A month passed by in a flash. It was already the day I’d make my debut in society, and House Leviathan’s carriage arrived early in the morning to take me to their manor. I was busy preparing for the ball. The marquess and marchioness greeted me with welcoming smiles.
“I’m happy you’re here,” the marquess said.
“It’s so early in the morning, so I’m sure it must’ve been troublesome for you to make the journey,” the marchioness added.
They took turns pulling me in for a tight embrace, and I truly felt like I was their daughter.
“Misha, your dress is done,” the marchioness informed me.
“And I’ve no doubt you’ll look gorgeous in it,” the marquess said.
“Thank you,” I replied. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”
Mr. Vil, who was temporarily living in the marquess’s manor, was summoned by his younger sister and returned to his family home. He said that he would be back before I departed for the ball.
“If Vil doesn’t arrive, I shall be your escort,” the marquess reassured me.
“Oh, that’s a lovely idea!” the marchioness cheered.
Marquess Leviathan had a threatening, terrifying visage. I’d be very safe with him.
“We can chit-chat all we’d like later,” the marchioness said. “Misha, let us prepare you for your big day!”
“I’d like that,” I replied.
The marquess was reluctant to let me go, but the marchioness ushered me toward the dressing room. When she opened the door, a snow-white dress greeted me.
“Wow… This is gorgeous!” I gasped.
The stunning gown reminded me of a dollop of whipped cream. It was paired with a veil decorated with feathers and was absolutely gorgeous.
“I’ve also added some silver embroidery to your skirt,” the marchioness explained. “I thought it would make your lovely silver hair pop out.”
“Silver hair?” I asked. “Your flattery makes me so happy. I’ve always thought that my hair looked like a cloudy sky.”
She giggled. “Nonsense! Your hair is a beautiful silver, my dear! And take a look at the embroidery, if you will.”
“A snowflake pattern!”
“That’s right. You’ve got a sharp eye!”
Since I came from a snowy region, she added a snowflake design to the dress. Long dresses were unique to high society debuts. Some of them were nearly four meters long; it was unseemly to drag the hems of one’s dress on the ground, and women usually carried it as they walked around. I’d heard how painstaking it was to walk around with these hems. However, the dress in front of me had hems around a meter long, at most. That would make it easy to move around in.
“Now then, let’s have you try it on,” the marchioness said.
“Please,” I said.
First, I had to slip into shapewear, an undergarment that shaped my silhouette.
“You’re slender, so this won’t have to be pulled so tight on you,” the marchioness said.
I was secretly worried that I had put on some weight since I had eaten a lot of meat and fish recently, but apparently, I had nothing to worry about.
“Now that your corsage belt is on, you must wear your petticoat before we put your dress on,” she explained.
A petticoat was like a pannier, which formed the dress into a pretty shape. After that, I could finally wear my long-hemmed dress. Some petticoats were designed to be the actual bottom skirt of a dress, and it all depended on taste. After I finally donned my attire, it was a bit loose around my stomach.
“Did you lose weight since a month ago?” she wondered.
“Maybe the corsage made my waistline a bit smaller,” I suggested.
“Ah, that must be it.”
When she removed the corsage, the dress fit me perfectly.
“Goodness… You see, ladies normally have to squeeze themselves into dresses like these,” she explained. “Many go on a diet months before so that they can fit.”
“I see…” I muttered.
“I suggest you eat more delicious dishes. There’s so much amazing food in the world!”
“U-Um… I’ll try my best?”
And I bet my small, healthy breakfasts with Prince Rena don’t help… I thought. Maybe I’ll add another dish to the menu or something.
The marchioness took a step back to check her work. “Misha, you look absolutely gorgeous! You’re so beautiful!”
“Thank you.”
A lady-in-waiting brought over a full-length mirror to check my appearance in. Even I was surprised by just how stark a transformation it was. It was a gorgeous outfit, and whenever I moved a little, the fabric swished, and the silver snowflake embroidery dazzled magnificently. It reminds me of the diamond dust I used to always see in the early mornings on cold days.
“Wow…” I murmured. “This dress is just…stunning. Thank you for making something so beautiful in such a short amount of time.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” the marchioness replied. “Never would I have imagined that I could help a lady out for her debut!”
She gushed about how much fun she had making preparations, and I was internally relieved that I wasn’t too much of a burden on her.
“All that’s left are the accessories to match your dress!”
“U-Um, about that…” I started.
A lady generally wore a tiara, earrings, and a necklace during her debut. I sent my mother a letter and asked to borrow the set of pearl accessories she wore for her debut, and she graciously sent them to me. They were supposed to arrive the day before yesterday, but…
“Lawlife is currently being tormented by an unprecedented amount of snow,” I said. “I haven’t received my accessories yet.”
