Being teased at parties was nothing new for Neris. She was half convinced that the anonymous ticket sender was playing a malicious prank, while the other half held out hope that it might be Nelesion.
In the end, Neris never found out who had sent the ticket.
It was likely either Megara or Valentin. The two seemed most delighted by Neris's presence.
Unlike now, Neris didn't have the money to buy a suitable evening gown. She didn't know how to apply makeup and, of course, had no jewelry.
For the nobles of Vista, the graduation ball was akin to a debut in society. Especially for the graduating class, being chosen as the king and queen of the ball was a great honor.
Dressed up among the elegant crowd, Neris stood out in a negative way.
She felt miserable and pitiful. Confidence was something she couldn't find back then.
Neris spent the entire ball feeling like she was sinking deeper and deeper. She blamed herself for how she ended up there and almost went back to the dormitory after someone bumped into her and tore her dress on their jewelry. Or at least, she tried to.
Until she was hit by a stinking water balloon in front of the ballroom entrance.
Recognizing the familiar smell, Neris knew someone was diligently fetching water from the lake and waiting. And all her classmates were waiting for that moment.
Everyone smiled as if they had been waiting for it.
The theme of the graduation ball was to create lasting memories for the graduates. In a way, that theme was well upheld that day.
But it seemed that Neris Trued had been the favorite pastime of her classmates throughout their school years.
She didn't get angry because she had been treated poorly for so long. She just felt endlessly sad.
Why did I have to experience this in my life? It was probably my fault.
At that moment, there was no one beside Neris. And there was nothing she could change on her own.
"But."
Now it was different. At twelve years old, since she entered the academy, Neris had changed everything herself.
She wouldn't let something like the nineteen-year-old graduation ball happen without doing something about it.
In fact, she had originally planned not to attend the ball at all. Neris found no enjoyment in any event where her classmates laughed and had fun.
It was scary.
So she had tried to avoid it, but... Diane wanted it so badly that Neris couldn't refuse.
As Diane picked up a makeup brush and opened a ceramic lid filled with blue gem dust, a hurried sound was heard from outside the powder room.
One of Diane's maids urgently called out, "Miss Diane, Miss Neris! Oh my, something terrible has happened!"
"Huh?"
Diane blinked in surprise. Betty, who had been listening at the door, quickly opened it and asked the maid. She considered the fact that the two young ladies were currently in their undergarments.
"You're busy right now. What's the matter?"
There was urgency in the maid's actions. If a maid was running in such a hurry at this time, it must be something serious. Neris stared towards the door with raised eyebrows.
Sure enough, the maid reported with a distressed and frightened expression.
"Miss Neris's ordered dress... it arrived all torn up! It's completely shredded, and it doesn't look like it can be worn today!"
"What?"
Diane exclaimed in shock.
"What do we do?"
"There's nothing we can do."
Neris revealed a slight smile, but it was cold.
"Who brought it?"
The maid looked both apologetic and fearful at Neris's question.
"Um, it was a male servant from the dressing room... he left it as it was and went away."
Doubt crossed Diane's face, while certainty dawned on Neris's face.
A month ago, Neris, who had ordered a dress from Madame Crua's dressing room, visited the same place a few days later to take measurements, and a couple of days after that to have it tailored.
So she knew well. There were no other staff in that dressing room except for the woman who worked as a maid and assistant.
It wasn't a case of the dress being changed or made incorrectly; it was torn to shreds. It was an act that required considerable malice.
And there weren't many people who knew what dress Neris had ordered from that dressing room.
"What should we do? What should we do? How are we going to handle this?"
Diane even put down her makeup brush, unsure of what to do. Betty began to mentally search through Diane's old clothes to see if there was anything suitable. The dress Diane was currently wearing would be too big for Neris.
Despite it being her own affair, Neris was the only one calm.
"The dress code for the ball isn't strict. Just wear something appropriate for your usual attire."
She said nonchalantly. In reality, she was grumbling inwardly. If she had known, she would have chosen cheaper fabric.
"No!"
Diane was taken aback by the unbelievable statement.
Neris's birthday was late, so she had barely made it to last year's graduation ball due to her age. Diane could have attended last year's ball, but she didn't see the point of going alone with a partner.
And just recently, Neris's early graduation had been confirmed. So for this important event, Diane was attending for the first and only time in her life!
The debut of the two girls in society.
That was the significance of today's ball. The event had to be perfect in every way!
"Of course, not wearing a pretty dress doesn't make it imperfect, but!"
Diane's friendship wasn't that simple. She even felt confident that Neris could attend the ball in her underwear and not feel embarrassed.
But since Neris seemed to have no expectations for the ball, Diane wanted to make sure she had a great time. She felt even more compelled to bring her along.
It was a very serious situation. While both Diane and Betty were fretting, they heard footsteps approaching again.
"Miss!"
This time it was a male voice. The voice of a servant working in the house. Betty quickly closed the door and shouted outside to make sure he could be heard.
"How dare a man come near the powder room!"
"Oops, sorry!"
The servant quickly apologized as if realizing the situation and shouted back into the room to be heard.
