“And do you think men don’t have to wear constraining clothes? At least women can expose their shoulders and arms at occasions like this, but men cannot. We must keep our necks tightly bound with cravats or ties. That’s what propriety is.”

He took a step toward Bella. She tried to take another step back, but something hard touched her back. It was the balcony railing.

“If you envy men with their shirts off so much, how about this.”

Everitt, who had suddenly come right up to her face, reached out and grabbed the chest of Bella’s dress, then yanked it downward. The front of the dress tore away, and her two snow-white br*asts were fully exposed under the moonlight.

“W-what are you doing!”

Bella protested with a scream-like voice, covering her exposed br*asts with both hands. The champagne glass she had dropped on the floor shattered with a loud noise.

Everitt casually stepped on the broken glass with his shoe and moved one step closer.

With an expressionless face, he grabbed both her wrists with one hand and pulled them up above her head. His cold gaze swept over Bella’s chest.

“br*asts worth displaying. Very large and pretty.”

Bella tried with all her might to twist her wrists free, but it was of no use.

“Why don’t you try exposing your upper body in the ballroom? It would be nice to dance like this. I’ll be your first partner.”

“You… you crazy bastard…!”

Bella kicked his shin as hard as she could. Everitt frowned.

“Which one of us do you think is crazy?”

He twisted Bella’s n*pple with his other hand. A moan escaped from Bella’s lips.

“Hngh!”

“Louder.”

Everitt said with a cold expression.

“Scream. Shout loud enough for everyone inside to hear that Grand Duke Myers is trying to ravish the Princess’s favored lady-in-waiting.”

“Y-you think I won’t?”

Bella took a deep breath. But no loud scream came from her mouth.

If she screamed now, wouldn’t everyone else see her bare br*asts through the torn dress?

Everitt looked down at Bella, who was glaring at him with an arrogant gaze for a moment before releasing her hands.

“Seems you don’t have the courage to scream. It would be best to persuade the Princess not to wear such clothes that barely qualify as clothing at the next ball. Unless you want to suffer a worse fate.”

He left Bella on the balcony and strode away, disappearing into the dance hall.

***

“Lady-in-waiting Carta, Her Highness the Princess is calling for you.”

Natalie sent a maid to find Bella around noon. It was the time when people who had enjoyed the ball all night were slowly coming to their senses.

When Bella went to Natalie’s room, she had just finished her late breakfast and was having the table cleared. Natalie brightened upon seeing her.

“Bella!”

“Your Highness, did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes. But Bella, you don’t look well. I didn’t see you from the middle of the party yesterday. Did something happen?”

Did something happen? Yes, it did…

Bella forced a smile and shook her head.

“I just didn’t sleep well.”

It wasn’t just sleeping poorly—she hadn’t slept at all. Soaked in shame and anger.

The sense of betrayal was intense, discovering that Everitt, whom she thought was just cold and rigid in personality, was actually someone who would sexually harass her. He was even violent.

After he tore her dress and left the balcony, Bella crouched down and sobbed. Give me back my dress and my northern Grand Duke male lead, you crazy bastard, she thought.

After her tears dried, she bunched up the shawl she had worn over her shoulders, hugged it to her chest to barely cover her exposed skin, and secretly fled to her room.

After crying and raging through the night, as soon as dawn broke, she rushed to the dressmaker, begged desperately, and left the torn dress with them.

The dressmaker, who received the dress along with a generous fee, had an expression that suggested they had many things they wanted to say. Still, they said it could somehow be repaired, which allowed Bella to breathe a sigh of relief.

No wonder she didn’t look well.

“You’re not feeling ill, are you?”

“No, I’m not.”

Ah, she’s actually worried about me. Thanks to Natalie, Bella’s mood improved a little.

“Then, would you brush my hair?”

Natalie said as she headed toward the powder room.

“From now on, I want you to brush my hair every morning. And help me with my grooming too.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Natalie sat in front of the dressing table and nodded at the brush placed in front. While Bella gently brushed her soft, cotton candy-like pink hair, Natalie chattered away.

“I really liked your advice about the dress. It was so comfortable and cool. Everyone seemed to be enchanted. I guarantee, someone will definitely appear wearing a similar style of dress this evening. Right now, they’re all probably badgering their dressmakers to create something identical to the Princess’s dress in just half a day.”

“D-do you think so…?”

“In a week, every lady who received an invitation will be wearing an empire dress. So, you should have a few more made for yourself. I should raise your salary. Thanks to you, Bella, I’ll be able to spend a cool summer.”

“…Thank you, Your Highness.”

Bella’s heart felt a bit sour as she expressed her gratitude. The memory of being threatened by Grand Duke Everitt Myers last night was still too vivid.

His threat to ensure the Princess would no longer wear such a nightgown-like dress.

‘But she likes it so much? She says it’s cool and comfortable, what are you going to do about it?’

Since Bella herself had recommended the dress, she couldn’t possibly tell her to stop wearing it now.

She had already worn it to the most important first ball, so telling her otherwise now would only tarnish the Princess’s reputation.

‘It would be best if Natalie simply doesn’t choose that bastard Everitt as her fiancé. The idea of such a man becoming my digital daughter’s husband is absurd.’

Bella bit her lower lip gently. His words about the curves of her b*ttocks and br*asts kept echoing in her ears.

That crazy bastard had such a devastatingly good voice that it was clearly etched in her mind.

‘Could it be that Blake was also looking at my chest for the same reason? Because it was obvious I wasn’t wearing a corset?’

If that was really the case, he was out too. With mixed feelings, Bella finished brushing the pink hair and inserted the hairpin Natalie pointed to. While doing so, she casually asked.

“How was it for Your Highness? Was there any gentleman at yesterday’s ball who particularly caught your fancy?”

“Well…”

Natalie answered halfheartedly while looking in the mirror. She turned her head this way and that to examine her hairstyle, then smoothed around the newly inserted hairpin to adjust it.

She didn’t look like someone who had begged the Emperor to hold a party to choose a fiancé.

‘Maybe she’ll end up choosing the fourth or fifth male lead.’

The fourth one’s appearance was still a few days away. And the fifth male lead had quite strict conditions for appearing.

If any of the four male leads reached a certain level of intimacy before a month passed, the fifth wouldn’t appear.

For now, Bella was somewhat relieved that Natalie didn’t seem to have feelings for Everitt. It seemed she wouldn’t need to deliberately drive a wedge between them.

Just then, Natalie looked at Bella through the mirror.

“By the way, Bella. I did some research. Your surname, Carta, sounded familiar. As it turns out, my great-great-grandmother’s sister’s daughter married into the Carta family. They were a well-known family back then.”

“…Pardon?”