The Duchess Can Sew

Ah, I knew it.

Upon hearing Teresa mention Prince Caydel and Viktoria's relationship, I heaved a heavy sigh. I pretended not to be overly thrilled that I hit the nail on its head. "I see, I had a minor suspicion of that. That's quite a shame."

Upon observing the daily routines of students at the academy this whole week, I found that Prince Caydel and Viktoria frequently accompany each other to their classes. Although I do have the majority of my lessons with the crown prince, Viktoria seems to have all her classes with him. It's a bit awkward walking past them despite the spacious hallways, knowingly being the fiancée of one partner of their affectionate duo. I shouldn't feel like a third wheel as the "lover" and "future wife" of one of them, but I assume it comes naturally for unwanted engagements like ours. We aren't even dating, and if anything, this whole relationship is just some messed up farce.

My maid simply furrowed her eyebrows at that statement. "But, my lady, I thought you knew all this time. Why are you acting as if this is the first time you've heard this?" Whenever she thought I was acting strange, she'd tilt her head to the side and gaze at me as if I were some otherworldly creature. That was what she was doing now.

For a good few seconds, I sat there in silence, computing, and analyzing her question through my head.

Of course, Elisabeth knew!

Instantly, my head throbbed, and I jerked my hand to my head to hold it. Teresa reached out to me but refrained from doing anything. She seemed to be at a loss for words, for she didn't say anything, and stared at me in a sorrowful manner. When the pulsing stopped, I took a moment to breathe and think for a bit.

I wanted to hit myself, and I wanted to condemn it on lack of sleep, but I was more than well-rested. However, I've been having pounding headaches often lately, and I sure would like them to go away. And, for some peculiar reason, my memory is a bit rusty. Everything has been frustrating: from being whisked away into a foreign body, a strange land, and an outlandish world at that, and not understanding precisely how you arrived here.

You have no idea how many times I overheard students talking about how I'm not tailing Prince Caydel to his classes. They talk about how I'm not accompanying him to whichever extracurricular he did after school. They go on about how I'm not watching Prince Caydel like a hawk, and how they are now free to do as they like around him. In the end, I disregarded the comments and remarks about my "newly earned" behavior.

"You forget things that aren't important sometimes," I said, at last, knowing it was a rather lousy excuse.

Teresa brought her hand to her mouth as if having a sudden revelation. "Yes, yes, of course," she agreed hastily. "It is only human to forget these things."

I wrinkled my face in suspicion. I never really understood why Teresa continually had these bursts of mood swings. One moment, she would question me, and the next, she would pretend as if she wholeheartedly agreed to whatever I had just said.

I don't believe I missed anything, so why is she acting like that?

Ignoring her strange habit, I asked tentatively, "Then, are you hiding the dress from me because you're afraid I will punish you?"

Teresa immediately averted her gaze in a pitiable attempt to pretend as if I didn't just poke directly at the growing guiltiness in her heart. "Well...yes, but it's beautiful, and I couldn't bear to see it go away to waste." She paused for a brief moment, and hesitantly resumed in a much more timid voice. "If...if I had the brilliant noble status of being the daughter of a powerful duke, I would choose to wear it, my lady." Suddenly, she shook her head and waved her hands to deny the words she spouted out. "No, no, no, I didn't mean it. I cannot possibly wish for something like that. I'm just some maid. I cannot dare to think of such a greedy and self-indulgent thing."

She may not realize it, but her mannerisms and style of speaking are considerably more pleasant and suited for an esteemed lady than how others speak to me at the academy. She would make a wonderful daughter of a duke, and she's already pretty educated for maids in Whitensen. Most maids are forced to labor for the rest of their lives without ever learning how to read nor solve simple math problems.

A smile spread across my face, and I caressed the dress's layers of lilac tulle. It was light in weight and diligently woven together. Such a garment must have taken great lengths of time and hard work. It would be a sin to let such a magnificent gown be left here to disintegrate over time's cruel clockwork.

If she loves it so much, how could I throw it away or sell it to some pawn shop?

An idea flickered through my mind. "Let's have you fitted." Teresa's eyes instantly widened upon hearing these words leave my mouth.

"Pardon, my lady?!" she sputtered out.

Her dramatic reaction made me giggle a little. It was a pure giggle and not meant to mock her in any way. Despite this, she remained mortified. "I'm sure you'll look gorgeous in it. Maybe a little tweaking and we'll be ready before it is time for us to go to the debutante!" I exclaimed.

"But, my lady, I simply cannot! I am merely a maid, I cannot be as done up as a noble," she passionately refused. Her face started to burn with a shade of rosy pink.

"Why not?" I shot back. "The maids of other noble households wear garments so glamorous that they are even mistaken as nobles."

