The next morning, Amelia guided Amanda into her room with her small hand. Amanda’s eyes were closed as she blindly groped her way forward, until finally Amelia stopped.
“Tada!”
At the word, Amanda slowly raised her eyelids and looked at the scene in front of her.
Immediately hanging before her was the dress Amelia had taken yesterday. For the most part it looked like her neat white and green dress. The problem before was that the sleeves, waistlines, and skirt were too plain, but now the dress she saw felt completely different from that of yesterday. Lace was added to the sleeves and shoulders, and a mesh with beads was added to the skirt to make it more elegant. The lower neckline showed her bust, and the dress had been modified to emphasize her narrow waist line.
Despite the short notice, the modifications on the dress were almost indistinguishable from that of a professional tailor. She felt her mouth drop open in astonishment.
“Wow! This is amazing! You did this yourself?”
“Yes, I did the overall design, but the maid helped me a lot.”
“Incredible. I didn’t you know had this talent.”
“Yes, thank you, sis.”
“You’re welcome. I’m very grateful to you, Amelia.”
“Would you like to try it on?”
“Of course.”
Amanda hurried to put on the dress with the help of her maid. She thought it would be wonderful to wear a dress that Amelia create herself from start to finish one day.
“Is it weird?”
“Oh, no! It’s so pretty, sister! It’s the best! Actually, I’m going to keep it in the future, because it is your first work!”
*
*
*
Before long, the day of the tea party luncheon had arrived. As it was a charity event, Marchioness Vivian Holland kept it relatively simple instead of extravagant.
However, the ladies and gentlemen who attended the tea party were by no means common guests. As it should be. Vivian was a leading member of high society in the south, and though the event was only one small tea party, no one invited would have refused.
As the hour for the tea party approached, magnificent carriages began to flow into the Holland estate. None of those present treated the event casually and everyone was splendidly attired. High society was a small group, but it was still a battlefield.
Outdoor tables and chairs were arranged neatly under the shade of a spacious garden, within it a tree that the Hollands boasted was centuries old. The guests, one by one, began to flock here under the guidance of the attendants as Vivian greeted them.
“I’ve heard rumors about this tree. It’s ancient, isn’t it? That’s incredible, My Lady.”
“I’m flattered. I thought you couldn’t attend today because you had a cold, but thank you for coming to see me.”
“Not at all. My wife invited me to come with her and I couldn’t turn it down.”
Becoming a pillar of high society, where real power lay, was not a position that could only be gained by looking beautiful or having a high position. Of course, both conditions were necessary to some extent, but it was not a title anyone could have. Vivian was now well over forty, and while she was relatively attractive, she wasn’t quite a stunning beauty. Vivian’s main reason for dominating southern society was her dignity. Her excellent leadership and discernment what was right and wrong made her what she was today, and many ladies had begun to follow her. The conversation around the southern social elite flowed around her smoothly.
As the time drew near for the party, most of the people who arrived early were chatting away. Until then, Layla pretended to be looking around the garden and waited until almost everyone gathered. It was only after a sidelong glance did she determine it was time to move into the scene.
Layla, the only daughter of Marquis Brown, was one of the three most beautiful women in the region, with her dark blonde hair that flowed like honey and smooth, unblemished skin. She also had brown, cat-like eyes that matched her perfect heart-shaped lips. It was her signature trademark, and when she wore red lipstick she would kiss a tissue to create a picturesque heart shape. Her dress had been a priority job for this party, a deep green that matched the color of the garden. The unique color dress and the design was so ingenious it would capture the eye of anyone.
Layla made sure she arrived later than the others and was naturally in the center of attention. Like the phrase, “The main character always appears at the end,” the eyes that focused on her were the ones she had waited for.
As expected, some of the young people gathered began to whisper and point to Layla. She couldn’t hear what they said but she could imagine their awe.
Where did she get that dress? Is this my first time seeing that kind of gem? All it was sure to be words of praise for her. Layla could easily read the familiar envy on their faces. Walking her way through the crowd Layla approached Vivian.
“Thank you for your invitation. The garden is as beautiful as your elegant figure.”
She thickly poured out excessive praise. Every action was carefully calculated. As Layla had planned, Vivian spoke to her in a gentle voice.
“Thank you for your words. You are always beautiful, but today you are glowing.”
“Oh, I don’t know what to say.”
Layla blushed shyly. She seemed so humble on the surface in the eyes of the other ladies. She had a good pedigree as the daughter of Marquis Brown, and he had a beautiful appearance. Along with her polite personality, Layla was the ideal aristocrat. Layla smiled like the main character in a story as she basked in everyone’s attention.
Tpp, tpp–
Steady footsteps were making their way towards them. Layla, who felt she had accomplished the goal, was elated and indifferent to anything else.
However, she soon realized that the eyes that were looking at her were moving somewhere else. Layla turned her head in the direction the crowd was staring at.
“…Ah.”
Her mouth opened without her even realizing it. There were two beautiful young women walking into the garden, their pure golden hair flowing in the gentle breeze. One was a tall adult woman and the other was still a girl. Both attracted attention with their beauty, but most of it fell on the older woman. Long blonde hair, skin like freshly fallen snow, and jeweled red eyes. There were no ornaments on her slim, long neckline, and the white and green dress seemed tacky to Layla. In short, everything was well past fashion. The problem was…
Everyone was dazed. Just like the compliment Vivian gave Layla, Amanda seemed to glow herself. Layla knew very well who suddenly appeared. A woman who always brought attention to herself in a moment like this.
It was Amanda, the eldest daughter of House Windsor.
Layla’s eyes turned towards Amelia, who was affectionately holding hands with her older sister. Though Layla didn’t remember her face well, she could recognize her without too much effort. Amelia didn’t have the same intense gaze as Amanda’s scarlet eyes, but anyone could tell she was her sister with her blonde hair and facial features.
After being momentarily distracted by the two sisters, Layla hurriedly came to herself and looked around. Everyone was looking at them with an awestruck expression.
Layla clenched her fists. Her manicured nails pierced the palm of her hand, but she did not feel the pain. Layla’s eyes began to blaze fiercely as she glowered at Amanda.
‘…I was robbed again.’
It had always been this way. When Amanda appeared, Layla was outshined like a firefly in front of the sun. It was all the more comparable because they both had blond hair. Amanda’s hair was as bright and as golden as if it was bathed in sunshine, while Layla’s hair was as duller and closer to a light brown.
She felt the urge to take a hot cup of tea and throw it in Amanda’s face. She would destroy her somehow. She would do anything to get rid of her completely.