"Something seems to have arrived for Miss Neris, probably a dress! Someone from the dressing room came to deliver it!"
Neris had no idea what was going on. Even though Diane and Betty both looked at her at the same time.
Not sure if it was a good thing? Did Neris order something again without her knowledge? Lost in thought, she tried to guess what this could be about.
The most likely explanation was that this new dress was another malicious prank by Megara.
Madame Crua's dress had probably been delivered a few days ago.
It was likely taken and kept aside, and now, in a mess, it was thrown to Neris by her own servant, who was late to find another dress.
And perhaps, hoping that another dress was ready, she was given another terrible gift...
It was very much in line with Megara's taste.
Similar incidents had occurred in her past life. On one of her birthdays, or on a day during her school years that was now a bit confusing. A birthday gift arrived anonymously in her dorm room, and Neris opened it with some curiosity.
Inside was a dead, decaying mouse.
Due to past experiences, Neris didn't have any expectations even as she looked at the crimson box handed to Betty by the maid who had been waiting at the door.
Instead, she eyed the box with a strict gaze, as if she was looking at a potentially explosive substance.
Fortunately, Diane and Betty didn't notice Neris's strange reaction. They were too busy admiring the luxurious box, which was about the size of Betty's torso.
"The color of the box is so beautiful! Let's change the packaging design for our dressing room too."
"Should we, Miss? The ribbon is tied so beautifully. I wonder what's inside?"
"Let's open it! Liz, quickly unwrap it."
Excited, Diane turned to Neris. After some contemplation, Neris approached the box. If what she expected was inside, there was no need for Diane to witness an unpleasant sight.
"Diane, Betty. Step back for a moment."
"Why?"
Following Neris's instructions, Betty obediently stepped back, while Diane grumbled but moved aside.
After spending several years in close proximity to Neris, both Diane and Betty automatically moved, despite their curiosity about what was inside the box.
Confirming their positions, Neris untied the ribbon on the box.
The velvet-covered box itself looked quite expensive. The deep blue ribbon was exquisite, with the word 'Devonshire' elegantly embroidered at the end.
As the ribbon slid off, Neris took a deep breath and opened the lid.
And what she saw inside shocked her.
A purple velvet dress was nestled inside. Along with it was a matching amethyst necklace, and also purple shoes.
"Oh my!"
Diane was so delighted she didn't know what to do.
The necklace, designed to encircle Neris's neck, was made of dazzling round diamonds connected by a thumb-sized amethyst pendant.
Amethyst was considered a particularly precious gemstone in Vista, much like purple eyes. Even now, the item before her eyes was of exceptional quality, with a consistent shine and deep color.
And what about the dress? As Neris pulled the dress out of the box, the design was finally revealed.
It was the exact design that Neris had ordered from Madame Crua's dressing room. Even the exact Tiriann purple color as her eyes.
To create that deep and subtle light, it would require as much gold as the weight of the fabric itself.
"You ordered the same design from here? You're truly a genius! How did you know the green dress would be ruined?"
There was no answer. Neris was speechless.
Living as a princess, Neris had seen everything valuable in the world. Just by looking at the amethyst pendant, she could tell how precious the velvet in front of her was.
Soft to the touch like feathers... Dense and straight stitching. And the color itself.
It was unlikely that Megara would send such an item as a prank. Because if the dress she wore today wasn't as good as this, it wouldn't be any better.
Starting with a shallow boat neck that wrapped around the upper body simply, the dress fell in a bell shape from the waist. The front center of the skirt was slightly split, revealing an underskirt to be worn underneath.
As Neris examined the overdress, Diane took out the velvet underskirt from further inside the box.
Although it was called an underskirt, it was merely in name, as the actual petticoat serving as an undergarment was placed even lower. What Diane picked up was an outer skirt intentionally torn to reveal a decorative item.
Diane once again marveled at the dazzling white color, luxurious sheen, and large diamond-shaped golden beads that continued throughout the brilliant gold thread.
The admiration was solely for that decoration in the entire dress, and that restraint added to the beauty of the dress.
Starting with a shallow boat neck that wraps the upper body simply, the dress falls in an A-line shape from the waist. The front center of the skirt is slightly split, revealing an underskirt to be worn underneath.
While Neris examined the overdress, Diane took out the velvet underskirt from further inside the box.
Although it was called an underskirt, it was merely in name, as the actual petticoat serving as an undergarment was placed even lower. What Diane picked up was an outer skirt intentionally torn to reveal a decorative item.
The dazzling white color, luxurious sheen, and large diamond-shaped golden beads that continued throughout the brilliant gold thread once again elicited admiration from Diane. The decoration was the only embellishment in the entire dress.
"It's so beautiful!"
Neris was now truly serious. Could it be that Nelesion had done something unnecessary again?
While Diane held the underskirt, Neris's hands searched the inside of the box. Perhaps there was a hint as to who sent it. As she reached the bottom of the box, she touched a small card.
Upon reading the card, it contained the following message:
"It seems a mischievous prank is being prepared. If you do not disdain this small gift, please accept it. Employer."