Chapter 90: A Carefully Prepared Look
Evelia rushed back to her bedroom as fast as she could.
Since she had planned her route to get out, of course she had already planned her way back in too.
She had studied the servants’ schedules ahead of time, so as long as she avoided a few idle workers, she could leave and return without anyone noticing.
The first thing Evelia did when she got back was take off her clothes and quickly stuff everything into her alchemy mark. Then she stood in front of the full-length mirror, checking every part of her body.
Her forehead, arms, back, chest…
She twisted and turned in front of the mirror, afraid that the fight just now might have left a bruise or scratch somewhere.
Luckily, there weren’t any visible injuries.
Only her wrist was a little sore from the black figure’s punch, but it wasn’t a big problem and didn’t leave a bruise. Besides, her dress came with gloves that would cover her wrists, so it didn’t really matter.
Evelia lived in a dorm arranged for her by Armand. So, of course, she had her own bathroom and a private shower room.
After taking off her black night outfit and red cloak, she walked into the bathroom with nothing on and cleaned herself in the hot water she had prepared before she left.
When she first started bathing in this body, she had found it very annoying, especially when drying her hair. The towel would get full of loose hairs that clung stubbornly no matter how much she tried to shake them off, and the wet strands sticking to her back felt really uncomfortable. Because her hair had grown longer, it also took much longer to dry. But now, she had slowly gotten used to it.
After all, that was just how Evelia was. She didn’t really care what kind of body she had. In her own eyes, she was just a tool for the Second Prince. And what a tool looked like had nothing to do with the tool’s own feelings.
While Evelia washed away the dust and rusty smell from her body, Armand had also returned.
As always, he wore his white knight uniform and stepped down from the knight order’s carriage. After chatting briefly with the guard at the gate about the festival, he walked straight to the main building.
The first thing he did was also take a bath.
The old butler had already prepared warm water and clothes for him. Compared to Evelia’s complicated dress, his outfit was much easier to put on. So he had more free time than Evelia.
“Phew—”
Armand’s bathroom was much bigger than Evelia’s. The whole room was his personal bath area. But instead of soaking in a tub, he preferred to stand and let the water fall from above, with one hand against the wall. That way, he could stay clear-headed. If he sat in a warm bath, he’d just start feeling sleepy.
On the other side, Evelia had already stepped out of her bathroom.
She used a towel to dry her long hair as much as possible, then changed into her maid uniform. Holding the box that contained her gown, she also headed toward the main building.
Since Evelia didn’t know how to put on the complicated gown, the job had been fully handed over to the maids Armand had assigned.
Those young girls were very good at dressing people up. When they found out that Evelia would attend the ball as Armand’s dance partner, they got really excited and said they wanted to make her the most beautiful woman at the event.
However, Armand felt a bit conflicted about this. Of course, he hoped Evelia would show her most beautiful side. But at the same time, he didn’t want her to look too beautiful, especially in front of so many other men.
But in the end, he kept those thoughts to himself. He knew he didn’t really have the right to limit Evelia’s choices. Even when he got involved in the gown’s design earlier, he felt he might have gone a bit too far.
Thanks to Evelia’s quick pace, even with the unexpected delay during the mission, she still made it to the room next to Armand’s bedroom at the agreed time. The maids were already waiting. When Evelia gently knocked on the door, the girls warmly welcomed her in, closed the door softly behind her, and led her to the vanity table.
Just a few seconds after the door shut, Armand came out of his bathroom, drying his hair. He walked past Evelia’s room and into his own bedroom.
The old butler had already laid out the knight dress uniform he would wear. Although there were a few extra accessories and his hair needed to be styled, it was clearly a lot simpler than what Evelia had to deal with.
Unlike Armand, who only had one old butler helping him, Evelia was now surrounded by five young girls. One was fixing her makeup, another was combing her hair, one was painting her nails even though gloves would cover them, one was picking out jewelry, and another was studying the gown, trying to figure out how to put it on perfectly.
