“Jackie, are you in there?”

“I’m home! Just a moment!”

Hearing Anette’s voice outside the door, Jacqueline hurriedly hid the spermicidal cream and told her to come in. A moment later, Anette entered with a bright smile but was startled when she saw Jacqueline’s face.

“What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?”

“Is it swollen?”

“Swollen doesn’t begin to describe it! If you show up at tomorrow’s party looking like that, you’ll be a wallflower.”

Tomorrow’s party was to celebrate the twins’ birthday. The romantic encounters between single men and women that Anette imagined wouldn’t happen.

Nevertheless, Anette, thinking the Hennessy name might attract some distinguished gentlemen among the guests, shared her artistic imagination with her friend.

“You never know. Your destined man might appear tomorrow.”

But unlike Anette, Jacqueline was more realistic.

“I’d rather blend in with the wallpaper.”

“Wow, with that attitude, you’ll definitely be a wallflower tomorrow! I’m not joking, I’m giving you sincere advice. With that face, the twins won’t even recognize you.”

“What should I do then?”

“What else? We need to go to my place right now.”

Jacqueline was led by Anette’s hand to her house. Thanks to participating in various competitions since childhood, Anette owned several dresses.

“Choose one. No, I’ll choose for you. Your skin is fair, so dark colors would suit you well. But since it’s the children’s birthday party, something bright might be better?”

“Pick something appropriate.”

“Jackie, from now on, the word ‘appropriate’ is banned.”

“But isn’t this too much?”

“The Hennessy family party will have quite a few social figures attending. I hate showing off too, but to blend in at such gatherings, we have no choice. You don’t like standing out, right? Then listen to your big sister.”

Before becoming a symphony orchestra member, Anette had experience performing at various events. Though she attended mainly as a musician to liven up the atmosphere, her observations had made her familiar with upper-class party culture.

“I’ll be better than most chaperones. It’s the vibrato that comes from experience, you know?”

“Do we really need to be this formal…”

“Of course we do! They’ll judge everything about you based on what you’re wearing. Your character comes last. If you go in your usual drab outfit, you’ll also embarrass your host.”

“Does my everyday clothing look that drab?”

Anette flinched at Jacqueline’s hurt expression but steeled herself and spoke directly.

“The clothes you currently own were fashionable a long time ago. They’re not suitable for someone our age.”

“I see. Thanks for telling me.”

Since this was advice she could only hear from a close friend, Jacqueline accepted it without taking offense.

She wasn’t one to buy clothes often. She spent her earnings on tuition and living expenses. Until hearing Anette’s words, Jacqueline had planned to wear the best outfit she owned to the twins’ birthday party.

‘Would they be embarrassed if I wore outdated clothes?’

Jacqueline kept thinking about Anette’s shock therapy words.

Anette stroked Jacqueline’s face and said:

“This pretty face made it less noticeable. So you need to make the most of this face, your only advantage.”

“I was wrong.”

“Huh?”

“Thinking about it, you’re right.”

Concluding that there was no harm in listening to Anette, who understood upper-class culture well, Jacqueline took an active approach.

“Well then, teacher. I request your guidance.”

“Ahem! Very well. First, shall we choose a dress?”

After trying on dozens of dresses, an exhausted Jacqueline collapsed on the floor, saying she couldn’t go on. Anette lifted her up and moved her to the sofa. 

Jacqueline was surprised by Anette’s strength, amazed at how someone with a similar build could possess such power.

“Teacher, you’re strong!”

“Musicians who play heavy instruments tend to have stronger grip and arm strength.”

“Come to think of it, what instrument do you play… cello, right?”

“These days I play piano, my secondary instrument, more often. Actually… I’m a substitute. The pianist has a fractured finger.”

“Oh my!”

“The organizing committee selected a piano concerto. I’m the only one in our group with piano as a secondary instrument. So I have to play the piano.”

“Didn’t something similar happen last time?”

“Did it? So many people got injured, I can’t remember.”

Anette’s expression darkened as she recalled the eve of the festival she had momentarily forgotten.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s bad luck. Ever since Conductor Antoine arrived, incidents haven’t stopped.”

“But at least you can play the piano.”

“Well… it’s an unavoidable situation.”

“I love your piano playing. It makes me feel good when I listen.”

Anette embraced Jacqueline with a moved expression.

“If I were a man, I would have proposed to you.”

As they stayed like that for a while, Theo approached and barked loudly, wanting to join them.

* * *

On the day of the party, Jacqueline was surprised to receive a package. Opening the box, she found a dress and shoes. Even at a glance, it looked like an expensive dress tailored from a boutique.

