She rarely visited, so Nonna joined us as well, as did Miss Elizabeth, for some reason.
The dress-shop owner was named Daphne, an imposing woman of about fifty years old. She had blond hair, blue eyes, and a glamorous figure. She even had a beauty mark by her mouth, which only served to enhance her charm. Her voice had a slight rasp, making her all the more intimidating.
“Please take a look at these design sketches first, Lady Asher,” she said.
“Goodness, look at how many there are!”
“I’m so envious of your delicate figure! Now, the first decision is whether we should emphasize your slenderness with a more fitted design or go for a more voluminous style, which would be hard for someone else to pull off.”
“Which one is less conspicuous?” I asked.
Both Lady Blythe and Miss Daphne looked at me in confusion.
Whoops.
My desire to not stand out and avoid attention was so great, I’d accidentally said it aloud.
“I mean to say, I’m not used to attending formal gatherings, and because this one is hosted by the royal family, I’m even more overwhelmed. This will actually be my first ball, so I want to avoid any mistakes. Or at least, ensure that if I do make a mistake, no one will notice. That’s why I’d like to dress plainly,” I tried to explain.
“No, that won’t do at all.” Miss Daphne looked at me as if I’d just confessed to a grave sin. “Dresses are meant to bring out a woman’s appeal to the fullest—to make an impression!”
“That’s right, Anna. You should show off that slim waist of yours,” Lady Blythe agreed.
“Is that really how it’s supposed to be?” I asked hesitantly.
“That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be, Lady Asher. First impressions are everything, after all. You don’t want to be underestimated.”
Oh dear.
I’d gone my entire life being told not to stand out and not to leave an impression. But now that I was a member of the nobility, I was supposed to wear flashy dresses and stand out to command attention for the rest of my days?
“H-how about this design?”
“Let’s see. Yes, this should do nicely. We’ll go with this design, and as for the color, I think something like a vivid red would be just perfect.”
“A vivid red…” I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift off into the distance for a moment.
Perhaps sensing my hesitation, Lady Blythe suggested a compromise: dark burgundy. The design was fitted to the waist with a dramatic flared skirt.
“I’ve never seen you wear something so bold before, Mom,” Nonna remarked.
“She’s still quite young, so it works. I think it’s wonderful. Lady Asher may prefer something plainer, but this is a royal ball—you have to be bold!”
Nonna looked stunned when she saw the flashy dress, while Miss Elizabeth was captivated. Miss Daphne seemed satisfied, while Lady Blythe gave me a sheepish smile.
As my sister-in-law prepared to leave, she leaned in close and said softly, “My husband and I will be attending, too, so please don’t worry.”
“Thank you. That’s very reassuring,” I replied.
The ball was next week, and I was already mentally exhausted. Would I be able to make it through the evening—and more importantly, through the scrutiny of the royals?
At last, the day of the ball arrived. I was in the royal palace, wearing the dress Miss Daphne had gone to so much effort to create for me.
It was my second time visiting Ashbury’s royal palace.
I placed my hand on Jeffrey’s arm and stepped into the ballroom. The garden was illuminated with torches and lanterns, as it had been during my first visit. Finely dressed nobles were having animated conversations with one another near the entrance to the party.
“Are you all right, Anna?” Jeff asked.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll handle it.”
“That makes me feel better.”
The moment we entered the ballroom, all eyes seemed to fall on my husband.
Jeffrey had risen from knight to the captain of the Second Order, and he had the favor of the crown prince. He’d established a stable line of trade for medicines from Shen, an accomplishment that had earned him the title of baron despite him being a second son.
And if that wasn’t enough, he’d also discovered a gold mine. He was truly the talk of the town.
It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by nobles.
“It’s nice to see you again, Lord Asher. I was quite impressed with your activities in Shen—not that I ever doubted you.”
“I hear you discovered gold on a family trip? I say, you’re certainly on a roll lately!”
“And his wife has started a workshop producing highly effective ointments.”
Jeffrey accepted all the praise with a calm, relaxed grin on his face.
Meanwhile, I stuck to my usual strategy of trying to remain inconspicuous, striving not to leave an impression on anyone. I looked down with a vague smile and greeted everyone politely. If there was one thing I had confidence in, it was my patience.
I can keep this up for hours if I have to. I can do this.
My smile carried an odd sense of determination, but surprisingly, it was Jeff who gave in first.
“Shall we go get some fresh air out in the garden? I’m exhausted,” he said.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
We’d leaned close to each other and whispered this, then began to make our way toward the garden. Still, we were stopped several times along the way, so our walk ended up taking far longer than it should have, given the garden was just a short distance from the doors.
Jeff let out a deep sigh the moment we finally stepped outside. “Haah, that took forever.”
“And the night’s only just begun.”
“When I was in the First Order, I would have to stay in the ballroom for the entire event, but knights aren’t expected to make polite conversation or keep fake smiles on their face. It was never this draining back then.”
“I wish I could tell you ‘job well done,’ but we need to go back inside before the royal family arrives,” I said.
Jeff abruptly began moving his shoulders in exaggerated circles.
“What in the world are you doing?” I asked.
“Just stretching my shoulders.”
“They’re stiff already?! Ha-ha!”
As the two of us laughed together, we heard a familiar voice call out to us. It was Lord Edward Asher.