Chapter 20
Kiara’s Invitation
The crest depicting a blue star and moon symbolized the Earl of Portsmouth’s family.
The letter from there was obvious.
“Another invitation, right?”
In response to Mary’s question, Eleanor nodded lightly.
Kiara Portsmouth, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Portsmouth.
The red-haired lady whom she had met at a recent ball always enjoyed hosting such sudden gatherings. Tea parties, dinner parties, and sometimes even small masquerades. She hosted a wide variety of events, not discriminating between types. Strictly speaking, sending an invitation only a day before the party wasn’t in line with noble etiquette, but Kiara seemed to think that breaking away from such old-fashioned formalities was rather stylish.
Eleanor’s fiancé found such an idea of hers very amusing.
Of course, he was the kind of person who enjoyed unpredictable things, so it seemed he really liked these sudden parties.
Since the popular Crown Prince reacted like that, other nobles also started hoping to be invited to her parties. Because most of the events were exclusive to high-ranking nobles, Kiara’s parties became more and more the object of admiration.
On the other hand, until recently, Eleanor had little interest in the events Kiara hosted.
She was sick of attending parties with Arlo, and her personality didn’t match well with Kiara’s. Eleanor had been friends with Kiara since they were fourteen. But that was just on the surface; they weren’t actually that close.
Kiara, to put it nicely, was bold and straightforward.
In a less flattering light, she was fiery and couldn’t rest until she’d said everything on her mind.
She was quite different from the calm Eleanor. However, since they were both among the few high-ranking nobles of similar age, they naturally ended up in the same social circles.
At least, Kiara was always kind to Eleanor, and Eleanor responded accordingly. That’s how their relationship was maintained under the name of “friendship.” ‘But that will soon come to an end.’
Eleanor wasn’t sure if Arlo had told Kiara about Nora or the details surrounding Astria, but soon enough, Kiara would turn her back on her. After all, a noble who couldn’t even tell her friend about her fiancé’s affair wouldn’t stick by a friend who’d lost her status.
“It’s a dinner party. Tomorrow night.”
“Are you going, My Lady?” Mary asked with an expressionless face.
Even without hearing the answer, it was obvious. The lady never willingly attended such gatherings.
Especially given the current situation at the duchy, there was no way she would go.
“Yes.”
“Yes, then I’ll reply immediately… What?!”
Mary, who had been nodding as if she knew the answer, was startled and quickly adjusted her glasses.
“This time, I plan to attend. I even asked her to invite me to the last ball. Besides, look, it says here that I must come.”
Eleanor playfully waved the invitation.
Mary narrowed her eyes and swiftly read through it.
Indeed, the elaborate invitation contained those words.
[To Ellie, How have you been? I regret that we didn’t have much time to talk at the last event. There are so many things I want to say to you that they’re piling up as high as the tower of Juvenile Cathedral. The chill that once froze our hands is finally gone, and now the birds adorned with beautiful feathers chirp under the spring sun. I believe, like those birds, it’s time for us to meet again and chat. … This dinner party will be a mixed gathering, but there’s no need to bring a partner. So please attend, even if you come alone. There are things I’d like to discuss and friends I’d like to introduce to you. It will be a small but special gathering with many noble guests. I would be grateful if you could come and grace the event with your presence. Your friend, Kiara.]
Not needing to bring a partner was good news. Eleanor muttered with a smile.
Mary still seemed unable to understand why Eleanor wanted to attend the party.
Even though the invitation said “please attend,” there were plenty of excuses she could use to decline. Besides, she didn’t even feel comfortable with the young lady of the Portsmouth family.
She had many questions, but instead of asking, she focused on what was needed.
“Now that spring is here, it’s about time to get a new dress. Shall I call the tailor from Corcos Atelier?”
“Yes, do that. Oh, and this time, make sure to include all the accessories, including the hairpiece. What was it called again…?”
“A small, light hat! Decorated with lace, ribbons, and flowers!”
Hilda, unable to contain her excitement, interrupted. When the headmaid shot her a stern glance, Hilda realized her mistake and quickly shut her mouth with a gasp.
“Haha. Yes, the things Hilda just mentioned.”
Laughter escaped Eleanor before she realized it.
It was obvious that Hilda had been on edge ever since the strict head maid appeared, but she still couldn’t give up on the hat. Her enthusiasm was amusing.
Seeing Eleanor laugh, Mary let out a small sigh, as if to say the lady is still so soft-hearted.
“A small, light hat decorated with lace, ribbons, and flowers. I’ll contact them today. Hilda, make sure you handle it properly.”
“Yes, Head Maid!”
Hilda’s face brightened noticeably, glad that she hadn’t been scolded.
The luckiest day of my life! I get to dress up the lady myself! She thought to herself.
A few hours later.
