It wasn’t hard to figure out what event Hale had been putting off for so long. The very next day, the mansion’s staff began bustling around.
There were only five days left until the guests arrived. Everything from preparing the guest rooms to organizing the banquet had to be done in that short time.
It would normally be an impossible amount to prepare in such a short time, but Rita assured me not to worry—since the White Dragon family had more than enough manpower and resources, it was all doable.
If anything, I should be the one people are worrying about.
Because I was the main character of this event.
The banquet that would take place in five days was a formal occasion to present me to the other noble families and acknowledge me as the heir.
So there was a lot to prepare. On the first day, Hale brought in three of the world’s most renowned designers to create a custom dress for me.
The second and third days were spent rapidly learning the etiquette I would need when meeting the other noble families, as well as their traits and things I hadn’t learned yet.
Thankfully, I was able to pick up the etiquette quickly since it was similar to what I’d learned in my previous life. And Eve made learning about the other families enjoyable, so it wasn’t too hard to memorize.
“…All of this?”
“Of course!”
Then came the final day. I had thought the important things were more or less over, but no.
The three designers who had measured me two days ago each brought over ten dresses.
I was already amazed that they’d managed to create over ten dresses each in such a short time, but what’s worse is that they expected me to try on all of them today.
How could I not be sick of it?
“Maybe I’ll just wear any—”
I trailed off mid-sentence, scanning the designers’ faces.
Their eyes, which had sparkled when they entered the room with their dresses, had dimmed just from that one comment. I felt bad.
Sigh… Well, even if this wasn’t something I’d asked for, they had stayed up all night making those dresses for me.
So the least I could do was try each of them on once.
“No way! I have to try them all and wear the one that looks best!”
Quickly switching tracks, I forced a cheerful tone, and the designers’ faces immediately brightened again.
And so, the dress fitting began. I had to try on 32 dresses in total today. I didn’t think I’d ever tried on this many in one day, even in my previous life.
The only small consolation was that the dresses were all different colors, which made them somewhat fun to look at. Still, it was exhausting.
“Ugh, can I rest for just a bit?”
Around the twelfth dress, I turned to Rita with teary eyes.
She had been watching quietly from the wall, but nodded and walked over to me.
“Let’s take a short break.”
Designer #1, who had just come over with a blush pink dress and a fanatical gleam in her eye, stepped back with a disappointed look.
As soon as Rita announced break time, I headed straight for the bed. The nice thing about doing the fitting in my room was that I could lie down during breaks.
Flopping onto the soft bed, I finally felt like I could breathe again. Then I quickly got gloomy again at the thought that I’d only made it through not even half the dresses.
Pouting, I turned to Rita who had followed me to the bedside.
“I’m so tired…”
“There really are a lot of dresses, huh?”
“Yeah… Can’t we cut down a little?”
“Hmm…”
Rita looked like she was thinking. I took the opportunity to nuzzle into her hand and act even more like a helpless child.
Seriously, is it okay to put a child through something that would exhaust a full-grown adult?
“…Alright. Since your body has grown a bit since we took measurements, I’ll go through and see if any of the dresses no longer fit.”
“Rita, you’re the best!”
I knew she’d cave eventually. Even Rita must’ve thought making a young girl try on 32 dresses was a bit much.
Soon, she left to sort through the dresses, and I was finally left alone to rest. Or so I thought.
If only Designers #1 and #2 hadn’t come over right after Rita left me.
Sensing their approach, I opened my eyes and sat up.
It was the same two designers who had been giving me strange, intense looks all through the fitting.
“…What is it?”
“My lady, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen!”
“That’s right! We’ve met many noble ladies, but none of them shine like you!”
I didn’t exactly like flattery, but I didn’t hate it either. Still, something about the way they said it made me feel uneasy.
“So what?”
“Well… may we ask a favor?”
“A favor?”
“It’s not difficult at all!”
Here we go. People always say that right before asking for something very difficult.
“Right! You just have to sit still, that’s all!”
Which is another thing people say when the request absolutely doesn’t involve sitting still.
I looked at them suspiciously, and they quickly continued.
“We’re serious, my lady! We would never lie to you!”
“Yes, yes! We’re really skilled, too!”
