Today was the day when the widest hall of the Imperial Hall was opened and also the day when numerous nobles entered the palace one after another. The Imperial banquet was indeed huge, it was held to welcome the visit of the delegation of the Eastern Kingdoms Union.
The famous boutiques in the capital had been busy for a while, they were still crowded with employees from each noble family. Of course, there were some nobles who did not need to send their employees directly to the boutique.
“Okay, Marchioness Garth.”
Fleur finished putting all the creases on the dress and moved her hands. All kinds of silk ribbons and lace were artistically wrapped around her arms.
“It’s done. Would you like to take a look in the mirror?”
After having been sitting quietly waiting, Valia opened her eyes. She stood up from her seat, getting help from Sarah. Every time Valia moved, the silk let out a sound. She stopped in front of the full-length mirror. Valia’s image was reflected in the clear and well-polished reflection.
Even though Valia’s hair was so long that it fell down to her waist, with Fleur’s smooth and flawless skills, Valia’s hair had been thickly braided into a crown shape. Starting from above the ears, her braiding reached the nape of her neck and was skillfully finished. A sky-blue flower was adorned with a diamond above the braid, it was Fleur’s choice.
Fleur knew today’s Imperial banquet was like an official debut for Valia. It was the first banquet and ball she had attended. Most of the ladies of the Gel Empire dolled up neatly and lovingly on their debutantes, Valia should follow suit, but her position could not be overlooked.
To capture both a loving yet glamorous aspect, Fleur re-sketched the dress. What she completed even with bags under her eyes was a pink dress with a bright color like a soft spring flower.
Valia’s collarbone and chest were all covered with cloth, on the other hand, her round shoulders were half exposed. Fleur truly put her soul in the decorations under the neck. Fleur’s unique fanciness and elaborate lace were embroidered to resemble rose vines, and each elegant rose was studded with countless diamonds. A noble with a decent eye could easily guess that this dress was a very expensive item.
Most of all, the skirt was the item that caught people’s attention the most. It was inflated to its fullest by using lavishly airy tulle, fluttering even with small movements as if the spring breeze was blowing. A thick ribbon of a darker color was tied around her waist. It was a dress that had both the freshness befitting of a debut and the splendor of a Marchioness.
“I prepared the shoes as comfortably as possible, but your heels will hurt if you dance for too long. Please take a break in between.”
“Sure.”
Valia was wearing shoes made of pink satin and decorated with a gold leaf. The design was elegant enough to make the maid who opened the box for the first time let out a small exclamation. Even the shoes that were hidden by the hem of the dress were so wonderful. It could be seen how much effort Fleur put into what Valia wore.
‘In the first place, even the fact that the owner of the boutique personally came to the manor is…’
It was common to send the designers under one’s supervision on a day like this, even for exclusive designers. The term ‘in-demand’ was not for nothing. This did not only apply to the capital’s famous boutiques, even the lesser-known ones also did so. But Fleur came to throw away that custom.
‘I guess the Garth name is really great.’
Valia once again realized Garth’s fame. Fleur asked her a question.
“Marchioness, do you like the dress?”
It was a common question for designers, but Fleur was always nervous whenever she asked the question. Any designer would feel the same. This was because nobles had a demanding aesthetic, and in most cases, they were stingy with their praises.
The noblewoman with silvery-gray eyes reflected through the mirror grinned.
“The dresses you made are always pretty.”
“Oh, my.”
Fleur said and covered her mouth without realizing it. Her life as a designer was never short, but it was really the first time for a noblewoman to act like this.
‘She always catches me off guard.’
No one dislikes sincere and light compliments. Fleur recalled the many letters she had received from men. A single word from Valia made her heart pound more than ten such frivolous letters.
‘That’s also probably the reason why Marquess Garth comes to her every time.’
Fleur turned her eyes and peeped to her side. Schuden was sitting on a sofa on one side of the room. He came an hour ago when Valia had just finished wearing her dress and began to do her hair.
