I Once Thought I Had No Place, Being Married Off to An Enemy Nation as A Token of Apology but That Was Only for One Night - Chapter 14

“A debut party? Not the one from the other day?”

It was during my morning preparations. I tilted my head in confusion when Frieda informed me of an upcoming debut party.

“The previous event was the Marriage Rite. It was for the legal procedures and to present you to the citizens. However, this one is for the nobility. We postponed it because we expected the reception toward you, Princess Noel, to be quite harsh.” “Ah, I see.”

I felt as though I had heard something about this just before I drifted off to sleep. This was entirely my oversight.

“When did you say it was?” “In three days.” “That is problematic.”

Having been forsaken by my parents and detested even as a Saint, I rarely attended festivities. Since I had been in a growth spurt until recently, I owned only a single party dress. When I confessed this situation, Frieda began to cry on the spot.

“To think that despite being a Princess, you could not even obtain a dress freely. You have truly suffered. As I thought, I cannot forgive that Crown Prince. Please give me permission to destroy that entire country.” “Calm down. Heel, Frieda, heel.”

Her loyalty had surpassed all reasonable limits. I had to tell her to stay.

It was true that the military of the Rayvel Empire was strong. They certainly possessed enough military might to crush the Kingdom of Ashtal. However, most of that force was dedicated to dealing with monsters spawned from the miasma. Actually destroying the kingdom would likely be impossible.

Wait. If that were the case, would it be possible after I finished purifying the Hexagon Halls? No, regardless of whether it were possible, I had no desire to destroy a country where people dear to me still lived.

However, I did want to return to Ashtal once. I wanted to conduct research in the forbidden library to find a way to break Emperor Albert’s curse.

But now was not the time to be thinking about that.

“First, let us think about what to do for a dress.” “Yes, of course. Um, I assume you do not have a preferred tailor, Princess Noel?” “Correct. So, if you have a recommendation, could you introduce me to them?” “Certainly. I shall bring them here immediately.”

That was the morning. Shortly after noon, the tailor Frieda had summoned arrived. I sat on the sofa to receive her, while Frieda stood behind me as my lady in waiting.

The woman who entered the room appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She was neither too flashy nor too plain. Her appearance carried the pride of a professional tailor as she bowed respectfully in the center of the room.

“Lady Frieda, thank you for summoning me. I am Grete the tailor.” “Thank you for responding to such short notice. As I mentioned beforehand, I would like you to make a party dress for Princess Noel today.” “I understand the request. However, did you say the party is in three days?” “It is. For certain reasons, we need it completed by then. Is it possible?”

Grete shook her head at Frieda’s question.

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to create a party dress from scratch in three days.” “I thought as much. Are there any other options?” “Well, if we were only altering a ready made garment, we might manage. Sadly, my shop does not handle ready made items. Do you have anything suitable on hand?” “On hand? My dresses are far too different in size. Besides, the dresses I wear would not be fitting for Princess Noel’s status. What are we to do?”

Frieda looked thoughtful. She was currently speaking to Grete in her capacity as a lady in waiting, so her tone was polite, but her request was quite unreasonable.

“Frieda, if it is impossible, it is impossible. Worst case, I shall wear the dress I used for the Marriage Rite.” “I beg your pardon, but I believe that would create a poor impression among the other nobles.”

Grete stopped me gently.

“But if it cannot be done, it cannot be done, right?” “Excuse me, but Princess Noel, you seem quite different from the rumors.” “Oh? What kind of rumors are there about me?” “I ask for your forgiveness on that matter.” “It is fine, tell me. I will not punish you for it. Frieda, you do not mind, do you?” “I would not recommend it, but.”

Frieda nodded reluctantly, and seeing this, Grete responded hesitantly.

“The common folk in the capital whisper that you might be the reincarnation of the White Saint. However, among the nobility, the talk is of an ominous Saint of Black Snow trying to take the place of the Great Saint.” “What did you say?!” “Stop it, Frieda. Do you intend to make a liar out of me?”

When I cut her off, she showed a flicker of anger, then conflict, before finally obeying. “As you command, Princess Noel.” Good. She was starting to become a bit more flexible.

“Thank you for telling me, Grete.” “No, I did nothing. But are you not angry?” “I am used to those sorts of rumors.”

I laughed it off as if it were nothing. Grete began to sink into thought. It seemed my reputation in the Empire was indeed poor. Improving it would have to be a goal for the future.

“For now, I ask you to alter the dress I wore the other day. With a few adjustments, we can disguise it somewhat.” “That is possible, but please wait a moment.”

Grete asked for a moment of my time and gave some instructions to her male assistant. Shortly after, she took an item from him and slowly spread it out before me.

“Oh, a finished dress.” “How about we use this as a base and tailor it specifically for Princess Noel?” “That dress? The design is lovely, but was it not ordered by someone else?” “This is a dress we prepared for the White Saint.”

My fingers twitched, but I allowed no further signs of agitation to show.

“What do you mean? The White Saint has not appeared yet.” “Of course I know that. However, she will surely return one day. We prepared this dress, envisioning her, so that we could offer it to her immediately when that time comes.” “Is it alright to use such an important dress now? If I wear it, the design will no longer be exclusive, and there is a chance the White Saint might appear before you can make a new one.”

I knew that would not happen, but she did not. When I asked why she would do this, she gave a small smile.

“It does not matter. To be honest, the moment I saw Princess Noel, I felt it. There is no one else more suited to wear this dress than you.”

Her blue eyes looked straight at me. I met her gaze and exhaled softly.

“I see. Then I shall accept your kindness. Shall we start with the measurements?” “Yes. Leave it to me. I will certainly meet your expectations.”

With a confident smile, she began taking my measurements.

Thus, the problem of my dress was solved, however.

“Princess Noel, I feel so frustrated.”

After Grete left, Frieda’s shoulders trembled. There were faint tears in her eyes.

“What has come over you all of a sudden?” “Even a tailor recognized at first sight that Princess Noel is the White Saint. Yet, until I saw your white snow, I never even imagined it. And I thought I revered you more than anyone.”

Recognized me as the White Saint? What was she talking about? Oh, I see.

“Frieda, it is not as if Grete realized I was the White Saint.” “What? But she said it clearly. That no one but Princess Noel was worthy of wearing a dress made for the White Saint.” “Frieda, you are a bit too earnest. If it were an image of the White Saint, it would be white, would it not? I would sooner believe it if she said she made it for the Saint of Black Snow.”

It was likely just a sales pitch to give value to a pre made item. When I pointed this out, Frieda looked at me with exasperation. “I think you are a bit too cynical, Princess Noel.” I was not entirely convinced.

The busy hours continued, and finally, the day of the debut party arrived.