Chapter 57 : Dress

Comfort and discomfort are opposites in meaning, words that can never be used together. However, just this once, they had no choice but to

be used side by side.

“Can you stay still for a second?!”

“No, seriously, I can do this alone… Hey, stop that!”

Dun dun—pop quiz. Which outfit is more embarrassing: a miniskirt or a dress?

Originally, I thought the answer was the miniskirt, which might reveal underwear if worn carelessly. But as of today, my opinion has changed.

Nothing is more mortifying than a frilly dress.

How many years has it been since I last wore a skirt instead of pants? The draft around my legs feels so unfamiliar and awkward.

“Were you really going to wear a school uniform skirt if I wasn’t here?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

I’ve never worn a school uniform skirt either, but it’s still a hundred thousand times better than the mint-colored dress in front of me now.

Especially this chest area! Just look at how low-cut it is! Arwen said this was a normal dress, but no matter how I look at it, it’s way too

revealing. I feel like even my armpits might show.

Where on earth did she get something like this? She definitely didn’t bring a single frilly dress like this when she came from her family. The

stylishly pleated mint dress was infuriatingly beautiful.

And with no medieval corset or anything, to be honest, it’s more comfortable than the jeans I usually wear.

‘Should’ve just brought one from home.’

If I had to wear one anyway, I should’ve brought the black gothic dress I sometimes wore to social gatherings.

It’s a color you’d only wear at a funeral, but at least it wouldn’t stand out.

Not knowing how I felt, Arwen crammed me into the dress.

“See? It looks so pretty on you! Why do you hate it so much?”

You… You have no idea how I feel. Like a woman being forced into submission, I finally put on the dress and looked into the mirror.

Well, at least it’s not pink. If it were, I might’ve actually wanted to die.

In the mirror, a lady who looked like she stepped out of a painting was staring fiercely back at me.

“Try smiling, will you? Seriously, I didn’t want to nag…”

Look at this brat of sixteen nagging at me! Would it be like this if I had a mom?

I wouldn’t know, since I’ve lived both past and present lives without one.

“Like this?”

I forced up the corners of my mouth with two fingers, and Arwen freaked out and told me to stop. What am I even supposed to do?

“Are you going out now?”

“No, I’m going to delay it as much as I can and go out just in time.”

Today, the day of the ball, is a holiday at the academy, but since it’s a huge annual event, there are way more outsiders than usual.

The freshman welcome party includes other nobles too.

Thanks to the ball lasting two days, my dorm near the main gate had been noisy since dawn.

So I was going to delay going out for as long as possible.

Even if crossdressing is supposedly the most masculine thing a man can do, I still don’t want to expose myself like this.

In the original story, Trea was incredibly busy building connections and networking, but she’s her and I’m me.

Despite dressing up so nicely, I jumped onto the bed, and someone sighed nearby.

The owner of the sigh asked me a question.

“Aren’t your family coming?”

“Nope. It’s too far.”

The academy is at the far eastern edge of the continent, while my family, the House of Ludbeck, is at the far western end.

A round trip takes a month, so I told them not to come.

Teleportation magic? Only try that if you want to solve a jigsaw puzzle with your body.

Besides, grown-ups shouldn’t be crashing a kids’ party anyway.

‘Still, I should visit at least once.’

Even if I said that, I plan to go during the break.

Riding a carriage for weeks is soul-crushing, but still.

Eventually, Arwen kicked me out of the bed where I had melted like butter.

She even said she’d lock the door tonight so I shouldn’t even think about crawling back.

Should’ve unlocked the window.

“Sigh.”

Why did it have to be mint-colored? There’s purple, brown… Well, those aren’t great either, now that I think about it.

There are so many subtle colors out there, but what I’m wearing is a bright, attention-grabbing dress that you can see from miles away.

I wish I had a cloak that made me invisible when worn.

Everyone’s staring!

The breeze between my legs feels weird.

Thanks to that, my steps did become a little more elegant, though.

‘This perfume better work.’