Evelia wasn’t used to being surrounded by so many people, so she felt a little awkward. She sat quietly in front of the dressing mirror, watching the girls decorate her body. She couldn’t really tell what was considered beautiful or not. She just wanted to look good enough to catch Armand’s attention.
Evelia didn’t suit heavy makeup, so her look was kept fresh and pure. The maid who was doing her hair looked at the design of the gown and firmly decided to braid Evelia’s long pink hair back, twisting it into a neat bun on the right side of her head. Then she tied a long, thin blue ribbon into a butterfly shape to finish the look.
The gown was meant to be worn from the bottom up, so putting it on wouldn’t mess up her styled hair or makeup. Evelia stood up and raised her arms while the girls carefully helped her into the dress designed by Anna. After that, they rushed around picking different types of jewelry, comparing pieces to see which ones matched her best.
Since Armand had always lived alone and never wore accessories, there weren’t any women’s jewelry in the mansion. All of this jewelry had been bought last-minute by Armand. He wasn’t very good at picking these kinds of things, so he just bought everything.
Even though Armand wasn’t a noble and didn’t have land or a family business, the Crown Prince had never treated him poorly with money. You could tell just from the luxurious mansion that the Crown Prince was willing to give Armand a big budget. And since Armand wasn’t someone who liked to spend much, his savings were more than enough to buy all the jewelry.
Even if he hadn’t had enough, he had a rich merchant buddy. To Carle, this kind of money was pocket change, not even enough to make him frown. Armand could have just sent the bill to Carle and let him pay for it. Carle and Anna truly worried a lot about both Armand and Evelia.
"All done, Miss Evelia, come have a look!"
Just as Evelia was still thinking about what she was supposed to do at the ball, the maids proudly finished their work. They looked at their "perfect creation" and happily led Evelia to the full-length mirror.
Evelia had a naturally good appearance, so even with light makeup, she looked stunning, so much that it was hard to look away.
Her skin was pale and smooth, and her golden eyes were like amber, as if they held sunlight sealed within. But that light didn’t just shine. It was deep and mysterious, like it was hiding a secret that no one could uncover.
Her curled eyelashes covered her amber eyes slightly. With her white skin, she looked like a graceful black butterfly resting on snow, quiet and full of mystery.
Her lips, glossy from the lipstick, were soft and full like a peach covered in raindrops after a rainy night. Just looking at them made people want to take a bite, as if tasting that sweetness would make life feel complete.
Her pink hair had been braided beautifully. It looked like a shy pink rose, and the long blue ribbon hanging down was like the rose’s stem, holding and protecting the delicate petals.
The hairstyle was clearly chosen to match the gown, because the dress was backless. Evelia’s lovely back could leave anyone stunned for a few seconds. Her smooth and elegant back lines, matched with her pure makeup, gave off a holy feeling, one that made people feel like staring too long would be disrespectful.
The maids all seemed to understand what the color blue stood for, so they chose a blue crystal necklace. It was small, about the size of a thumb. But under the lights, it looked beautiful, almost like it had a tiny ocean inside.
Below her delicate neck was the gown’s main feature.
When worn, the gown looked much more stunning than it did laid flat. With every small movement, the flowing blue fabric shimmered like a river of stars across her body. The touches of white and gold made the dress feel holy and divine, like an angel sent by a god had gently stepped down into the human world.
But under the long gown, a delicate blue strap circled her thigh. That strap looked like a chain, holding the angel in place. The way it hugged her skin hinted at something forbidden, as if even the purest being would willingly fall to earth just for you.
The girls were close to tears looking at their masterpiece. Even they couldn’t help but feel moved by how beautiful Evelia was. They stared at her with teary eyes, holding back a flood of compliments, unsure which one to say first.
But Evelia didn’t seem to realize how beautiful she was. She simply nodded and thanked them before turning the doorknob in her deep blue high heels.
At that exact moment, with a soft “click,” Armand stepped out of the room next door.
