In an instant, she was left wearing only a thin chemise and corset, and then the corset strings were tightened until she could barely breathe.

“Hnngh…”

“Even your gasps are cute.”

Natalie, who was comfortably settled in an armchair watching the scene, said with a sweet smile.

“What was your name again?”

“Bella… Bella Carta.”

“Yes, Bella. From now on, Bella will do the fittings in my place. Since our height, figure, and coloring are similar, put the dresses on Bella.”

“What? But Your Highness should try them on yourself… wouldn’t that ensure a proper fit?”

The tailor merely bowed slightly in acknowledgment, but Bella couldn’t accept it.

She had wanted to see Natalie in new clothes, not to wear them herself.

But Natalie, leaning back comfortably in her chair and crossing her legs, said.

“We just adjusted her corset to match my size.”

“B-but how could I dare take away the pleasure of trying on new clothes…”

“The first couple of times were enjoyable for me too. Now begin.”

Natalie cut off Bella’s words with a command. Bella had no choice but to obediently become Natalie’s personal mannequin, putting on and taking off clothes.

The maids brought clothes one after another for her to wear. With each garment placed on Bella’s body, Natalie gave various instructions.

Match these gloves with that, add more lace to the sleeve ends, sew pearls onto the collar, and so on.

The expression on her face as she gave these instructions without hesitation somehow looked a little bored.

Bella recognized most of the clothes being put on her body.

‘Ah… this was one of my favorite outfits. It’s the one I often had her wear to balls. Oh, and that one is what she wore for boat rides on the lake…’

Seeing her favorite clothes in reality filled her with emotion. It would have been better if Natalie was wearing them instead of Bella herself.

Among them were clothes that she had left in the closet and never had Natalie wear. Usually because they lacked decoration, were plain, or less glamorous.

When and which clothes to wear had been entirely up to her. In the game, changing clothes was as simple as pressing a button, so there was no problem. Whether certain clothes were comfortable or uncomfortable wasn’t her concern.

That was true until today when she had to wear them herself.

Natalie was right. The first few outfits were somewhat enjoyable. But after changing in and out of more than ten dresses, beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. Changing dresses turned out to be unexpectedly hard labor.

‘And these clothes… are they really for summer?’

After putting on several layers of undergarments and an under-dress, wearing a corset and the heavy pannier, she could finally put on the actual dress.

Moreover, the dresses themselves were heavy and hot with their abundant decorations of lace, capes, and various ornaments.

To prevent sweat from staining the precious dresses, a maid dabbed Bella’s forehead and the back of her neck with a handkerchief each time they changed her clothes.

Just as Bella was beginning to tire, a savior appeared: an Empire dress. Since there was no need to puff out the skirt, a pannier wasn’t necessary, and the number of undergarments was reduced to a minimum. That alone made breathing easier.

‘…I was wrong.’

Bella muttered to herself. The Empire dress was one of the outfits she never chose during gameplay.

Its relatively simple design was far from the glamour she preferred. Her taste ran to hourglass silhouettes adorned with jewels and abundant lace.

To think she had chosen only such clothes for summer wear. She vowed that if she woke from this dream, she would definitely choose light and cool clothes next time.

“You seem to like that dress.”

Looking up at Natalie’s voice after being lost in thought, Bella saw her watching with an interested expression.

“You looked tired until just now, but your face lit up as soon as you put on that dress.”

“Ah… it’s because it’s light.”

“Is that so?”

Bella nodded. With a desire for the lovely Natalie to stay cool during summer, she decided to offer some slightly presumptuous advice.

“Yes, perhaps Your Highness might consider wearing dresses like this often? Summer is coming soon. It’s elegant yet cool… and when you’re alone in your room, you wouldn’t need to wear a corset.”

Natalie raised her eyebrows and glanced around the room. No one seemed inclined to object to this suggestion.

Bella thought this was understandable. After all, everyone would want to wear cool clothes in summer.

“Hmm…”

Natalie smiled meaningfully.

“I really like you, Bella.”

“…Pardon?”

“I mean, I’d like you to help me more from now on. I think there are quite a few things you could do in my place.”

What other tasks besides being a dress-fitting mannequin did she have in mind? While Bella tilted her head in confusion, Natalie turned her attention elsewhere.

She instructed the tailor to make twenty dresses like the one Bella was wearing and send them to the summer palace as soon as possible.

***

The summer palace was more like a villa. Not too far from the main palace, it had a large lake and hunting grounds right next to it, and was separated from civilian houses, making it perfect for the imperial family to enjoy a leisurely vacation during summer.

Of course, as its name suggested “palace,” it was large enough to host a reasonably sized ball.

The young men and women of noble birth gathered from within and outside the Empire. All the men were unmarried, and the women were acquaintances of the Princess.

This summer was a time for them to scout potential spouses. As long as they avoided the man the Princess would eventually choose, there couldn’t be a better opportunity.

Perhaps because of this, a pleasant tension flowed among the people.

‘I didn’t know about this background setting when I was playing the game.’

Bella thought with curiosity as she attended her first ball. She was standing in a corner, but she could see Natalie clearly even from a distance.

Dressed in a white Empire dress adorned with pearls and diamonds, Natalie was truly dazzling.

Among women with ridiculously puffed-up skirts, she looked like a pure and noble swan. Seeing her, Bella smiled with satisfaction.

‘I’m so glad I could come here today.’

Normally, someone of Bella’s status would never be able to attend this ball.

But Natalie had given her special permission. There were two conditions attached.

That Bella should also wear an Empire-style dress. And that she should not wear a corset underneath.

‘You said it yourself, Bella, that with this dress, there’s no need to wear a corset.’

‘What? That was for Your Highness’s comfort…’

‘I know. I want to wear a dress without a corset too. But everyone is so adamant that I can’t… If you could attend the ball dressed like that in my place, it would give me some vicarious satisfaction. Of course, I’ll prepare the dress for you. Will you do that for me, Bella?’

Despite being a princess who could simply give orders, she asked with sparkling eyes and clasped hands, looking so adorable. Bella couldn’t help but nod.

‘This isn’t even difficult, anyway.’

Going braless was a bit concerning, but since the concept of a brassiere didn’t exist in this place anyway, and since wearing a corset would only be uncomfortable, it was an offer she couldn’t refuse from the start.

‘Most importantly, being here means I can see the male leads with my own eyes.’

According to Bella’s memory, there were three candidates appearing at today’s ball.

Ah, one of them just appeared. A large man with fiery red hair and olive eyes.

‘It’s Blake!’