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Chapter 40
The dress rustled softly as it brushed against her, and Joohee walked as carefully as she could, afraid even the slightest movement might damage it.
“Does anything feel uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s comfortable. I like it.”
“I can’t even imagine how beautiful the young lady will look once the dress is fully completed. I’m sure everyone at the ball will fall for you at first sight.”
Joohee turned toward the full-length mirror.
It really was beautiful.
Although the dress didn’t feel restrictive at all when she moved, it still felt strangely uncomfortable—like she was wearing something that didn’t quite belong to her.
Lilia didn’t notice her unease at all and said she would bring the finished dress next time before leaving the room with it.
“Lou, want to go outside?”
At her words, Lou’s tail wagged vigorously.
It was clearly a sign of agreement, so Joohee decided to clear her complicated feelings and took Lou to the garden.
Following a narrow path, a wide garden opened up, with a large tree standing exactly where it always had been.
“Haah…”
There was no one here.
Only then did Joohee let out a deep sigh she had been holding in.
She hadn’t even done anything, but she felt exhausted.
There were still about a month left until the New Year’s ball, but she already wished time would pass quickly.
Leaning against the tree, she sat down, and before she knew it, a small fox had leapt onto her lap.
“Hey there, we meet again.”
“Kyang.”
The fox let out a small sound.
As Joohee gently stroked it, the fox relaxed, letting out a soft breath and going limp.
When she looked up, Lou was already far away, running and playing.
She was quietly watching when the fox suddenly sprang up and ran off in a hurry.
Wondering what was wrong, she soon heard a familiar voice.
“Joohee, you’re here?”
“How did you know I was here?”
“I went to ask if you liked the dress, and they said you were in the garden, so I came.”
Rowen carefully sat down beside her.
“So, how is the dress?”
“It’s pretty. It’s also comfortable to move in.”
“I’m glad. Oh, do you remember?”
“What?”
Her gaze, which had been fixed ahead, finally turned toward Rowen.
Meeting her eyes, he smiled in satisfaction and said,
“On the day we went to the shrine, I said we should come out again during the New Year festival…”
“Oh, yes. You did.”
“I intend to keep that promise.”
At his words, her expression brightened slightly.
“There’s an event where we release sky lanterns that day. They say if you write a wish and send it into the sky, it will come true.”
She had once released a sky lantern in Korea—just once.
“It’s the day after the ball, but the lantern event is in the evening, so you won’t be too tired.”
“…Thank you.”
Rowen had never attended a lantern festival before, but he had already found the best viewing spot.
He had also made a reservation at the most popular restaurant in the capital, thinking it would be nice to have dinner out.
Since she seemed a bit restless, he planned to stay out with her as long as possible before returning.
But unfortunately, Joohee and Rowen would never end up going to the lantern festival together.
* * *
Time seemed to flow slowly, yet also quickly.
It felt like the New Year would never come, but suddenly, it was already the day before the festival.
In the meantime, the dress had been completed and placed in the dressing room, covered with cloth to prevent dust from settling on it.
“Lou, stay in the room tomorrow. Okay?”
What had been worrying lately was that Lou kept sneaking out through the window.
She had been terrified once when she returned from dance lessons and couldn’t find Lou.
She had clearly locked the window before leaving, but the latch had been undone and the window wide open.
It didn’t seem like anyone else had noticed, but that didn’t ease her concern.
When she was about to go out to search, Lou suddenly slipped back into the room through the open window.
“Lou! Where were you?”
Animals couldn’t speak, so she couldn’t even ask where it had gone.
Still, since Lou understood her words, she said sternly,
“Lou, it’s dangerous to go out alone. What if you get hurt? Don’t do it again.”
Lou drooped its ears at that, but from then on, it started sneaking out without her noticing.
Even though she had locked the window carefully, she had no idea how it kept opening.
But tomorrow would be different—many nobles would visit, and Lou absolutely could not wander outside.
She could already imagine the chaos if someone discovered Lou.
