Chapter 11: The ball (1)
"Shirley and Amber, please get our lady's dress that is hanging over there," Sadie pointed at a corner of the bedroom. "I'm almost done with tying our lady's corset."
"There is no need to rush," Isabella said resignedly.
"Why, my lady? Is something the matter?" Sadie asked while the other attendants stopped in their tracks and watched Isabella's reaction.
'Although it is known to a few household members of the Rosenbloom estate that I have the gift of foresight, they do not however know to what extent my powers are. When I was eighteen-- as in this current timeline I'm in-- my powers were minimal and there was no way I would know a future that is days and days ahead. Knowledge of the events that are to follow upon attending the ball and the months and years ahead is something that I'd learnt from my past life, not from my foresight.'
Isabella glanced at Sadie who had titled her head slightly as she waited for Isabella's reply. Isabella sighed.
"I just need a few minutes to take a breather. My… chest feels constricted," Isabella said in a rather awkward manner.
"Yes, my lady," Sadie and the other female attendants said.
Although she felt a pang of guilt, it was not as if what she had said was completely false either. Just the thought of seeing the crown prince and reliving the future that is to come was painful and lonely.
'Explaining everything would only lead to more trouble. If I were to be completely truthful and be explicit in all the details, I could either affect the sequence of events that are to come-- well, if people do believe me. If however, no one believes me, I could be sent to the mental institution which would not bode well for me. For now, let's just do what little control I have in this situation...'
Clearing her throat and attempting to sound as resolute as possible, Isabella then said, "Please fetch me the floral pink dress that my late father had gifted to me."
The female attendants collectively gasped.
"My lady, what about the blue dress that you're supposed to match with the crown prince?" Sadie asked.
'Well, in about two hours' time, a royal servant will rush over to our estate, just as I'm entering the carriage, to inform them that the prince had made a last minute decision to change into a red and black outfit. By then, it would be too late for him to change as he had already gone to greet the nobles and aristocrats. Well, that was the excuse he had provided the royal servant with,' Isabella thought bitterly.
"No, we are not officially engaged and thus, there is no actual obligation to match our outfits with one another. Besides, knowing him, there is a chance that he may change his mind at the very last minute," Isabella replied.
"What do you mean?" Shirley asked.
"It's just a feeling. Now, please help me fit into the floral pink dress. Although I had not worn it since it was Father's last present to me before his passing, I can't help but miss him. I just hope that I will be able to wear the beautiful dress even after a year has passed," Isabella answered in a rather sad tone.
It was true that Isabella missed her father but the truth was that she knew that she would definitely stand out in the dress. No one will have a dress similar to hers. The dress had been specially made upon her father's orders. Her father may not have personally designed it, but he did give a rough description of how he wanted the dress to look like.
The bodice of the dress was of coral pink satin fabric that was imported from the Norman Empire, a neighbouring ally of their nation. With her shoulders exposed, a soft looking voile fabric of a slightly darkened rose colour was sewn onto the top part of the dress. Since the colour itself was rare and difficult to obtain, the overall time taken to make the dress took nearly two years.
Not even the countless handmade roses and petals that were attached to the dress took nearly as much time as it took to prepare the voile fabric. All-in-all, the dress is one of a kind and her belated father has painstakingly gotten this dress made for his one and only daughter, Isabella. It was supposed to be worn upon Isabella's eighteenth birthday but Isabella has decided to wear the dress on this very day instead.
'This time, there is no way Marianna would be able to purposely wear a matching outfit with the crown prince and claim that I copied her. In truth, she was the one who purposely wore the same outfit as I did and publicly flaunted around in that dress. The nobles and aristocrats immediately assumed that I was being jealous and had intentionally copied Marianna instead.'
Isabella sighed.
It was later found out that it was all Marianna who had somehow managed to puppeteer the crown prince and servants to make it look as if the dresses were sent from the Emperor himself. However, by the time it was found out, I was already the named Empress candidate and Marianna, the royal concubine. The prince-- well, Emperor when it was all revealed-- fiercely protected Marianna. Ultimately, there was nothing that could have been done.
Isabella glanced at Amber who had been silent the whole time. Although the girl was attempting to mask her expression, her eyes were shifting rapidly. The female attendant had realised that everything her mistress had planned was beginning to fall apart. Isabella suppressed a bitter smile.
'Yes, I'm going to make sure that your mistress, Marianna, will not get the better of me this time. I'm not even going to bother matching with the crown prince's outfit for I know that regardless of whether the scheme succeeded or not, he would ignore my presence. So, why should I even make the effort? This time, I will show him and everyone else that I'm not the pitiful Empress I once was. No, I will not even be the Empress this time. Well, not that any other soul would know about all this anyway.'
As Isabella observed, Amber began to fidget. It was obvious that the spy was trying to figure out a way of how she would get the plan back on track.
'... or she will be trying to send a message to her mistress to alert her of the change in plans. Well, she may even try to inform mother about this. Mother is all about pleasing the royals. Thus, she will unfittingly push for a dress which matches the crown prince's outfit. Regardless of whatever Amber is up to, I must not let her out of my sight.'
"My lady--" Amber began to say but Isabella interrupted her.
"Oh. That reminds me. Amber, I want you to find the pink necklace that father had given to match with this dress. I'm not sure of where I've kept it, but it should be within one of the drawers or jewellery boxes inside the walk-in closet. Please get it for me," Isabella said.
"Ah, yes, my lady," Amber replied and Isabella secretly enjoyed Amber's anxious expression.
In truth, the necklace that was safely in the drawer of the dresser table that Isabella was currently sitting at. She had lied to make sure that the spy was still stuck to her side while at the same time, quite a distance away from overhearing anything of importance.
Knowing that Shirley was not one who wanted to approach her mother-- since everyone was actually fearful of the Duchess-- nor was she one to gossip, Isabella decided to make an excuse to get the female attendant out of the room.
"Shirley, I'd like some chamomile tea. I need something to calm my nerves. Sadie will be able to take over from here," Isabella said.
"Yes, my lady. I will be back soon," Shirley bowed and left the room.
Glancing towards the walk-in closet, Isabella could still catch glimpses of Amber's uniform's skirt as she searched around the closet for the jewellery. Since the jewellery boxes were mainly stacked on the floor, under the countless dresses, the chances of the spy being able to eavesdrop is minimal if at all.
As Sadie leaned close to fit the pink dress, Isabella spoke in a low tone, "Any news from Elijah Theroux?"
She had sent a letter on the very day she had returned to the past. It had been about eight days since the letter was sent but no reply had been received yet. Although she had never known Elijah personally during her youth, it was still odd that there was still no news from him.
"No, my lady," Sadie answered.
"I see. How about the rest of the Theroux family?" Isabella asked.
"Duchess Theroux is still in the cold mountains of the Norman Empire for an archeological expedition, while Duke Theroux is currently travelling around the empire to advocate for the latest policy under the command of the Emperor. It is assumed that the three children of the Theroux family have followed their parents."
"I see. Perhaps they will miss the ball entirely. They will not be able to return any time soon."
"Yes," Sadie replied.
'I will just have to get through the night and hope to eventually meet Elijah someday soon.'
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