“Oh dear!” the marchioness cried.
Yeah, this is looking bad for me.
“Wh-What shall we do?” she stammered. “I’d love to lend you a set, but I have nothing fitting for a lady’s debutante ball.”
Accessories generally had to match the dress. Since the formal attire for this occasion was white, pearls and diamonds made a lady look purer and more proper. However, the marchioness had rubies and pink diamonds—both were far too flashy for a debutante ball.
“I’m so sorry…” the marchioness said sadly.
“Please, don’t be,” I replied. “I asked Gem to save the day and be my hero.”
“Gem?”
My familiar had been quiet until now, but it bounced forward and practically rammed into me. Its spherical body shifted in the air, and in a flash, it turned into a magnificent pearl tiara, earrings, and necklace for me.
“It’s a faux pearl set made by a jewel slime,” I said.
“Oh my!” the marchioness gasped. She gazed intently at my jewelry, wide-eyed.
“You can touch it if you’d like.”
“May I, Gem?”
My familiar glowed faintly, signaling its consent.
“This…is fabulous!” she gasped. “It feels like a real pearl!”
Gem, happy to receive the praise, jiggled my necklace from side to side with elation.
“I’m surprised that you had this ingenious idea!” she said.
“It was Gem’s idea, actually.”
I read yesterday’s papers and learned that the northern region of the nation was assaulted with record snowfall, shutting down roads and transportation. That was when I knew I wouldn’t receive my mother’s package in time. When I was at a loss, Gem jumped to the rescue and proudly turned into accessories.
“But how in the world was it able to turn into such fine, modern jewelry?” the marchioness asked. “This design is the latest trend.”
“I went shopping in the city the other day with Gem,” I said. “We dropped by an accessory store to view some jewelry, so I suspect that’s where it saw some designs.”
Of course, I felt bad copying the exact design I saw at the store, and Gem changed things up a bit to make it look more original. My familiar was a genius.
“Pearls really suit you,” the marchioness noted. “Your skin is so pale and pretty, and it will only be accentuated by the pearls.”
“Huh? Oh, um… Thank you. I appreciate the compliment,” I replied bashfully.
My skin was only so pale because I could barely leave the house during the winter due to the heavy snowfall. I remained holed up in the manor like a hermit. Snow was reflective, and on sunny days, one could still get a tan, but there were hardly ever bright days in Lawlife—my skin might’ve been paler than most.
“Ah, yes, and this dress has a little contraption,” the marchioness said. “If you give a little tug on the ribbon around your waist, the hems will tie up into a ribbon.”
A lady-in-waiting brought out two more mirrors so that I could see it from various angles.
“I-It’s so cute!” I gasped. “And easy to move around in!”
“Exactly! That’s what I was going for, dear!”
She revealed that during her debut, she stepped on the hems of her dress and tripped. Ever since, she’d been experimenting with ways to ensure that the hems wouldn’t get in the way and came up with this ribbon idea.
“Thank you, truly,” I said.
“It’s my pleasure,” she replied with a proud laugh. “But we’re not done just yet. Preparations have only just begun.”
I’d assumed that I was basically all dressed up, but this was only to test out the dress. I was to take a bath, clean my skin and hair, and get a massage before putting on makeup, tying my hair up, and completing the finishing touches.
“Good luck, Misha! Let’s do our best for your big day!” the marchioness declared.
“O-Okay!”
For the next whopping five hours, I was getting ready. The marchioness ordered her ladies-in-waiting around expertly and made me into a lovely noblewoman. Never had I dressed up to this degree, and when I looked at myself in the mirror, a different person stared back at me.
Mr. Vil arrived in the evening, and he looked like a dashing gentleman in his lavish tailcoat. He gazed at me expressionlessly, as if I were a weed on the side of the road. Oh, come on. I’m at my best here! Let me strut my stuff a bit! I did a little twirl and tried to look pretty; thanks to the marchioness’s ribbon contraption, I could move as I pleased.
“Don’t you think I look prettier than ever before?” I asked.
“Yes, I suppose. You’re very pretty,” he muttered as he placed a hand on his lips.
I expected a sharp retort from him, insulting me for getting too cocky, but when he just nodded and affirmed my comment, I felt bashful and embarrassed. I snapped my mouth shut, my face red. Marchioness Leviathan, perhaps noticing the awkward air, encouraged us to head to the venue. I nervously headed out. It was already dark out, and Mr. Vil lent me his hand so that I wouldn’t trip.