Jacqueline took out the dress in a trance. The green satin dress had a low-cut design around the chest. 

Realizing she didn’t have a full-length mirror in her room, she immediately went downstairs to Anette’s place.

Seeing the dress and shoes Jacqueline brought, Anette smiled.

“Of course. Mrs. Hennessy wouldn’t have invited you thoughtlessly. Are you going to try it on now?”

“Yes!”

Standing in front of the mirror wearing the dress, Jacqueline marveled at her reflection.

“Wow!”

Anette felt proud watching Jacqueline delighting like a child. She immediately recognized which boutique had made the dress by examining the lace pattern and embroidery design.

“This is made by Milord Simon! Mrs. Hennessy must have pulled some strings!”

Anette was more excited than Jacqueline and jumped around.

“Milord Simon!”

“Is he famous?”

“You’re asking that? He’s the great artist who revolutionized women’s clothing! Even if you’re not interested in worldly matters, you should know Milord Simon! His name will definitely come up at today’s party. Don’t make that clueless expression or you’ll be looked down upon.”

After hearing Milord Simon’s life story from Anette, Jacqueline summarized it in her own way.

“So thanks to him, we no longer have to use hoops to puff up our skirts?”

“Yes, our generation is blessed just for not having to wear those clothes. Imagine if you suddenly needed to use the bathroom while wearing such a dress…”

“Ugh! That’s terrible.”

“Since it was difficult to remove the skirt, they had dedicated servants to collect their excrement.”

“…I don’t want to know any more.”

While Jacqueline wasn’t familiar with current fashion trends, she knew a bit about textiles. She had worked in a textile factory for eight years, handling various fabrics.

After the war, there were many changes in clothing styles. With scarce resources, practical and well-fitted clothes were preferred over those using a lot of fabric. 

So the textile factory mainly processed cotton fabrics or synthetic fibers made from wood pulp. Occasionally, they produced fabrics with elaborate patterns for boutiques.

Jacqueline examined the fabric that fit snugly in her hand.

‘Is it really appropriate for me to have such clothes?’

This was why clothes made with natural materials requiring time and care were inevitably expensive. Plus, being a designer piece, how expensive must it be?

Jacqueline unconsciously revealed her inner thoughts.

“It’s overwhelming.”

Anette looked at Jacqueline with pity, then hardened her expression and said:

“For the sake of the person who gave you this gift, stop thinking about the price.”

“It’s not about the price, I just feel burdened. I’m not sure if I deserve something like this.”

“Not everyone remembers difficult times like the Hennessy family. That period was probably their most painful memory. So let them repay their emotional debt to you. Take what you’re given for once. How long are you going to keep giving without receiving?”

“I haven’t given that much.”

“Do you know how upset Melinda was back then? When you sold your hair.”

“…”

Anette really liked Jacqueline’s kind and positive nature. But she found it frustrating whenever Jacqueline suffered silently instead of asking for help when she was struggling.

‘I understand why the Rohasch couple worries about her.’

Jacqueline was like a wildflower blooming on a city street. How rare must a flower be that miraculously blooms in an environment where flowers can’t grow? 

Some people, like the Rohasch couple, cherished and protected her, but more people tried to pluck her for fun. Like Muriel, who once lived with her.

Anette had also belatedly heard about Muriel. And about the child she had dumped on Jacqueline before dying. 

After hearing everything Muriel had done to Jacqueline, including abandoning the child at an orphanage, Anette couldn’t help but curse her.

Having gone through all that and still maintaining her balance in life, Jacqueline seemed remarkable to Anette.

“Anyway, Milord Simon is a hero. I think he accomplished something greater than Oscar von Oestenberg.”

Jacqueline flinched at the mention of Oscar’s name. She had forgotten that she needed to visit Hildegard House tomorrow.

Anette found Jacqueline’s sudden silence strange and called out to her.

“Jackie?”

“Sorry, I was just thinking about something else.”

“You should try on the shoes.”

“Right! There were shoes too!”

The shoes were made of calfskin, overlaid with black mesh, and decorated with pearls and crystals.

Anette praised them as the most sensual shoes she had ever seen, then made a mischievous expression upon seeing Jacqueline’s bare feet.

“A woman showing her bare feet… you know what that means, right?”

“What about bare feet?”

“It’s basically suggestive.”

Anette remembered that Jacqueline had no romantic experience and fumbled with her words.

Inside the box, besides the dress and shoes, there were silk gloves and a fan. Anette taught her a few signals using the fan.

“If you like a man, tap your right cheek with the fan. The right cheek. Remember that. Not the left cheek, the right cheek!”

Jacqueline was too busy correcting her awkward posture to fully listen to Anette’s words.