PRKE 22

CHAPTER 22………………………………

I glanced briefly to her side. Hubert, just as he had when we boarded the carriage, was reading a newspaper.

I looked back at Aris. Then, smiling faintly, I lifted the corners of my lips.

“Yes, it’s interesting. Would you like to read it?”

“No thanks.”

“It’s a book by Dupin. I thought you liked his works too, Miss.”

“How could I possibly read something like that right now?”

“What’s so impossible about it?”

When I asked in genuine confusion, she widened her eyes as if she couldn’t believe I didn’t know.

“Oh, come on. We need to prepare ourselves mentally for the banquet! My heart is pounding so much. I wonder if Aris will make any mistakes.”

She clasped both hands to her chest and let out a worried sigh.

I knew very well how long she had been looking forward to this banquet.

Without thinking, I scanned her from head to toe—from her dress to her jewelry.

It really is dazzling.

As if she were a soldier heading into battle, fully armored without a single opening.

Then my gaze stopped on her dress.

Aris looked more beautiful today than usual, but the dress she was wearing was different from her normal taste.

She usually favored lively, voluminous designs that fully highlighted her bright, cheerful aura.

But today’s dress was quite subdued. The fabric draped smoothly and looked luxurious, but it didn’t suit her particularly well.

That was only natural.

It was originally meant for me.

I swept my gaze down to her feet, then smiled faintly without emotion.

There was nothing else to say.

Strangely enough, I didn’t feel especially upset that she was wearing the dress I should have worn.

After all, today, dresses weren’t what mattered to me.

I just want this pointless conversation to end so I can read my book.

But Aris didn’t seem inclined to end it. She hesitated, glancing at me sideways, and a question mark popped up in my mind.

Aris sighed.

“Unni. You’re upset after all, aren’t you?”

“…?”

“Because I ended up wearing your dress.”

“……”

“I’m sorry. My original dress didn’t fit me properly. It was fine during the fitting, but once I put on the finished piece, it felt so tight I could hardly breathe. I guess my water energy doesn’t match that dress.”

As she rattled off excuse after excuse, only one thought came to mind.

What nonsense.

I’d heard everything—how she’d pestered Hubert, saying she wouldn’t attend the banquet unless she could wear my dress.

“It’s fine. Your dress isn’t bad either. It’s just a bit short.”

For a fleeting moment, a sneer surfaced in Aris’s eyes—then vanished just as quickly.

“That’s true. I had no choice but to change, but I personally selected every single gem on that dress. It really suits you, Unni.”

That was strike two.

“Suits you” was a lie.

The lively, playful dress that suited Aris looked like a doll’s outfit on me.

Aris was extremely possessive of her belongings and never shared them with others. For someone like her to give me her dress?

Of course there was a reason.

It was because of the dress she was wearing now—the one that had originally been mine.

With a satisfied expression, Aris toyed with the hem of her dress.

The fabric sliding through her fingers seemed to boast of how rare it was. At a glance, it was clearly a valuable piece.

That dress had been bestowed upon me as the “new princess” of Riorsa attending this banquet.

A carefully crafted gown from the most popular dress shop in the capital—an exceptional piece that added dignity just by being worn.

Normally, I could never have afforded it even if I sold off all my personal savings. But since I had to receive guests in place of Princess Laratou, wearing something off the rack was unthinkable, so the royal family had specially prepared it.

The problem was that this very dress shop was the one Aris had always coveted.

The shop accepted only custom orders and was fully booked year-round; unless one was a high-ranking noble, it was nearly impossible to place an order.

Aris had been shocked to learn that such a place ignored existing reservations to make a dress just for me.

[If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve been the princess!]

Those were her words when the dress arrived.

She must have been so shocked that her true thoughts slipped out.

She’d clamped her mouth shut afterward, but her sulky expression was unmistakable—she looked absolutely furious.

Is this really what you’re jealous of?

Why would the royal family show such consideration? It was because I was being sent to deal with an imperial barbarian.

Aris only wanted the benefits that came with the title of “princess.”

Still, by then, her own dress had already been completed.

Even for her, there was nothing she could do about it.

“I’m really sorry again,” Aris said.

I snapped out of my thoughts.

She continued listing her excuses.

“But the dress and my water energy just didn’t match, so I had no choice.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

I replied curtly, not wanting to indulge her insincere talk. Aris’s eyes immediately welled with tears.

“Unni, your voice is so cold. You really don’t like that I’m wearing this dress, do you? This gown was meant for you, the princess.”

Plop.

A tear fell.

This is driving me crazy.

I thought hard.

What exactly did she want me to say?

