Lady Millien wasn’t offended at all. She uncrossed her legs, wiped that annoying grin off her face, and reached out to the cloak that she had tossed aside earlier. “You have a sharp-witted maid, and here I thought I would be able to fool you all. Sir Garrod, you may want to refresh your memory. Have Teresa tutor you. Perhaps, you are all brawn and no brain?” the woman sneered.

“And, you mean to say you came here all for nothing? It sounds like you’re just pretending to have known all the protocols. The real person who was fooled was you,” Garrod retorted. “I may need a refresher, but I can sure refresh your mind with this shiny blade of mine. I know I don’t need a tutor for that.”

Teresa relaxed her shoulders. I’m a bit concerned that she’s easing up as soon as they pick up arguing. If anything, I would be cautious about how feisty they’re becoming. She was tense when she recited the rulebook, and I don’t blame her. That book is exceptionally thick and heavy-duty. Instead of using its knowledge, I might carry it around as a weapon, a weapon to swat at those domineering nobles.

“Shut up, you stupid demon,” Lady Millien snapped.

The Red Demon Knight extracted his sword from its sheath and aimed it at the gal. Ellenor, Lady Millien’s knight, promptly stepped forth to defend her lady. They faced each other, Ellenor narrowing her eyes, and Garrod jeering at her.

“How about you go back to your kingdom? Stop acting like overconfident wenches,” Garrod advised them contemptuously.

“Oh, now you’re using the correct noun! Bravo!” Her sarcasm made Garrod want to take a swing at her. Before he could do anything of the sort, I stepped between the two to intercept the verbal conflict, which, very soon, could become physical.

I shot a glare at each of them. “This is a debutante ball, not a debutante battlefield!”

Lady Millien tilted her towards me. “You know though, this is a battlefield for noble ladies and⎯”

“No! This is a ball! Not a battlefield!” I exclaimed. I was about to go on a tangent about how people should stop referring to events as warzones. However, I needed to think before I started ranting.

Teresa reached to my shoulder. “It’s okay, my lady. We should take the initiative to leave now. Sir Garrod has vanished again.”

Again? Are you telling me this has happened before?

My eyes darted around the room, and he was nowhere to be seen. I frustratedly sighed. “I was going to ask that knight why he has been following us!”

Lady Millien flashed a smile towards me. “I will see you again, Lady Carabell.” Her cloak was wrapped around her by now, concealing her dusty pink gown. She had slipped the hood over her head to hide her face. “It was worth a try. Please accept my request when I send it. I have lots to discuss with you.”

“Lady Millien, if you try pulling a stunt with those guards again, the Carabell knights will have a serious word with you,” Teresa threatened her. Her eyes narrowed, and her head held high. Sometimes, I wonder how much being a Carabell maid means to her.

I’m sure she didn’t choose to be a Carabell maid.

The disguised woman nodded in response and moved to leave with her knight. The moment the door slammed shut, I let out my breath.

“I don’t believe anyone will ask me to dance,” I said, sighing miserably.

On the bright side, I haven’t learned how to properly dance anyways. The behavioral and manners class at the academy isn’t exactly helpful. The professor and my classmates just like to use the class period to make me into a joke.

Teresa patted my back, suddenly reminding me about the corset strings. “Hey, are you sure you loosened my corset?” It felt as if she hadn’t adjusted it at all.

“Yes, I have, my lady.” She laughed lightly. I noticed how her hair was a bit tangled, so I reached out to fix it. As soon as I did so, she jerked back. I returned my hands to my side and started apologizing. “Oh, sorry, I forgot that you…”

Teresa averted her eye contact and shamefully shrank away from me. She fiddled with her hair by herself. I wanted to go and assist her, but if I did so, she’d become alarmed again. I don’t know what Elisabeth had done to her to make her feel so distraught whenever I came as close as touching her. Whatever she did, the results of it are making my heart sting.

I haven’t physically harmed anyone on purpose, so why does she act as if I’ve hurt her? Then, the only conclusion I could draw was that Elisabeth did. Elisabeth hurt her.

When she finished adjusting her waves of dark hair, she continued to open the door. She placed her hand on the loop and tried turning. However, the handle didn’t budge.

“Ah, is it stuck? Let me try,” I told her. I scrambled over to her and started pulling at it. The more I struggled, the faster my heart raced. “Are you kidding me?!” I exclaimed. “Since when does this happen in real life?” I jiggled the door handle more furiously.

Teresa sighed. “Lady Millien is a conniving fox. There must be something outside blocking the handle from turning,” she said as she crouched down to look at the gap beneath the white-painted wooden doorway. She undid her hair and pulled out her hairpin. On one end of the pin was a long pointy stick, and on the other, a pale blue jaded hydrangea. “My Lady, is it alright if I use your hairpin for this?”

“Yes, of course,” I answered quickly.

My maid let her wavy hair slick down her back. “It’s a shame I have to redo the style again. I believe I can run the hairpin under the door and push the obstacle away. The pin is of the highest quality, so I don’t think it can bend,” she explained.

“That’s a good idea,” I said, crouching down with her. She glanced back at me, refusing to break contact for a few moments. Assuming I was bothering her, I hastily moved away. “Sorry, was I blocking the light?” Teresa moved her head side to side.

“No, my lady,” she replied softly. “I was just thinking of something.”

