“Miss, I’ve finished smoothing out all the wrinkles, would you like to try it on?”
“Oh, yes.”
Penny spread out the dress on the floor and assisted Hestia, who stepped into the center, put it on. Thanks to Penny’s excellent sewing skills, the baggy dress had been transformed into a dress with pretty pleats at the waist.
“It’s still a bit big. I’ll pin it.”
“Thank you.”
When she inserted the pins, the dress no longer felt as if she was wearing someone else’s clothes, even if it wasn’t custom made. Penny straightened the hem of the dress neatly, then skillfully combed Hestia’s hair. Then she showed Hestia the small headdresses she’d prepared for her earlier.
“Madam said it was okay to wear a small headdress. I’ve picked out a few of the best ones, which would you prefer?”
“This is pretty.”
Hestia hastily picked the closest one. It didn’t matter what it looked like. As long as it was a headdress and would prevent people from seeing her. Penny picked up the accessory Hestia had chosen and complemented her on her good taste, saying the headdress was a vintage item and it went well with her dress. But, no matter what Penny said, she couldn’t hear a thing.
‘I’ll stay as far from the center as possible, staying close to the edge when Miss Carlton dances.’
The best thing for her to do at the ball was to avoid attracting attention. It was something she had been confident in at the academy. Moreover, the dress she was wearing wasn’t flashy at all, so even if she was among the other ladies, no one should notice her at all.
‘I’ll be okay. Nothing will happen.’
Hestia consoled herself. She was probably just worrying needlessly. The ballroom was huge and there would be many people taking part. What were the chances the guest of honor would be able to find her hiding in the corner?
Even if he remembered that day, on a day as special as this, he would be spending time with the high-ranking officials and nobles, not hanging out with fallen nobles like herself. She felt lighter as she imagined returning to this room at dawn after the dance, falling asleep, relieved that she had worried for nothing.
“Your hair is finished. Do you like it?”
Penny’s nimble fingers had braided her hair beautifully. Due to Countess Carlton’s orders, Hestia was not allowed to wear any decorations, other than her headdress, so Penny went to great lengths to braid Hestia’s pretty brunette hair as gorgeously as possible.
“It’s pretty. Good job, Penny.”
“Please, take your gloves with you.”
Hestia was handed a pair of plain white gloves by Penny. She hadn’t had many options for gloves either. Penny had tried to find something that would match her dress the best she could.
Just like that, chaperone Hestia’s preparations for the ball came to a dull end. Hestia expressed her gratitude by handing Penny a silver coin. After all, she had braided her hair extravagantly as well as mended her dress.
Meanwhile, unlike Hestia’s quiet room, Daisy’s room was noisy and chaotic.
“Try curling her hair a bit more on that side, it’s uneven.”
“Close your eyes and try not to move.”
“Miss, what gloves would you like?”
Countess Carlton wanted Daisy to stand out and be noticed more than anyone else. She also had to prove that House Carlton was worthy of becoming a central noble family. Due to this, they had poured a lot of money into this ball.
Though they’d left in a hurry, they were able to find a light-yellow dress that was perfect for a debutant outfit, jeweled earrings, silk shoes and lace gloves. Daisy stood in front of the mirror inspecting herself.
“I’ll wear these gloves.”
Daisy choose a one-of-a-kind pair of gloves decorated with diamonds from their territory. The high-quality diamonds were the perfect choice to reveal the wealth of the Count family.
“Good choice, Daisy.”
The Countess nodded happily. Everything was going smoothly. No matter who was looking, her daughter was beautiful, young and pure. She also had a wealthy family who would provide her with a large dowry. She was worthy of being the wife of a central high-ranking noble. Then, if Daisy married a high ranking man, they would be able to find a lady of class for their son, Ted.
Ted opened the door and burst into the room behind a hopeful Countess Carlton. With his arrogant gait, he slowly looked around. All the busy workers stopped and bowed their heads to him.
“What’s all the fuss about?”
“Oh my! You can’t enter a lady’s room unannounced!”
The Countess poked her head out from behind the screen and scolded.
“It’s just my younger sister, what’s wrong with that?”
