Chapter 21

Depending on the shift, the work of a Royal Maidservant ends around the eight ringings of the night bell.

After a late dinner, it was free time.

Most of them have to get up at dawn; therefore, most go to bed early. Still, young maidservants who have more energy and more to talk about than they have to sometimes go back and forth from one dormitory room to the other, chatting away.

Elma had always been an early sleeper, so her room was usually filled with nothing but her sleepy breathing late at night, but this day was different.

“Come on, Elma. Answer me! Which dress will you wear to the ball – your friendship with me or your hierarchical relationship with head maid Gerda, which takes precedence?”

“Good night, Irene. That’s not the way to put it. This is not a matter of relationships; it is simply a matter of good or bad taste.”

“–Hey, Elma?”

Irene and, for some reason, even Gerda, was barging into the small dormitory room and crowding Elma.

Both of them were clutching dresses in their hands.

“Yeah.”

In contrast, Elma was a bit confused – although it was hard to tell because of the thick glasses covering her face.

She tilted her head curiously as the two women assaulted her after she had gotten ready for bed.

“Why am I even supposed to attend the ball on the eve of the coronation in the first place?”

Irene and Gerda both raised their voices together at the question.

“What are you talking about? Don’t tell me you don’t know that, thanks to the idea of Prince Foolishness – His Royal Highness Prince Felix, a kind-hearted prince, all the servants of the palace will be able to attend the ball!”

“Yes! Not to mention young girls and young men who have never been in love, and even people like me, who have left society, are a little, well, a lot fidgety.”

“It is so.”

For weeks now, those who were allowed to attend the ball by Felix and Clemens von Lautner have been worrying about their dresses, their hair, and the timing of their appearances.

In particular, many of the maidservants of the royal court were children of lower nobility.

The ball was a unique opportunity for the girls to catch a “big fish” in one fell swoop. The enthusiasm they put into it was unbelievable.

“No, but I was thinking of helping Chef Georg in the kitchen that day—“

“The most popular, of course, is the good-natured Prince Lucas, who has neither a fiancé nor the too-high a status as the next king. But I hear that the concentration of popularity is so great that veteran marriage hunters are beginning to diversify their sights to mid-level nobles and knights…… The handsome men’s list and the noblemen’s name-list that has begun to appear on the scene, the dance steps that are being trained in secret at night, and the information warfare…… well, Elma. This is a woman’s battle. I want you to taste the victory of womanhood.”

“No, no, no…”

“The goal is not just to win the prince over on the spot. Not only will it help your future prospects in marriage, but it will also improve your position in the palace and increase your salary.”

Elma tried to interrupt her calmly, but they both interrupted her further from the side.

She could tell that both Irene and Gerda were both encouraging her to join them for her own good.

“Well, the ball isn’t compulsory, and I’m not looking for any sort of matchmaking or salary increase—“

“There!”

When she tried to decline politely, Irene jabbed her finger at Elma with a snap.

When she looked up, Irene looked at her with a serious expression in her cat-like green eyes.

“How could a woman as talented and incredibly good-looking as you have to give up her dreams like that? No law says you can’t reach the pinnacle of womanhood while possessing qualities that could be called heaven’s command!”

Irene caught Elma in the act the other day and said to her incessantly, “Why don’t we, as women, try to overwhelm the others by hiding it… We are receiving an invitation to be a target.”

Elma tried to explain again, “No, ma’am,” and this time, Irene squeezed her hand.

“You don’t have to tell everyone, Elma. I know the truth.”

“What?”

“You were raised in a very strict monastery, weren’t you?”

“What?”

“I don’t know why such a setting is complementary to my origins.”

When Elma was involuntarily speechless, Irene nodded at her with a straight face.

“You say the word ‘normal’ sometimes. I heard that this refers to the mundane world. In other words, you have been separated from the ordinary world, in an environment where you have had several fathers with excellent education to teach you.”

Then she said it with a determined look on her face.

“Too much beauty leads to lust. No wonder you were trained to hide it. A strangely naive attitude. A sometimes excessive reserve. In some outlying areas, some convents have been demolished for their abusive discipline of nuns and orphans. There’s no doubt about it – you’re from one of these convents?”

“Uh-“

‘I’m missing it as hard as I can, but, well, it was probably an easier option to come up with than being from a prison.’

Gerda was signaling Elma you with a glance, “Let it be that way for now.”

So Elma nodded vaguely.

“Well, you’re right.”

“I knew it!”

Immediately, Irene clapped her hands together with a snap.

She then clutched her dress again.

“Then, Elma. I could go on and on to tell you. All the lessons of chastity and modesty you’ve received there are too much. It is the duty of the woman to make use of the beauty and intelligence she was born with. Your good looks and talents are about to blossom”

“I don’t mean to impose, but I agree with her, Elma. If you are recognized for your abilities and your beauty, it will be a shield to rebuke whatever people say about your ‘origins.’”

“I know I said you shouldn’t show your face as it could cause trouble, but what’s the problem with using our trump card at the right moment?”

Even Gerda added such a thing.

