COARV Chapter 17

Two days later, the year-end party preparations finished just in time—barely, but without falling behind.

'I did it.'

The worry wouldn't fade, so I'd pulled my hat down low and come to check the hall early. Needless concern. Seeing the hall transformed to suit the year-end atmosphere filled me with considerable pride. Two days of being carried around on Elliot's back, running everywhere—it had been worth it. The sweet melodies from the neatly dressed musicians tickled my ears. I stood on the somewhat secluded second-floor stairs, surveying the hall.

The hall was already crowded with nobles despite not yet being officially open. They paired off to dance lightly to the music or gathered in small groups, busy chatting.

Probably 90% of it was about me. No doubt. The formal ball wouldn't start until evening, so I just needed to show my face at the same time as Lesche.

When I returned to the annex, Begonia was waiting for me.

"My lady. Should I be calling you Your Grace now?"

I smiled at Begonia's teasing words.

"His Grace bestowed this kindness to save my life. Just call me whatever's comfortable."

'Along with a type of slave contract.'

The role of temporary castle mistress had been a slave role after all...

I was actually still quite busy. But Begonia had helped me in many ways, so I'd readily accepted her request to meet.

"I've seen cases where kindness becomes fate quite often."

Begonia smiled elegantly, though her gaze remained sharp. She was scrutinizing the dress hanging on the mannequin.

This pink-beige dress was one Kallis had commissioned from Begonia along with the wedding dress—meant to be worn at the wedding reception.

But with the reception hastily changed to a year-end party, Begonia had found herself in an emergency situation and sought me out.

"A dress for a wedding reception and a dress for a year-end party have very different feels. The former can be modest as an extension of the ceremony, but the latter absolutely must be more glamorous. If done wrong, it can look shabby. Terribly so."

No designer would want their work to look shabby. That explained all the jewels suddenly adorning the dress. At Begonia's simple instructions, her assistants swarmed around me and began helping me into the dress.

They were braiding my hair up and securing it, likewise decorating it meticulously with jeweled pins.

"Lady Seria, could you look at this dress in the mirror for a moment?"

Begonia suddenly pulled another dress from her square leather bag.

"What do you think? A dress that would suit a spring picnic perfectly, wouldn't you say?"

It was a beautiful forsythia-yellow dress that drew spontaneous admiration. I praised it sincerely.

"It's very pretty."

"Isn't it? It's one of my main pieces for next season."

Begonia wore a triumphant expression as she smiled properly.

"Now then, on the condition that I gift you this dress, my lady."

"Yes?"

"Could you make a small modification to our existing dress contract?"

"What kind of modification do you want?"

"I'd like to change the contract client from Marquess Haneton to Lady Seria. Could you do that for me?"

"That's not difficult. It was a dress for me to wear anyway. Please give me the contract."

"Lady Seria really does have a refreshingly straightforward personality. Good."

As if she'd planned to bring this up today all along, Begonia immediately pulled a sheet of paper from her bosom. It was the dress commission contract Kallis had signed months ago. I looked briefly at his familiar name, then drew lines through it and wrote my name beside it.

"Here you are."

After checking my signature, she wore the relieved expression of someone who'd just had a troublesome tooth pulled.

"Perfect. That's done. You wouldn't believe how much this has been bothering me."

"Why?"

"The saint wanted to commission a dress, you see."

"Lina did?"

"Yes. Of course, it's not a dress to wear to the year-end party. I didn't have that much time to spare. Instead, she wanted a dress to wear when she goes to Haneton territory."

"A dress to wear in Haneton territory?"

"That's what she said. Since I still have an unfulfilled contract under Marquess Haneton's name in my hands, she asked me to add another dress to it."

Hearing that, I could be certain.

Lina definitely didn't know that Kallis had requested a divorce. Otherwise, there'd be no reason to commission a dress to wear in Haneton territory.

Everyone who came as wedding guests must leave the castle tomorrow after the year-end party ends.

Lina would likewise have to leave Berke Castle in a few days. She was a saint, so naturally she should return to the Grand Temple, but Haneton territory...

Does she hate the Grand Temple that much?

I wondered. Only priests surrounded Lina, so they would all only say good things about the Grand Temple. Objectively, the Holy Kingdom where the Grand Temple was located was a beautiful and magnificent city. Though the food was a bit tasteless, priests wouldn't mention such trivial things as drawbacks.

Having visited the Grand Temple in the Holy Kingdom with the feeling of sightseeing at a famous tourist spot after being possessed in Seria's body, I couldn't quite understand it.