“Mr. Armand.”
She took two steps forward and bowed politely. She was actually still a bit nervous inside, partly because she wasn’t sure if her appearance was good enough to please Armand, and partly because she was afraid there might still be some flaw she had missed.
“……”
But Armand had no time to look for any flaws. The moment Evelia appeared in front of him, his eyes were completely drawn to her. His brain had no space to think about tiny details.
He rubbed his ear while staring straight at Evelia, unable to look away.
He was wearing the white ceremonial knight uniform made just for him by the royal family. A deep blue cloak was draped over one shoulder, and the color matched Evelia’s dress perfectly.
The medal on Armand’s chest should have stood out, but he had earned so many awards that there wasn’t even space to wear them all. So he simply wore one, just one, that showed he was the Commander of the Royal Knights. That single medal alone was enough to show his power and status.
Armand hadn’t put on any makeup like the ladies. First, he didn’t think men needed it. Second, his face was already handsome enough without it. He had only tidied his hair a bit so it wouldn’t look messy like before. Now, he looked neat and elegant, but not stiff like an old nobleman.
Armand considered himself fairly good-looking. The nearby maids, watching the scene, were already blushing and their hearts were beating faster just from seeing him in that well-fitted uniform. But to Armand, he actually felt that no matter how nicely he had dressed, it still wasn’t enough to match Evelia.
If he had known this would happen, he really should’ve told them not to make Evelia look so stunning...
He even felt a bit of regret in his heart.
Just the thought of so many people at the ballroom staring at Evelia made him feel uneasy. He even wondered if he should find some excuse to skip the ballroom altogether, just so no one else could get any ideas about her.
That worry showed on his face, and Evelia quickly noticed his frown. Her heart tightened with fear.
“Mr. Armand… do you not like how I look today?” Her face stayed calm, but inside she was nervous, afraid that maybe what she feared was true.
“How could I not?” Armand quickly relaxed his frown and answered, “Of course I like it…”
He liked it so much that saying “I don’t like it” would feel like committing a terrible crime worthy of death.
“That’s good then. I’m glad you like it, Mr. Armand.”
Evelia let out a quiet sigh of relief, and at the same time, felt a strange sense of happiness, though she didn’t quite know why.
Then she noticed something else, Armand smelled like her. That soft, light scent from her perfume… it was now wrapped around Armand too.
Evelia thought, ‘This is perfect, he didn’t forget our promise… he’s wearing a scent that belongs only to me…’
“Master, Miss Evelia, it’s time. You two need to get on the carriage now.”
The old butler saw that it was getting late and gently reminded them to leave the main house and head to the front gate, where the carriage was waiting to take them to the ball.
Armand and Evelia snapped out of their quiet moment and looked at each other.
Armand walked over to Evelia and held out his arm. At first, Evelia didn’t understand what he meant. It wasn’t until he softly whispered, “Take my arm,” that she realized and quickly reached out to hold it.
But she misjudged the space between them, and as she stepped closer, her chest pressed lightly against Armand’s arm.
“……”
Armand didn’t dare to say anything or move at all. He took a deep, slightly awkward breath and looked down at Evelia, only to find her looking up at him with those wide, innocent eyes.
That made it even harder to say anything.
So he simply endured the soft touch, led Evelia out of the mansion, and helped her into the carriage with him as they headed to the royal palace.
After they left, the maids watching from behind were overjoyed. Seeing such a handsome man and beautiful woman together made their hearts race, like they were watching a scene from a romantic movie.
“I told you Mr. Armand and Miss Evelia were a perfect match!”
“Oh my god… I’m melting. I’m full. This is exactly like the main couple from a romance novel…”
“But girls, am I the only one who ships Miss Evelia… with ketchup?”
“I really think… in her heart, Evelia might like ketchup more than she likes Mr. Armand.”
Everyone turned their heads to look at the girl who had just said such a wild thing.
“Shipping everything like that will only mess you up...!”