~Chapter 37~
Evelyn finished teaching etiquette at the Rovellito family and returned to Countess Helen’s house.
During the carriage ride, she was thinking about someone.
‘Astia.’
Ever since she started teaching Astia a few weeks ago, every visit brought something fresh and new. Evelyn had taught many noble girls etiquette, but she’d never looked forward to a debutante this much before.
‘She’s definitely different from other girls.’
Most girls from great families didn’t take lessons seriously, proud of their status. Whenever Evelyn sensed that, she would stop teaching right away. Still, many families wanted her.
But this time…
‘This time… I’m putting my all into it, too.’
It was the first time the sickly young lady would debut in society. Evelyn felt her lost passion burn again. She wanted to be Astia’s sponsor and give her the best debutante ball ever.
“Jeri. We should visit the boutique.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The carriage changed direction toward the city.
Jeri, Evelyn’s personal maid, looked surprised.
“Ma’am, may I ask why you’re going to the boutique?”
“Oh, I decided to be the young lady’s sponsor.”
“…Sponsor?”
“Yes. I just want to, this time.”
Astia had even exposed the corruption of a priest recently. She reminded Evelyn of herself when she was young and couldn’t stand injustice.
A gentle smile appeared on Evelyn’s usually expressionless face.
As the debutante ball approached, the servants were nervous.
Astia, who was loved not just by Damian but by all the staff, was entering society for the first time. Everyone tried their best to prepare her.
The debutante hadn’t started yet, but every day was filled with beauty treatments and searching for dresses and jewelry. Everyone was eager.
[Asti. I made a reservation at the Bluea Boutique, so would you like to go?]
Damian used the family’s power to get the first reservation at the empire’s best boutique, Bluea. He really wanted Astia to have the best dress.
Astia didn’t care much about luxury, but she accepted because she knew Damian’s heart.
“There are so many people here, miss…”
As expected, Bluea Boutique was crowded with nobles.
“So it seems.”
Astia was a little flustered. She knew it was popular, but seeing it for herself, she couldn’t imagine how Damian got the first reservation.
‘Phew.’
Feeling a bit drained, Astia looked around. A young lady with long blonde hair stared at her with wide eyes.
“Could it be… Lady Rovellito?”
Then, all the noble girls in the boutique started looking at Astia.
“What?”
“It’s really the lady?”
People whispered like they were seeing something amazing. Astia covered her face and sighed.
“Um…”
Nobles tried to approach and talk to her, so Astia asked Annie for help.
“Annie, please call a staff member.”
“Yes, miss.”
While Annie left to get a staff member, a nobleman with a greasy smile came over.
“Nice to meet you, my lady. I’m Athain, eldest son of Marquis Ebleton. Oh! I’ve never seen such a beautiful young lady in my life. It’s an honor for my family. I’d love to share this honor with you…”
“Sorry.”
Athain was rejected right away and left with a sad face. Other nobles came over, still interested.
“Ah, as expected from the lady…”
“Will you have a sponsor for the debutante?”
Some were friendly, but others seemed jealous.
“She’s more ordinary than the rumors say.”
“Yeah. We’ll see how she behaves in society.”
Astia smiled politely and responded to the nobles. It felt like a small version of high society even before the debutante.
The staff member came back, looking nervous.
“L-lady? When did you arrive?”
“I just got here. How long will I have to wait?”
“S-sorry! I made a mistake while managing the reservations. I’ll take you to the VIP room right away.”
The staff member wiped his sweat and bowed deeply, trembling as if a big punishment was coming.
“It’s fine. Shall we go in?”
The staff member was moved by Astia’s warm tone, not what he expected.
“Yes! Please follow me.”
He kept glancing at Astia, so Annie glared at him.
“What are you looking at?”
“N-nothing.”
Astia sighed and followed the staff.
Seril, the owner, was from a viscount family and had run the top boutique for a long time, so she was quick-witted.
She scolded the staff with a look and greeted Astia herself.
“Welcome to Bluea Boutique, my lady. Sorry for the late welcome.”
“It’s alright. I was just looking around.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Relieved, Madam Seril handed her three catalogs.
“Bluea makes the best outfits in the empire. If you pick a design you like, we’ll take a deposit and make it by the promised date. The Rovellito family already paid.”
“Thank you.”
Astia flipped through the catalog. The debutante dresses were all very fancy.
“This dress would look great on you, miss. What do you think?”
“Hm. This one’s nice, too.”
Annie shared her thoughts excitedly, and Astia started thinking hard about her choice.
“My recommendation for the lady is…”
Even Madam Seril joined Annie to help when—
Thump—thump—
A loud sound came from outside.
“…?”
“Oh my.”
Annie and Astia were startled, but Madam Seril stayed calm. With her experience, she knew calming Astia was most important.
“The staff will take care of it. Don’t worry.”
“Yes, I understand.”
But the noise kept getting louder…
Bang—
The door flew open like it would break.
“Hey!”
At the same time, someone shouted so loud it hurt their ears.
“I’m a VIP customer! How can you treat me like this?!”
Madam Seril rushed to block the person from coming in.
“What are you doing?!”
But the young lady with brown hair in a ponytail ignored her and came in with a scowl.
“Do you know who I am? Do you?!”
“Miss, you can’t just come in like this. There are customers with earlier reservations. What’s your reservation number?”
“Reservation? I said I want to go first! Why are you arguing?!”
“If this keeps up… I’ll have to call the guards.”
“What? I’m the eldest daughter of Count Erbel! You know what happens if you stop me, right?”
Madam Seril’s polite smile started to crack. She tried to calm the young lady, but it was useless.
“Huh?!”
The young lady looked around and her red eyes landed on Astia. She glared and screamed:
“I knew it! I won’t just let this go. Is it right for Lady Rovellito to use her status to skip the line?!”
Astia sighed and stood up. There really were troublesome customers everywhere.
She rubbed her forehead. Was it her imagination, or did something always happen wherever she went?
“Miss, I’m not sure what you mean…”
Astia tried to stay calm. She wanted to handle it quietly; rumors before the debutante could be troublesome.
“I’m sorry, but I made the reservation first, miss.”
“I made the reservation first! Does the Rovellito family always ignore people and cut in line?”
“I never ignored you. I just came in when the madam called me. It sounds like you’re saying I did it on purpose.”
“Agh! Are you making excuses now?”
“As the eldest daughter of Count Erbel, you should know noble manners better than anyone… Are you forgetting you’re a noble?”
Astia’s calm words made the young lady breathe heavily, her face turning red.
“How dare you insult the Erbel family! Just because you’re from the Rovellito family, you think you can look down on us? You think I’ll let this go?”
Astia stared at her in shock. She was even less reasonable than Astia expected—a true troublemaker.
“I know a reporter at Little Newspaper. I’ll make sure your bad behavior is reported!”
She really wouldn’t listen to reason. Astia was at a loss for words.
“If you keep this up, I’ll call the guards, miss.”
Madam Seril’s face turned cold. Her voice was polite but chilly. The young lady’s face twisted with anger.
“Call them! Go ahead!”
She started looking for something to throw when—
“What’s all this noise?”
A deep, familiar voice echoed.
Astia’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