I chuckled, brushing back the free curl hanging from my updo. “What were you thinking?” I asked.

Her face blossomed with rosy pink, and I thought she was going to refuse to answer my question. To my surprise, she said very honestly, “I thought you resembled a goddess, my lady.”

I smiled brightly. “Thank you, Teresa.” As I said this, she tried to use her strength to push the obstruction away. With one more push and a little more effort, you could hear that whatever had blocked the door squeaked as it moved on the other side. “Ah, you did it!” I exclaimed.

She moved away for me to push down on the handle, and when it was fully open, I saw a short chair moved slightly to the side.

So that’s our culprit.

I gave the chair a rough kick. Stupid thing.

“My Lady, I would suggest that you refrain from accepting this unruly lady’s invitation for discussion. I fear that she will kidnap you and use you for ransom from the duke,” Teresa warned me. I merely scoffed.

“Ransom? Are you joking? The duke couldn’t care less about me,” I reminded her. A name instantly came to mind. “He only cares for Allen. Allen is my brother, right? He’s the heir to the Carabell family, right?” Suddenly, Teresa rushed to clamp her silk-covered hands over my mouth.

Her eyes filled with terror. It seemed like she was frightened out of her mind, glimpsing around frantically. “Please do not mention Lord Carabell’s name, my lady! Word of that incident has not subsided yet, and they will never let it die!” Her hands were trembling, I could feel the shakiness through her gloves. Tears rolled down from her eyes. “I beg you, my lady, do not mention the lord’s name!”

I was at a loss for words, and it's not like it's easy to speak when someone has their hand slapped over your mouth. It didn’t take long for it to click in my mind that all of Teresa’s trauma and mental instability is due to Elisabeth.

Elisabeth had done something so cruel towards her brother that Teresa is crying! What is wrong with this noble lady? Allen is your family! Why would you do anything to him?

My maid closed her eyes and slowly opened them. As soon as her breathing became steady, she released her grip over my mouth. The fearful mood had clouded over with tranquillity. Teresa didn't hesitate to blame herself. “I apologize, my lady, I will accept any punishment for this frivolous behavior I have displayed towards you.”

Immediately, I crossed my arms. “What did I say about this? I won’t punish you!” I turned my heel and started proceeding back to the debutante’s ballroom. “We should head back now. I’ve been gone for quite a while now. We’ve made no progress.” I was beginning to become agitated. This is only my first ball, and there are so many problems occurring already.

Teresa didn’t say another word, but I knew she wanted to say something about my lack of discipline towards her. However, the last thing I wanted was to use physical force against someone, and I would never do that unless I had a perfectly justified reason. I’m not a violent person. Even though I crave the sensation of slapping some of these insolent hoes and assholes, I will practice restraint.

I heard the brisk tapping of shoes upon marble growing louder in volume with each tap. “Lady Carabell, do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting for you?” Prince Caydel’s mouth was twitching, and he had his arms firmly crossed. His regalia were snugly attached to his chest. Like always, he seemed more daunting up close. The fact that I had no idea what he was talking about further infuriated him. “You’ve been forgetting a lot of things lately. I promised you, remember? How could you forget?!” he questioned me exasperatedly.

Teresa quickly curtsied at his arrival. As soon as he laid his eyes upon her, his expression of detest hardened.

“You forget, and now you’re mocking me with Viktoria’s gown,” he snapped at me. “Do you have no shame whatsoever? I have never met such a senseless and selfish lady in my life!”

Teresa timidly moved closer to the prince. “Your Highness, this gown is not Lady Lancaster’s,” she informed him. Both of us whipped our heads towards her.

“What?” we blurted out. Prince Caydel cleared his throat, and I awkwardly shifted away from him.

My maid nodded, spreading out the skirt to show to the crown prince. “Yes, this is not Lady Lancaster’s dress. Duchess Carabell made a replica of the purple gown. I am currently wearing the altered replica. The original is being processed and sent to Lady Lancaster’s household,” she explained.

The news came as a shock to me. I was so convinced that she was wearing the original dress. “Wait, how come I don’t know about this?” I asked her. Despite my bewilderment, the prince seemed a tad relieved by what Teresa told him.

“Madam requested it herself,” Teresa answered. “I am not required to share anything with you unless you request it, my lady.” She turned to face Prince Caydel again. “Your Highness, I hope you understand that this dress is not meant to intimidate you or Lady Lancaster. I truly wanted to wear it on my own accord. I have admired the original’s beauty for over a year now. I understand that your love towards Lady Lancaster is truly genuine.” At this statement, she lowered herself to the ground and touched her head upon the cold marble.

“What do you mean, it’s all on your accord? I was the one who wanted you to wear it even though you were hesitant. Don’t act as if it’s your fault,” I scolded her, dragging her back up to her two feet.

Instead, I started to descend down to my knees. Immediately, the prince grabbed my arm. His grip was tight, and it seemed like he was trying his best not to dismember my arm.

“That’s not necessary, Lady Carabell. I know sincerity when I see it,” the prince told me. His frustrated expression had long faded away, and all that was left was one of exhaustion. “Now, shall we dance? I promised you that you would always be my first dance partner. I’m not going to break that promise today. I’m surprised you haven’t taken advantage of it. I don’t find that begging you for my first dance is pleasurable.”