Chapter 81

Chapter 81

“The Imperial Princess’ orders have already arrived here….”

Young Lady Evian muttered softly, thinking that he was just one of Azuela’s people.

‘What does the Emperor have to do with the dress replacements?’

Bewildered, I tilted my head and walked closer to the Grand Chamberlain. We were each given a package wrapped in wrapping paper. A special pattern was drawn on the wrapping paper on my package.

“Is this the royal emblem?”

“This gift was originally going to be given to you on the first day of the New Year on your way home, but I brought it out ahead of schedule (because of the situation).”

The Grand Chamberlain immediately answered when I asked a question. So, this seems like a gift that everyone who attends the New Year’s festival receives from the imperial family as a symbol of them wishing everyone happiness in the new year. I still don’t understand why the Emperor wants to take care of me, but it was quite understandable if these gifts are for everyone.

“Huh? The dress…”

Young Lady Evian and I unwrapped the package and took out the dresses, then I gaped my mouth in confusion. No matter how random a gift is, how can the quality be so different?

‘Young Lady Evian’s dress was ordinary, while mine was….’

It was a neat and white dress. It was embroidered with blue and pearl-like jewels in every corner of the fabric, giving focus to its beautiful and clean atmosphere. Many tiny jewels were added to the top, instead of a few large jewels, giving the dress an intricate and elegant look. Anyone would see how much effort was put into this dress that was vastly different from the other dress.

“How did this happen?”

“It is a coincidence.”

“No, how can you say something like this is a coincidence!”

“It must be a coincidence.”

I whispered quietly so as not to be heard by Young Lady Evian, and the Grand Chamberlain also whispered, matching the volume of my voice as well. I scrutinized the dress. It was obviously a dress that was carefully made over a long span of time.

“What a beautiful dress.”

Young Lady Evian looked down at her rather plain dress in comparison and murmured as she looked at my clothes.

“If Young Lady wears it… you will look really pretty… it will suit you really well!”

“I… i-I guess so. Thank you.”

The tension surrounding us was relieved by her words. Young Lady Evian looked at me with a somewhat happy smile. Why does she have that expression? I nodded my head not knowing what I should say. Then she looked down at her clothes with a sad expression.

“You must feel very sticky right now, and we are here to help.”

“Then I’ll go wash up first, Young Lady.”

The maids quietly standing on one side approached and offered their help as they smiled kindly. Young Lady Evian said goodbye and went into the powder room inside the break room with a maid. Finally, it was only me, but there was still a knight and a maid around.

‘I still couldn’t ask since there were still people around.’

I glanced at the knight standing neatly to one side, and surprisingly, I saw her smiling brightly.

“I was also sent by His Majesty so I already knew about it. You do not need to worry.

“Ah….”

The maid standing next to her also bowed her head with a meaningful expression. Great. I nodded, and immediately looked straight at the grand chamberlain.

“Now, please explain this to me.”

“It is a coincidence. Now, you should change your clothes. I will take my leave.”

“Wait. I won’t wear it until I’m properly told what is going on!”

His eyebrows twitched slightly as I looked up at him with a challenging expression – as if he would be in trouble if I didn’t wear it.

‘It’s indeed strange.’

What does it have to do with whether I wear those clothes or not? It was true that I would suffer more if I was to wear dirty clothes. However, what I was focused on was that he looked troubled by what I said as if he was ordered by someone to make sure I wore it.

My eyes were inquisitive as I looked up at the Grand Chamberlain.

“There was no way His Majesty would casually send his Grand Chamberlain to run a basic errand to deliver clothes just because the dresses of two esteemed Young Ladies were ruined.”

Being the Emperor’s Grand Chamberlain means he holds a very high position. He has the status of a very high-ranking aristocrat, and no one can command him other than the Emperor. Solely based on the fact that he was here now can only mean that the Emperor ordered it and wanted it. It was impossible for him to have taken an interest in me after only meeting me twice, so it must be the Emperor who ordered him.

He cleared his throat for a moment when I hit the nail on the head.

“That dress is a gift from His Majesty.”

“I could guess that. But why did he give me this?”

“His Majesty was always thinking of you. He said that he wanted to see the [redacted] Princess wearing it at least once during the New Year’s Eve.”

The Grand Chamberlain answered me in a low voice. His voice was so quiet that I couldn’t tell if he referred to me as the Imperial Princess or the Grand Princess. I looked at him with narrow eyes, but I couldn’t read his expression at all.

“Is that supposed to be a Royal Order?”

“Would that be possible? That would’ve been sent to the Grand Duchy in the beginning if that was the case.”

I acted slightly sulky and he smiled brightly on purpose. It was unfortunate for me that my dress was stained, but the Emperor got lucky for it.

“Why did you give this to me like this?”

“Would you have just received it out of courtesy if you were given it in the beginning?”

“That ….”

Thinking from the Emperor’s point of view, he must’ve thought that I wouldn’t accept the dress because I refused the candy he was giving to me. Is that why he was disguising it now as a New Year’s gift? Well, I can’t afford something like this…

‘Should I say no?’

But it was difficult for me to firmly refuse it now when I was reminded of how the Emperor looked sad when I refused the candy last time. Besides, I have no other clothes to change into right away.

“My dress was very different from Young Lady Evian’s….”

“Because I just found and packed those clothes in a hurry.”

His attitude was like he had nothing to do with Young Lady Evian’s dress. Well, whichever dress that Young Lady Evian ended up with was not the Grand Chamberlain’s concern.

“Why is His Majesty giving me this?”

“I am just His Majesty’s hand.”

