“Yeah, I haven’t really worn a dress before.” sweatdrop
I thought, noticing Alice’s expression out of the corner of my eye.
“Does it not suit me?”
So I asked directly.
I didn’t trust my fashion sense. I really didn’t think I was someone who dressed well in my past life.
Back then, I couldn’t trust my sense either, so whenever I went to a regular clothing store, I would just buy whatever the mannequins were wearing and wear that. Whether it actually suited me or not was another story.
Still… there’s the saying that “fashion is completed with the face,” right? Not just the face, but the figure too.
‘Sylvia Fanggriffon’ was definitely not lacking in appearance, not at all. In fact, it would be more accurate to say she was beautiful.
So, I thought that as long as I wasn’t wearing something ridiculously strange, it would look good on me.
The dress I wore was a sky-blue color.
There weren’t too many decorations. It didn’t show too much skin.
I thought it was a decently elegant design, but… I wasn’t sure how it would appear through the eyes of Alice, who had really lived in the royal family.
“Uh, ah, no. It looks good, yeah.”
And I couldn’t tell if she sincerely thought it looked good or was having such a hard time looking me in the face that she was just giving me a compliment first.
Alice was reading my best efforts to hide my expression.
How unfair.
But I wasn’t planning to get mad at Alice or anything, so I calmly asked again.
“Is it inappropriate to meet Baron Grace and his wife in this dress?”
Well, I didn’t think so. Wearing dresses is something nobles do regularly, and this dress wasn’t particularly cheap either. Sure, I had prepared this dress at the start of the school year without wearing it even once, but considering the price, it shouldn’t be a breach of ‘etiquette.’
“Ah, that is—”
Alice, who seemed to hesitate before responding, suddenly went silent.
For a moment, I saw her expression stiffen. I barely managed to suppress the urge to tilt my head in confusion.
If she thought the outfit didn’t suit me so horribly that it somehow breached etiquette—
I definitely could see how that might be the case.
I had no idea if there was such a rule or not, but if someone attended a fashion show and looked so terrible they were almost embarrassing to be seen, that might indeed be a violation of etiquette.
Or if someone showed up to a funeral all dressed up, or attended a wedding trying to outshine the bride. So there might be such rules among the nobility, right? Guests shouldn’t show up too extravagantly compared to their hosts.
“No.”
But Alice’s stiff expression softened in no time.
And she quickly responded, a tad hastily in a way that seemed a bit urgent to my eyes.
“Is that so?”
This strange behavior made me suspicious, so I asked again. Alice eagerly nodded.
“Yes. It looks good. And it won’t breach any etiquette. If someone criticizes it, it’s just their personal preference.”
“…….”
I briefly pondered whether Alice’s words were a roundabout way of saying, ‘It honestly looks horrible,’ but ultimately decided to take her words at face value.
Alice isn’t the type to lie over such things. I’ve learned that much over the last ten years.
If we were to compete, Alice would absolutely challenge me in a straightforward manner. Just like she did in childhood.
“I understand.”
Seeing me nodding obediently, Alice looked a bit relieved.
*
In a moment, I realized I almost answered ‘maybe’ and then felt a twinge of stiffness in my face.
Alice’s poker face was much worse than Sylvia’s usual technique of hiding her expression, so Sylvia could likely observe that expression quite clearly.
But there wasn’t much shift in Sylvia’s expression. Just a faint inkling of a question emerged.
That said, I couldn’t exactly ask Sylvia, “Why are you suddenly dressed like that?”
Noble and royal words often carry many implications. Sylvia had lived in the royal family for ten years, so she’d know that very well.
And if Alice voiced such a phrase, the word “suddenly” would hide “why here,” “that dress” would include “ordinary clothes,” and “dressed up” would have the hidden tone of “trying to impress someone.”
And all those hidden words could be summarized into just one: ‘Jealousy.’
Isn’t that a little…
Childish?
Alice had never once asserted that she was Sylvia’s ‘sister’ until recently. That started after Claire began calling Sylvia ‘sister.’
Sylvia didn’t seem to seriously ponder that fact yet, but if Alice crossed a few more lines from there, Sylvia might soon realize that Alice was jealous of Claire.
This jealousy wasn’t dark and sticky. It was simply Alice’s thoughts and feelings regarding questions she couldn’t directly ask Sylvia.
So, it’s like this.
Was Sylvia resenting her kidnapping by Lucas that brought her to the royal family?
Was there even a hint of blame for Alice lurking behind that calm expression?
Had she ever thought of Alice as a sister? Or was she merely thinking of her as a tool to help her ascend the throne and create the future she wanted or avoid something?
Those fleeting human emotions, were they merely tactics to deceive Alice—
“Time is running out.”
Alice’s thoughts were interrupted by Sylvia.
Alice blinked at Sylvia’s words.
Sylvia, beyond that blinking gaze, appeared calm as usual. Perhaps it might have been due to that somewhat mismatched sky-blue dress making her look even more serene than usual.
Of course, Sylvia is pretty. She can pull off nearly any outfit.
But, what can I say…
Sylvia’s shoulders were too stiff. It just struck me that those shoulders were always stiff whenever Sylvia wore her school uniform.
Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not because of the uniform; it’s just how she is.
Her overly militaristic demeanor must have made her stiffen as a habit.
After reaching that conclusion, I felt the tension leave Alice’s shoulders, sagging downwards. It was somewhat of a relief that I hadn’t burst out laughing.
Sylvia is, well, Sylvia.
If Sylvia were to appear different, it would just be Alice seeing her differently.
“Shouldn’t you start getting ready?”
“Before that, Sylvia.”
Hearing Sylvia’s comment, Alice stood up.
Then she walked gracefully, not in the casual way like at the academy, but in a dignified manner fitting for a crown princess, right in front of Sylvia.
Dressed in pajamas, it might look odd to others, but it was just the two of them, so it didn’t matter.
Just like old times.
“You’re too tense in your shoulders.”
“……”
There was no reply, but Sylvia’s eyes were on Alice. Seeing a flicker of curiosity pass through those deep, dark eyes, Alice strangely felt reassured.
“That might be okay when wearing your uniform or formal attire,” Alice lightly tapped Sylvia’s shoulders with her hands, just like a tutor who taught manners when she was younger.
“But if you walk around tense in your shoulders while wearing a dress, it will look too stiff.”
“Is that so?”
The response was pure curiosity.
“You really don’t know anything.”
Alice unconsciously sighed. That sigh was mixed with her earlier worries and hesitations. Once she expelled that thought with her breath, she felt some relief.
“Alright, then. Just wait until I’ve taken a shower. I’ll teach you the necessary movements for wearing a dress in a hurry.”
“……..Is there a separate technique for wearing a dress?”
Should I change back right now?
The mere thought of it made me almost laugh.
Surely, we were trained by the same tutor, so why do the lessons differ so significantly?
“Got it? Just wait there. You came here representing the royal family, after all, and you can’t afford to embarrass yourself.”
Alice urged fervently, dashing towards the shower only to realize, in her excitement, she had forgotten her underwear and change of clothes.
With a slightly embarrassed expression, she turned back to her bed, pulled some clothes out from the trunk underneath it, and headed towards the shower again.
…Honestly, it was a relief they were sharing a room just the two of them.
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