Chapter 28
After soaking in a pristine white porcelain bathtub, Nerys emerged with flushed cheeks, only to be greeted by the state of the room she had been given. She directed a pointed stare at the culprit.
Diane, smiling sweetly, swayed her shoulders playfully.
“Since no one else here is small enough to wear them, I might as well give them to you. Your dress for tomorrow is ready, but let’s try these on today, okay?”
Calling it ‘these’ was an understatement—Diane had practically flooded Nerys’ room with children’s dresses. There had to be at least thirty of them.
Nerys sighed.
“Well, I do appreciate it. But I already have clothes, and I’d feel bad borrowing yours.”
“Feel bad? Why? I ‘want’ you to wear them!”
Diane hopped excitedly.
In truth, Nerys had expected this even before they set out on their journey. She had already resigned herself to Diane’s enthusiasm and began scanning the dresses laid out across the room. Diane eagerly lifted dress after dress, showing them off.
“This one’s light-colored, so it’ll go well with your blonde hair. This one has a cute ribbon. This one has golden embroidery, so it sparkles beautifully. And this one—well, the sleeves are a bit puffed up, but if you wear it, you’ll look like a princess!”
“That one.”
Nerys barely glanced at the dresses Diane enthusiastically recommended and instead pointed at a navy-blue dress draped over the edge of the bed.
Diane pouted slightly.
“That one’s not very fancy, though.”
“It’ll suit me.”
“How do you know?”
Because, after spending years as both a duke’s daughter and a crown princess, she had worn every possible style and color imaginable. But Nerys simply shrugged off the thought.
“The pendant on the ribbon matches my eye color.”
“Oh, I guess you’re right.”
As the two girls sifted through the dresses, Bettie watched with amusement before stepping in to help Nerys change.
The navy-blue dress Diane had discarded after wearing it once had a simple design—only a black velvet ribbon beneath the neckline with a purple gemstone pendant in the center. However, the skirt was voluminous, layered with irregular tiers of black velvet frills.
Though Diane had deemed it ill-fitting on herself, when Nerys put it on, both Diane and Bettie were awestruck.
“You look stunning!”
“It suits you perfectly, Lady Nerys.”
Nerys’ golden hair, kept glossy and radiant with fragrant oils from the markets near Carten, gleamed like moonlight against the dark fabric.
And as she had pointed out, the pendant that mirrored her eye color only made her striking violet eyes stand out even more.
Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, Nerys offered a bittersweet smile.
As a crown princess, she had worn all sorts of extravagant garments, but her choices were dictated by the need to project the grandeur of the imperial family, not by what actually suited her.
How many years had she endured mockery, swallowed up in outfits that didn’t complement her petite frame?
Yet here was a dress that fit her perfectly.
‘…Not that it matters. I’m hardly worth looking at anyway.’
The more she stared at herself, the more uncomfortable she felt—an old habit. Nerys shifted her gaze away from the mirror.
“I’ll make the necessary adjustments before dinner,” Bettie said, marking slight excesses around the sleeves and waist with chalk. Since Diane and Nerys had different body types, some alterations were inevitable.
Diane’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Then, while Bettie fixes it, let’s try on some more!”
While Bettie worked on the navy-blue dress, Nerys changed into more than five other dresses, most of which suited her well. However, none looked as perfect as the first.
“You have a great eye for clothes, Riz. That’s so cool.”
Diane looked at Nerys with a mix of admiration and disappointment as she saw her struggling with a ‘princess dress’ she had strongly recommended.
Nerys responded indifferently.
“I just know what suits me. And you always pick outfits that look good on you too.”
“Really?”
Diane grinned at the compliment.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
“Yes?”
“Yes?”
Both Nerys and Diane answered at the same time.
Before they even finished, the door swung open, and Muriel MacKinnon peeked in.
“Having fun?”
“Oh, sister! Come in,” Diane welcomed her as if she had already forgotten about their earlier spat.
Muriel wasn’t alone—behind her stood a younger girl. Though still youthful, Nerys recognized her immediately.
“Heather’s here too.”
