Chapter 15

The Children’s Ball

Madame Lys arrived at the ducal estate on the promised day, delivering the dresses herself.
Judging by the dark circles under her eyes, it seemed she hadn’t slept properly for nearly three days.

Seeing her like that reminded me of my own all-nighters during exam season in my previous life,
so I gifted her an entire cake freshly baked by the new pâtissier.

Nothing beats something sweet after a sleepless night.

I told her she could go home and rest, but Madame Lys was far more professional than I’d imagined.
She insisted on staying until the children had tried on the clothes—
because she couldn’t leave without confirming the fit.
So instead of tea, I served her coffee with an indecent amount of sugar in it.

Her assistants neatly displayed the completed dresses and suits in my private sitting room.

“They’re even prettier than I imagined. You’ve worked hard,” I said, admiring them.

The outfits were far beyond what I had pictured—delicate, elegant, and flawlessly made.

“I only did what I was paid for,” she replied modestly.

Her face, however, was pale and thin. Seeing her like that made me feel a little guilty.

Just as I finished my coffee, the door opened. The first to arrive were Lemon and Green.

Lemon ran in first, panting a little, followed by the calm and composed Green.
The moment Lemon entered and saw the dress waiting for her, her eyes widened.

She forgot to even greet me—her gaze locked entirely on the dress.
Even when Green nudged her and whispered, “Greet Her Highness,”
Lemon couldn’t tear her eyes away.

“Do you like it, Lemon?” I asked.

At last, she turned to me—her cheeks flushed bright red.

“Is… is that my dress?”

I nodded, and her eyes grew even wider. Then she broke into the brightest smile.

“It’s so beautiful! Oh my gosh!”

She dashed toward me and threw her arms around me.

“Thank you! I love it so much!”

Her pure joy was contagious—I couldn’t help but smile too.

“I’m glad you like it,” I said.

Lemon’s delight made me feel proud, and Madame Lys looked just as pleased—
her tired face softening into a proud smile. I silently thanked her in my heart.

Her assistants brought in folding screens to help the children change.

“We’ll assist you with the fitting,” one of them said.

“All right, try it on, Lemon,” I told her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lemon nodded and disappeared behind the screen.

Once she was gone, Green spoke quietly.

“Thank you very much.”

He was sitting politely, looking so mature that I found myself patting his head fondly.

“Do you like your outfit?” I asked.

He smiled and nodded. I chuckled softly—he really was adorable.

A short while later, Lemon emerged in her new dress.

The yellow gown was adorned with white pearls and yellow roses—it suited her perfectly.
Madame Lys looked at her with satisfaction, clearly pleased with her own handiwork.

Lemon blushed shyly.
“Do I look all right?”

“You look beautiful,” I told her.

At that, Lemon grinned from ear to ear.

“Thank you! I was worrying because I didn’t have a proper dress for the ball.”

Her words froze my smile.

Wait—your family’s rich, aren’t they?
And they didn’t even buy you a single dress?
How stingy can these noble parents be?

But before I could get too worked up, Green quickly explained, having sensed my thoughts.

“We don’t usually attend balls, Your Highness. And Lemon just bought so many dresses a few days ago that her wardrobe’s full.”

Ah. So that’s how it was.

I felt a bit embarrassed for misunderstanding.

Green gently scolded Lemon for her earlier remark,
but Lemon was too happy with her new gown to care—she just kept smiling.
After calming down, she picked up Green’s tuxedo and handed it to him.

“Your turn! Try it on!”

Green grimaced and waved his hands. “No, thanks.”

But Lemon wouldn’t give up.
“Come on! It’s rude not to try on a gift!”

Then she turned those pleading eyes on me for help.

Now I was caught between them—two sets of imploring twin eyes staring at me.

Honestly, I thought there was no need for him to wear the whole outfit;
we’d already checked the sizing.
But Lemon wasn’t wrong either—trying it on properly was a way to show appreciation.

I was still deciding whose side to take when the door suddenly opened with a clack.

Jasmine and Len entered, holding hands.
The moment Jasmine saw the dresses hanging on the mannequins,
she bolted toward them without even greeting me.

Len, ever polite, came over first and bowed.

“Good afternoon, Your Highness.”

“Hello, Len.”

Like Lemon, Jasmine’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.
Honestly, I felt a little overshadowed by the dresses.

Oh well. As long as they’re happy.

Unlike the girls, Len didn’t seem too interested in the dresses—she sat beside me quietly.

