Chapter 97. Debut, Part IX
Translator: Khan
Editor: Aelryinth
“Don’t worry, it’s going to be alright, and you have to get ready, too. Fashion is a revolution. If I were a humble lady, I might be beaten by clothes today, but the status of a lady named Kiellini will block everything. No matter what I wear, people will admire me.”
Julietta went so far and approached Simone and lowered her voice. “It’s his only precious daughter’s debut day, but he’s still staying there, and it’s also good to turn their attention from the Duke to the dress.”
At Julietta’s words, Simone looked down at the re-opened dress. It was different from a fashionable dress, but it was true that it was a beautiful dress.
The Duke, her brother, might not have hoped for a raucous debut, but as Julietta said, the Duke did not appear at his only precious successor’s debut party, and that was gossip in itself. Rather, it would be okay for society to be noisy because of a raucously unconventional dress for days and days, turning its attention away from the absence of the Duke.
At this point, she was not going to go too far in questioning the true intentions of the Duke. Simone’s expression sank coldly, determined to make a hole for her escape if it didn’t work out, since her brother treated her like a scarecrow.
Simone nodded at Julietta. “Yes. As you say, the family of Kiellini will be your shield. What are we afraid of? Do your best for my brother to hear how beautiful you were, who was unable to be with his daughter on her debut day due to his illness.”
Simone left the room, determined that the Duke was ill, having been told he had gone down to the Land due to an incident.
———————-
“Oh, my God! My lady, you are so beautiful.”
Julietta, who had yet to get a private maid, was able to complete grooming with the help of the maids of the mansion of the family of the Duke. Wearing the dress that had finally arrived after a long bath and flavored massage, she stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself.
She lowered her curly cute hair to both sides and piled her back high like a tower. Unlike today’s fashionable hairstyles, the colorful blonde with pink wavy hair tied together and stretched out behind her back. The top of a tube with dark blue glossy satin and a pale embroidered flower-shaped embroidery, a chest-shaped top that began without a string exposed a slender neck and dazzling shoulders. The lower part was made of a soft mesh fabric, which overlapped with layers of sky-blue saffron, allowing it to swell to the fullest extent without having to wear a panier.
Because she didn’t wear a heavy panier that limited women’s movements, Julietta’s behavior seemed as light and cheerful as everyone else. On top of the chiffon skirt, the dress, which had avoided monotony by adding a few large flowers made of the same fabric, was very different from the dresses that were in fashion.
With a simple diamond necklace and bracelet inspired by laurels and no other decorations, Julietta’s figure had not been enough to bring any praise from the world, but now everyone just opened their mouths and uttered exclamations.
Julietta nodded as she looked at herself in the mirror. She thought Manny’s blessing had been quite annoying before this, but it was very satisfying to have such a relaxed setting.
“Can I be the main character of today’s party with this much?”
They praised her for being pretty, but she still felt uneasy. She bravely made her own dress and wore it as she thought it was pretty, so she thought she shouldn’t worry too much, but she was still nervous.
“Of course, my lady. I’m sure you’ll be the lady of today’s party.”
When she was ready, Simone entered Julietta’s room and said affectionately, “That’s so pretty. You don’t have to be the main character of today’s party. All you have to do is show the health of Princess Kiellini and let them know that there is no big problem with your succession to the title.”
She scrutinized the dressed-up Julietta, then nodded and gestured to the maids to step aside.
“I was worried the first time I saw the dress, but it’s okay to wear it. But what did you do with your chest?”
Julietta, who had been struggling to deal with her chest rising due to the pressure, had covered the upper part of her chest with a simple ribbon made of the same fabric of the upper part, on top of the tube. Thanks to it, her chest was only slightly protruding to match her slender figure.
“I made a corset that came up to my chest.” As Julietta pretended to press on her chest and explained, Simone’s eyes rose.
“You’re acting carelessly again. Now you’re going to be looking at every move you make, what the hell are you trying to do?”
Simone’s attitude had changed a lot in the meantime, just shown by her expression changing from the initial “reckless behavior” to “careless behavior.” Julietta smiled at the thought.
“I’ll be careful. I’ll be nervous when I go to the party and probably do better. Whew.”
Julietta said so and chose to take a breath for a moment. Wearing a corset put pressure on the chest, it was hard to breathe naturally. When she saw that, Simone sighed.
“I don’t know if you can dance properly. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t dance as much as you can at your debut party.”
Most of the first dances with a lady who would debut in the winter or summer social seasons were done with close friends of family members and future-promoting partners. As Julietta was playing the role of Lady Kiellini, it would be difficult if the rumors got wild, so dancing with someone was not very wise.
Simone was furious with the Duke, who once again had not come up from Tilia Territory. Julietta had no other family and no one to dance for the first time at the party today. Simone shook her head thinking of Marquis Anais, Regina’s uncle. It was unclear whether he would attend the party or not, and he had not shown any interest in Regina, who had been born to his sister.
Only
No matter that she was a substitute, it was only natural that she would want to wear pretty clothes and dance the dance she had learned for the party she would attend. Simone quickly turned around, feeling heartbroken at the sight of Julietta whose eyes were bright enough to light up the room.
“Let’s go now that we’re ready.”
——-
The continent’s social seasons were the winter season held in November, December, and January, and the summer season held in June, July and August. On Friday of the first week of every season’s last month, they held an official debut party in the Imperial Castle for the ladies and gentlemen that had made their debuts in society. Except for the royal family’s birthday and anniversary, it was the only party where all nobles could attend freely.
After February, when the winter season ended, all the aristocratic children became adults to mark their seventeenth birthday. The long-looking imperial party was splendid and majestic, showing the dignity of Austern, the center of culture and art. Some people from other kingdoms or the Vicern Empire attended to enjoy the sight.
Christine also attended to meet Killian, as it was a rare royal party. As it was a party held in the Imperial Castle, the order of admission had been arranged in order of titles, so she was waiting in the assigned lounge for the order to enter. Thanks to the position of the first Queen, the ranking of the family of Marquis Anais was the second among the ten families of the Marquis families, following the imperial family, the Marquis of Rhodius.
There was a long time left before she could enter, in accordance with the custom of entering from the lower ranks, but her father Robert himself seemed unwilling to be with her mother, Ivana. As soon as he arrived at the lounge, he left early on the pretext of feeling heavy, leaving only Ivana and Christine alone in the private restroom representing the family of the Marquis.
“You still haven’t given up on Prince Killian?” Christine’s eyebrows were distorted at the cold words of her mother. “As the marriage prospects with the Princess Haint were broken, you are the best match for Francis. So, stop dreaming in vain.”
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