In any case, divorce from a Stern took considerable time, so until then, Lina would technically be the Marquess Haneton's wife. Though the title of saint was so high-ranking and special that Lina would continue to be called Saint.

Come to think of it, I should return it. The Marquess Haneton's wife's ring.

As high nobles who valued tradition were wont to do, the Haneton Marquess family wives also had an emerald ring passed down through generations. The emerald ring Kallis had slipped onto my finger when proposing still lay peacefully in my jewelry box.

I'd forgotten in all the chaos. I was thinking I should meet Kallis and return the ring quickly when Begonia frowned and sighed.

"I really don't know how the saint can be so clumsy with noble etiquette yet so lucky in matters like this. She doesn't understand that with an existing commission from Marquess Haneton, it's difficult to refuse a request from the woman who becomes his wife."

"So that's why you asked to rewrite the contract."

"Yes. Now when the saint commissions a dress, I can comfortably refuse."

'Wanting Begonia's dress is the same in the original story and now.'

Well, Begonia's dresses were beautiful. They had an element that struck people's heartstrings, I'd say.

Knock, knock.

Along with the sound of knocking, a very troubled-looking maid entered.

"My lady. Um..."

"What is it?"

"Well, you have a visitor."

"Who are you hesitating about?"

Suddenly.

The moment I saw the woman peeking her face out from behind the maid's back, the assistants were startled. They immediately checked my state first. Fortunately, I was already fully dressed.

"Designer Begonia, you really were here! I've been searching everywhere!"

"Saintess."

Lina seemed able to walk on her own two feet in just a day. Walking in slowly, she too was beautifully dressed for today's year-end party. The pure white dress Lina wore suited her image well, but my first thought was that the nobles would eagerly tear into her.

The design vaguely reminded me of a mini wedding dress.

Lina walked in slowly, then flushed red upon seeing the beautiful forsythia-yellow dress still cascading gracefully from Begonia's hands.

"Designer Begonia. Could you please accept my dress commission too? This dress was also made under Kallis's commission, wasn't it? If the problem is insufficient deposit, I can speak to the priest and pay more!"

What should I even address first?

The thought crossing my mind and the thought in Begonia's mind weren't much different—I could bet that pretty dress on it.

No, Begonia looked far angrier than I was. She was the designer famous even in the capital for being sensitive about 'noble refinement.'

"Saintess."

That characteristically stern voice flowed out.

"This is Lady Seria's quarters. Therefore, Your Holiness should greet the mistress of the place first."

At the harsh reprimand, Lina shrank completely and looked at me.

"I apologize. Seria, good after—"

She hurried to greet me, but it was too late.

"Furthermore, Saintess."

Begonia wasn't Lina's etiquette teacher. To wait for mistakes—in Begonia's mind, Kallis and Lina's reputations had already hit rock bottom.

"Until just moments ago, Lady Seria was changing her dress. For heaven's sake... barging into a lady's room with a ball approaching is something only vulgar, baseborn rabble would do!"

Lina's face turned bright red. But Begonia's cold, hard expression didn't soften.

"Most of all, Saintess. I am not a designer who simply calculates dresses in terms of money. So talk of insufficient funds and such is extremely rude to me."

"I didn't mean it that way..."

"A blade once swung leaves scars even on sand. I cannot accept Your Holiness's dress commission, so I ask for your understanding."

"But that dress was also Kallis's commission, wasn't it? Adding one dress isn't even difficult..."

"Regrettably, that's no longer the case. It's been changed to Lady Seria's commission, you see. Since I modified the contract, it's become difficult to add a dress for Your Holiness, who has no connection to Lady Seria whatsoever."

"What?"

Lina stomped her feet with a helpless expression, then suddenly approached me. She grabbed my hand.

"If that's the case, it's fine, Designer Begonia. Seria and I are friends."

A deep silence enveloped my room. I pulled my hand from Lina's grasp.

"We're not friends."

"What? Why... not?"

"Why, you ask?"

I frowned faintly.

In noble society, a friend didn't simply refer to peers of similar age. You could only proudly call someone a 'friend' if they were close enough to place next after family.

More than anything, becoming friends with Lina could also be seen as forgiving Kallis's actions. I could absolutely never forgive Kallis.

"How could I laugh and chat as friends with my fiancé's current wife? Could you, Lina?"

"Kallis and I aren't formally married! Seria, you know. It was just something we had to do to save Kallis's life!"

"That's your situation. I don't care."

Lina's face went deathly pale.

"But, but..."

"Please leave now. Lina. And don't come looking for me like this again."

"Seria!"

She desperately grabbed me.

"We could really become good friends! My teacher told me everything, you know? That Seria's mother was a commoner actress!"