Chapter 99
Chapter 99. Welcome Banquet for the Envoys
The pale green dress was almost colorless, but it perfectly complemented Henelone’s soft brown hair. Made of thin muslin under short, puffed-out sleeves, the dress featured an olive-colored crepe fabric wrapped around the chest, tied with a long, wide ribbon that trailed down to the floor like a tail.
“I knew this would be perfect!” Milena cheered, seeing the dress fitted to Henelone’s body with just a simple basting stitch.
Henelone looked at herself in the changing room’s large mirror, smiling with considerable satisfaction. She was so captivated she could exclaim in admiration.
“If you connect the end of this ribbon to the gloves, it will look like you’re wearing a shawl!”
As Madame suggested, basting the ribbon’s end to the gloves transformed the otherwise plain empire dress into something quite gorgeous and lovely. Henelone was impressed by this ingenious and novel method, which also prevented the long ribbon from dragging.
“It’s pretty, but… don’t you think the chest is too low?”
Henelone asked, blushing and covering her exposed chest. The deep square décolletage was cut so low her voluptuous figure seemed ready to spill out.
However, Milena and Madame firmly shook their heads.
“Lady, it should be like that. Why are you trying to hide those br*asts?”
“Madame, you’re absolutely right! It’s the middle of summer; everyone wears it this low.”
“Oh, I see…”
She had thought empire dresses wouldn’t suit her because her upper body was relatively thick, but the deep cut made her look much slimmer and more curvaceous. Henelone nodded, having made up her mind.
“Good. I’ll take this.”
“You’ve thought it through!”
“Good, Lady! Let’s flatten that little girl’s ego! Oh, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say flatten her chest?”
“Milena, please! Be quiet!” Henelone, taken aback by the bold remark, slapped her arm. What if someone heard her talking about a foreign princess?
Milena shrugged and stuck her tongue out. “I didn’t say who.”
“I can’t live like this, really!”
Madame, who didn’t know the full story but guessed the general situation, smiled and patted Henelone’s shoulder. “Come now, the dress is just the beginning. There’s so much more to do.”
As Madame said, there were still mountains of choices to be made: gloves, shoes, accessories, a fan, and even a hair ornament. Henelone reluctantly turned after giving Milena a warning look as she laughed heartily. Madame approached her quickly.
“What are you going to do with the jewelry? I brought a few accessories designed by Moen Jewelry. If you don’t like anything, I’ll send a message to Moen in advance.”
“No… I’ll choose here.”
Henelone, exhausted, waved her hand. She had lost so much energy already she couldn’t even think of going to the jewelry store.
Madame smiled, understanding, and gestured to the staff. Several trays of jewelry were placed in front of her.
“I have some jewelry designed to match this collection. Nowadays, it’s trendy to wear jewelry that matches your eye color… Hmm, but since your dress is green, the blue jewelry feels a bit out of place.”
She held up a necklace with beautiful blue lapis lazuli and white sea foam that seemed to capture crashing waves. It was beautiful, but as Madame said, it didn’t go with the green dress. Madame shook her head and put the piece down without regret.
Milena, with her eyes sparkling, asked, “The trend has changed, hasn’t it?”
“Haha, it’s because of the rumored proposal ring that has spread like wildfire in the capital.”
“A proposal ring?”
Milena leaned forward, interested. The standard for matching jewelry had always been the dress color. Jewels that matched eye color were usually avoided, so this trend was unusual. What kind of proposal ring could set such a trend?
Milena, in a good mood, pressed for an answer. Madame paused for a moment, then continued with a meaningful smile.
“I heard that the Duke of Woodward ordered a proposal ring that resembled Princess Marie-Jose of Honfleur’s blue eyes! It’s a teardrop-shaped blue diamond decorated with several transparent diamonds. It costs as much as a house in the capital. Thanks to this, gentlemen about to propose are looking for similar designs, and only the jewelers are screaming with joy!”
The atmosphere in the dressing room turned cold. Milena and Henelone both stopped in silence. Madame, taken aback by the strangely calm atmosphere, hesitated. With an awkward smile, she hurriedly picked up a piece from the tray.
“However, colored jewels are difficult to match with dresses, so I think the trend will change quickly. So rather than matching it to your eye color, I think it would be better to decorate it with a transparent diamond like this. Oh, pearls suit you very well!”
But despite Madame’s excitement, the cold, stiff atmosphere remained. Madame’s lips trembled at the two women’s reactions that she couldn’t understand.
***
Stung by Milena’s distorted face, Henelone crouched down.
“Hey, Milena. Calm down first…”
“How can you calm down? How dare he tease an innocent girl… How can he be so shameless?”
“It’s still just a rumor…”
“How can smoke come out of an unlit chimney?”
Milena was truly furious. The sight of Henelone being manipulated by a shameless person and her own guilt for having pushed Henelone toward him tormented her. Milena ground her teeth, angry at the sight of Henelone innocently blinking and talking about rumors.
At that murderous voice, Henelone quietly closed and bit her lips. She had already heard from Adrian, but the rumor of Heinz and Marie-Jose’s engagement was really spreading like wildfire. Henelone’s mind was a mix of belief that Heinz couldn’t possibly do that and anxiety that it might happen.
It’s frustrating…
There was nothing Henelone could do right now. She wished the welcoming banquet would come soon so she could ask Heinz the truth. On the other hand, she had a weak heart that wished that day would never come.
***
“Your Majesty. The rumor of the Duke of Woodward and Princess Marie-Jose’s affair is spreading throughout the city, so how about using this as an opportunity to seek the Empire’s benefit?”
“…Huh? A rumor of an affair?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. There is a rumor that the Duke of Woodward ordered a ring to propose to Princess Marie-Jose. Also, the fact that the two of them went down to the Duke’s estate together for a summer vacation…”
“I didn’t know that the Imperial Ministers were gossiping.”
In the great conference room, Dietrich, about to end the meeting, smiled faintly at the unexpected remark. At the obvious laughter, Marquis Grossman, who had brought up the rumor, twitched his mustache.
“Ahem. The Kingdom of Honfleur, who heard the rumor, sent a positive letter, so it should be treated as an important matter. How can you call it gossip? I am simply a sincere person for the glory of the Empire!”
“What a quick letter. How could the Kingdom of Honfleur, across the Lironte Valley, be so familiar with our Empire’s rumors? Didn’t someone just tell you?”
“Kohmk, ahem! That’s how much they want to have a close relationship with our empire.”
Dietrich nodded, laughing at the smooth, oiled tongue. The rumors of Heinz and Princess Marie-Jose…
