Natalie swiftly turned around in her seat and said with a bright smile.

“Bella, you and I have a little of the same blood flowing in us. No wonder we look alike.”

Great-great-grandmother’s niece’s great-granddaughter? At first glance, isn’t that so distant it doesn’t even count as a relation?

Can this really be considered having the same blood?

Bella couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

“Your Highness, you and I don’t look alike.”

“Well, I wonder if others think the same.”

Natalie smiled meaningfully.

Unbeknownst to them, there was a shadow watching the two from beyond the doorway. It was the lady-in-waiting who had originally been in charge of Natalie’s hair.

‘Is it okay to suddenly do this just because she resembles the Princess?’

The lady-in-waiting, who had lost her prestigious position overnight, bit her lip and glared at Bella for a moment. Then she quietly disappeared somewhere.

Bella, unaware of anything, finished attending to Natalie and left the Princess’s room. She had many things to do.

After finishing various miscellaneous tasks in the afternoon, she needed to retrieve the dress she had left for repair before the evening ball. Naturally, her steps quickened.

She ignored someone calling from behind and continued walking.

“Ah, Your Highness!”

As Bella hurried away without turning around, that someone approached with long strides and caught up beside her.

When Bella turned to the presence beside her, a young man with bright blonde hair was walking at her pace, waving his hand to get her attention. It was Prince Leon Herbert of the Kingdom of Edelbern.

When their eyes met, Leon’s eyes widened, and Bella, a bit surprised, stopped in her tracks.

‘Ah, could it be that earlier when he said “Your Highness”… he mistook me for her? Because I was coming out of the Princess’s room?’

Leon’s slightly parted lips from surprise soon curved into a smile.

“Oh my. I apologize. I thought you were the Princess.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Your back view resembles her a lot. Ah, now that I look at you, your face does too.”

Bella narrowed her eyes.

“Do we really look that similar?”

“Hmm… if you look closely, your expressions are a bit different. But yes, you do resemble her. You have strawberry-blonde hair. I suppose it’s the similar hair color that makes it more pronounced. Ah, I hope I haven’t offended you by mentioning the resemblance.”

Since everyone she met said they looked alike, at this point, Bella couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

“Not at all. Being told I resemble the Princess is an honor.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Leon soon introduced himself, and Bella revealed that she was Natalie’s lady-in-waiting.

“Miss Carta, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

“What is it?”

“As her lady-in-waiting, you must know the Princess’s tastes well. What kind of desserts does Her Highness like?”

Leon drops the formal speech after learning Bella’s position. And to ask such an adorable question! Bella chuckled.

“Her Highness enjoys desserts with berries.”

“Berries?”

“Yes, raspberries or blueberries. Strawberries too.”

“Berries. Excellent.”

Leon clenched his fist in the air with a grin.

Come to think of it, there was an event early on where Leon invited the Princess for tea together.

It was an event where he waited with mountains of all kinds of refreshments, saying ‘I don’t know what might suit your taste.’

‘This time he’ll probably fill the table with berry desserts.’

Seeing how happy he was to get just this small hint, a smile appeared on Bella’s lips as well.

Perhaps Leon might be a better fiancé candidate than the other two, she thought.

Compared to the other two male leads who felt intimidating due to their towering heights, Leon, with his moderately tall status,e felt much more reassuring.

These little moments seemed cute too, and above all, the two of them had looked really good dancing together yesterday.

‘Though the decision is Natalie’s, if she likes Leon, I should support her.’

Bella smiled and gave a slight bow. Though she wanted to observe Leon a bit more, she had many things to do.

“Then I’ll be going now. I’ll see you at the evening ball.”

“Ah, you’ll be attending the ball? I see. Thanks for the advice, then.”

Leon nodded and turned around, starting to walk toward the Princess’s room. Bella watched his retreating figure for a moment before quickly turning to head to her own room.

Right after, Leon, who had taken only a couple of steps, stopped and turned back toward Bella.

Her figure was quickly disappearing in the distance. Leon frowned and muttered.

“Strange. This sense of incongruity… Something’s off, but what is it?”

He watched her back until she turned a corner and disappeared from sight, then headed toward the Princess’s room.

***

At that night’s ball, there were already two ladies wearing empire-style dresses. How was that even possible in such a short time?

‘Does this game have some magic-related settings that players don’t know about?’

Bella, who was hiding in a corner again, peeked out from behind a pillar to observe and tilted her head in puzzlement.

It seemed possible because the design was simpler compared to the Rococo style.

Since they were made in a hurry, they looked somewhat awkward upon closer inspection. Still, people gathered around the two young ladies, showering them with compliments.

‘There will be even more tomorrow.’

When she accidentally made eye contact with Natalie, the Princess smiled brightly with an ‘I told you so’ expression and winked.

Of course, Natalie was also surrounded by people while wearing a beautiful empire dress. Today, it was a navy dress embroidered with the imperial emblem in gold thread.

Bella, having unintentionally become a trendsetter, looked down at her own dress with a sense of pride.

The palace dressmaker must have worked magic, too. The repair was so perfect that there was no trace of the tear.

‘I’m so relieved. If they couldn’t fix it, I would have cried.’

As she lifted her head after letting out a light sigh, she felt a chilling sensation. Turning toward where she felt the ominous gaze, she saw Everitt glaring at her with cold eyes from the opposite side of the hall.

When their eyes met, he immediately approached with quick steps, pushing through the crowd.

Bella quickly left her corner spot and slipped in among the crowds of people.

‘What can he do when there are people all around?’

He wouldn’t be able to make threatening remarks or behave indecently in front of others.

Bella mentally stuck out her tongue as she picked up a glass filled with red wine. And throughout the ball, she stayed buried in the crowd, skillfully avoiding Everitt as much as possible.

That day, she was able to return safely to her room without incident.

Natalie’s prediction came true. At the next day’s ball, even more women were wearing empire dresses.

Among them, there were even a couple of ladies who boldly went without corsets like Bella.

“I think it’s more alluring this way. See? Where the gentlemen’s eyes are directed.”

“My goodness… but it also seems a bit indecent…”

“With this dress, there’s no need to tightly cinch the waist. It’s extremely comfortable.”

“…Really? That’s tempting.”

Conversations could be heard over fluttering fans. Bella, who had been enjoying the simple pleasure of tasting different wines each night, secretly smiled as she sipped her rosé wine.

‘Now Everitt must accept it too. That Natalie is at the forefront of fashion, and this dress trend has crossed a river that cannot be turned back.

It felt like winning a battle.

The wine was sweet. She finished one glass completely and picked up another, leisurely enjoying the ball.

Was it because her mind was too relaxed from the sense of victory and the wine? She made a mistake. She went out into an empty corridor without much thought, intending to go to the bathroom.

A strong man’s hand suddenly grabbed Bella’s wrist. With a small scream, her staggering body was enveloped by the man’s arm and pushed somewhere. It was an empty lounge facing the corridor.