Chapter 5. Full Bloom I

The day of the banquet dawned.

Flora held back what she wanted to say during the preparations that had continued since morning.

“Flora, take a deeper breath.”

“Don’t move! I’m putting on the hair ornament right now.”

The corset she wore for the first time in her life was absolutely torturous. Her breath, which hadn’t faltered even during crawling training, was now completely restricted.

Is this a punishment?

Flora doubted the Duke’s order.

She wondered if she had done something wrong without realizing it. Otherwise, there would be no reason to be dragged around standing all afternoon, even skipping lunch.

Before dawn broke, maids rushed in through the suddenly opened door and unceremoniously put Flora in a bathtub full of heavy fragrance.

The water, filled with all sorts of bath products, emitted such a strong flower scent it made her dizzy, and hands reached from everywhere to massage her arms and legs with slippery oils.

Was all this really necessary just to accompany as a guard? She wanted to ask several times, but today the maids were not her colleagues.

“Um, Mary…”

“Stay still, Flora. Do you know how long we’ve been looking forward to this?”

A few days ago, the butler had announced that Flora would attend the imperial palace banquet. Strangely, as soon as the news spread, all the mansion’s maids volunteered to help with her preparations.

“The banquet is for Flora, but why am I more excited?”

“Me too. I even couldn’t sleep last night.”

The maids, getting to help with dressing up after a long time in the Duke’s mansion without a mistress, couldn’t hide their excitement.

Unlike the bewildered Flora, her colleagues moved busily with evident excitement. Their hands and feet moved in perfect coordination as if they had been waiting just for this day.

Moreover, Mary and Yulvi standing beside her had been arguing about things she couldn’t understand at all.

“I’m telling you the blue ribbon is better!”

“What are you saying? Flora has fair skin, so red is better.”

“If you’re going to argue that way, we need to consider how it matches with her blonde hair since we’re tying it up.”

To her eyes, the two ribbons looked exactly the same except for their color, but the two had very serious expressions as they debated as if they were completely different things.

So Flora opened her mouth to ease their concerns.

“I’ll take either one.”

“What? That won’t do!”

Mary and Yulvi, who had been growling at each other until just now, suddenly united in their exclamation.

“I don’t really care which one–”

“What are you saying, Flora! This is such an important matter. Those scary nobles will be looking to find fault with eagle eyes…”

“Yulvi’s right, Flora. If we don’t put full effort into the dress, a small lady like you will be eaten alive right away!”

If they try to eat me, couldn’t I just cut them down with my sword?

Flora thought to herself. It was a thought she could have only because she didn’t know what high society was, and didn’t know that the ‘beasts’ the maids referred to were noble ladies who enjoyed sharp-tongued conversation.

Having always lived among rough men, Flora was unfamiliar with women’s sensitive emotions.

In other words, she lacked social awareness. Having never experienced normal conversation, even though she had improved now, her way of speaking was always stiff and formal.

Even so, seeing Flora’s complete lack of interest in her own appearance, Mary and Yulvi felt a sort of mission. They were determined not to let anyone look down on her.

“Alright. Let’s go with the red ribbon, and in exchange, let’s add a large flower.”

Yulvi, taking a step back, made another suggestion. And Mary nodded repeatedly, saying she hadn’t thought of that but it would be perfect.

Watching Yulvi run out to get fresh flowers, Flora became convinced this was indeed a punishment.

Yet she hadn’t done anything deserving punishment. Recently, she hadn’t thrown things at people recklessly, and she had behaved well without fighting with anyone.

After that, Flora had to continue surrendering her body to her colleagues as they pulled her this way and that.

After being tormented for about six hours without food, Flora let her colleagues’ fussy comments pass by and just nodded reluctantly at questions she didn’t understand.

When they finally seemed to be almost done, the maids who stepped back gaped at the completed look. Among them, Mary took a step back and looked Flora up and down from head to toe.

“My goodness… Flora! You look like a noble lady.”

