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Chapter 32
The next day.
“Milady, are you really sure this is okay?”
Betty said, her face full of worry.
It seemed she couldn’t shake her unease at how suddenly Katarina’s attitude—always hostile—had flipped like the palm of a hand.
“Going out all of a sudden? There must be some other scheme behind it!”
Still, Betty’s little feet kept scurrying around, fussing over my outfit.
I briefly recalled yesterday’s conversation.
“What is it that you want to show me?”
“Well, spring has fully arrived, hasn’t it? Flowers are blooming everywhere. So let’s go boating on the Celeste River! The view from the boat is breathtaking! I’ll make some delicious tea for you while we’re on it.”
Katarina, who had asked to become my friend, was making quite the tantalizing offer.
Not just a simple outing, but—she wanted to go on a boat ride.
The Celeste River was the very same place where lanterns had been floated during the spring festival not long ago.
“A boat ride?”
Just those three words made my heart flutter.
“And it’s my first date with a beauty…”
Honestly, there was no reason to refuse!
Flowers? Yes.
Tea? Yes.
Boating? Absolutely.
A beauty? Most of all!
How could I pass up everything I liked?
Thinking it was no big deal, I hadn’t told the maid squad in advance…
But apparently, this was quite shocking news to the Ganada maids.
After waking from an unprecedentedly deep sleep on a luxurious bed this morning, Betty leapt at the news that I was going boating, gathering the other maids in a flurry.
And now… here we were.
“All right, first, pick one from here! Which dress will you wear?”
Rrrrrr.
The rack Betty had dragged over with her tiny frame held a dazzling, eye-popping array of dresses.
Frills and lace were standard, and each dress was densely embroidered with exquisite craftsmanship.
She couldn’t possibly be asking me to try all of these, could she?
Hoping it wasn’t true, I asked Betty.
“Where did these dresses come from?”
We don’t have money… you didn’t…
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Dora hesitated slightly before popping her head out to protest.
“They weren’t stolen! All of these dresses were prepared for the Duchess!”
Seeing her so innocently indignant, it seemed Dora was not lying.
Her face always looked like a puppy caught in trouble, so even my clueless self could tell.
Nina, who was always shadowing Dora like a twin and stealing Madeleine pastries meant for Katarina’s dessert, also looked surprisingly confident.
“So, who exactly—?”
“You’ll find out soon enough! That’s not important right now.”
Then what is important…?
Judging by their tightly shut lips, they weren’t planning to tell me the dresses’ origin just yet.
“Anyway, we cannot let things go however the Duchess pleases!”
I sighed deeply, looking at Betty, still resolute.
“Betty, it seems you only picked the flashiest dresses, despite all your worrying…”
“That’s a different matter! To beat Katarina, this much is essential!”
Her eyes have completely lost it.
Betty’s wild eyes burned with a warrior’s determination, like a Cerberus guarding the gates of hell.
Already exhausted, I muttered softly.
“Why do we even have to ‘win’…?”
“That’s to crush the arrogance of those who have looked down on us until now!”
“Cr-crush?”
“Betty’s right.”
Garnet, approaching solemnly, helped me into an enormous petticoat.
With a dress layered over it, I looked so fluffy I might as well float away.
Could I even walk in this?
Perhaps misunderstanding the white pallor of my face, Ria and Mari joined in, dusting my face with powder.
“This is also a pride battle among us maids. We haven’t had the chance to show off before because we stayed in the annex… but now, it’s different!”
“Yes! We will make you the most perfect, adorable, lovely, stylish, elegant, and beautiful little rabbit duchess! Though you already are!”
“Alright, everyone! Let’s ride this momentum, go out, fight, and win!”
“Woooooo!”
“Waaah!”
“Kyaaah!”
“……”
Why… why is this happening…
A date with a beauty is perilous.
Being among the maid squad, I felt like a soldier entering a battlefield without weapons.
Though I remained calm, I couldn’t understand why they were acting like this among themselves.
Here it comes. The “strict, dignified, serious mode” of the Ganada maids…
Since this “serious mode” was nearly impossible to stop, I chose to let them take control.
No doubt, there was fierce rivalry among the maids serving different mistresses.
Once I gave up trying to understand, everything moved at lightning speed.
“My lady, you are so beautiful!”
I looked at myself from various angles in the large mirror Mari brought.
Oh… actually, not bad.
It took quite some effort to stop Betty from making me try on every dress she had brought…
The one I picked, pretending to be thoughtful, suited me surprisingly well.
The pale yellow silk dress gave a soft, buttery impression.
The heart-shaped neckline framed elegant puff sleeves that popped out.
On my head was a cream silk headpiece with luxurious lace.
Anyone would say it was an outfit for a young princess.
It feels a bit embarrassing to wear this at my age…
No, be confident!
After all, this is a romantic fantasy world.
I had just been stuck in a hut, unaware that this was considered normal attire for young ladies here.
Thinking of it that way, I felt much calmer.
And beyond that, I even began to enjoy their reactions.
“How do I look?”
I asked the maids as I swayed slightly.
Thanks to the petticoat, even small movements looked lively.
Even I might look a little cute right now.
Huhuhu.
Just as I was trying to act pretty, Garnet suddenly dropped to her knees.
“What… what is this? Why?”
Why is everyone suddenly so desperate to kneel whenever they see me? Stand up, please!
Just as I hurried toward Garnet in surprise—
“It’s the tulip fairy! A fairy has appeared!”
“……”
No, cancel that.
Acting cute? Forget it!
I really have no immunity to this kind of reaction.
Ignoring my darkening expression, the maids erupted into endless praise, led by Garnet.
“Oh my, our little rabbit milady. Now you’ve become the flower fairy!”
“My eyes might go blind! Milady shines like the morning sun. Sob!”
“Show us your hidden wings! Surely a lady like this cannot not be an angel!”
“Please stop…”
…Going on an outing is exhausting.
I glanced out the window with vacant eyes.
I didn’t want to be late for my appointment with my new friend because of all this fuss.
Fortunately, the morning sun was warm.
I sternly informed the still-shrieking maid squad.
“I’m leaving now. Are you going to keep acting like this? Then I’ll leave you behind.”
“No!”
“We want to take in as much of our current milady as we can!”
“Then hurry up and let’s go. And please, don’t do this in front of other people…”
“Why? You look so adorable!”
“…Sigh.”
Even I have a sense of social decorum…
Just as I tried once more to control the maids,
Knock knock knock.
