Chapter 23 - Getting Ready as a Lady is Hard

23: Getting Ready as a Lady is Hard
The carriage moved swiftly down the main street.
I sat in the carriage, exhausted from the day. Ah, the corset’s so tight.

Only the four children of the Thousand House were inside the carriage. The ball held at the Royal Palace was only for single men and women. My father and Furore-sama are married so they wouldn’t be attending this ball.
My brother Guerlain sat next to me with his eyes closed. My sisters sat opposite me, squealing and giggling as they talked about something. They were really hyper.
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I remembered the fuss in the morning.
I somehow managed to readjust my dress yesterday.
I reviewed the dance steps one last time and spent the rest of the time reading the noble almanac.
Here, my sisters talked about things like how to behave at balls and who was popular since the only ball I’d attended was my [High Society Debut Ball]. I learned about these things today, if they weren’t lies that is… I was planning to keep to myself, so it didn’t really matter much. I heard that the food prepared for the ball is delicious, so of course I intend to use proper manners while eating the dishes prepared by the royal chefs.
I didn’t want to be glared at by the other ladies so I used the noble almanac to search up who were the popular men that I shouldn’t approach.
I went to bed early yesterday, so you couldn’t see the bags that were always under my eyes lately. Ah, I’m glad. 
If I still had them then I’d definitely look ugly…  Although I couldn’t say that my fatigue was gone.
 
 
I quickly finished breakfast and headed straight to, my older sister, Catherine’s room. I prepared the dress she would be wearing at the ball while she was taking a hot bath. Her maids helped her with her bath.
After that, I did the same for, my other older sister, Rosalie as well. I was grateful that their rooms were close to each other.
I used the remaining water while my sisters were putting various things on their bodies. But, I couldn’t take my time and enjoy the hot water. It made things easier that I didn’t have a maid attached to me. Catherine was in high spirits and gave me perfume. Wow, it smells like roses. I don’t think I would have the opportunity to use something like this anymore, so I rubbed it all over my hair and skin.
When I got out of the bath both of my sisters were in Catherine’s room. They each had a maid put on their corsets for them… They tightened the corsets as tight as they could. It was amazing to see this every time. They were super enthusiastic today.
I also had my corset done by a free maid. But, they needed to start dressing my sisters, so my corset was loose for better or for worse. Well, it was great for me because I wasn’t used to corsets.
Catherine’s dress was red. Her skirt was fluffy, but it didn’t feel charming due to the colour. The waist ribbon that I had embroidered was black. Her dress gave off a sophisticated vibe.
Rosalie’s dress was light orange. The skirt part was eye-catching because of the colour gradient. It was full of lace and felt very fashionable.
I also changed, following their example. I could feel their gazes on me.

You were given that dress before, weren’t you…? Well, it’s become something that people can look at now, hasn’t it?


It’s become a different dress, hasn’t it?

They reluctantly praised me.
My sisters had their hair teased and wore their hair up. I passed the pin to the maids next to them when I was told to. It was fun to watch them braid and coil from this distance. This was the only time I could admire the maids styling hair. Time passed quickly and the hair-do was completed with hair ornaments.
Once hair was done, it was time for make-up. I didn’t usually wear make-up so it was fun to watch it being applied. Their eyeliner seemed to really make their pupils pop. My sisters’ already sharp features became even clearer and the glossy lipstick made their lips look sexy.

Ayesha-marie also needs her hair and make-up done today. Do you understand?
Catherine said as she sprayed perfume for the finishing touch. She checked her appearance many times in the mirror.
My golden brown hair was only 20 cms pass my shoulders. It was just barely enough for it to be put up. How would they do my hair?

The maid doing the hairdressing looked unconcerned and began moving her hands after she glanced at my face and hair. She twisted my hair and tied it in a big bun at the back of my head. The hair that she had curled around it was swaying… Yup, it made me feel good for a short amount of time.

Rosalie told me how to do my make-up, since I didn’t know anything about make-up. I did as i was told and had lightly patted foundation powder on my face. My eyes and eyebrows were done by the maid. My eyeliner was thinner than my sisters’. I put pale pink lipstick on and my make-up was done.
When I looked in the mirror, the image I saw was that of a noble ojou-sama, different from how I usually looked. It made me uncomfortable and I averted my eyes.
Sparkling necklaces had been put on my sisters’ necks as the final touch.
My finishing touch was a light blue organdie scarf embroidered with a rose. I attached the flower brooch, which I’d received from Catherine before, in a way that wouldn’t fall off.
We, the daughters of a noble, boarded the carriage with our dresses and headed towards the Royal Palace.
The ball was an informal one, so we didn’t have to worry about the order in which we entered the room. That being the case, my sisters’ took longer to get ready than usual… They rushed out of the estate to board the carriage when our older brother, Guerlain, said,
I want to avoid making a bad impression by being late.

I had a proper breakfast. For lunch I just grabbed a scone and drank a bit of apple juice. It had already become evening and I realized that I was hungry.
I loosely thought,
Anyhow, I won’t be a noble anymore in three days, so it’ll be great if I could spend that time peacefully.