Of course, Fleur was not surprised anymore. At first, she trembled. But now, Fleur was in a state where she could calmly move her brush even when Schuden was staring at her. Fleur thought that Valia was really amazing. Even though she was being stared at like that, she did not seem too concerned about it.
‘But then again, there are many cases where it is a dream to have a handsome man watching over…’
Schuden was a man with a breathtakingly perfect appearance. He had such a beautiful appearance that it was hard to take eyes off him, and today was even more amazing. Thanks to the navy suit that emphasized the noble atmosphere, Marquess Garth secretly felt like a young noble today.
He was perfectly fine with the line that fell from the end of his wide shoulders and slim-fit suit. His sleeves were fitted with diamond cufflinks. But what stood out more than that was his hands with the slightly bulging tendons. Though it could not be noticed unless one paid attention, a faint scar remained on his graceful hand. There were a lot of ladies who were distracted by this hand.
“Marquess Garth, the Marchioness is all prepared.”
“Is it over?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The man, who had his hand on his cheek, had something he was dissatisfied about.
“The tiara?”
“Pardon?”
Fleur blinked at his sudden remark. However, that was only for a moment. She soon realized what tiara Schuden was talking about because she had also seen it.
The diamond tiara, which Marquess Garth gave to the Marchioness, was a beautiful piece of jewelry that was hard to forget once you see it. However, the problem was that it was too fancy to be worn at today’s banquet, which was no different than Valia’s debutante.
Fleur pursued perfection in even one accessory, so she boldly excluded the tiara and chose other decorations. She had already explained it to Valia and asked for her consent. Of course, she never thought this would be a problem. However, it was not brought up by anyone else, but by Marquess Garth.
If it had been a designer who was not immune to this appearance of Schuden, the designer would have stuttered, but not Fleur. As someone who had been an exclusive designer for Valia for the past few months, she had fully adapted to it.
“Your Grace, since today’s banquet will also be the Marchioness’ debutante, she won’t be wearing the tiara. It’s too luxurious to be worn on her first debut…”
“Luxurious?”
Even as she was kind of giving an excuse to Schuden, Fleur was envisioning a new dress in her mind. Even though she was not sure, she had a feeling that she had to finish a gorgeous dress that matched the tiara very soon. It was kind of intuition.
“Valia.”
Schuden walked over to Valia and reached out his hand. As always, she gently held his hand. Today Valia was very beautiful. Regardless of her outfit, she herself looked beautiful. The smile on her lips was lovely and her silvery-gray eyes were filled with anticipation.
Schuden was very curious about himself, always looking at Valia’s face. At first, he was intrigued by her aspect of not showing her feelings well. But if he was asked if he still could not take his eyes off her for the same reason, he could not answer immediately.
“Schu.”
Those silvery-gray eyes were calm as if sunlight dwelled in one side of the heart. Schuden looked at the fair and smiling face. Valia picked up a flower lying on the white silk. These were expensive flowers carefully selected and prepared by the employees to decorate Valia’s hair today.
“A gift for you.”
Valia put the flower on Schuden’s chest. Schuden looked down at his left chest. A sky blue flower was placed in his empty suit pocket. It was the same flower that was adorned in Valia’s hair. Schuden grinned.
“I must keep it as an heirloom for the rest of my life.”
A pale blush appeared on Valia’s cheeks. Schuden kissed the back of her hand. He remembered her saying not to kiss her on her lips on the day she was dolled up because her lipstick would be ruined.
“Your Grace, Madam, it’s time to depart to the Imperial Palace.”
Just in time, Paul spoke up. The carriage engraved with the crest of Garth must have already been prepared. Valia took Schuden’s hand and moved forward. She wore a pair of see-through lace gloves, a masterpiece prepared by Fleur. Though the design was completely different from the existing white silk gloves, Valia accepted the gloves without any sign of reluctance. That was because by the time Valia entered the palace in the past, all the noblewomen and ladies were wearing lace gloves. Even thinking about it now, Fleur’s ability to lead the fashion of the Gel’s high society felt great.