With that, Teresa struggled to refute my statement and frustratedly gave in to my stubbornness. I reached my hands out to loosen and release her dark locks of hair from her uniform bun. Although she flinched from my unexpected action, she remained as calm as she could while I let the locks rest on her shoulders and trail down her back. I didn't know her hair was so luscious and well-tended, for it was shiny and glistened like a chocolate waterfall in the light.

"Your eyes look much softer and feminine when your hair is down. I believe this whimsical dress will excellently suit you," I said to reassure her. "It will be fine."

A ripple of anxiety washed over her, and she just shook her head once more. "No, this is wrong. This dress was meant for Lady Lancaster." She rubbed her arms nervously, but there was a glint in her eyes that watched the dress with longing.

I retracted my hands to my hips and leaned to the side.

What should I do with a dress that neither of us is positively willing to wear nor discard?

Failing to find a valid answer to this question lingering in my mind, I turned to Teresa to hear her opinion. "Well, what should we do?"

"I...I think I have an idea. Marianne knows how to alternate dresses. She could change the dress so that it's different from the original," my right-hand maid informed me in a soft whisper.

"Marianne?" I blurted out without thinking. "Who is she?"

I don't recall ever hearing this woman's name before. Is she, perhaps, a local tailor?

Teresa's mouth dropped. "My Lady, she is your mother!" The maid threw her arms up, forgetting that she is the inferior of the noble who she is speaking to. She was forgetting that she used to be terrified of Carabell's Lowlife and was forgetting that she can only stand tall when beside the duke. "She is Duchess Marianne Carabell! I mistakenly referred to her by her first name, but I cannot believe you have forgotten who your very own mother is!"

"I…" I didn't know what to say.

All this time and I've never heard the name of Elisabeth's mother. You can't exactly blame me, it doesn't seem like she wants to talk to me, seeing as I haven't had a run-in with her since Monday. No one at the academy mentions her either, not by her first name anyways. It's quite shocking how little the Carabells associate with one another. Though, I may be part of the problem here. I don't want to speak with them either.

I exhaled. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Teresa calmed down and looked down at her feet.

"I understand. You two haven't been on good terms for years. My suggestion is a bit of a stretch," she said to me with a solemn expression.

Now that I'm thinking about it, she just used Duchess Carabell's first name. Does that mean she's close to her?

I overlooked the thought. "But didn't you like the original style? Wouldn't altering it make the dress lose its feel?"

"Feel? No, my lady. It is not simply an alternation that Madam Carabell makes. She improves them," Teresa told me in admiration, her eyes glowing at the thought of making this dress even more stunning than before.

I didn't want to ruin her mood, but I had to break it to her. "Teresa, how do we know she's going to assist us? She despises me." I remembered how her dark eyes shot arrows into my heart when I met her that morning of the transmigration.

"Don't worry about it, my lady. I can ask her to alter the dress within seconds." She gave me a bright smile that was so contagious that I grinned along with her.

I've never seen her smile so freely before. Her relationship with Elisabeth's mother must be remarkably close. It's heartbreaking to know that Elisabeth's maid has a better bond with her mother than her herself. At least I could laugh with my mother on Earth.

I...I kind of miss her.

- A few hours and eaten strawberries later -

"My Lady⎯"

As soon as the door opened, I gasped, jumping up from my cushioned seat by the vanity. Although I had to be careful since I only just had my hair done up by some other maids, I rushed to touch the fabric of the dress and run my fingers over the baby blue flowers. They were meticulously embroidered, every stitch small, yet carefully thought out. It was glittering, illuminating with every single brush of light upon it. The azure fabric itself was absolutely charming, and without the embroidery, there was no doubt it would still be beautiful. The chest area was filled with sewn little flowers, and the waist had a gleaming satin bow that also laced up the corset from the bareback of the gown.

The original version of this soft blue gown was nothing compared to this!

I couldn't help but feel like a little girl gawking at princess-like dresses.

The other maids in the room were only slightly impressed by the magnificence of the gown, but they were mostly astonished to see me squeal like an idiot over dresses that Elisabeth's family could easily afford with the snap of a finger.

"Madam had the dress changed to a light blue color and added more detailed flowers. The fabric was also touched up so that with every swish and turn you make, it would sparkle. It would look incredible on you, my lady," Teresa added, and that little sentence made the broad smile on my face droop.

"No, no, no, you are the one who's going to wear it." I crossed my arms and looked at the maid with unbudging eye contact.

The other maids in the room couldn't contain their bewilderment. It was written all over their faces.

'Did Elisabeth just say that she was going to make Teresa wear a dress as gorgeous as that?'

She wavered for a short moment, biting down on her lip, but ultimately, she gave up. "Yes, my lady." Even though she was uncertain about it, I saw the corners of her lips draw up slightly. It was almost unnoticeable, but the sight of it made my heart warm.