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Chapter 18
“I’m doomed.”
As soon as I got home, I immediately pulled out the dress I had hastily shoved into a box.
It was a dress elaborately adorned with delicate satin lace. Even on a second glance, it was incredibly lovely and beautiful.
After briefly admiring it, I stripped off what I was wearing and squeezed myself into the new dress…
“Wow, I really didn’t see this coming.”
I stood frozen, not even fully dressed, with a stunned look on my face when Ecla cautiously approached me.
“Miss, if you were going to try the dress on, you should have told me.”
“Ecla.”
“Yes?”
“How do I look?”
Hoping I was wrong, hoping I had somehow worn the dress incorrectly, I spread my arms wide toward Ecla.
“Wow, my goodness. Even on a second look, it’s truly a stunning dress.”
Yeah, it was an incredibly beautiful dress.
When I nodded with a gloomy face, Ecla scratched the back of her head and added:
“Miss, I’ve never seen a dress this perfect.”
“Mm, right.”
“But why do you look so unhappy? Did my reaction not please you?”
“What? No, that’s not it!”
“Ah, I get it now.”
Ecla clapped her hands together and narrowed her eyes.
“I know why you’re in a bad mood.”
What? How could she possibly know?
“For someone like you, Miss…”
Ecla rubbed her chin and tilted her head.
“…this dress is way too big. That’s why you’re upset, right?”
Exactly.
The dress Zerach had sent was way too big for me.
Why was there so much extra fabric around the arms?
Even the waist was so loose it fluttered with movement.
What do I do now? I said the exact opposite!
“Is it really that big? Do I look ridiculous?”
I should have tried it on at least once.
But I had barely glanced at it before tossing it aside, and now this mess happened.
Why on earth did I say the dress was too small?
I was just looking for any excuse not to wear it, and “It’s too small to fit” seemed like a decent lie…
“I didn’t realize the dress I sent would be too small for you. I apologize.”
I reflexively closed my eyes, remembering Zerach’s genuinely remorseful and self-blaming face.
How many people am I deceiving at this point?
Wow, I’m seriously awful.
This is what it means to be a villainess.
I was hanging my head in shame when Ecla spoke calmly, as if it were nothing.
“Miss, the sleeves and overall length fit well, but the upper arms and waist are quite loose.”
“Then what should we do?”
“We can just alter those areas.”
“Ah, right. I can get it tailored!”
It felt like a rope had been thrown down to pull me out of a pit.
“Ecla, you’re a genius.”
“It’s just basic stuff, really.”
Ecla gave an awkward smile, looking like she didn’t quite get why I was making such a fuss.
“Alright, then take in the waist a little.”
“Just a moment, Miss.”
As she examined the waist, Ecla’s expression turned troubled, and she looked up at me.
“Miss, I don’t think this can be altered.”
“What? Why?”
“This fabric isn’t the kind you can sew with an ordinary needle. If we tamper with it, the whole thing could unravel.”
“……”
“Also, there’s something embroidered along the waistline.”
“What? On the waist?”
I bent down and examined it. Just as she said, there were ancient characters embroidered near the waist.
“What’s this?”
“Not sure. But if we take the waist in, the embroidery will get all messed up.”
“Oh no.”
For a second, I considered just ignoring it and altering it anyway.
But I had a feeling Zerach would notice immediately.
There’s no way he sent the dress without double-checking every detail.
If he finds out I altered a dress I claimed was too small…
“Ugh, if he finds out I lied… just the thought gives me chills.”
Now that I think about it, my acting was too good.
If I’d fumbled the lie a little, maybe it would’ve seemed cute at least.
Sigh, I really don’t know the meaning of “just enough.”
Now what?
Just then, Ecla cautiously spoke up.
“Miss, about this dress… Are you distressed because it was a gift?”
“Yeah.”
“Was His Grace very disappointed you didn’t wear the dress to the ball?”
I nodded slowly.
“Oh no. You should’ve tried it on beforehand.”
And I couldn’t exactly say I deliberately didn’t wear it.
I just kept staring down with a gloomy expression.
“Even if the waist is a little loose, it suits you well, Miss. Can’t you just wear it anyway?”
The thing is… I told him it didn’t fit because it was too small.
After a moment of hesitation, I explained the situation briefly to Ecla.
She didn’t fully understand why I was so afraid of Zerach, but she listened carefully and nodded along.
She was a good listener.
I nearly ended up spilling everything—how much I struggled since becoming Liberata, how I died unjustly for things I didn’t even do.
If I had gone into all that, she would have totally understood why I’m so nervous.
Once I finished, Ecla gasped and clutched her face.
“Good heavens, Miss, why did you tell such a lie?”
From her reaction, it was clear I had seriously messed up.
“It was the only thing I could think of. There was no other way out.”
“But you did save the secretary from getting fired. That part was good.”
“Yeah, that’s something, I guess…”
We stared silently at the dress for a while.
“Ecla, what should I do? Should I just ignore the embroidery and get it altered anyway?”
“But with this delicate fabric, a needle will just tear right through.”
“Maybe I can pretend it tore by accident and had to be thrown away?”
“Then wouldn’t His Grace punish the shop owner for making such a flimsy dress?”
Wow, Ecla.
You already figured out Zerach’s personality.
“Yeah, he probably would.”
“Hmm… what if we wrap something around your waist to make it look like it fits?”
“Oh, that’s a great idea!”
But after wrapping something around my waist like a corset and putting the dress back on, the fit still looked off. Worse, it looked like I was hiding something under the dress.
“This won’t work.”
“Yeah, you look kind of like a stuffed doll.”
“Oh! Then how about this idea?”
I actually do have my clever moments.
“What if I gain some weight to fit into the dress?”
“……”
“Come on, that’s not a bad idea, right?”
But this time, Ecla stared at me like I had lost my mind.
“You want to gain weight?”
“Yeah. If I eat a lot and get a bit of a belly, it’ll fit, won’t it?”
“Are you planning to meet His Grace next year?”
“No.”
“Then… is that even physically possible in such a short time?”
“So it’s not doable?”
“No, fat doesn’t just go to the waist.”
“R-right. Let’s just put it away for now.”
“Put it away?”
“Yeah, let’s pretend it doesn’t exist. And keep a low profile for a while.”
I stuffed the dress back into the box and sealed the lid tightly.
Then Ecla gently spoke up.
“Miss, I think it’s best to just be honest.”
She opened the box and pulled the dress out again.
“If you lie just to get through the moment, you’ll have to keep lying. One lie leads to another.”
“……”
“Eventually, it’ll become too much to handle.”
Ecla was right.
Yes, instead of coming up with silly excuses like “it’s too small,” I should have just told him I didn’t like the dress.
But how could I be honest in front of that face?
If I had done that, maybe I would’ve been the one to lose my head instead of the secretary.
When he looks at me like that, it feels like a cold wind is suddenly blowing from nowhere!
“Thanks, Ecla. You’re right.”
I awkwardly smiled as I packed the dress away again.
“Once His Grace becomes a little less terrifying… then I’ll tell him.”
“Pardon?”
“Until then, the dress is sealed. Completely sealed. Got it?”
Not fully understanding my logic, Ecla just blinked at me in confusion.