‘By the way, since it’s an Imperial banquet, I will also be able to meet the members of the Imperial household.’
The last time she visited the palace with Schuden, she only met the Emperor, but not today. Several faces flashed through Valia’s mind as she climbed into the carriage.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
The Imperial family opened a grand banquet hall for this banquet. The hall was crowded, aside from the many nobles in the capital, the nobles all over the provinces had also attended the banquet. The walls were finished with gold and the pillars were elegantly entwined with jade. Red roses were decorated everywhere and a splendid light was shining from the chandelier.
“So, that’s her.”
A noblewoman whispered.”
“Yes, she’s Marchioness Garth.”
Dozens of pairs of eyes glanced at one side. If the most talked-about person at today’s Imperial banquet was to be chosen, it was by far Marchioness Garth. Based on the title, House of Garth was only but a Marquess family, but it was certainly as powerful as, if not more powerful than the House of Billiam, the only ducal house in the Gel Empire. Tremendous wealth had been a strong foundation for the Garth family for several generations, and the merits of Schuden, the Marquess of this generation, were like their wings. With that being said, Valia was the lady of the house for such a family! If one did not pay attention to such knowledge, one would be an idiot.
Moreover, Valia had not yet officially appeared in high society before this. She only responded with flowers to every tea party invitation she got. Of course, this did not dampen Valia’s fame. Rather, she aroused strong curiosity by merging it with her mystical image.
“Did you see when they entered?”
“Of course. I never thought they would enter together.”
“I kind of expected it. The rumors about them have been spreading around.”
“True, even their outfits today should be paid attention to.”
Most of the nobles recognized that the flowers adorned on Valia’s hair and the flower in Schuden’s pocket were the same. The ladies, who had been peeping on their lover-like appearance, gradually fell in love with Valia’s gorgeous dress.
“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a dress like that. Where did she get it?”
“From what I know, it’s the work of her exclusive designer. Have you heard of ‘Fleur’?”
“Fleur?”
Today was the day when the widest hall of the Imperial Hall was opened and also the day when numerous nobles entered the palace one after another. The Imperial banquet was indeed huge, it was held to welcome the visit of the delegation of the Eastern Kingdoms Union.
The famous boutiques in the capital had been busy for a while, they were still crowded with employees from each noble family. Of course, there were some nobles who did not need to send their employees directly to the boutique.
“Okay, Marchioness Garth.”
Fleur finished putting all the creases on the dress and moved her hands. All kinds of silk ribbons and lace were artistically wrapped around her arms.
“It’s done. Would you like to take a look in the mirror?”
After having been sitting quietly waiting, Valia opened her eyes. She stood up from her seat, getting help from Sarah. Every time Valia moved, the silk let out a sound. She stopped in front of the full-length mirror. Valia’s image was reflected in the clear and well-polished reflection.
Even though Valia’s hair was so long that it fell down to her waist, with Fleur’s smooth and flawless skills, Valia’s hair had been thickly braided into a crown shape. Starting from above the ears, her braiding reached the nape of her neck and was skillfully finished. A sky-blue flower was adorned with a diamond above the braid, it was Fleur’s choice.
Fleur knew today’s Imperial banquet was like an official debut for Valia. It was the first banquet and ball she had attended. Most of the ladies of the Gel Empire dolled up neatly and lovingly on their debutantes, Valia should follow suit, but her position could not be overlooked.
To capture both a loving yet glamorous aspect, Fleur re-sketched the dress. What she completed even with bags under her eyes was a pink dress with a bright color like a soft spring flower.
Valia’s collarbone and chest were all covered with cloth, on the other hand, her round shoulders were half exposed. Fleur truly put her soul in the decorations under the neck. Fleur’s unique fanciness and elaborate lace were embroidered to resemble rose vines, and each elegant rose was studded with countless diamonds. A noble with a decent eye could easily guess that this dress was a very expensive item.