It felt harder than cracking the code to a wealthy merchant’s vault.

She even started sniffing.

Swish.

Hubert folded his newspaper and looked at me.

Aris clung to him and whined.

“Hubert, I think Unni is angry. I feel so guilty, I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe I shouldn’t attend the banquet at all.”

Hubert took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her eyes.

“That’s enough. You’ll ruin that pretty face you worked so hard on.”

Aris sniffled and nodded. After placing the handkerchief in her hand, Hubert turned to me.

“That dress suits you too, Ig.”

What is he even talking about?

It was like telling a crying child that crying is good for their health.

How did I ever think words like that were nice to hear?

I shook my head inwardly but smiled on the outside.

“Thank you, Hubert.”

I even lowered my gaze shyly. If I could’ve added a blush to my cheeks, it would’ve been perfect—but that was asking too much.

Still, this was more than enough.

Once Aris calmed down, peace returned to the carriage. I turned my eyes away from Hubert’s satisfied expression and looked out the window.

Someday, I really want to punch that face.

Clatter.

The carriage came to a stop. The door opened, revealing massive castle walls.

Brilliant lights shimmered above them.

It was the royal palace.

The closer we got to the palace, the less Aris tried to hide her excitement.

“People are going to be so surprised when they see Aris, right? I’m worried. You can recognize a Mobella dress the moment you see it. If they ask how I managed to place an order, what should I say?”

With lips slightly upturned and cheeks flushed with anticipation, Aris let out a deep sigh—looking not worried in the slightest.

“You don’t really need to worry about that,” I replied flatly.

Aris paused.

“What do you mean, Unni?”

Before going in alone, I turned back to her.

And smiled sweetly.

“People will be too captivated by your beauty to care where the dress came from.”

“Oh, Unni. You’re embarrassing Aris.”

Apparently pleased, Aris covered her face with her fan.

How ridiculous.

If only I could say that out loud someday.

But seeing her excited expression, I thought I could endure it for today.

They won’t be surprised.

A genuine smile rose to my lips.

Because you won’t be wearing that dress.

The inside of the palace, with the banquet preparations complete, was quiet.

We had arrived earlier than the banquet itself since I was to receive guests as the princess.

When the massive doors of the hall opened, the head steward—who had been issuing orders to servants—hurried over.

“Miss Lorenst, we’ve been waiting— …I see.”

His eyes traveled over me from head to toe. A displeased expression quickly followed.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Then, noticing the others around me, his stiff expression relaxed.

“Ah, Count Lorenst. It’s been a while.”

Hubert responded with a polite tip of his hat.

“Greetings, Head Steward. This is Aris Dolensia, a member of House Lorenst.”

Aris smiled prettily and lifted the hem of her skirt slightly.

“Yes.”

The head steward replied briefly, then turned his gaze back to me. I pretended not to notice and spoke.

“I hope I didn’t arrive too late.”

He checked his watch and nodded.

“You’re a bit late, but there’s nothing major left to do, so it’s fine. However—”

His narrow eyes sharpened.

“This will not do.”

“Pardon?”

“That is not the outfit I ordered.”

“Ah…”

“Why are you dressed like that? Such a—”

His eyes raked over my attire as if he were witnessing something unpleasant. His brows furrowed deeply.

“An unsuitable look. The dress is far too short and excessively voluminous. Was this your choice, Miss Lorenst? Did you dislike the Mobella gown?”

His sharp, relentless voice instantly chilled the atmosphere.

I shrugged.

“There were circumstances.”

I heard Aris sigh behind me. She must have assumed I’d explain things neatly.

“I loved the dress very much. However…”

“However?”

Instead of answering immediately, I lifted the hem of my dress slightly, then let it fall.

“It’s unfortunate to hear that this dress doesn’t suit me, especially since it was chosen with such care.”

“Chosen by whom? I have no recollection of selecting such a dress.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean you, Head Steward. This dress belongs to Miss Aris. She had it custom-made with great care for this banquet. But when she tried it on, it didn’t fit her, did it? She said it felt too tight around the chest, and you can’t very well force someone to wear a dress like that. My own dress, on the other hand, fit her just fine.”

“So you yielded it to her?”

I pressed my lips together, adding an awkward expression as if I had nothing more to say.

The head steward stared incredulously at the dress Aris was wearing.

Under the piercing gaze of the stiff old man, Aris’s shoulders shrank.

“So that’s why the dress ended up over there.”

He clicked his tongue. Sensing something was wrong, Aris looked uneasy.

And sure enough—

“Change immediately. There’s no time to waste. Styling your hair to match the dress will take longer than expected as well.”