“Promise me. Stay in the room.”
“Kyiiing…”
Letting out a sad sound, Lou flicked its tail twice, as if agreeing.
Joohee felt relieved, but her worry didn’t fully disappear.
It was already time to sleep, as she had to wake up early the next morning.
Yet for some reason, she couldn’t fall asleep, tossing and turning with a restless feeling.
She eventually drifted off, but only a few hours later, she was shaken awake by someone.
“Please wake up. It’s time to get ready.”
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Joohee sat up.
She had tried to insist on washing alone, but the maids firmly refused, saying they had to massage her body and apply oils.
So she ended up going into the bath with them.
The maids moved quickly.
They massaged her while applying a rose-scented oil that filled the air with a soft fragrance.
At first, it felt uncomfortable, but she gradually relaxed as time passed.
She wasn’t sure how long it took, but it felt much longer than usual.
After finally finishing the bath, she came out to find a maid holding a small bowl with something unknown inside.
“We will now apply a whitening facial mask. It may feel a little cold.”
After lying down and having the thick, unfamiliar substance applied to her face a couple of times, she was finally allowed up.
Sitting in front of the vanity, a maid began drying her hair busily.
“How would you like your hair styled?”
“Just… do whatever you think is best.”
“Yes, understood.”
While one maid styled her hair, another began applying makeup.
First, a thin layer of powder was applied to her skin, then her eyes were darkened with a fine brush.
Glittering powder was added to her eyelids, and color was brought to her cheeks.
Her eyelashes were carefully curled with a heated tool, and finally, deep red lipstick was applied.
Her hair styling was completed alongside it.
“Please open your eyes.”
Joohee slowly opened her eyes, and the maids held their breath.
With glitter applied to her eyelids, her dark eyes looked even more mysterious.
Her pale skin made her red lips stand out beautifully.
Her long hair, which had reached her waist, was divided into several strands, braided, and intricately pinned up.
Jewels embedded in hairpins sparkled between the strands, making her hair look like falling starlight.
Joohee unconsciously touched her neck, feeling exposed.
She then stood up and walked toward the dressing room.
A maid removed the white cloth covering the dress to prevent dust from settling.
But the moment Joohee saw it, her eyes widened in shock.
“…Who did this!”
The maid beside her gasped and rushed forward.
The dress, which had been perfectly fine the day before, was now horribly torn on one side.
It was clearly deliberate damage.
“What do we do? There’s so little time before the ball… Does Madame have a spare dress?”
Panicked, a maid rushed out to call Lilia.
Joohee stared at the dress with lowered eyes.
The maids around her bowed deeply.
“We are truly sorry. It is our fault. We will accept any punishment.”
“No, it’s fine. It already happened, there’s nothing we can do.”
Joohee tilted her head slightly, deep in thought.
She had seen the dress perfectly fine with her own eyes the day before.
No one had entered the dressing room after that.
Then something flashed through her mind like lightning.
“Come to think of it… I did go out for a walk last night.”
She had gone to the garden with Lou.
No one had been in the room then.
So someone must have slipped in and torn the dress.
“Was anyone in the room while I went for a walk last night?”
“What? No, not that I know of.”
The maid tilted her head, then shook it.
For now, Joohee decided to find the culprit later and waited for Lilia.
Soon after, Lilia rushed into the dressing room.
“W-W-What on earth! My masterpiece…!”
She screamed and grabbed the dress, trembling.
“Who! Who did this terrible thing to my dress!”
Unlike her usual gentle smile, her eyes were now sharp and furious, making the maids flinch and bow their heads.
Lilia bit her lip hard.
“The only spare dresses are failed prototypes… There’s no time to make a new one. Should I try repairing it? But the stitching will still show…”
At that moment, Joohee placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Miss?”
“Lilia, I have a good idea. Would you like to hear it?”
“What idea?”
Joohee tilted her head slightly and whispered into her ear.
As she listened, Lilia’s eyes slowly widened as she looked at Joohee.
