Chapter 47: Makeup (Part 1)
After reaching a consensus on the issue, Victoria and the nobles began to discuss some details. If anyone raised a question, she would provide reasonable solutions one by one. From their conversations, I could hear that many of these nobles were representatives of groups with a long-standing grudge against the Clive Family. It seemed that everyone had the same goal; they just needed to negotiate the division of resources and how to implement it.
I figured this was none of my business. So, while Victoria was distracted, I slyly pulled the cake plate back in front of me and happily dug in.
The discussion wrapped up quickly. The nobles started leaving the room, returning to the banquet hall.
“Ha ha!”
As he left, the Old Knight laughed like he just won a lottery.
“Old man’s off to drink! Tonight, we party hard! Her Majesty can’t let anyone tattle on me… oh, that delicious royal roasted goose is making me drool…”
He had barely stepped out when Victoria turned to Rect with a blank expression, “Pass along what he just said to the guards in the square.”
So, Rect also took his leave.
I finished the last bite of cake on my plate, smacking my lips in contentment, and gazed towards the door.
Roasted goose?
What flavor would that be? Stewed or roasted? I really wanted to try what he was raving about!
“Peilo.”
Suddenly, I heard Victoria call my name.
I turned my head, startled as a fair, white hand came towards my mouth, almost giving me a heart attack. Victoria leaned in to wipe the cream stuck at the corner of my lips, a faint fragrance filling the air—it was her unique scent.
“Let’s go.”
She casually tossed the used napkin on the table, grabbed my hand and pulled me up as we walked into the gorgeous corridor beside the door.
Once in the corridor, I realized it wasn’t a sealed room at all. The majestic corridor branched in multiple directions, clearly leading to various parts of the royal palace. The intricate design allowed me to catch glimpses of the beautiful garden to the left.
The sky had darkened. The clouds were heavy, drizzling lightly, yet the gardener was busy braving the rain among the green and blooming flowers.
Victoria led me to the end of the corridor, standing in front of a wooden door. The old butler who had been waiting at the door respectfully opened it for us. Inside, I discovered it resembled a dressing room. Old-fashioned wardrobes lined the walls, several large mirrors stood on the opposite side, and the vanity was luxuriously extravagant, with shelves displaying jewelry.
A row of maid-dressed girls stood by the wardrobe, heads bowed.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“Changing your clothes.”
“Changing clothes?”
I was a bit confused, meeting Victoria’s calm gaze.
“What? You want to wear this to the banquet?”
Uh…
I looked down at the thin dress I was wearing. The color was plain, but the hem was embroidered with my favorite pattern.
It was quite pretty, wasn’t it? Why change…
That thought evaporated the next moment.
As the maids opened the wardrobes, an endless array of glamorous gowns glittered under the candlelight, capturing my gaze immediately.
“Wow!”
I couldn’t help exclaiming.
“They are so beautiful!”
So many stunning dresses!
Suddenly my heart soared with joy as I skipped over to them. This place felt like the ultimate fashion exhibition! Every style of gown I could imagine was there, each more beautiful than the last. I was itching to touch this and that, comparing them to my plain dress, and before I knew it I felt like a farm girl who’d never seen anything chic in her life.
Just one of those dresses would probably make me look amazing…
I was itching to try one on, but soon I realized a disheartening fact: These gowns were way too big for me! Clearly, they were made for Victoria; I couldn’t wear them…
So, I turned around, looking pitifully at Her Majesty.
“Like the dresses?” she asked.
“Um…”
I nodded gently.
Of course I liked them!
Who wouldn’t like pretty clothes?!
Then Victoria walked over to the innermost wardrobe and opened it. I saw it was also filled with many dazzling little dresses… huh?
I instinctively stepped closer.
These dresses looked much smaller than the others… could it be that I could wear one?
Victoria quickly picked out a black, gem-embellished fluffy skirt, held it up in front of me for a measure, and said to the maids, “Get her into this.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The maid hurriedly bowed her head and stepped forward to take the gown. Victoria didn’t even glance my way, as she went back to choosing clothes for herself.
So, I cluelessly followed the maid to the fitting room and got my plain dress stripped off, swapping it for that black dress.
It fit perfectly.
Stepping out of the fitting room, I gazed at my reflection in the mirror, transformed into a princess from a fairy tale.
Sideways, I lifted my hand and twirled around, lifting the hem.
So pretty…
Then confusion hit me like a trumpeting elephant.
Why would the palace have a dress that fits me perfectly? Did Victoria prepare it for me in advance? But she didn’t need to prepare so many dresses…
And how did she know my size…
Staring at the mirror for a moment, a sweet smile crept onto my lips.
Oh well! That doesn’t matter.
It’s a beautiful dress, and I love it!
“Are you ready?”
A voice as gentle as water came from behind.
“Come here and let me see.”
I turned around and beheld the ethereal beauty that was Victoria.
She looked like a fairy that didn’t belong to this world.
Draped in a flowing white gown, her skirt appeared like waves dancing in the wind, reminiscent of swirling snow clouds. With a graceful figure gliding towards me, her skirt twirled with each step, creating a scene straight out of a dream.
So beautiful…
Like a snow lotus.
I was somewhat mesmerized. In this lifetime or the previous one, I had never seen a woman so breathtakingly beautiful.
Uh, of course excluding myself…
Lost in thought, I was pulled back to reality by her delicate fragrance wafting toward me; Victoria had approached me, her indifferent eyes fixed on me, then her brows furrowed slightly.
“Change it.”
“Why?”
Does she find the black dress unattractive?
I was a little puzzled, but she showed no sign of explaining; she just turned back to the wardrobe and selected a deep blue full-length pleated gown.
“Put this on.”
The maid quickly took the gown and walked toward me.
But—
“I think it looks great!”
“What do you know about what looks good? All you do is eat. Change it.”
Her tone was like a royal decree—no room for discussion.
So, I was reluctantly forced to switch into that blue gown. After trying it on, Victoria scrutinized it for a long while before shaking her head again.
“Change.”
For the next while, I changed into countless gowns, none of them satisfying Victoria. I gradually grew numb, adopting the same expressionless face as Victoria, like a doll dutifully molded to her whims.
This woman and her fussing…
Until I finally stepped into a black mermaid dress, and Victoria nodded in approval.
“Now the curves are showing; that’s more like it.”
Pff—
Curves?
“However, it’s still lacking some flair.”
She promptly had the maid fetch a jewelry box, rifled through it, and pulled out a pair of feather earrings, an intricately designed black flower brooch, and a deep blue enamel and silver headpiece… Then she beckoned me.
“Come over here.”
What is this…
It’s like she was calling a little puppy.
I shuffled forward, reluctantly approaching her. Victoria pinned the brooch onto me before pointing to the vanity.
“Sit there.”
“Okay.”
