the royal family would lead to a rough life ahead. This might ease the hostility from the debutantes that Kenneth had been worried about.
“If my brother ever comes here, he might find himself wanting to make time for events like this. But for now, may I have the honor of escorting you to the dance?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
According to the rules of the ball, the highest-ranking guest is supposed to dance the first dance with the host’s daughter, but it is customary to ask for permission first.
Eustace, far more gentlemanly than his brother, offered his arm, and Letticia placed her hand on it with a bright smile.
As Letticia walked with the royal towards the dance floor, envious gazes followed her, though the excitement wasn’t as intense as it had been when she danced with the Crown Prince.
As they started to dance the quadrille on the dance floor, Eustace looked around the hall and spoke.
“There certainly are a lot of guests here tonight. I was a bit worried since I heard that Canotia had been stealing quite a few customers lately.”
His remark hinted at the fact that many high-end jewelry customers had been drawn away by Canotia’s launch of their jeweled dress.
Although there had been rumors about this while preparing for the ball, no one in the Count Sharon family seemed concerned.
“We’re not lacking in attention, especially in social circles.”
Letticia smiled as she glanced over at Camilla, who was dancing with Patrick.
While preparing for this ball, Letticia started to understand why Camilla had reigned as the queen of social circles for so long.
“This ball needs to be the ultimate reward for the loyal customers of Sharon Jewelry.”
When deciding whom to invite, Camilla included all the customers of Sharon Jewelry on the list, while she excluded the names of those who had defected.
She then extended invitations to Prince Eustace, the two grand dames of society—the Duchess of Dinever and the Countess of Freke—as well as their husbands, who held prominent positions as the Speaker of the House of Lords and the Prime Minister. This impressive guest list was befitting of her status as the queen of social circles.
The band she hired was currently the most popular one, and no expense was spared on food, fresh flowers, decorations, or anything else, as Camilla made bold investments.
As a result, today’s ball was so crowded that it might even be featured in Lucinella (a prominent publication).
“People who attended other balls will probably come here later. There’s hardly a noble who would miss a chance to meet Your Highness,”
Letticia said, causing Eustace to burst into laughter.
“Those who switched to Canotia must be regretting it now. Even if they became VIPs and got their hands on a jeweled dress from Canotia, what good is it if they can’t attend a ball where royals, the Speaker of the House of Lords, and the Prime Minister are present?”
“That’s right. After all, nobles buy jewels to show them off to others.”
“And that jewel chain is quite clever. Who came up with the idea?”
“I heard that it was Lenny who came up with the idea. They were planning to commercialize it in the fall, but due to the jeweled dress from Canotia, they decided to move it up.”
“No wonder. Lenny hasn’t been attending the academy lately, and now I know why.”
Eustace and Lenoa attend the same art academy. Though they are in different years and of different genders, they’re close enough that he would notice if Lenoa stopped attending classes.
“She might be able to return to the academy starting next week. The design is almost finished, so now it’s up to the production and sales teams.”
“That would be great. It’s boring without Lenny around.”
Letticia nodded subtly at Eustace’s words, feeling it was hard to believe that Lenoa, the most individualistic of her siblings, was considered a fun companion by her friends.
“It would have been nice if Lenny had been at the ball today. I don’t know many people here, so aside from the Sharon family, I don’t really have anyone to dance with.”
“If Lenny were here, she’d probably be off in a corner admiring the jewels. She also finds dancing really bothersome.”
“Still, if I asked, she’d dance the traditional Ponteon dance with me. Once, Judith was bored in the dorms and pestered us to dance together, so the three of us did.”
“That, I would have liked to see.”
Letticia burst into laughter as she imagined her usually grumpy younger sister reluctantly dancing with her friends.
As they continued to chat lightly about various topics, including Lenoa and Sharon Jewelry, the music came to an end.
Unlike the minuet with Matthias, which felt like torture, the quadrille with Eustace had been enjoyable.
‘If I have to dance with a royal, can’t it be with Prince Eustace instead? I really can’t stand Matthias.’
Dancing with Matthias had been nerve-wracking, requiring constant vigilance and acting, while dancing with Eustace was comfortable and easy.
If Matthias had shown even half as much manners, she wouldn’t have been so disappointed. She wondered why the Crown Prince was less charming than his younger brother.
After mentally docking Matthias’s score once again, Letticia parted from Eustace with a smile and headed toward Kenneth.
As promised to Lenard, the real work was about to begin.
