The next day dawned. I had barely slept a wink. The thought of Armin Grey sending a carriage and then disappearing kept me up all night. I was a mess, with dark circles under my eyes and sunken cheeks. The maids who were doing my hair looked at me with puzzled expressions, seeing my disheveled state.
“Miss.”
“Yes?”
“What’s making you so happy today? Your complexion is terrible.”
“That’s why I’m happy.”
“What?”
“Never mind. If possible, make the dark circles stand out more with makeup.”
“That’s not possible, Miss.”
Michelle said firmly. I made a sullen face, but Michelle’s stubbornness didn’t waver.
“The young master needs to lose interest in me, right?”
“That’s one thing, but your beauty is my pride, Miss.”
Everyone in the Roha household, family and servants alike, thought I was the most beautiful woman in the world. No matter how I tried to convince them otherwise, they wouldn’t listen. I gave up trying to persuade Michelle. She tried to reassure me.
“Don’t worry, Miss. No matter how much effort we put in, you won’t look as beautiful as usual.”
Michelle was right. Even with makeup, my tired appearance was evident. I hoped this would be enough. I nodded vaguely.
Just then, Sasha entered the room. He looked tired too, with shadows under his eyes.
“Did you have trouble sleeping too, Brother?”
“Yes, you troublemaker.”
Had he been thinking of a way to get rid of Armin Grey once and for all? I looked at him hopefully.
“First,” he said.
“Yes?”
“I’ll ask you just once.”
“Okay!”
“Do you perhaps have feelings for Armin Grey?”
“No!”
I shook my head vigorously, messing up the hair Michelle was styling.
“Absolutely not! Never, ever!”
Absolutely not. Sure, he was handsome and impressive on the outside, but just thinking about getting close to the young master made me breathless.
I loved my quiet life with my brother, parents, and the maids. Armin Grey was an unwelcome guest in my peaceful life. Just being entangled with him was exhausting enough. There was no way I could like him.
“Good. Then,” Sasha said.
“Yes?”
“Today, dress as beautifully as possible.”
“What? Yesterday you said to act modestly.”
Confused by the contradictory instructions, I tilted my head.
“Can you do it if I tell you to?”
I was speechless at Sasha’s response. He explained patiently.
“What type of person do you think Armin Grey hates the most?”
“I don’t know.”
“Armin Grey is always surrounded by people. Why is that?”
“Because he’s the heir to the Grey family?”
“Exactly. And Armin Grey is tired of those people.”
I thought I understood what he meant.
“So, you’re telling me to act like one of those people?”
“Exactly. It’s easier than acting demure. Just be like the shallow people who are only interested in his status.”
Sasha’s plan made sense. I nodded. Michelle understood as well.
“So, I can make the young lady look stunning today, Master?”
“Yes.”
“Is today perhaps my birthday?” Michelle muttered to herself, sounding a bit scary. She had a slightly crazy side to her.
“But what if Armin Grey doesn’t send the carriage on time? Should we be getting ready so early in the morning?”
Feeling a bit more at ease, I started to worry again. Sasha tapped my forehead.
“Ouch! Why did you hit me?”
“You need to be ready early to look eager, don’t you?”
“Oh, right.”
I nodded. I had never tried to make someone dislike me before, so it felt a bit challenging.
“Phew… I have to do this right. I need to make him lose interest in one go.”
Sasha’s plan was this: Men were strange creatures. If someone as impressive as Armin Grey showed interest, other men might become interested too. So, we needed to nip this in the bud.
“But…”
“But what?”
“Won’t other men be interested in me if they see me like this?”
Sasha replied, “Those kinds of men will have fantasies about you. But once they see your true self, they’ll lose interest.”
I nodded, understanding. Reading hundreds of romance novels didn’t help me understand men’s hearts.
Then I realized something was off in Sasha’s plan.
“But didn’t you say that if I don’t find a match at the ball, you’ll marry me off to Andre?”
Sasha looked guilty. “That… was just a threat. If you stay in your room all day, you won’t meet anyone.”
So, it was all a lie. My family were worried that I wouldn’t meet anyone if I stayed in my room all day, so they pushed me to go to the ball.
“Don’t smile like that.”
“Okay.”
“I said don’t smile.”
“I got it.”
But despite my words, a smile crept onto my lips. I felt relieved.
Once I dealt with this unexpected event with Armin Grey, I could return to my peaceful life of cookies and bed.
Though my family thought there was a romantic connection, the reality was different. Once Armin Grey lost interest, I would be free.
Feeling at ease, Michelle commented that I looked radiant today, unlike my usual self.
“Radiant? That’s worrying.”
“You look as smooth and shiny as a freshly laid egg, Miss. Much better than this morning.”
I glanced at the mirror. My reflection showed an ordinary woman with brown hair and hazel eyes, average height, and build. Everything about me was plain. But perhaps because I felt good, I looked better than usual in the full-length mirror.
“Michele, are you done yet?”
“Almost.”
Today, Michele was putting in herculean effort. Normally, I would grumble about how bothersome it was, but today she had been working on my makeup for over two hours, far longer than the usual 30 minutes.
The elaborate frills on my dress made me look like a doll receiving a gift. This was far from my usual style—a wide skirt with multiple layers of delicate lace, and a neckline cut in a way that showed more cleavage than I was comfortable with.
But the real issue was the necklace.
“Huh. You want me to wear this?”
“Yes! It will suit you perfectly.”
It was the most extravagant piece of jewelry I owned—a necklace with several strands of large, lustrous pearls. I had never worn it even once since receiving it as a gift.
“Ugh. It’s so heavy.”
“Please bear with it, Miss. You need to look this extravagant to not seem like a commoner.”
It was undeniably flashy. I nodded, thinking that if this ordeal ended today, it would be worth it.
“There, all done.”
At Michele’s words, I hurried to the comfortable sofa. Even sitting on the sofa was uncomfortable, but it was far better than the stiff stool.
However, my comfort was short-lived. The timing was impeccable.
Knock, knock.
“Miss, the carriage from Duke Grey’s household has arrived.”
“Oh, just five more minutes! Please!”
“No can do, Miss. Come on, shoes! Hurry and put them on.”
I wasn’t sure if these were decorative or actual shoes. Michele brought over a pair of shoes I hadn’t seen in ages.
“Agh! How am I supposed to walk in these?”
“You have no choice. It’s just for today, isn’t that right?”
Michele shoved the shoes right up to my toes. I had no choice but to put them on, but my gait was inevitably wobbly.
“Miss! Try to walk properly! You need to look like a noble lady, not a commoner.”
Michele’s words made my ears burn.
“Michele! You said to act like a snob, not a noble lady. You never mentioned the word ‘noble lady’!”
“Still! You need to walk like you own the world. Today’s concept requires it!”
Michele quickly came to my side and whispered,
“If you want to look like a snob, you need to be comfortable with this extravagant appearance. Right now, you look like a fool taking her first steps, not a snob.”
Her words, though a bit harsh, were not wrong. I nodded and focused on my steps, trying to walk as elegantly as possible.
“Yes! Miss, like that.”
Michele’s excited tone made me chuckle.
Why was everyone in the house making such a fuss? The thought that there was a solution made my heart lighter.
Once everything was resolved, these funny situations would become fond memories. Something to laugh about in the future, like, “Remember that time I got entangled with ‘Armin Grey’?”
