“When I think back to the stories I heard while working as aunt’s secretary , it was truly a sight to behold. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if all those romance novels set in high society were based on real events.”
Kenneth, who reads romance novels extensively as references, shook his head, just as passionately as Letticia, who reads them as a hobby.
Letticia recounted a few instances of bullying she recently read in a novel.
“Like spilling a drink, stepping on a dress to tear it, those kinds of things? Or coming in groups to mock?”
“Right. They usually excuse it as an accident.”
“If someone did that to me, I’d sue them for damages. They’d lose their allowance for about five years.”
Today, Letticia wore a blue off-the-shoulder chiffon dress similar to the one she wore at the audience event at the palace. This time, however, she accessorized with a dark blue sapphire necklace and earrings, and adorned her waist with an amethyst and pearl chain that flowed down her dress.
Her hair was styled in a braided bun, decorated with a silver chain studded with diamonds, highlighting her vibrant hair color.
The cost of her dress alone was no small amount, and with the added jewelry, it would easily surpass 1,000 gold.
“It might feel satisfying in the moment, but doing that could make you come across as petty. Setting aside any grudge from the other person, you still need to be mindful of your reputation in social circles.”
“It’s laughable. I’m the victim here.”
“The social scene is always like that, isn’t it? They say people who show their emotions lack class, but as long as someone is popular, even if they’re mean, they’re considered cool. It’s so irrational.”
Since she was in the business of selling jewelry to these irrational people, she didn’t add more.
After handing her coat to a waiting servant, Letticia entered the ballroom and went directly to greet Countess Freke.
The Countess, dressed in a deep indigo gown reminiscent of the night sky, warmly greeted each young guest with a gentle smile.
“Thank you for inviting me, Countess.”
When Letticia and Kenneth greeted her, the Countess warmly welcomed them.
“Letticia, no matter how many times I see you, your taste in dresses and jewelry is simply outstanding. It’s as if I’m looking at a young Camilla.”
The Countess praised Letticia’s sense of style with applause, her voice as warm as her smile.
Though she often heard similar compliments, it felt more genuine coming from the Countess, so Letticia responded with more sincerity than usual.
“Everyone says I resemble my mother when they see me. But I still have a long way to go to match her.”
“Ho ho, there’s no need to be modest. These days, the boutiques are all scrambling to secure Amarasun silk, all thanks to you.”
Chiffon was originally a fabric primarily used in summer dresses. However, since Letticia wore an off-the-shoulder chiffon dress and was adorned with diamonds, spring dresses made of chiffon have become a trend.
However, since the fabric wasn’t in high demand to begin with, supply was limited. On top of that, Letticia had bought out all the high-quality silk through the Hailey Trading Company last year, leaving only flawed pieces behind.
Although merchants moved quickly, until the trading ships returned, only Letticia could wear chiffon dresses as she pleased.
“More than half of the noble ladies here today are also wearing jewel chains. You could say that you’re leading the trend.”
“That sounds great. If whatever I wear becomes a trend, then I can wear whatever I want.”
Letticia’s playful response ended the conversation on a warm note.
The Countess treated her like a grandchild, making the exchange far more comfortable than conversations with other noblewomen who were constantly trying to nitpick or seize any chance to introduce their sons.
After finishing her greeting, Letticia entered the ballroom alone, observing small groups of young nobles chatting in clusters.
It seemed that the highest-ranking guest hadn’t arrived yet, as the music was still a gentle tune, rather than a dance song.
“Letticia, over here!”
Lost in thought about where to go, Letticia was called over by Dayna.
Seeing Dayna, Stella, Valerie, and Chloe gathered in a corner of the ballroom, Letticia couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Dayna, Stella, Valerie, Chloe! You’re all here!”
“It’s the Freke Countess’s ball, so of course, we were all invited.”
While Dayna, Stella, and Valerie attended the ball at the Sharon Count’s mansion, Chloe didn’t meet the loyalty requirements to attend.
Letticia had barely managed to see them briefly due to her busy schedule, and they had been engrossed in socializing, leaving little time for conversation.
