"Liz!"
Diane, who had rushed over upon spotting the blonde hair while searching the second floor, grabbed Neris's hand and expressed her frustration.
"Why did you come up first! We were supposed to go together! You promised to help me pick out jewelry! Let's quickly go see your clothes!"
Her words didn't quite match up. The purpose was to buy jewelry, so why suggest going to see clothes quickly?
However, knowing Diane would react this way, Neris firmly replied.
"I've already chosen and placed an order for my clothes. Let's go back to the first floor and see your jewelry. Did you buy the emerald?"
"Huh? What if you've already chosen! We'll find something nice for you in the upper echelon dressing room!"
Upon hearing that the order had already been placed, Diane inwardly pouted and stomped her foot.
Naturally, Diane intended to contribute to Neris's clothing expenses. Even though she would stand out wearing modest clothes due to her beauty, it would be better to enhance that beauty by wearing very pretty clothes.
If she offered to buy clothes for Neris, she knew Neris wouldn't accept. It had been a while since Neris had refused clothes that Diane didn't wear.
Even when she had given jewelry as a repayment for something received before, she could imagine how burdensome it must have been for Neris. Therefore, Diane would insist on going to the McKinnon upper echelon dressing room at the Morier store and have clothes made for her as the daughter of the upper echelon, only charging for materials.
Naturally, the dressing room expenses would be separately covered by the upper echelon.
In this way, she would have a truly beautiful dress made with the finest materials to show off at the graduation ball!
Diane's ambition shattered into pieces.
Knowing Diane's thoughts well, Neris quickly processed the order and nodded, linking arms with her friend.
"I like it here. Let's go."
Betty, who had belatedly followed along, bowed her head in embarrassment. Alecto glared at the departing girls with a resentful gaze. Just as she was about to think of something to say to them...
"Oh my."
A soft voice was heard.
Next to Madame Crua's dressing room was a high-end dressing room that handled only the most expensive clothing in the store. The honey blonde girl who had just come out of there stopped in her tracks upon seeing Neris and Diane.
Megara Lycanardos, who had recently turned 18, was sometimes so beautiful that it took people's breath away.
Her beautiful features from childhood had grown into a captivating allure, and her slender yet not overly tall figure seemed like a sculpture engraved with ancient ideals.
The face that had sometimes been unable to hide her temper when she was young now never forgot to smile.
That smile, sometimes gentle, sometimes enigmatic.
If one were to encapsulate the preferences of the discerning social circle in one person, it would be Megara.
Megara's lilac eyes scanned Neris and Diane, who were linked arm in arm.
Diane raised an eyebrow as she stood still. Among her peers, only Neris and Diane were not overwhelmed by Megara.
A moment of sharp tension weighed heavily between the three.
"Understood."
So, if Megara hadn't called Alecto before the tension settled clearly, that's how it would have been.
As if Neris and Diane didn't exist, Megara addressed Madame Crua's dressing room.
"Do you like the dress? May I take a look too?"
"M-Meg."
Alecto called Megara with a powerless face learned over the years. Megara smiled warmly.
"Oh? Should I?"
"Oh, no. It's done."
Alecto quickly left Madame Crua's dressing room. Megara followed a step behind Alecto like a maid.
Then, as if she had a sudden thought, Megara paused, turned to look at Neris and Diane, and nodded.
Her gesture of greeting was also a mockery. While Diane was angry, Neris showed no reaction. The two girls whispered to each other and descended to the first floor.
As Alecto, who briefly glanced at their retreating figures, whispered something to Megara. Megara nodded without changing her expression and walked back the way she came.
The dressing room staff let out a relieved sigh.
"I thought they were fighting."
"Be careful."
Although the main characters had moved away, they didn't know who might overhear and spread the word. Madame Crua quickly supervised the staff and tidied up the dressing room.
A staff member who had set aside the sketches of the designs Neris had chosen seemed to remember something and asked.
"That young lady earlier had a very beautiful eye color. Why didn't she choose purple fabric? Does she like green?"
It was common sense for people with beautiful eye colors to wear clothes or jewelry of the same color to accentuate their eyes.
Hadn't the famous figure who had passed by earlier, Megara Lycanardos, also been wearing a purple dress? It was the same shade as her captivating lilac eyes.
Madame Crua clicked her tongue.
"Among the ones I presented earlier, the green fabric was the best item."
"It's too plain, isn't it? Like the dress that girl was wearing. I thought you chose it because it was cheap."
"Iz, I thought I had taught you a lot."
Tsk tsk. The staff's face reddened slightly at the tone of the employer and mentor's disbelief. Madame Crua explained with a nod.
"I've seen the fabric used to make the dress that girl was wearing before when I went to the royal palace. The subtle and refined luster of the fabric couldn't be achieved with just ordinary skill. The fabric alone would probably cost more than Islaani's dress. It's an item that's worth more than gold in terms of the material and craftsmanship."
The staff also knew how expensive Alecto Islaani's pink dress with crystal beads and frills was. She widened her eyes.
"So the footman guided her here..."
Madame Crua's dressing room was considered high-end even in this store. It used carefully selected high-quality fabrics and had many regular customers due to the designer's skill.
Alecto had also been introduced here to have her clothes tailored.