“This is the unluckiest day of my life,” Hilda murmured in a gloomy voice.
“How could they be fully booked? Does that even make sense?”
The reason for her drastic change in mood was simple. She had received a reply from the Corcos Atelier saying they were fully booked and couldn’t visit the duchy in time.
For Hilda, who had planned to make Eleanor the most beautiful lady at the party, this news was utterly devastating.
“It’s not impossible. Corcos is the most popular atelier in Cardiff, after all. And we did contact them on short notice.”
“That’s true, but still… How could even their ready-made dresses be all reserved? Don’t they usually keep one or two just in case? And I heard even the less popular ateliers are fully booked! I know it’s debutante season, but this is really strange. Could it be some kind of conspiracy?”
Hilda glared fiercely toward the west, where Nora’s room was located.
Eleanor barely suppressed her laughter.
She’s sharper than I thought. Eleanor had come to a similar conclusion.
Corcos might be busy, but that had nothing to do with Astria. The Duchess of Astria’s status alone usually caused tailors to cancel other appointments. Yet now, not even a single ready-made dress was available.
Nora’s influence has already spread that far.
Technically, it was Arlo’s doing, but Nora was surely behind it, which still counted as her power. A fleeting yet powerful influence that no one knew how long would last.
“What should we do? Should we cancel going to the party?”
“It’s fine. I still have a few dresses I never wore from the last time I ordered.”
“…What? You mean, from last season…?”
Please, no. Hilda’s eyes begged her.
But, unfortunately, her loyal wish did not reach Eleanor.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
A dozen problems whirled through Hilda’s mind, but she couldn’t voice them out of politeness.
She had no choice but to accept it now: the lady really had a shockingly poor sense of fashion.
Well, no matter how great a lady is, she can’t be good at everything. Hilda tried to rationalize it.
“Shall we at least take a look at them?”
Maybe, just maybe, there would be a decent dress among them. Hilda held onto a sliver of hope as she headed for the dressing room.
But when she returned a few minutes later with the dresses, the hope had drained from her face.
“Are these really… the dresses from last season?”
“Yes, they are. I vaguely remember buying these.”
Eleanor wasn’t lying. The dresses were indeed from last season. But their designs were far from last season’s trends.
The dresses, gathering dust in a corner of the dressing room, were all outdated and dull. Even widows wouldn’t be caught wearing such clothes nowadays.
“These were all picked by Nora, weren’t they?”
Hilda refused to address Nora as “Miss.” Of course, she was careful not to speak like this in front of others, knowing it might cause Eleanor trouble. But at least in front of Eleanor, she refused to give that woman the title of “Miss.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ugh! That creepy woman! She did this on purpose, I’m sure. Look at the way she dresses now—there’s no way she doesn’t know the current trends!”
In the end, Hilda couldn’t hold back her frustration and exploded in anger. Eleanor averted her eyes, pretending not to notice.
As I suspected, even my outfits were part of Nora’s long-standing scheme.
It was absurd, but Eleanor couldn’t really defend herself. How poor must her fashion sense be to not realize this for years? It was just embarrassing.
“Is it that bad?”
“Just… a little. A little too bad. This navy dress is the best option, though. It’s not bright enough, which is a shame, but it’s at least elegant and should suit the dinner party. If we call the sewing maid to adjust the fit, it’ll look much better.”
“Okay, let’s do that. You seem to know quite a bit about dresses. Did you study them?”
“No, nothing like that. I just worked for a long time in another noble house before coming here. It was the Freely Viscount family. I picked up some things just by looking.”
Eleanor vaguely remembered hearing about the Freely Viscount family. She’d heard passing rumors that the viscount couple, as well as their daughter, had quite difficult personalities. There were even stories about how badly they treated their servants.
Perhaps that was why Hilda’s face darkened slightly as she mentioned her past. But just as quickly, she changed her tone to something more cheerful.
“Well then, let’s call the sewing maid right away to get the dress adjusted! Loren is very skilled. Plus, she doesn’t have much contact with that wretched woman, Nora. Oh, and I managed to get in touch on my way to the dressing room. The accessories shop, Filling Heights, said they’d send over their newest hairpieces and jewelry right away. They’re not as good as Corcos, but it’s better than nothing.”
Eleanor paid close attention to Hilda’s words, trying not to miss anything in her rapid-fire speech.
The fact that she had immediately contacted the jewelry shop when the atelier fell through showed that Hilda was indeed very capable. Not just capable, but extremely proactive. She acted as if this were her own matter, showing enthusiasm rarely seen in other maids.
“I really hope they carries Royster-style hairpieces! Of course, they probably do, but I’m worried about how much stock they have. This dress would look great with a hat that has a black satin ribbon…!”
Her main flaw, however, was that she always spoke too quickly and too much.