“They’re very pretty,” she said softly, looking at Lemon’s gown.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed too. She looked adorable.

I smiled and patted her head.

“There’s one for you as well. I hope you’ll like it.”

Just as I was about to point to her dress, Lemon shrieked.

“Don’t!!”

Startled, Len and I turned toward her.

Jasmine was in the middle of taking her clothes off,
and Lemon was desperately grabbing her by the collar to stop her.
Green had turned around, too embarrassed to interfere.

We all stood frozen, too stunned to react.

“Don’t just stand there—help me!” Lemon yelled.

That snapped Len out of it—she ran over and lifted Jasmine away.

Thwarted, Jasmine’s lips trembled.
“You wore one too! I wanna try it on too!”

And then she burst into tears.

Len began gently patting her back, trying to calm her down.
I walked over and took Jasmine into my arms. She clung to my neck, sobbing hard.

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” I soothed, rocking her gently.

Then I looked over at Len.
“I’ll calm Jasmine down. Go ahead and try yours on.”

I gestured to the assistants, and they led Len behind a screen.

Len didn’t want to go—she kept glancing back at Jasmine worriedly—
but the attendants ushered her inside.

I carried Jasmine and patted her back, walking slowly around the room.

Honestly, in my past life, no one would’ve scolded a three-year-old for stripping down to their underwear.
But this was a conservative noble society—and Jasmine was a noble girl.
Of course she had to be stopped.

My shoulder was soaked with her tears, but it didn’t bother me.
As a former kindergarten teacher, I was used to comforting crying kids.
Compared to my past students, the Child family’s children were angels—
rarely noisy or quarrelsome. Incidents like this were almost refreshing.

Lemon sat nearby with a worried frown, while Green tried to comfort her.
I couldn’t help smiling softly.

Such good kids.

When our eyes met, I mouthed, “Good job, Lemon.”

Her face brightened immediately, and I felt relieved.

Before long, Jasmine stopped crying and sniffled loudly.

“I wanna… wear a dress too…”

“You will,” I said, smiling. “But you can’t just undress anywhere, okay?
You’re a lady, remember?”

Jasmine nodded solemnly. Then she wriggled in my arms, wanting to be put down.
The moment her feet touched the floor, she ran to Lemon and hugged her.

“Tank you, sissy.”

Lemon smiled fondly at her.

Just then, Len emerged from behind the screen in her dress,
and we all gasped.

She really was beautiful.

Where Lemon looked cute and bright, Len’s dress gave her a mature, graceful air.

Len blushed deeply as Lemon and I showered her with compliments.
Jasmine—now calm and dressed herself—spun in circles beside us, demanding praise too.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her, and Green scooped her up easily.

“You look lovely, little sister,” he said warmly.

Jasmine giggled happily in his arms.

Now only Toma was left to try his on.
But even as the sun began to set, he hadn’t shown up.

When the dresses arrived earlier, he’d been at training,
so I’d told someone to inform him to come after.
It seemed his training session was still going.

The door opened again.

I turned, expecting Toma—
but it was Baridas who walked in instead.

He froze, eyes widening as he took in the sight of the children in their finery.

The kids stopped playing and politely greeted him one by one.
He nodded in acknowledgment, then strode toward me.

The way he looked at me made me feel guilty for no reason at all.
So this must be what interrogation suspects feel like.

“Hello,” I said first.

He bowed slightly. “I didn’t expect you to prepare all this. Thank you, Your Highness.”

He glanced around, examining the children’s dresses.
They were clearly designed to match my own gown—
which meant he must’ve realized it was intentional.

I smiled confidently.
See? I’m good at my job. Wouldn’t you like to hire me, dear parent-figure?

“It’s nothing,” I replied casually.

“I’ll have the ducal household reimburse you for the cost,” he offered.

That might’ve been considerate from his point of view,
but it completely ruined my intention—these were gifts from me.

I had bought them with my own money,
and there was no way I’d take payment for them.

“It’s fine. After all, my dress was made by the ducal atelier, wasn’t it?
Let’s call it even.”

Honestly, my dress probably cost more than all five of the children’s outfits combined.

Baridas tilted his head slightly. “Even?”

Ah. Right. They probably don’t use that phrase here.
How should I explain it?

After thinking a moment, I said the closest equivalent I could think of.

“Let’s just say… we’re even. A tie.”

Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he chuckled softly.

“All right. Let’s call it even.”

At least he got it.

Satisfied, I smiled brightly—completely unaware
of how he planned to “return the favor” later.