Diane’s voice carried a hint of reluctance.
Heather Railing offered a sweet, practiced smile. It was the same expression she used in the past, and it amused Nerys.
Unlike Angelo, who had an unremarkable appearance, Heather was a striking beauty—and she had always used that to her advantage.
No matter how high Angelo’s status had risen, Heather remained the daughter of a commoner.
In Nerys’ previous life, Angelo, hoping to secure his beloved daughter a place in high society, had pleaded with the Elandria family to take her in as a lady’s maid.
After all, high-ranking maids had the privilege of interacting with nobles daily.
And it was through this opportunity that Heather had formed an alliance with Valentin.
Heather, with her innocent facade, had placed Nerys in countless difficult situations.
Had she not quickly secured a marriage to a minor noble and left her position as a lady’s maid, she would have been an even bigger nuisance.
“I heard Lady Diane had arrived, so I came to pay my respects,” Heather said, her tone as sweet as ever.
“When did you get here?”
“I arrived two weeks ago, Lady Diane.”
Still smiling serenely, Heather turned her gaze to Nerys.
The dress Nerys was wearing was clearly of high quality, but it was also obviously too large for her. A flicker of disdain crossed Heather’s eyes.
“Why is this room such a mess? Diane, are you giving her your clothes?”
Muriel, too, quickly recognized the dresses as Diane’s. Her sharp voice rang through the room.
“Are you seriously giving her your old dresses?”
Diane, glancing at Nerys’ face, quickly replied in a defensive tone.
“We were just playing dress-up for a bit. Why?”
“A ‘smart’ girl who doesn’t even have her own clothes? She can afford Academy tuition, but she’s wearing someone else’s hand-me-downs? Saving up by wearing borrowed clothes, huh?”
Nerys found the provocation so childish that she nearly laughed, but Diane’s face turned red with anger.
This was Diane’s home. Nerys was here as a guest—one Diane had personally invited. In fact, she had refused at first, but Diane had begged and pleaded until she agreed to come.
Diane had mixed feelings about her cousins. Nualan was fine, but Muriel… she didn’t particularly like her. She wasn’t fond of how close Muriel and Heather were, either.
Still, her father had always told her that, as the MacKinnon family was often looked down upon due to its relatively short noble lineage, they had no choice but to rely on family. So, she had always made an effort to be kind to her relatives.
And once she arrived at the Academy, she saw firsthand just how much the MacKinnons were disregarded. This time, she had resolved to be nicer to Muriel.
Yet, from the moment she returned home, Muriel had openly picked a fight. This was a blatant insult to the household’s dignity!
Diane quickly started thinking of ways to knock Muriel down a peg.
Nerys, sensing Diane’s brewing response, gently took her hand to stop her.
‘What? Why?’ Diane looked at her in confusion, but Nerys simply smiled. Then, in a voice as light as a passing breeze, she turned to Muriel.
“Oh, so that’s why you didn’t go to the Academy? You couldn’t afford both tuition and clothes. I see.” (T/N: Dang girl! Damn!)
Heather visibly paled, while Muriel’s jaw dropped. Diane hesitated for a moment, unsure how to react—then followed her instincts.
She burst into laughter.
Bettie, watching from the side, looked uncomfortable but couldn’t fault Nerys. Even from her perspective, Muriel had been the one to start the conflict.
“You—! What are you talking about?! Who said I couldn’t afford tuition because of clothes?!”
Muriel was so furious that she could barely string a sentence together.
Nerys, drawing on the acting skills she had honed in diplomacy, looked at her with a perfectly sympathetic expression. She didn’t need to say another word—Muriel was already livid enough.
“I—! My family is on a completely different level than yours! I ‘could’ have gone to the Academy if I wanted to!”
Diane tilted her head, finding Muriel’s reaction strange. Meanwhile, Nerys calmly lifted one corner of her lips.
“Is that so? I must have misunderstood, then. My apologies, sister.”
Of course, no one in the room actually took that as an apology.
Heather, now visibly nervous, grabbed Muriel’s arm.
