Heroine On Strike

Ella tried to calm herself and decided to look at this chemise dress trend from a different perspective. Thanks to the white-colored dresses, her sky-blue dress with patches of pink was like a centerpiece on a piece of white paper.

“My lady, your dress is so beautiful!” cried one of the girls. “And this line… It’s so gorgeous! How can you make it look so full while it retains its natural look? Did you find a new designer?”

The one who spoke was a young lady who debuted a bit earlier than Ella. After finding out that the crown prince liked these kinds of dresses, she wore one even though she didn’t like it. She was allowed to wear brightly-colored dresses after her debut, so going back to such a dull-looking dress wasn’t a welcoming idea at all. Not only that, she wasn’t happy about copying a person like Lady Mellin. Instead, she would’ve felt much better if she was imitating Lady Constance.

‘What can I say? The prince has a dull taste.’ That was the thinking of most girls who wore a chemise dress to the party. Those who couldn’t get their dresses ready from a prestigious dress shop for many reasons were especially unhappy with their choices. As a result, the ones who were unhappy decided to pick on Ella before she arrived to unleash their annoyance.

“What kind of dress will Lady Constance wear today? Will it be a pannier or a chemise?” These girls started their ill-intended bet, and soon the adults and men joined.

If Ella was to appear with a pannier dress, then it was proof that the house of Constance tried too hard to protect her. It would appear that she wasn’t aware of the famous trends that everyone knew. If she wore a chemise dress, then she would definitely be laughed at for following the latest fad without any shame. Contrary to their expectations, Ella came wearing a new kind of dress.

“Constance sure is different.”

“Is she the Lady Constance? She’s more beautiful than words can describe her. Maybe it’s because of her dress.”

People murmured in astonishment. Ella’s dress had sky blue as its base color with various shades of pinks as accents to various parts of the dress. The skirt also fell very naturally from the waist. Unlike the chemise that removed the corset and pannier to make it look modest and simple, her new dress followed the pannier style but made it look more naturally full. In addition, her natural curve that moved as she walked made all attention fall on her.

Even those, who were hostile towards her, couldn’t help but admire her. Because chemise dresses focused on simplicity, Ella’s dress looked like a genuine noble dress. Her dress shined brightly among these simple ones.

“This is Countess Setin’s masterpiece,” said Ella. “She never lets you down with her flawless work.”

“My, my! Isn’t she the one who makes dresses for her majesty? I can see her majesty cares for you, my lady,” acknowledged another girl. This girl was Syllia Pellow, the daughter of Baron Pellow, who had been a longtime advisor to Duke Constance. Syllia intentionally spoke out loud to the point where everyone could hear her.

It was well known that Countess Setin was Ella’s designer as she had been for ten years. But Syllia intentionally spoke as if she didn’t know and implied that it was because of the empress that this happened. Surprised by the unexpected help, Ella looked at her, and Syllia winked without letting others see. She nodded with a smile to recognize her assistance. It was also good to see that although she wore a dull-colored dress, she didn’t wear a chemise style dress. And her words came into effect very quickly.

‘The Empress helped Ella.’ This meant that even with the crown prince’s recent affair, Ella was still going to be the crown princess. The ladies who had dreamt of stealing her position realized this and changed their attitudes as they approached her.

It was up to her whether these girls were allowed into the palace if she were to become the crown princess and then the future empress. Because of that, this was the only chance that they had to befriend Ella while she didn’t belong to any social circle yet. It sickened Ella to know of their greedy ambitions. What were they going to think if she claims that she won’t become the crown princess? Would any of them remain beside her? She was sure that there was going to be no one.

Ella then realized that Cladis had a loyal friend, which was her brother. Ethan would even abandon his sister for the prince while she didn’t have anyone. The duchess was worried about Luciella not having any close relationships, so she held tea parties frequently for her. Luciella, however, always disappeared to study.

Ella was sick of the usual conversations girls had, so she spent her time daydreaming instead. The topic of the conversation moved from dresses to accessories, then to the affairs of someone she didn’t know. Neither Luciella nor Ranhee was interested in those topics.

While Ella was fidgeting in boredom, someone approached her group and asked, “My lady, would you dance with me?”