Ted responded angerly as he flopped down onto the sofa. He picked up a grape from the assortment of small snacks on the table, popping it into his mouth. Petit grapes were a must when preparing for a ball, makeup would prevent the lady from being able to open her mouth wide. Daisy, who had starved herself all day, glared at him with a sour expression.
“That’s mine!”
“If you have an upset stomach later, no one will ask you to dance, I’m just helping you out.”
Ted was chuckling as he stuffed more of the snacks into his mouth. She couldn’t think of a good response and just pouted her lips. She could only have a drink in the ballroom, a woman who ate at a ball was considered a disgrace.
“You don’t look so bad when you dress up.”
Her brother scrutinized her appearance without knowing how sad Daisy was inside. Unfortunately, his younger sister was not that beautiful, she took more after their father than their mother. At least she was an aristocratic lady and was able to adorn herself with lavish things to make herself look better.
Contrary to her true feelings, she put on a confident expression and bluffed at Ted’s comments that were more excessive than usual.
“Just you wait and see. I will capture the hearts of all the gentleman today.”
“You? Ha!”
“What?”
“If, by the end of the night, no on has asked you to dance, this brother will take pity on you.”
“That won’t be necessary!”
“Stop, stop! Ted, go and get ready.”
He glanced around the room, ignoring Daisy who was screaming and the countess who was trying to shoo him out of the room. Even though it was crowded there, Hestia was nowhere to be seen. At the moment Daisy and her mother had moved on and were selecting accessories that would look good in her wavy hair. When it seemed that no one was paying him any more attention, he discreetly gestured to a nearby maid. It was a maid that resided in this mansion in the capital so he had never seen her before.
“Hey, you there. Where’s Miss Welter?”
“She is preparing in her room.”
“Really? I’d thought she’d be here. Don’t women like to get ready in groups?”
His mother must have separated them on purpose, after all, women liked to fight regularly. His trip to Daisy’s room had been in vain, but he didn’t want to go to Hestia’s room directly. There were a lot of eyes in the mansion and if his mother heard that he visited Hestia’s room, she would nag him for hours.
“Haha…”
His lips twitched as he looked at the maid who’d laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to her master’s sharp words. It was her green eyes that then caught his attention.
“I need to get ready as well, follow me.”
“Shall I call the valet?”
“Just follow me.”
The maid followed his orders and left the room. As soon as the door was closed, his arm wrapped around her waist, leading her to an empty room. It took forever for women to prepare for a ball, he wouldn’t be late even if he got ready after fooling around with a maid. The green-eyed maid followed him, her eyes shining.
***
The Carlton family’s carriage slowly made its way toward the imperial palace. Inside the carriage was Daisy, Countess Carlton, a maid and Hestia. It was Daisy’s first time attending a ball and Ted’s chance to meet the central nobility. Countess Carlton mentally prepared herself with a solemn expression.
“Woah, I’m nervous.”
Unlike the bravado she had displayed in front of Ted earlier, Daisy became very nervous as they approached the palace. After hitting the jackpot in the mines, she’d been given the most expensive dresses, finest jewelry and rode in the best carriages compared to anyone else in their social circle back home. But not here. Just by looking out the window of the carriage, there were many carriages that were much more luxurious than the one they were riding in, and even the horses pulling the carriage were unable to compare. At first glance, she spotted the face of a lady around her age through the curtain. The lady’s face was whiter and her teeth were straighter. Daisy felt like a frog in a well.
“It’s alright, you’ve got your mom right here.”
Countess Carlton affectionately wrapped her arm around her daughter’s shoulders when she spotted her turning pale from her nervousness. Daisy, leaning in her mother’s shoulder, soon seemed to regain her composure and her complexion returned to normal. Seeing the affection between the mother and daughter, Hestia quickly turned her head and focused her gaze elsewhere.
“Why is it taking so long to get in?”
Even after waiting for so long, their carriage sat on the side of the main road in front of the imperial palace, not budging at all, even though she could see people were exiting their carriages and the next carriage entering.
“The VIP’s go in first. Our Daisy will soon join their ranks.”
Daisy looked at the marquis carriage that was entering the gates now even though it had arrived long after they had. She was so jealous she couldn’t help but envy them.
“Who is in that carriage?”
Daisy looked at Hestia as she asked the question. Hestia answered after recognizing the marquis’s emblem that was engraved on the side of the carriage.
