Evening Dress.
The moment Eleanor heard this word, she already knew what was going on.
They had only agreed last night to attend the Birthday Banquet, and even though she had contacted someone last night to have the dress made as quickly as Lillian requested, there was no way the finished product would be ready today.
At this moment, Ophelia’s arrival made her intentions very clear.
Eleanor admitted she had been caught completely off guard.
“Lillian, stay in the bedroom for now. I’ll go see what Ophelia means.”
Eleanor hurriedly tidied her appearance and quickly walked toward the reception room.
Left alone in the bedroom, Lillian felt something was wrong.
What kind of tricks was Ophelia up to this time?
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Erin came to summon Lillian to the reception room.
“Lillian is my most important honored guest, so it’s only natural that I personally prepare her evening dress. There’s no problem with that, Miss Eleanor.”
“Lillian is my closest maid, so it’s only right that I prepare her evening dress, Your Highness.”
Just outside the reception room door, Lillian heard this spine-chilling conversation.
Stepping into the reception room, Ophelia was elegantly sipping tea.
Seeing Lillian arrive, the blue in her eyes flickered with a trace of amusement.
Eleanor was sitting on the Master Sofa, her expression calm but one hand gripping the armrest tightly.
“Ah, Lillian, you’re finally here,” Ophelia said, setting down her teacup with a smile.
“I was just saying that Miss Eleanor is so busy with countless affairs that she probably hasn’t prepared your dress for the banquet, so I took the liberty of bringing one myself. After all, we can’t let Count Koen lose face at the banquet.”
How dramatic.
Her words sounded considerate, but the sarcasm dripping from them was practically overflowing.
“Busy with countless affairs,” she said.
Hearing Ophelia’s mocking tone directed at Eleanor, Lillian nearly lost her composure.
“Well then, Your Highness, please take care of this matter. Although it isn’t finished yet, I’ve long prepared an evening dress for Lillian—made exactly to her specifications and preferences. This dress should suit her better.”
“Lillian, come here.”
Eleanor beckoned Lillian over and then pulled her onto the sofa in one swift movement.
Lillian knew what was happening and didn’t resist Eleanor’s action.
Just like yesterday, the two of them squeezed close together.
Eleanor tilted her head and snorted, shooting a triumphant look at Ophelia.
Ophelia only smiled, then signaled to the maid behind her.
The maid nodded and displayed the evening dress Ophelia had prepared for Lillian.
It was a purple dress—at least that’s what Lillian could tell.
The front of the skirt ended just above the knee, while the back hem was long, probably reaching the ankles.
Beyond that, Lillian couldn’t make out any special features.
She wasn’t really familiar with these kinds of things anyway, since she wasn’t well-versed in what girls usually knew.
But she did notice that the purple matched Ophelia’s hair color very well.
“How is it, Lillian? Pretty, isn’t it?”
“It’s pretty, yes…” Lillian started to refuse, but realized the situation wasn’t that simple.
First, she couldn’t easily say no because she had a working relationship with Ophelia.
Besides the potion trades, yesterday’s treatment in exchange for training and swordsmanship lessons was just an informal agreement.
What if she rejected Ophelia and it ruined everything?
Second, she couldn’t easily accept because she heard Eleanor say she had also prepared a dress for her.
Accepting this would mean betraying Eleanor’s feelings—and if there was any quarrel later, all her efforts in the past two weeks would be for nothing.
“If you’re satisfied, then please accept it.” Ophelia seemed eager to push Lillian into accepting.
“Ah, um…” No, wait! Don’t rush me! Let me think about what to do first!
“Your Highness, don’t you see how difficult this is for Lillian?” Eleanor spoke up, seeing how troubled Lillian was, countering Ophelia.
Eleanor then turned to Lillian. “It’s okay, Lillian. If you want to refuse, then refuse. You are my… maid of the Koen Household, after all.”
Eleanor’s words reminded Lillian that as a maid of the Koen Household, she had a proper reason to refuse Ophelia.
So Lillian nodded and gently declined Ophelia’s offer.
“I appreciate Your Highness’s kindness, but as a maid of the Koen Household, it is my duty to wear the dress prepared by my mistress.”
Ophelia didn’t seem to mind Lillian’s refusal; the smile in her eyes even deepened.
Her goal had been achieved—there was no need to make things harder for Lillian.
“So it’s all right, Lillian. Since Miss Eleanor has already prepared a dress for you, my dress is naturally unnecessary.”
Hearing this, Lillian breathed a sigh of relief.
“However—”
Lillian looked up at Ophelia.
Oh no, she knew this woman had no good intentions.
Every time Ophelia got her way, she would end with another request.
Last time, it was asking her not to resist when called “Lily.” What would it be this time?
“As a friend, I hope you can accept this gift I’ve prepared for you, Lillian.”
The words sounded sincere and harmless.
But now that Ophelia said it like this, Lillian couldn’t refuse.
“All right, then. Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness.”
Eleanor’s embrace tightened a bit.
Lillian patted her hand to soothe her.
“If there’s anything uncomfortable, make sure to bring it with you to my Birthday Banquet, remember? Absolutely,” Ophelia said with a bright smile, emphasizing the last word.
“Okay…”
Lillian understood what Ophelia meant.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave now. I hope you and Lillian enjoy your time together.”
“Hmph, there’s no need for Your Highness to trouble herself with such matters.”
Ophelia had already turned to leave.
Hearing Eleanor’s words, she finally showed a genuine smile.
Ah, as expected.
Going over the events last night, Ophelia realized things weren’t so simple.
When she was discussing work with Eleanor yesterday, she sensed something—Eleanor was not one of those idle nobles.
Her handling of estate affairs and various tasks was quite skillful.
It was not an exaggeration to say she was experienced.
This didn’t match the intelligence Ophelia had gathered before.
Eleanor Koen: gentle in temperament, not skilled in governance, average in everything except some magical talent rumors—otherwise just a normal noble daughter.
Some even said the Koen Household was destined to fall apart in this generation.
But judging by Eleanor’s performance yesterday, the reality was quite different from the rumors.
Moreover,
Her guess had been correct.
Eleanor truly cared a great deal about Lillian.
Yesterday, when Lillian wasn’t present, Eleanor was courteous, pleasant in her manners, kept the conversation at the perfect distance—enough to make Ophelia somewhat comfortable.
She carried herself with the refined grace befitting a noble.
But the moment Lillian arrived, Eleanor’s demeanor shifted.
Detecting Eleanor’s intentions toward Lillian, she regressed into childishness.
She targeted her openly, ignoring noble etiquette and decorum.
Her behavior was immature and ridiculous.
Ophelia herself was affected, dragged down to the same level, losing the composure of a princess and deliberately making loud noises with her teacup.
Really…
Ophelia felt somewhat ashamed of her own behavior.
But one thing she was sure of:
If Eleanor continued like this, she would never improve her treatment of Lillian.
Without Ophelia’s intervention, sooner or later, Eleanor would push Lillian completely to the opposite side.
At that time, nothing would stop her.
Lillian would become Ophelia’s completely.
Even her Lillian would happily indulge Ophelia’s company, then coldly turn away from Eleanor.
Eleanor would be left helpless, forced to watch herself and Lillian drift apart.
Ah, what a wonderful scene that would be…
On the Coach, lost in her daydreams, Ophelia crossed her slender legs lightly.
Her pale face was tinged with a rosy blush.