Elma herself had never felt guilty about being from prison. Still, since Gerda had reacted in such a way, it must be appropriate for the world to hide her prison background.

They seemed to take her silence for a bit as approval. Thus Irene and Gerda began to present their dresses with increasing vigor.

“-and this is the dress you’re going to wear to overwhelm others at the ball, but I still think this crimson mermaid line is the way to go. I think it’s perfect for your pale skin, and Prince Lucas is into a glamorous woman, so it’s perfect for him.”

“You’re young, Irene. Did you know? Lords and ladies are creatures that seek out the faintest hint of sensuality in their finery. Therefore, I recommend the unbleached empire line. The style is seemingly unadorned and innocent, but the back is wide open. It’s the perfect way to win the heart of Master Lucas.”

“No, I mean, why is His Highness being mentioned?”

Elma’s glasses glowed with confusion.

It was understandable that the two of them saw Elma’s attitude as restraint and tried to make her stand out.

Nevertheless, why was a maidservant supposed to have the prince of a country as her partner?

When Elma questioned her, Irene let out a disgusted breath.

“What do you mean? A favorite of Her Royal Highness, she’s all-around versatile. She catches tuna at sea, heals wounds when she meets a knight, and is a bit of a celebrity now that she’s ‘the walking mystery’ Elma. Even His Royal Highness Prince Lucas has started to pay attention to her.”

“Yeah.”

“The daughters of the higher nobility are even more jealous than we are, so even with this, I’ve been trying not to spread the word too much among the nobility. But, you were held by His Highness the other day and carried to the maid servant’s dormitory, weren’t you? The Young lady of the countess, of all people, seems to have seen it. She is very good at dancing and is betting on this ball; she might even get her cronies to come and harass you.”

Irene’s face became swollen and difficult there, probably because the young lady was the same type of person she used to be.

“I’m worried about you, you know. I want you to get to the top, but more importantly, I want you to keep them in check, to kick their asses. I don’t want you guys to be my eyes. Well, you may not believe me when I say that, as I once harassed you.”

“Eh. Did I get harassed by anyone?”

“Shall we start there?”

Irene blatantly deflated.

Suddenly feeling a particular concern about the situation, Elma decided to ask to be sure.

“I’m sorry to ask you this, but isn’t putting needles on the floor or in your shoes and act of encouragement that says, ‘Good luck with your needlework’?”

“What? That is a model case of harassment!”

“Isn’t it a warm-hearted act of ‘It’s too hot today, I’ll sprinkle water on you’ when water suddenly falls over your head everywhere you go?”

“You’re breaking my heart! How’s that positive!”

Elma heard Irene exclaim with a jolt and nodded with a serene expression.

“Well, I guess I was already being harassed.”

“The needles were collected and put to good use, and the water was accepted in the pots and buckets on hand and gratefully used for watering and other purposes, so I didn’t realize it was harassment.”

The two women’s concerns were not necessarily far off the mark, Elma realized at first. Hence, she changed the direction of her question.

“I understand your concern, but if the goal is to show your highness how imposing you are, there is no need for you to aim to be His Highness’ partner.”

“In fact, the Head-maid often advises His Highness to refrain from playing with women, Irene. You are a fan of His Highness, aren’t you?”

When Elma asked them, they each answered with a wry smile.

“I have always watched His Highness play with a woman in the palm of his hand, and as his nanny, I am concerned about His Highness, and I’d like to give him this opportunity to experience the opposite so that he can become an honest man.”

“I’ve been a fan of His Highness in the past because of his subtle charisma and private character, but recently His Highness has added the hardship tag and now has more of a “mom” attribute, or maybe a slight favorite. You see, I’m not good at being a rebel, am I?”

‘I don’t quite understand Irene’s argument. Is this a problem with my comprehension? I felt like I wanted to give Gerda a “what’s the opposite of what?” kind of shove, but Irene’s outburst blew me away.’

Elma said, biting back a subtle thought.

“I don’t mind the boy’s delusional ideas.”

“Don’t think it’s going to be easy to understand the abyss of this world.”

She got a sly nod from both parties.

And they were impatient with the fact that she was never going to be able to choose a dress for any length of time.

Irene closed the distance between them, “So,” she said, “I’m going to ask you again. Which dress will you wear? For the record, you don’t have the option of missing the ball, as long as you’re eligible and you have a dress to wear.”

“Yeah.”

“Elma. I want to tell you that going to the ball and being seen by everyone around you is a royal vision of the future that every normal girl dreams of. You’ve had many episodes like that in the novels you’ve lent me, haven’t you?”

“That is the high road that every normal woman takes.”

The most effective magic word is flicked on, and Elma is silent for a moment.

When they both felt a sense of challenge, they leaned forward even further.

“I don’t know.”

But she pushed up the bridge of her glasses.

“What?”

“I’m sorry to say this, but someone pointed out to me that the romance novels you had previously lent me were not appropriate as a social and emotional instructional book. I have secured another instructional book through new channels.”

With that, the two of them opened their eyes wide at the 'something” that Elma took out of her cloth bag.