“L-Lady Muriel… Of course, everyone knows that. Let’s go. You’re getting too worked up…”
Muriel tried to resist, but Heather’s grip was firm.
Bettie sighed, feeling sorry for Heather—once they left, she would surely bear the brunt of Muriel’s temper.
That said, Heather had made the right choice. If Muriel had stayed any longer, it would have escalated into an outright fight between relatives.
As Heather dragged Muriel away, Diane scoffed.
“That was great, Riz! Sorry you had to deal with my cousins saying weird things.”
“It’s not your fault,” Nerys reassured her.
She, of all people, understood what it was like to have troublesome relatives—after all, she was once part of the Elandria family.
No one got to choose their bloodline.
Diane stared at the door Heather had closed behind them, then turned to Nerys.
“Don’t you think Muriel was ‘too’ mad, though? Isn’t that weird?”
“Why? Seems like she really wanted to go to the Academy,” Nerys replied indifferently.
Diane’s eyes widened.
“Muriel? But she always said she didn’t need to go. She told me she wasn’t jealous at all!”
“And did you brag about it first?”
“No.”
“Then if she brought it up on her own just to say she ‘wasn’t’ jealous, that means she ‘was’ jealous, Diane.”
Diane’s mouth fell open as if she had just made a grand realization.
Nerys smirked bitterly.
Diane was usually perceptive, but it was always hard to see the truth when it came to people she had known since childhood.
“She even brought up the Academy out of nowhere just now,” Nerys continued. “I thought it was strange that she picked a fight with me the moment I arrived. What does her father do?”
“Uncle Shivna? He works in the MacKinnon trade business.”
“Is it doing poorly?”
“I don’t know?” Diane blinked. Bettie, however, answered in her stead.
“Sir Shivna MacKinnon is in charge of medicinal trade, but it’s been running at a loss for years. He’s borrowed money multiple times already.”
“Really?”
Diane, who had been unaware of such adult matters, was surprised.
Nerys simply nodded.
Academy tuition was incredibly expensive.
And from what she had observed earlier, Muriel’s dress was made of relatively low-quality fabric, and her jewelry only featured semi-precious stones.
Since Diane was the earl’s daughter, she had been obligated to attend the Academy. But if Muriel’s family hadn’t sent her, it wouldn’t have been all that surprising.
“She was probably jealous that you went to the Academy,” Nerys mused. “If that Heather girl hadn’t dragged her away in time, I would’ve made her apologize properly.”
“Oh, Lady Heather is too soft-hearted to handle fights,” Bettie commented absentmindedly as she continued sewing.
Diane pouted.
“She’s ‘not’ soft-hearted.”
“You’re right, Diane.”
Diane’s expression brightened at Nerys’ agreement.
Nerys, however, kept her gaze on the door with a serious look—before suddenly smiling.
Her smile was ‘too’ bright for the situation. Diane tilted her head in curiosity.
“Do you not like Heather either? Not many people dislike her.”
“I trust ‘your’ judgment, Diane.”
And she also trusted the memories of her past life.
Nerys turned to Diane, her violet eyes glinting.
“By the way, we’re allowed to attend tomorrow’s riverfront party during the day, right?”
“Oh, yeah! Since we’re twelve now, we can go to the daytime events!”
Diane had no idea why Nerys was changing the subject so suddenly, but she answered cheerfully anyway.
Her foul mood from dealing with Muriel instantly lifted.
They hadn’t yet been granted permission to attend the evening festivities, but joining the formal daytime event was still a big step.
“So, all the guests will be there?” Nerys asked.
“Of course! It’s the first major event of the holiday week, so everyone who can attend will be there.”
“Then could you tell me about the important attendees? I don’t want to make a mistake tomorrow.”
“There won’t be anyone as rude as Muriel,” Diane assured her.
Anyone with sense wouldn’t behave like that.
But Diane was still young, and because she was so open about her likes and dislikes, there were things the adults around her failed to notice.
And because Nerys was young—and because she was poor—there were surely things people would overlook when it came to her as well.
And if she could use that to her advantage, why not?
(T/N: I just really hope, Diane is a true friend to our Nerys.)