The staff found it hard to understand why the seemingly modest blonde girl had been guided here. Madame Crua clicked her tongue again.
"She has a better eye than you. Purple is a color that everyone likes, so many will wear it. Did you see the dress worn by the Lycanardos girl earlier? Even if she wore a plain purple, let's see, Neris Trued, right? Trued's eye color is a waste. It's not easy for a student to afford fabric that matches that eye color exactly."
Fabric as heavy as gold! The staff widened their eyes again.
"Anyway, let's stop the useless chatter and get to work. Luckily, if we didn't have the green fabric, she probably wouldn't have placed an order at our store. Even though it may not catch the eye, she seems to prefer wearing very good quality fabric."
The two of them set aside the design sketches and organized the fabrics. They worked diligently to process the orders received so far while waiting for the next customer.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was secretly watching them.
***
A necklace adorned with sparkling ruby beads.
A brooch surrounded by small white diamond diamonds in a rectangular emerald shape.
A pendant with droplet-shaped pearls hanging below a golden moon-shaped ornament.
Diane's jewelry box was filled with treasures that an ordinary noble would include in a portrait. However, Diane didn't show any pride in this fact and simply urged Betty.
"This doesn't suit me! Next!"
It was relentless perfectionism. She put on and took off countless pieces of jewelry, trying them on, taking them off, adjusting them, taking them off... Jewelry of various colors, designs, and types were selected and then rejected based on fickle criteria.
In the end, Neris, who had been putting on, taking off, and trying on the jewelry herself, exaggeratedly complained of fatigue.
It was the day of the ball, and she was spending so much time on this? Moreover, constantly staring at herself in the mirror was mentally exhausting.
"Let's choose reasonably, Diane. How long are you going to keep at it? Do you know how many nights I've stayed up already?"
Among the early graduation requirements was the need for perfect grades up until the last semester. With the need to tidy up her appearance at the academy for graduation, Neris was truly stretched thin these days, feeling like she needed two bodies to manage everything.
But Diane was not so easygoing.
"Until I find something that perfectly suits you!"
Of course. Neris sent a pleading look to Betty for help. Betty smiled, pretending not to see that look. Was there anyone here who could stop Diane once she started insisting?
She must have tried on at least twelve bracelets and changed about twelve necklaces. Neris sighed.
Diane grumbled energetically. Her golden hair, styled with pretty waves for the graduation ball starting later in the evening, was already done.
"Why hasn't the dress arrived yet? I understand if it's late due to the rush order. But still, shouldn't it be delivered before the day of the event? What would I have done if I wasn't here? How could I have chosen jewelry without trying it on first?"
"You probably wouldn't have chosen any jewelry."
Neris pointed out the flaw in Diane's words. In fact, even that statement was carefully worded. If it weren't for Diane, Neris wouldn't have attended the graduation ball at all. You had to buy a separate ticket for the ball, and that alone was quite expensive.
Diane raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Oh, didn't the footman send something?"
The graduation ball was open to those aged 17 and above, and this year happened to be Valentin's first attendance. As a gesture to Valentin, Nelesion had also sent a ruby necklace to Neris.
Unfortunately, Diane was present when the gift was opened. Neris calmly replied.
"I returned it. It felt burdensome."
"Why? It wasn't that expensive. But if you don't like it, there's nothing I can do."
Diane's standards as the daughter of a noble were evidently higher than usual. However, Neris agreed with her on this matter.
After being adopted into the Elendria family and becoming a princess, the ruby necklace was nothing compared to the truly fine jewelry she had in mind. Perhaps Nelesion had considered this when choosing the gift. It was a gift that could be accepted without feeling burdened, as it was of good quality but not something she considered special.
Although the servant who had brought the necklace had hoped for a message of gratitude, he stood there looking somewhat lost, allowing the unnecessary gift to be returned promptly.
Neris shook her head.
"No. Valentin will say something about it."
"It's not that expensive. But if you don't like it, there's nothing I can do."
Diane's innocence in saying such things stemmed from her lack of understanding of Nelesion's intentions. Nelesion never gave gifts without reason.
Neris had refused the gift even though the servant who brought it had suggested otherwise. If Diane hadn't been admiring the necklace beside her, she might have thrown the box.
Fortunately, the Elendria family's servant who had brought the necklace stood there looking hopeful as if expecting a message of thanks, allowing the unnecessary gift to be returned promptly.
Neris cleared her throat.
"It's lovely, but something just doesn't feel right. What should I do?"
As Diane removed the brooch she had brought to Neris's neck, she sighed.
Diane's dormitory had a separate powder room set up for dressing purposes. In the center of this powder room, the girls sat in front of a mirror large enough for both to see themselves clearly, framed in silver and decorated with silver.
The room was filled with dream-like dresses and sparkling items. They were dressed in linen dresses as thin as veils and soft as cream.
The day of the graduation ball had arrived in the blink of an eye.
Neris sometimes found it strange to think she was sitting in that spot right now. She felt a vague fear that if someone pinched her cheek, she might return to her old life. Even then, she had attended the graduation ball.
At 17 and 18, she hadn't had the money to buy tickets and didn't want to go alone. But at 19, someone had sent a ticket to her dorm room."