Tonight would likely be the same. Even now, Letticia could feel the gazes of men eyeing her from afar, waiting for an opportunity.
“Starting tomorrow, it’s courting season, so let’s all stay alert until the end.”
Dayna’s serious comment prompted Chloe to nod in agreement.
“Fortunately, the Countess hasn’t prepared any colored drinks, but if our dresses get ruined, we’ll have no choice but to leave the ballroom, so it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.”
“If you need to rest, lean against the wall. Someone might try to approach from behind.”
Drawing on her past experiences as a spy, Letticia offered this advice, and everyone responded with determined looks.
As most expected guests had arrived, a guest who would surprise everyone made their entrance into the ballroom.
“The Crown Prince!”
“As expected, His Highness attends Countess Freke’s ball.”
“Quick, we should get closer to him. Maybe he’ll ask one of us for a dance—”
Hearing the murmurs around her, Letticia frowned.
The atmosphere shifted the moment Matthias entered. The women’s gazes looked as if a diamond had been tossed among ordinary stones.
“What’s with everyone? Do they really think His Highness would even glance at them?”
Chloe’s cynical remark was met with an equally sarcastic reply from Valerie.
“They’re dreaming, that’s all. The dream of capturing the heart of a young, handsome, capable prince who is cold to everyone else but warm to them.”
“But how could they hope to attract his attention? They’re not even allowed to greet him unless he speaks to them first.”
“That’s why they hover around him, hoping he’ll notice them and initiate a conversation.”
For a moment, Letticia almost felt a hint of sympathy for Matthias.
As protocol forbade him from greeting anyone first, they all swarmed around him, trying to block his way, which must have been infuriating.
And since they were only here to say hello, he couldn’t exactly send them away either. The best he could do was ignore them.
Indeed, Matthias’s face showed exasperation as he faced over twenty women who approached, bowing silently without speaking a word.
Whether those women noticed his annoyance was uncertain.
Luckily, the one to save Matthias from this situation was the hostess, the Countess herself.
“Your Highness, we are deeply honored that you could attend despite your busy schedule.”
Matthias responded to the Countess with a relatively gentle tone, as she managed to greet him with grace and without disrupting him.
“It’s nothing of the sort. I simply couldn’t skip the ball entirely. However, as you know, Countess, my duties keep me busy, so I’ll be leaving after a few dances.”
“Well, we should start the dance quickly so as not to take up any more of Your Highness’s time.”
At the Countess’s signal, the orchestra began preparing to play the dance tune.
The highest-ranking guest, Crown Prince Matthias, would dance with the Countess, while the highest-ranking noblewoman would pair with the count, and the four would perform a quadrille together.
The lady Count Freke invited to dance the quadrille was none other than Seraphina.
“As expected, the lady dancing the quadrille with the count is Lady Eskis.”
“There are no other unmarried ladies from ducal families in society right now, and the Marquess Wade’s family only has sons.”
Although she wasn’t his partner, Seraphina, one of the Diamonds, would share the first dance with the Crown Prince.
The crowd murmured at this, but Letticia observed Seraphina closely for a different reason.
More specifically, she focused on the jeweled dress Seraphina wore, adorned with diamonds all over.
***
“I found out who bought jeweled dresses from Canotia this quarter.”
Kenneth spoke to Letticia, who had been carefully selecting jewels for her dress ahead of Countess Freke’s ball.
Surprised, Letticia asked where he got such unpublished information.
“You found that out? How?”
“We have someone on our side planted in Canotia.”
“Wow… it sounds like a military operation.”
Letticia was astonished by the intense competition happening beneath the surface.
Sometimes, the rivalry among jewelers seemed as fierce as the world of high society.
“So, who’s buying them? Is it someone I’ll run into at events?”
“Yeah. Lady Seraphina Eskis, ranked number one, and Lady Audrey Wallace, ranked fourth.”
Hearing these names, Letticia froze.
Facing off against the villainess from the original story was an unexpected new headache.
