Chapter 19

‘This dress is really nice too.’

My dad saved money on food just to buy this for my birthday.

But now, placed next to the extravagant dresses of a duke’s household, my dress looked a bit shabby.

‘Is it really that plain…?’

Plain enough that I need to change before meeting the Duke?

But I soon shook my head firmly.

No, my dress is plenty fine and lovely.

It’s just that I’m going to meet the Duke right now, so they probably want me to wear something more formal.

Of course, it should be fancy!

This dress was a gift from my dad!

I gently released my grip on the hem of my dress and began to carefully examine the dresses Charlotte pointed to.

I didn’t touch them with my hands, afraid I might damage or soil them.

“Is there one you like?”
Charlotte asked, following closely behind me.

The other maids kept a respectful distance, but Charlotte stayed right by my side the entire time.

“They’re all so pretty! But is it really okay for me to wear something like this…?”

“Of course, Lady Eve! All these dresses are yours… er, no, not yours exactly. Ahem, you may wear whichever one you’d like.”

“Really! …I mean, it’s just a coincidence! A coincidence! That there happened to be dresses in the mansion for someone your age… ahem.”

Charlotte seemed about to say more but cut herself off with a cough.

‘……’

[……]

I looked at Charlotte suspiciously.

Why does she keep stopping mid-sentence?

[Why does that human keep stopping mid-sentence?]

Even X seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Charlotte brought over two dresses: a pale pink one with lots of lace and a bright yellow one in cheerful colors.

“How about these? I’m sure anything would suit you, Lady Eve, but I think something with lots of frills like this would really suit you~.”

The dresses she showed me looked truly beautiful and expensive.

And even if they were slightly big on me, they were so pretty I didn’t mind at all.

‘But still…’

[You don’t like them?]

‘It’s not that I don’t like them…’

I turned my head slightly to gaze at a blue dress hanging among the many others.

That dress looked a bit worn, as if someone had already worn it before. It stood out from the rest.

[Is that the one you like?]

Even so, it was the only one that truly captured my heart.

[So that dress caught the eyes and heart of this little one, huh.]

‘Isn’t it pretty?’

[To my eyes, the others look more splendid.]

‘But still!’

At that moment, Charlotte followed my gaze and turned her head.

“Huh? You like that dress, my lady?”

“Eh? Y-Yes! That one is my favorite.”

I hurried over to stand in front of the blue dress.

Up close, it looked even prettier than it had from afar, and I liked it even more.

Charlotte murmured, puzzled.

“That’s strange… why is this dress here…?”

She handed the two dresses she was holding to other maids.

Then she knelt to meet my eye level and asked,

“This dress isn’t one that should be here. One of the staff must have put it in the wrong place. But if you like it, I’ll help you put it on.”

“Yes, I like it. But… it’s not supposed to be here? Does it belong to someone else?”

“Well, um, technically, this dress does belong to you, Lady Eve.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes, that’s right. Though it’s a bit tricky for me to explain the details… Hey, you lot! Come help with this. What are you just standing there for?”

Charlotte snapped sharply at the other maids.

They quickly came over to help me change into the dress.

But… what did she mean the dress belongs to me?

Today is the first time I’ve ever been here. I only came because I accidentally ran into the Duke.

There’s no way they would’ve prepared a dress for me in advance…

‘And Charlotte even said “it’s not a dress that’s supposed to be here.”’

What did she mean by that?

But before I could think any further—

“All done! How is it, Lady Eve? Do you like it?”

Charlotte asked sweetly as she arranged the hem of my dress.

One of the maids brought a full-length mirror—taller than me—and held it up in front of me.

I stared at my reflection, standing a little awkwardly in the unfamiliar dress.

Charlotte was already busy fixing up my hair, and thanks to her, I actually looked… rather refined.

The scruffy girl from the countryside market, Eve Royze, was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a stranger with golden hair and blue eyes stood in the mirror, looking like a young noble.

‘This feels so weird!’

It was my first time wearing something this expensive, and my first time having people fix my outfit for me like this—it was all so unfamiliar.

At least, I didn’t look like someone awkwardly borrowing someone else’s clothes. That was a relief.

What would Dad say if he saw me like this?

Would he smile and say, “My daughter is the prettiest in the world”?

‘I hope he would, hehe.’

Feeling a bit shy, I fidgeted with a strand of hair while looking at myself in the mirror.

Charlotte, who had neatly brushed and tied my hair, clapped her hands with a satisfied smile.

“Oh my! It suits you so well, Lady Eve!”

[Hmph, even if you carve lines into a pumpkin…]

‘I heard everyone in this house carries a sword. Should I ask if they have one they don’t need?’

[…You look amazing, kid! Like you were born to live here!]

Exactly, exactly.

After correcting X’s rude attitude in my mind, I turned to the maid who was taking my old dress.

“Oh, please take good care of that dress. I want to wear it again when I leave.”

“Yes, I’ll keep it safe.”

The maid disappeared with my dress.

Now fully changed, with X in my arms, I looked at Charlotte.

It was a bit awkward… but not bad.

“Let’s go see the Duke now.”

She gently took my hand in hers.

I nodded, feeling a bit nervous.

* * *

“…That’s her?”

“She doesn’t look like him at all…”

“I mean, I don’t really know what the young duke looks like… but is it really that different?”

“Except for the hair color, not even close. What if Neil just picked up some random kid…?”

“Hey! She can hear you!”

I hugged X tightly.

Yeah, I hear it all.

I hear it! I can hear everything, okay? Every word!

[Why are those rude brats whispering loud enough for you to hear?]

I don’t know either.

The person most confused about why they’re whispering and staring at me like that… is me.

Right now, I wasn’t in the Duke Ferdinand’s office.

I was just standing awkwardly in the middle of the mansion’s hallway.

Charlotte had been called away urgently, leaving me alone.

‘Sorry, Lady Eve! I’ll send another maid to escort you right away!’

And then…

Fifteen minutes passed.

No one came to get me.

‘Hey, X, is it normal in noble houses to leave guests standing alone in hallways like this?’

And to gossip about them right in front of their faces?

I felt X trembling with indignation in my arms.

[Of course not! They’re just being disrespectful to you!]

I thought so.

I leaned against the wall near a window and crouched down.

Ugh, my legs hurt. And my back too.