### Chapter 83: The Feast (Part One)
When the lady came in, she didn’t lock the door, and here I was, still in my pajamas, looking a total mess. The hallway was quiet; it seemed the maids were all busy. Even if one of them had been around, I doubted they could stop him, so I quickly shouted, “I’m here! Don’t come in!”
Pasifal sounded frantic. “Hurry up and get dressed! I’m telling you, Mom is definitely going to call us to greet guests soon. You might not remember, but it’s always been the two of us doing this! So unlucky! It’s such a painful experience—we have to stand for a long time! Hurry up, get dressed! While she’s not here, we can sneak off to the Snow Mountain, grab some goat cheese, and catch some birds—”
I saw the lady’s face turn dark, and I couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
“Pasifal! Say that again!”
“……”
Suddenly, the voice outside went silent.
After a moment, Pasifal said, “I’ll go check who’s arrived…”
“If you try to escape, you’ll be stuck at Pagos for three years!”
“I’m not running away…”
And then he fled in panic.
“This kid never changes; he’s so grown-up yet still thinks about playing! One of these days, he’s going to give me a heart attack…” the lady groused, then turned to gently rub my face. “But our Peppé is well-behaved.”
“Hehe, of course!”
I flashed her a toothy grin.
And then a hand smacked my little rear, which was all wrapped up in the blanket.
“Then get up!”
…Because feelings were waiting for me.
Forget it; I was already awake by now.
Grudgingly, I got out of bed, only to endure an hour of mental torture.
The wardrobe was filled with dresses, and the lady rummaged through them for what felt like an eternity. It took her twenty minutes just to decide which one to wear for today. In the end, she picked a rather Rococo-style, pale yellow puff skirt that flowed long enough to cover my feet. At one point, she even wanted to grab a longer one, suggesting that two maids should help me dress up, and then I should do nothing but glide around with my skirt held up by them behind me. I fought tooth and nail to stop that.
“Oh my gosh, if that was the case, I’d rather be killed!”
Seeing my endless protests, the lady finally settled for the frilly, eye-catching puff skirt and had me adorned with a flower crown and pure white lace gloves, finishing it off with twin ponytails.
Once she had me wrapped up and glittering from head to toe, she finally looked satisfied and pushed me toward the mirror.
I gazed at the lovely reflection staring back.
A pair of dark, shiny eyes, clear and bright, shining like stars, the spirit seemed to overflow. My long eyelashes twitched slightly, and my flawless skin glowed with a hint of pink. My thin lips resembled a juicy peach. On either side, my playful ponytails flowed naturally, cascading like two strands of precious silk just right over my dainty shoulders.
Alright, I admit it.
The moment I saw myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but blush.
I mean… stunningly beautiful.
I really wanted to kiss myself.
“Alright, this is our shining little star for today’s feast. How do you like it?”
“…It’s okay, I guess.”
I turned my gaze away, fingers nervously twisting in front of my chest.
“If you’re happy, you should say it honestly.” The lady pinched my nose. “I know you better than you know yourself.”
Then she shoved me out the door, and I awkwardly shuffled into the dining room, stunned by the scene before me.
To my surprise, besides the expected Duke, Lafael, and Pasifal, Carlos was also there! And that old man in the robe was there too! They were all sitting at the dining table, and once I walked in, a chorus of eyes turned to me.
“Wow—”
Carlos dramatically widened his eyes and clutched his chest, “Who shot an arrow into my beating heart—”
I raised my hand to cover my face.
“Please, just shut up!”
“Silvya… ah, no, I’ll just call you Miss Peilo, don’t be shy! You look absolutely gorgeous!”
The old man in the robe seemed unusually cheerful today; his normally stern face wore a somewhat kindly demeanor… was it because he wasn’t wearing his robe but a suit today?
“Thank you…”
“Peppé, you look beautiful~”
“You swordsman, I won’t let you lay a finger on her!”
“What nonsense are you spouting, Pasifal?!”
Lafael and Pasifal were both decked out in sleek black suits, their hair slicked back looking sharper than ever—especially Pasifal, who seemed like a completely different person.
It appears that clothing really does have a tremendous impact on how someone looks.
Of course, that was just a quick sweep of my surroundings; then I dropped my head and took tiny, timid steps… Not that I was wussy, it’s just that the design of the skirt didn’t allow for large strides; otherwise, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty.
I covered my face and daintily took a seat next to the Duke.
“Peppé, hurry up and eat, you and Pasifal have to go greet the guests soon.”
“I don’t want to—”
Pasifal howled in despair.
“Nonsense. Winter Moon cannot be rude; you must go.”
“Let Lafael go!”
“Lafael has to hold the reception; do you want to trade places with him?”
Hearing this, Pasifal wilted immediately.
Being a host is much more complicated than greeting guests because several heads of noble families are attending today, and handling them requires a lot of mental acrobatics—not everyone can pull it off, least of all Pasifal.
At this point, Lafael chimed in, “Actually, I’d prefer to switch with you. Greeting guests is easy—all you have to do is stand there with a smile and offer a polite bow; you don’t have to do anything else. Super laid-back!”
Pasifal weighed his options and finally sighed.
“Ugh, I don’t want to host.”
Suddenly, I frowned, “Ow, my stomach—”
Before I could finish, the lady interrupted.
“Peppé, don’t mess around. You’re normally mischievous, but today is a very important day; you can’t be willful.”
“…Okay.”
So I reluctantly nodded, accepting my fate as the featured girl of Shanter Castle for today.
“Little Shay, I reckon half of the people coming into Shanter Castle will trip up, and out of the rest, one-third will get a smack from their partners, and two-thirds will come up to flirt with you.”
Carlos joked, making me want to unleash a punch on him.
But you know, he might have a point.
The thought made me even more anxious, so I looked at the Duke for help.
He chuckled. “Don’t look at me; your mother calls the shots at times like these.”
“……”
Clearly, I had no leeway to struggle.
Thus, after breakfast, I had to obediently link arms with Pasifal and, under the lady’s watchful eye, headed toward the outside of Shanter Castle.
“Hey.”
I whispered.
“Hmm?”
Pasifal looked like a thief, lowering his head.
“Do you think there’s a chance to sneak away?”
“…Not likely…”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” the lady called out from behind us.
