Chapter 66

Because it's so hot every day, please be careful of heatstroke.

“Haaa…”

It has been two weeks since we went to the slums.

Despite being in the embroidery class, Emma’s heavy sighs continue without end.

“Lady Emma, are you going to the Sullivans’ after school today as well?”

Francesca, worried about the listless Emma, speaks to her with sympathy.

“Yes… I am going today as well…”

Letting out another heavy sigh, she gently stacks the completed coaster. Despite her listless expression, the embroidered coasters keep piling up. No matter what, the Stewarts have a rule that hands must always be moving.

As punishment for staying out overnight without permission, Emma has to spend four hours after school at her mother’s family home, the Duke of Sullivan’s residence.

Hilda Sullivan, Mersa’s mother and Emma’s grandmother, is known for being strict about etiquette.

There are so many things she wants to do: having a snack at Joshua’s newly reopened store, testing new dyeing materials, interacting with Uncle Harold, playing with the cat and its fluffy fur, and taking care of the insects. But all that time is spent in one-on-one etiquette lessons with her grandmother, leaving her unable to do anything.

“My grandmother… is even stricter than my mother, a hundred times over…”

Emma, who has memories from her previous life, has already learned the minimum necessary etiquette.

She has learned it, but Hilda is strict. What Hilda demands is different from what Emma thinks is enough to avoid embarrassment.

Dinner is more luxurious than what they eat at the Stewarts’ and is a full course meal that could be served at a wedding. However, Hilda is also strict about table manners. It’s no fun when a perfectly good steak is left to cool while she lectures on the proper way to hold a knife and fork.

“I’m supposed to attend a ball this weekend.”

She has been refusing tea parties and balls all along, but yesterday her grandmother scolded her, saying that it would be rude not to attend at least some of them. It’s a dinner party held at the royal palace, and the only relief is that there’s no dancing.

“Well, if it’s a ball this weekend, we’ll go too, won’t we, Kaitlyn?”

“Well, if it’s a ball this weekend, we’ll go too, won’t we, Catherine?”

The twins are also invited to the same ball and are discussing how unusual it is for Emma to attend.

“Haaa… Do you two often attend balls, Lady Catherine and Lady Kaitlyn?”

The social scene is heavy for Emma since the start of the semester, and it’s even heavier with her grandmother. She is surprised to see that the twins, who are her age, seem to be well-versed in attending balls.

“We go about twice a month, don’t we, Kaitlyn?”

“We go about twice a month, don’t we, Catherine?”

The twins, from a territory known for its thriving trade, often attend balls and tea parties in the capital, especially when there are foreign guests, to act as guides. Even the twins, whom she thought were carefree, are doing their jobs, so Emma can’t say she doesn’t want to go.

“The ball this weekend is said to be a large-scale event because the prince of the neighboring country will be attending, isn’t it, Kaitlyn?”

“The ball this weekend is said to be a large-scale event because the prince of the neighboring country will be attending, isn’t it, Catherine?”

“Haaa…”

It feels like a deliberate act of spite that her grandmother has decided to attend such a grand ball. Emma wants to spend time dyeing Lady Rose’s dress with new ink. Her head is full of ideas, but the lack of time makes her sigh even more.

“I’m not going. My brother from the Bell family will attend. Frilly dresses don’t suit me, and it’s not a place where I can dress as a man.”

Marion, who has skillfully declined the ball, sympathizes with Emma.

“That’s not true, Lady Marion. You’re tall and have good posture, and I think you would look great in a dress.”

Despite always dressing as a man, Marion has an excellent figure.

She appears to have no chest, but in reality, it’s quite large. Emma can tell just by looking, so she knows it’s true.

A tight-fitting dress would definitely suit her. A black dress with a deep V-neck pops into her mind.

“Haaa… I want to make a dress that would suit Lady Marion.”

Because Marion is always in shape, designs for slightly erotic and cool dresses keep popping into her head and then disappearing.

“What are you going to do, Lady Emma…? You should worry more about your own dress than mine.”

Emma, who usually doesn’t attend balls, has no stock of dresses. She has been mainly making new dresses for Lady Rose.

“I have a dress from the last time, so I’ll be fine.”

Even though she is in her growth period, the dress she made last time should still fit. Her chest is in perfect condition and hasn’t changed at all.

“No, Lady Emma! Wearing the same dress to a ball is unacceptable, especially since this one is more formal.”

Francesca, surprised, warns Emma. Wearing the same dress to social events is not something a young lady should do. While the dress from last time was beautiful, it’s now etched in everyone’s memory.

“Eh! There’s such a rule?”

It sounds like the kind of rule a newly dating couple would have for their first date.

If that’s the case, there should be more affordable dresses available. Hmm? Would they sell if I made them?

…No, the nobility are so high-end that they wouldn’t buy cheap, low-quality dresses. Then, the common people… don’t attend balls…

It’s a waste that the palace silk is only used for dresses that are worn once. After all the breeding to make it durable and washable…

“Haaa… I’ll make my own dress for now.”

However, she doesn’t have much time. Ideas for Lady Rose’s dresses flow easily, but designing her own dress takes more time.

Unfortunately, Emma has limited areas to show off. She has no chest to show, no hips, and her legs are too thin to flaunt.

In the end, the only way to add personality is with her father’s lace and embroidery, resulting in a design that doesn’t stand out much.

While quickly embroidering coasters, she tries to think of a dress design, but it’s not going well. Her mind is filled with distractions.

This is because she is surrounded by the beautiful and unique girls: the androgynous Marion, the silver-haired, brown-skinned twins she admires, and the competitive alcoholic Francesca. Her designs tend to lean towards them: Marion in a sexy and cool design, the twins in a color-reversed twin outfit, and Francesca in a soft design with lots of lace, highlighting her new charm…

“Haaa… Everyone is so cute, I can’t even think about my own dress…”

Emma’s sighs continue endlessly.

Compared to her grandmother’s etiquette lessons, Emma thinks that a punch on the head would be a hundred times better.