For Amira, who had plotted a wicked scheme to make the lady she served the most beautiful at the party and bring tears to other ladies’ eyes, this was utterly despairing news.
“It’s not impossible. Corcos is the most popular tailor in Cardiff. I contacted them in a hurry.”
“That’s true, but… it doesn’t make sense that even ready-made items are fully booked. Don’t they usually leave one or two just in case? Moreover, I heard that even less famous places are fully booked for fittings… It’s almost debutante season, but this feels strange. Could it be someone’s conspiracy?”
Amira glared fiercely toward the west, where Lizzy’s room was located.
Ariella barely managed to suppress a laugh that was about to escape.
She was smarter than she thought. In fact, Ariella had been making a similar judgment herself.
It was true that Corcos was a difficult tailor to book, but that had nothing to do with Bedford.
Bedford was one of only two ducal families in the empire, and aside from the head designer of Corcos, the seamstresses would rush over even if it meant breaking previously made appointments whenever Bedford called.
Yet now, they wouldn’t even lend out a single ready-made dress.
‘It’s surprising that Lizzy’s influence has spread that far.’
To be precise, it was likely due to Aaron’s instigation, but if that was her power, then it was indeed power. A potent and fleeting force whose expiration date was unknown.
“What should we do? Should we cancel going to the party?”
“It’s fine. I have a few dresses that I had tailored last time but didn’t wear. I can wear those.”
“Eh…? You mean the dresses from last season…?”
Please say it’s not true. Amira’s eyes desperately conveyed her thoughts.
However, unfortunately, this loyal heart did not reach Ariella.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
Dozens of issues swirled in Amira’s mind, but she couldn’t voice them out of courtesy.
She decided to accept it. The young lady truly had shockingly poor fashion sense.
Well, no matter how great a lady she was, she couldn’t be good at everything. Amira tried to rationalize.
“Let’s just see for now.”
Perhaps there might be a dress that’s better than expected. Amira, not losing hope, headed to the dressing room.
However, a few minutes later, when she returned with a dress, her face was devoid of any hope.
“Is this really… a dress from last season?”
“Yes, that’s right. I think I bought something like this.”
Ariella did not lie. The dresses before her were indeed from the last season. However, that didn’t mean the dress designs matched the trends of that season.
The dresses, which had been left gathering dust in one corner of the dressing room, were all out of style and drab. Even widows these days wouldn’t wear such clothes.
“Did Lizzy pick all of these?”
Amira did not refer to Lizzy as a lady. Of course, she wouldn’t do this in front of others, fearing that Ariella might get scolded.
At least in front of Ariella, she intended not to address the girl as a lady.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ugh! That creepy girl! She must have done it on purpose. Just look at how she’s dressed; it’s clear she knows the current trends!”
In the end, Amira couldn’t hold back and burst out in frustration. Seeing her, Ariella subtly averted her gaze.
As she had feared, Lizzy’s old scheme had indeed extended to her attire.
It was absurd, yet deep down, Ariella had no words to say about this. How poor was her sense of dressing that she hadn’t realized this for years? It was simply embarrassing.
“Is it serious?”
“A bit… quite a bit, actually. At least this navy dress is better. It’s a shame the color isn’t bright, but it’s still somewhat elegant, so it should suit the dinner party well. I think it would be much better if we called a chambermaid to adjust the fit.”
“Okay, let’s do that. You seem to know quite a bit about dresses; have you studied separately?”
“No, what would someone like me study? I just worked for quite a while at another noble family before coming here. At the Freely family. I learned by eye back then.”
If it was the Freely family, Ariella had heard of that family at some point. She had casually come across rumors that both the lord and lady, as well as their daughter, had quite strong personalities. They were said to have been quite tyrannical toward their servants.
Perhaps because of that, Amira’s expression darkened as she mentioned her past. But that was only for a moment; she quickly changed the atmosphere with a lively voice.
“Then let’s call the chambermaid right away to alter the dress! Lauren is very skilled. She hasn’t had much interaction with that Lizzy girl either. Oh, and I just got in touch while going to fetch the dress; they said they would bring the new hairpieces and accessories from the Filling Heights jewelry store right away. It may not be as good as Corcos, but it’s better than having nothing.”
To catch the rapid-fire words, Ariella listened intently.
The fact that Amira contacted the jewelry store right away since the tailor didn’t work out showed that she was indeed quite capable.
Not just capable, but she worked very hard. With enthusiasm as if it were her own job. This was a sight rarely seen among other maids.
“Oh, I hope Filling Heights has Ashbon-style hair accessories! Of course, they should sell them, but I’m worried about how much stock they have. I think a hat with a black satin ribbon would go well with this dress…”
Although her tendency to speak too quickly and too much was a downside.