Sniff sniff. Before I left, I sprayed the perfume I bought from the Gray Magic Tower a few days ago.

It was supposed to attract more of the same gender than the opposite.

Honestly, it doesn’t seem any different from normal perfume.

But when I wore it, Arwen did say I smelled nice.

Like fruit… or maybe milk? I’m not some kind of fruit parfait though.

‘Was that guy just a con artist after all?’

These stares I’m getting seem more because of the princess dress than the perfume.

Still, the one saving grace is that I’m not the only one wearing a dress.

Since students of all years are attending the party, almost every girl on the street is wearing a skirt.

Just yesterday, the academy was a place of learning, and now it’s turned into a Halloween party.

‘Where’s Pontego?’

If I remember correctly, we were supposed to meet at the fountain an hour before the event.

There are lots of people passing by, but no sign of him.

Instead, someone suddenly covered my eyes from behind.

[Guess who?]

“I have no idea. Who could this person be?”

[Hahaha, what kind of answer is that?]

As Teferi removed her hands, the world lit up again.

She giggled and stepped down from the fountain to approach me.

[Hi, Trea! Feels like it’s been a while!]

Wearing her usual cheerful smile, she had on a plain white dress.

Even her casual outfits are white—she really suits that color.

Is that technically a dress, too? It looks like pajamas, but it reaches her knees, so I guess it counts.

[Were you waiting for someone?]

“Pontego. He’s a bit late.”

Making a lady wait—what a rude guy.

Teferi showed up first even though she’s unrelated to all this.

Come to think of it, why is she even here?

“What about you? Are you waiting for someone?”

[Me? Uh, no. I just happened to be passing by and saw you.]

Yeah, sure, it must’ve been a coincidence.

She wouldn’t know the time and place unless she read the letter.

Still, what a coincidence.

From the moment I mentioned Pontego, Teferi’s mood darkened a little.

Is she thinking she was supposed to be the one meeting me?

Your episode with him is coming up soon anyway.

I was planning to reject him the moment we met, but now that I see her reaction, it’s kind of amusing.

Actually, this could be a good opportunity.

The more I flirt with Pontego, the more it’ll feel like I’m getting revenge on Teferi.

But of course, that only works if Pontego shows up.

What’s taking this guy so long?

[I’ve got somewhere to be, so I’ll head out first!]

“Oh, uh, okay. See you later.”

Well, it’s a festival day, so she must have other people to meet too.

Fortunately, I wasn’t stood up—Pontego arrived not long after she left.

I thought my neck would snap from waiting.

Wearing a white uniform, he bowed and greeted me.

“Sorry I’m late, Lady Ludbeck. I’m Pontego Trivago.”

He says he’s sorry, but honestly, he doesn’t look sorry at all.

He knows magic and was only a little distance away, so why is he late?

His face has that smug look that says, “So what if I’m late?”

It’s like he’s testing me.

Even though my family is a duke’s house, we’re the weakest among the four.

His, on the other hand, is the strongest—Trivago of the North.

On top of that, my reputation probably isn’t any better than in the original story.

A sharp-tongued noblewoman whose only skill is politics.

Even my classmates avoid eye contact with me.

He has nothing to lose here.

Annoying as he is, I decided to play nice.

This is between noble families, and I’m an adult.

“It’s quite all right. I’m Trea Ludbeck.

It’s an honor to meet the future of Trivago.”

I grabbed the hem of my dress and dipped in a flawless curtsey.

Perfect etiquette, the very picture of a noble lady.

His mildly pleased expression is honestly ridiculous.

No wonder in the original story, he hung around Teferi for four years and still never dated her.

“Shall we go, then?”

He offered his hand like he meant to escort me.

Should I take it… or not?

While I was hesitating, I heard a soft rustling sound.

So quiet that no normal person would hear it.

Pontego didn’t seem to notice it either.

I finally tracked down the source: the bushes, where no one should be.

Someone was hiding in there, covered in leaves.

…Teferi? Is that what she calls a disguise?!