(T/N: When a servant calls himself/herself ‘hand’ (similar to how they were refer to as ‘hands and feet’ sometimes) means that he was only doing what was ordered him to do. )

Now that he had said it all, his eyes were telling me to get dressed quickly. I had finally asked everything that I wanted to ask. When I told him ‘you told me you didn’t know if it was the Emperor’, the Grand Chamberlain avoided me easily by muttering ‘Hmm, I have nothing more to say about this subject….’

I finally nodded and held out the clothes to the maid.

“Then, I’ll be seeing you again another time.”

The Grand Chamberlain said goodbye to me very politely, and took the knight with him as he went out and signaled to him with a wink from his eye.

“Oh my, you are really cute and gorgeous!”

The maid who helped me change into the dress exclaimed with admiration. I was also staring at my face reflected in the mirror. It was funny to describe a child like this, but I sure looked more mature in this dress.

“Wow!”

After washing up, I heard a rustle of changing clothes from the other side of the room, and soon Young Lady Evian appeared with a change of new clothes. She looked at me, exclaimed with a surprised face, and rushed to my side.

“Let’s go back to the party right now!”

Young Lady Evian was clinging to me with a brighter face than before.

‘Brother is surely worried about me by now.’

It seems like we have to go back quickly as I know how anxious Wyndert is now knowing that we were still inside the Imperial Palace.

I went out of the break room with Young Lady Evian. The Grand Chamberlain was already gone and there was only the knight standing outside that could guide us back.

“May I guide you back to the party hall?”

“Please.”

I smiled and asked the knight to take us back. Young Lady Evian kept talking to me on our way back. It seems like she wanted to get to know me better.

“Hey, Shu… Young Lady Vaillot, isn’t this mural painting really beautiful? I didn’t notice it earlier because I was out of my mind, but it was really pretty now that I have taken a good look at it.”

“It really is!”

“Shu… Young Lady, your dress is shining really beautifully in this light.”

“Thank you, Young Lady Evian.”

“Shuel… Young Lady. The garden is really pretty. It would be nice to have a walk there!”

It was mainly like this: At this point… your goal wasn’t simply to talk to me, but also that you want to be able to call me by my name, right?

I looked at Young Lady Evian’s side profile that was brimming with excitement. She seems to have opened her heart to me now.

“You can just call me Shuelina.”

“Well, then, call me Bella too.”

Instead of replying, I smiled. It wasn’t a precious nickname and being called by my name is nothing important to me. But I didn’t feel like calling her so familiarly by her name yet. I was happy to hear that she was grateful for my help earlier, but I didn’t know if she would change her attitude and betray me if we met Azuela again.

‘I’m sure she’s very loyal.’

The Count’s Young Lady’s attack towards the Grand Princess couldn’t be carried out without some sort of loyalty. Otherwise, even if she has a short hindsight, she wouldn’t stand by in front of injustice just because of her righteous personality.

(e/n: Basically Shushu is saying that young lady Evian is really loyal but she is not sure if that’s good or bad because it might mean she’s still on Azuela’s side and this is an act to make her put her guard down.)

“Shushu.”

“Shuelina.”

I suddenly heard voices calling for me while I was walking and still thinking about Young Lady Evian. I was already in front of the party hall when I looked up. I saw Wyndert and Lucas standing by the door.

“Brother? Why did you come out?”

“You weren’t inside there anyway.”

Wyndert spoke in a soft voice, unlike his indifferent face.

So, have you been waiting for me ever since? Did you think about how long it would take for me to get back?

I thought he was surely enjoying the party. Wyndert would have been nice to them, no matter how unfamiliar he was with anyone, because they were anxious to get to know him. But he acted as if he just came here to escort me today, he didn’t really seem to be interested in the party at all.

“Your Highness, too… What about the Imperial Princess?”

I asked Lucas, who was looking at me with a somewhat blank face. Since I disappeared, I thought he would be staying next to his sister, but it was a surprise. However, Lucas shook his head and squinted his eyes, as if waking up from a confused dream.

“What are you talking about? Why are you looking for Azuela?”

“No, I just thought you would be with the Imperial Princess since I wasn’t here.”

“Her partner will take care of her. Aren’t you my partner?”

Lucas shrugged and replied with a nonchalant face. It was a norm in high society to take care of one’s partner, so he wasn’t wrong by saying that. But Azuela was upset that I had been taking Lucas’ attention….

‘It’s none of my business.’

And well… I was a little happy that someone was waiting for me.

“That dress…”

Lucas said, looking at my clothes with longing eyes.

Does this dress have any secrets? Is it because he knew it was the Emperor who prepared it in advance?

I couldn’t figure it out, but I couldn’t say that it was a gift from the Emperor in front of Young Lady Evian. Moreover, Wyndert would be disgusted with the dress the Emperor gave me, and I am sure that he would rather we go back to the mansion for something different.

“I heard that the Imperial Family was handing out gifts to wish good luck on the first day of the New Year. Among them was the gift of a dress.”

I said with a smile. Fortunately, Wyndert didn’t get angry, as his suspicions had not been pointed towards the Emperor based on my statement. Besides, he seemed to like my new outfit, so he gently nodded his head.

“You’re pretty.”

Wyndert gave a small compliment.

Uhm, Wyndert would probably be very angry if he found out that this dress was actually from the Emperor even if he was praising me like that.

Let’s keep it a secret now that this was a gift from the Emperor. I slowly glanced over as I swallowed my saliva.

“Awesome…! Shu… it seems that you really care for Miss Shuelina.”

Young Lady Evian was looking at us with eyes full of admiration as she stuttered while saying my name in embarrassment. It was as if she was looking at a warm scene. Seeing that Young Lady Evian didn’t have a partner, she seemed to be rather interested in what it would be like to have one….

“ ‘Shuelina’ ?”

Wyndert repeated my name in a slightly sharper tone. It seemed that he didn’t like even Young Lady Evian calling out my name.

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