Most of all, the skirt was the item that caught people’s attention the most. It was inflated to its fullest by using lavishly airy tulle, fluttering even with small movements as if the spring breeze was blowing. A thick ribbon of a darker color was tied around her waist. It was a dress that had both the freshness befitting of a debut and the splendor of a Marchioness.
“I prepared the shoes as comfortably as possible, but your heels will hurt if you dance for too long. Please take a break in between.”
“Sure.”
Valia was wearing shoes made of pink satin and decorated with a gold leaf. The design was elegant enough to make the maid who opened the box for the first time let out a small exclamation. Even the shoes that were hidden by the hem of the dress were so wonderful. It could be seen how much effort Fleur put into what Valia wore.
‘In the first place, even the fact that the owner of the boutique personally came to the manor is…’
It was common to send the designers under one’s supervision on a day like this, even for exclusive designers. The term ‘in-demand’ was not for nothing. This did not only apply to the capital’s famous boutiques, even the lesser-known ones also did so. But Fleur came to throw away that custom.
‘I guess the Garth name is really great.’
Valia once again realized Garth’s fame. Fleur asked her a question.
“Marchioness, do you like the dress?”
It was a common question for designers, but Fleur was always nervous whenever she asked the question. Any designer would feel the same. This was because nobles had a demanding aesthetic, and in most cases, they were stingy with their praises.
The noblewoman with silvery-gray eyes reflected through the mirror grinned.
“The dresses you made are always pretty.”
“Oh, my.”
Fleur said and covered her mouth without realizing it. Her life as a designer was never short, but it was really the first time for a noblewoman to act like this.
‘She always catches me off guard.’
No one dislikes sincere and light compliments. Fleur recalled the many letters she had received from men. A single word from Valia made her heart pound more than ten such frivolous letters.
‘That’s also probably the reason why Marquess Garth comes to her every time.’
Fleur turned her eyes and peeped to her side. Schuden was sitting on a sofa on one side of the room. He came an hour ago when Valia had just finished wearing her dress and began to do her hair.
Of course, Fleur was not surprised anymore. At first, she trembled. But now, Fleur was in a state where she could calmly move her brush even when Schuden was staring at her. Fleur thought that Valia was really amazing. Even though she was being stared at like that, she did not seem too concerned about it.
‘But then again, there are many cases where it is a dream to have a handsome man watching over…’
Schuden was a man with a breathtakingly perfect appearance. He had such a beautiful appearance that it was hard to take eyes off him, and today was even more amazing. Thanks to the navy suit that emphasized the noble atmosphere, Marquess Garth secretly felt like a young noble today.
He was perfectly fine with the line that fell from the end of his wide shoulders and slim-fit suit. His sleeves were fitted with diamond cufflinks. But what stood out more than that was his hands with the slightly bulging tendons. Though it could not be noticed unless one paid attention, a faint scar remained on his graceful hand. There were a lot of ladies who were distracted by this hand.
“Marquess Garth, the Marchioness is all prepared.”
“Is it over?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The man, who had his hand on his cheek, had something he was dissatisfied about.
“The tiara?”
“Pardon?”
Fleur blinked at his sudden remark. However, that was only for a moment. She soon realized what tiara Schuden was talking about because she had also seen it.
The diamond tiara, which Marquess Garth gave to the Marchioness, was a beautiful piece of jewelry that was hard to forget once you see it. However, the problem was that it was too fancy to be worn at today’s banquet, which was no different than Valia’s debutante.
Fleur pursued perfection in even one accessory, so she boldly excluded the tiara and chose other decorations. She had already explained it to Valia and asked for her consent. Of course, she never thought this would be a problem. However, it was not brought up by anyone else, but by Marquess Garth.
If it had been a designer who was not immune to this appearance of Schuden, the designer would have stuttered, but not Fleur. As someone who had been an exclusive designer for Valia for the past few months, she had fully adapted to it.
“Your Grace, since today’s banquet will also be the Marchioness’ debutante, she won’t be wearing the tiara. It’s too luxurious to be worn on her first debut…”
“Luxurious?”
