episode_0118

Yeah, I don’t usually wear dresses or anything like that.

I thought, understanding Alice’s expression from a corner of my mind.

“Doesn’t it match?”

So I asked straight out.

I don’t trust my fashion sense. I don’t think I was a very well-dressed person in my past life.

Even back then, I didn’t trust my senses, so when I went to a clothing store, I would buy the clothes that were set on the mannequins, memorize them, and wear them. Whether or not they suited me is another story.

But… … isn’t there a saying that the face is the completion of fashion? Not just the face, but the body as well.

The appearance of ‘Sylvia Pengriffin’ is not inferior to that of other people. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that she is beautiful.

So, I thought, it would suit me as long as it wasn’t an incredibly weird outfit.

The dress I was wearing was a sky blue dress.

There wasn’t much decoration. Not much skin was shown.

I thought it was a reasonably elegant design, but… … Well, I’m not sure what it would look like from the perspective of Alice, who actually lived in the royal family.

“Oh, oh, no. It suits you well, yeah.”

And I couldn’t tell if he was saying it because he thought my voice really suited him, or if he was just complimenting me because he had a hard time opening his eyes and telling me directly.

Alice reads the expression I’m trying my best to hide.

It’s not fair.

But I had no intention of getting angry or annoyed at Alice, so I asked calmly again.

“Would it be impolite to meet Baroness Grace and her husband wearing these clothes?”

Well, I don’t think so. Wearing dresses was something that all nobles did, and these dresses weren’t cheap. It was a dress I had prepared when I entered school just in case, but I never wore it, but considering the price, it wouldn’t be ‘rude’.

“Ah, that’s—”

Alice, who was about to say something, shut her mouth tightly.

For a moment, Alice’s expression seemed to harden. I tried my best to hold back the moment when I almost tilted my head.

If you thought this outfit was so terribly out of place that it was against manners—

Sure, I thought that might be the case.

Well, I don’t know if there really is such a rule or not, but if you go to a fashion show as an audience member and there’s someone who’s obviously not dressed well enough to the point where it’s obvious it was intentional, then that might be considered rude.

Or maybe they dress up extravagantly at a funeral, or go to a wedding and dress up more beautifully than the bride. So maybe there are rules like that even among the nobility. Like, invited guests shouldn’t dress up more extravagantly than the host.

“—No.”

But Alice’s stern expression quickly relaxed.

And Alice said it quickly, so quickly that it seemed to me a bit hasty.

“Is that so?”

The sight seemed strangely suspicious, so I asked again. Alice nodded enthusiastically.

“Yeah. It suits you well. And it doesn’t seem rude. If someone were to find fault with it, it’s because they just don’t like your outfit.”

“… … .”

I briefly wondered if Alice was trying to say, ‘Actually, it doesn’t really suit me,’ but then decided to just take it literally.

Alice is not one to lie, at least not about things like this. She’s definitely learned that much over the past ten years.

If the two of us had to fight, Alice would fight fair, just like she did when she was a child.

“Okay.”

Alice seemed a little relieved when she saw me nodding obediently.

*

Alice’s face hardened as she realized that she had almost answered ‘Maybe so’.

Alice had a much worse poker face skill than Sylvia usually used to hide her expression, so Sylvia would have been able to clearly observe that expression.

But there was no particular ripple in Sylvia’s expression. Just a very subtle doubt arose.

But I couldn’t ask Sylvia, ‘Why are you suddenly dressed like that?’

The words noble, royal, and royalty have many meanings. Sylvia must know this well, having lived in the royal family for ten years.

And when Alice says something like that, you’ll be able to tell that the word “suddenly” is hiding “why here,” the word “that kind of outfit” is hiding “ordinary clothes,” and the word “what are you wearing?” is hiding “who are you trying to impress?”

And when I think about all those hidden words, I can boil them down to just one word: ‘jealousy.’

Isn’t that a bit… childish?

Alice, who had never claimed it before in her life, had only recently started claiming that she was Sylvia’s ‘sister’. It was after Claire started calling Sylvia ‘sister’.

Sylvia didn’t seem to be seriously concerned about that fact yet, but if Alice crossed the line a few more times, Sylvia would be able to recall that Alice was jealous of Claire.

This jealousy wasn’t dark and slimy. It was just, simply, Alice’s thoughts and feelings about the questions she couldn’t ask Sylvia directly because she was not honest.

So, that’s it.

Do you resent being kidnapped by Sylvia Garukas and brought to the imperial palace?

Beyond the faint emotion felt in the midst of that expressionless face, isn’t it true that there is still a little bit of resentment towards Alice?

Did he never think of Alice as a sister, and was he just thinking of her as a tool to put him on the throne, create the future he wanted, or avoid something?

Could it be that those seemingly human emotions were actually just something he had made up to deceive Alice?

“It’s late.”

Alice’s continuing thoughts were interrupted by Sylvia.

Alice blinked at Sylvia’s words.

Beyond those blinking eyes, Sylvia looked as calm as usual. Perhaps it was because of that sky blue dress that didn’t match her that she looked even more calm.

Of course Sylvia is pretty. She would probably look good in most clothes.

But, what should I say?

Sylvia’s shoulders were so stiff. When I thought about it, those shoulders were always stiff whenever Sylvia was wearing her school uniform.

Now that I look at it, it’s not because of the school uniform, it’s just how it is.

I guess it’s become a habit because I act too much like a soldier.

As she thought about it, Alice’s shoulders slumped and she felt relieved. It was almost lucky that she didn’t snort.

Sylvia was Sylvia.

If Sylvia looks different, it’s just because Alice sees her differently.

“I think it would be better to start preparing now.”

“Before that, Sylvia.”

Alice got up from her seat after hearing Sylvia’s words.

And then she walked briskly and stood in front of Sylvia. Not standing comfortably like at the academy, but with the dignity of a princess.

It might seem strange to others that we were doing this in our pajamas, but after all, there were only Sylvia and Alice here.

Just like before.

“There’s too much strength in your shoulders.”

“… … .”

There was no answer, but Sylvia’s eyes were looking at Alice. Alice felt strangely relieved when she saw a hint of doubt flashing through those deep, black eyes.

“It’s okay when wearing a school uniform or formal attire, but”

Alice raised both hands and lightly tapped Sylvia on both shoulders, just as her etiquette tutor had done when Alice was a child.

“If you walk around with your shoulders tense while wearing a dress, you will look too stiff.”

“Is that so?”

Coming back was purely a question.

“You really don’t know anything.”

Alice sighed without realizing it. Her sigh contained the worries and hesitations from earlier. As she let those thoughts out, her mind felt at ease.

“Okay, then. Just wait until I wash up and come back. I’ll teach you the necessary movements when you put on the dress. ”

“… … Is there a separate movement when wearing a dress?”

Should I change it again right now?

It was just luck that I didn’t burst out laughing when I read that thought that seemed within reach.

Clearly, they learned from the same tutor, but why is the content they learned so different?

“Okay? Just wait. I came here as a representative of the royal family, so I can’t afford to be embarrassed. ”

Alice urged and quickly headed to the shower room, but she was so happy that she realized she didn’t have any underwear or a change of clothes in her hands, so she turned around again.

With a slightly embarrassed expression, I went back to my bed, grabbed some clothes from the trunk under my bed, and headed back to the shower room.

… … Really, I was glad that I could share the room with Sylvia.