That has nothing to do with this.
At this point, their avoidance of the main point was getting on my nerves.
“So what exactly is it you want?”
“Well… would you be willing to model our dresses?”
“…What?”
“It’s a really popular profession among noble ladies in the capital these days!”
“It’s become such a trend that there’s even a fashion magazine filled only with photos of noble models!”
They must’ve mistaken my reaction as interest.
In truth, I was just so baffled I had to ask again.
I wasn’t sure what modeling really entailed, but they probably thought having me wear their dresses would boost sales.
Not a wrong assumption. I wasn’t just any noble daughter—I was the heir to the White Dragon family.
So that’s why they were giving me those creepy looks earlier?
“No.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said no. Why would I?”
“Well…”
“And also, that’s just rude.”
“No, we didn’t mean it like that—”
“I want to rest now.”
I hopped off the bed and went over to Rita.
I thought it was really disrespectful of them to make such a proposal to me. They acted like they were being considerate, but all they cared about was their own gain. They didn’t even think about how I might feel.
Though honestly, part of why I reacted so negatively was just that I didn’t like them.
Guess first impressions really do matter.
“My lady? You can rest a bit more if you’d like.”
“No, I wanna get back to it now.”
“Alright.”
Rita glanced behind me. She probably saw Designers #1 and #2 looking awkward.
But she didn’t question me. She’d probably ask once they were gone.
And when she did, I’d make it sound even worse than it was.
“Let’s resume the fitting, then.”
So the fitting began again. I wasn’t fully rested yet, but after facing Designers #1 and #2, I just wanted to get it over with.
Things proceeded smoothly, and thankfully, the number of dresses dropped from 32 to 24. Turns out, many didn’t fit anymore. Good for me.
The only regret I had was not being able to try on the platinum-colored dress that matched my hair. I had a feeling that one would suit me best.
Other colors were fine, but that one felt just right.
“This is the last dress, my lady.”
When I heard that, I was so relieved.
Then we held a vote—me, Rita, Designers #1 to #3—on which dress looked best on me.
There was a tie: 2 votes for the white dress, 2 for the blush pink one, and 1 for another.
For reference, I deliberately voted for the one that looked the worst on me: the black dress.
“Hmm… What should we do?”
We all debated over the top two tied dresses.
If I had to pick one, I’d go with the white one. I’d already worn blush pink recently, and I wanted to try a different color.
“Should we ask Daddy?”
“Ooh, great idea!”
Rita’s face lit up at my suggestion and she quickly brought Hale to the room. Joshua tagged along too.
Apparently, Rita had already explained the situation on their way here because they walked in and immediately began inspecting the dresses.
Then Hale came closer, got down on one knee, and met my eyes.
“Senika, which dress do you like?”
“….”
“You don’t have to choose one of those two.”
He must’ve noticed me glancing at the platinum dress on the rack, because his voice was gentle and reassuring.
“…I wanna wear that one.”
I didn’t pick it just because the two others weren’t to my liking. I picked it because I thought it would suit me best.
Designer #3, who had been glum all this time, lit up. His dress hadn’t even made it into the top picks and most of his didn’t fit since he had used my old measurements.
“The ones we shortlisted are a bit too flashy. Like they’re trying to swallow you whole.”
Hale stood up, comparing the shortlisted dresses and the platinum one.
“But this one you chose seems just right.”
“I agree!” Joshua chimed in, always quick to follow Hale’s lead.
Rita nodded in agreement too.
But of course, there were two people who weren’t happy with the outcome.
“That dress looks a bit small, doesn’t it?”
“Yes. And it’s far too plain…!”
Designers #1 and #2 clearly didn’t like my choice.
What was with this obsession? Even if I didn’t wear their dresses, they could sell them to the other noble girls they mentioned.
Hale tilted his head slightly and addressed Designer #3.
“What do you think?”
“I can adjust the size right here if needed!”
“And what about it being too plain?”
“Well…”
It was true—the platinum dress didn’t have any eye-catching features.
I just preferred this kind of simple style over something flashy. Not that anyone here would know that. Maybe someone from my previous life would have.
In the heavy atmosphere, I raised my hand high and declared, “I like simple.”