“Really, really… it suits you so well!”

Mary, who had finally calmed down the excited colleagues, opened her mouth with a rather serious expression.

“Flora, look in the mirror now.”

Though she felt like she was carrying a heavy load of clothes, Flora did as told.

Looking in the mirror, Flora silently blinked her eyes for a moment. In it, a lady-like woman she had never seen before was looking back at her.

“Anyone would see you as a perfect noble lady. Flora, how is it? Do you like it?”

Mary, who had finally succeeded in Flora’s makeover after being rejected for over half a year despite persistent persuasion, was realizing once again that her judgment hadn’t been wrong.

Just as Flora was about to open her mouth–

“Still not ready?”

Someone flung open the door and a heavy male voice followed.

Flora carefully turned her body at the sound of boots striding in. The expensive fabric said to be foreign silk swayed softly with her movement.

And Claude’s expression became peculiar for a moment when he saw her.

The carriage carrying the house’s master and Flora rolled quietly.

There was no conversation exchanged during the entire journey to the imperial city. Flora, who somehow ended up sharing the seat with her master, kept glancing at the Duke who seemed strangely subdued since their departure.

Even at this time, he must have had something to review, as he slowly turned pages of documents with his white-gloved hand.

The Duke was dressed more splendidly than any way she had seen him before. Even though he wore his military uniform rather than formal evening wear, it suited him perfectly with his striking features.

In contrast…

Flora fidgeted with her fingers resting on the dress she was wearing for the first time in her life. Every time her skin touched it, the soft dress frills wrapped around her fingertips.

Is it that strange?

Certainly, her appearance must look ridiculous, like wearing someone else’s clothes. Rather than feeling good about attending an imperial banquet where nobles would be present in such attire, it felt awkward.

Still, the silence that had to be endured without a word was unbearably uncomfortable.

“Um… if you don’t like my appearance, should I change into different clothes?”

Flora finally spoke up, unable to bear the uncomfortable situation any longer.

At those words, the Duke lifted his gaze from the documents he had been reading and properly faced Flora.

His gaze, filled with an indecipherable meaning, swept over her blue eyes, lingered on her flushed cheeks, and finally rested on her red lips.

Then his lowered eyes stared at her penetratingly. The feeling of his deep gray eyes boring into her body was so intense that Flora slightly lowered her gaze, regretting having asked.

Perhaps because of the uncomfortable corset, she suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe.

After taking in her appearance for a while, the Duke spoke slowly.

“…Passable.”

The Duke answered flatly and withdrew his gaze.

Unlike his response indicating it was fine, his expression didn’t seem particularly satisfied. Feeling somehow deflated, Flora lifted the window curtain and turned her gaze outside.

In the quiet space that fell silent again, only the occasional rustle of turning papers could be heard.

Claude, about to turn to the next page, suddenly lifted his gaze to glance at Flora, who was looking outside like a child seeing the world for the first time.

In fact, being distracted since earlier, the letters no longer registered in his eyes.

Clothes make the man, they say.

Unlike Flora who felt awkward about her appearance, Claude’s thoughts were closer to something else.

After seeing Flora in the dress, he briefly regretted his decision. Though he had specifically instructed the butler to prepare the finest attire due to His Majesty’s special order, he certainly hadn’t expected this level.

Flora in her satin dress looked every bit a noble, without any trace of the dissonance one might expect from a commoner wearing noble attire.

No, more precisely, she was beautiful enough that anyone would find it difficult to look away.

But why did it make him feel so strange?

His gaze slowly slid along her deer-like slender neck, her lifted full chest, and the delicate waist that would fit perfectly in his arms.

Though how others saw her shouldn’t matter to him at all, his mood strangely worsened even more.

Eventually, he turned his eyes back to the documents he couldn’t even focus on.

Assuming his suddenly sinking mood was due to the annoyance of having to attend such a pointless banquet.

No more conversation passed until the carriage stopped.

* * *