Even as she was kind of giving an excuse to Schuden, Fleur was envisioning a new dress in her mind. Even though she was not sure, she had a feeling that she had to finish a gorgeous dress that matched the tiara very soon. It was kind of intuition.
“Valia.”
Schuden walked over to Valia and reached out his hand. As always, she gently held his hand. Today Valia was very beautiful. Regardless of her outfit, she herself looked beautiful. The smile on her lips was lovely and her silvery-gray eyes were filled with anticipation.
Schuden was very curious about himself, always looking at Valia’s face. At first, he was intrigued by her aspect of not showing her feelings well. But if he was asked if he still could not take his eyes off her for the same reason, he could not answer immediately.
“Schu.”
Those silvery-gray eyes were calm as if sunlight dwelled in one side of the heart. Schuden looked at the fair and smiling face. Valia picked up a flower lying on the white silk. These were expensive flowers carefully selected and prepared by the employees to decorate Valia’s hair today.
“A gift for you.”
Valia put the flower on Schuden’s chest. Schuden looked down at his left chest. A sky blue flower was placed in his empty suit pocket. It was the same flower that was adorned in Valia’s hair. Schuden grinned.
“I must keep it as an heirloom for the rest of my life.”
A pale blush appeared on Valia’s cheeks. Schuden kissed the back of her hand. He remembered her saying not to kiss her on her lips on the day she was dolled up because her lipstick would be ruined.
“Your Grace, Madam, it’s time to depart to the Imperial Palace.”
Just in time, Paul spoke up. The carriage engraved with the crest of Garth must have already been prepared. Valia took Schuden’s hand and moved forward. She wore a pair of see-through lace gloves, a masterpiece prepared by Fleur. Though the design was completely different from the existing white silk gloves, Valia accepted the gloves without any sign of reluctance. That was because by the time Valia entered the palace in the past, all the noblewomen and ladies were wearing lace gloves. Even thinking about it now, Fleur’s ability to lead the fashion of the Gel’s high society felt great.
‘By the way, since it’s an Imperial banquet, I will also be able to meet the members of the Imperial household.’
The last time she visited the palace with Schuden, she only met the Emperor, but not today. Several faces flashed through Valia’s mind as she climbed into the carriage.
∘₊✧──────✧₊∘
The Imperial family opened a grand banquet hall for this banquet. The hall was crowded, aside from the many nobles in the capital, the nobles all over the provinces had also attended the banquet. The walls were finished with gold and the pillars were elegantly entwined with jade. Red roses were decorated everywhere and a splendid light was shining from the chandelier.
“So, that’s her.”
A noblewoman whispered.”
“Yes, she’s Marchioness Garth.”
Dozens of pairs of eyes glanced at one side. If the most talked-about person at today’s Imperial banquet was to be chosen, it was by far Marchioness Garth. Based on the title, House of Garth was only but a Marquess family, but it was certainly as powerful as, if not more powerful than the House of Billiam, the only ducal house in the Gel Empire. Tremendous wealth had been a strong foundation for the Garth family for several generations, and the merits of Schuden, the Marquess of this generation, were like their wings. With that being said, Valia was the lady of the house for such a family! If one did not pay attention to such knowledge, one would be an idiot.
Moreover, Valia had not yet officially appeared in high society before this. She only responded with flowers to every tea party invitation she got. Of course, this did not dampen Valia’s fame. Rather, she aroused strong curiosity by merging it with her mystical image.
“Did you see when they entered?”
“Of course. I never thought they would enter together.”
“I kind of expected it. The rumors about them have been spreading around.”
“True, even their outfits today should be paid attention to.”
Most of the nobles recognized that the flowers adorned on Valia’s hair and the flower in Schuden’s pocket were the same. The ladies, who had been peeping on their lover-like appearance, gradually fell in love with Valia’s gorgeous dress.
“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a dress like that. Where did she get it?”
“From what I know, it’s the work of her exclusive designer. Have you heard of ‘Fleur’?”
“Fleur?”
