Chapter 12
#3. Beneath the Splendid Hall and the Dark Balcony
The warm spring afternoon when a man named Seo Juha was reborn as a true woman.
Thankfully, the little commotion at the Béarn townhouse never spread to the capital’s social circles.
Naturally, everyone in House Béarn kept what had happened that day under strict silence.
Ever since the youngest lady had come from the territory to the townhouse in the capital a year ago,
Eleonore had been like the townhouse’s mascot, always smiling and never once complaining.
Though no one had given them any orders, the servants kept quiet, and the incident was treated as if it had never happened.
Even her father, Margrave Obert, and her older brother, Albris, had no idea what had taken place at the townhouse that day.
Mrs. Olivia, by contrast, took a somewhat more practical approach.
House Béarn was a distinguished family, and the youngest daughter whom the margrave and his wife cherished so dearly was sure to become a new VIP client if they handled this incident well.
Besides, compared to that unruly eldest daughter, Eleonore was mild-mannered and never said anything unpleasant.
Worried that strange rumors might spread about a young lady who could become such a valued VIP client, Olivia made sure to silence every employee who had been there.
And besides, even if Olivia had sternly ordered them to keep quiet,
all the employees who had visited House Béarn were women, and they went through the same thing themselves every month, so none of them had any reason to bring it up.
Eleonore’s behavior had also helped keep their mouths shut. Unlike other noble young ladies, she was well-behaved and exceptionally kind even to commoners like them.
And so the incident was quietly buried, and time once again flew by.
Eleonore’s health, which had hit rock bottom, naturally returned to normal.
And just as Margrave Obert, who had been restraining himself out of consideration for his daughter, became a doting father again and resumed bickering with his son,
Mrs. Olivia’s carriage from the dress shop once again arrived at the Béarn townhouse.
“Have you and the young lady been well, my lady?”
Behind the people carefully unloading the precious dress so it wouldn’t wrinkle, Olivia greeted mother and daughter with a bright smile.
“Yes. Thanks to all the care you took, I recovered in no time.”
Even by modern standards, Mrs. Olivia’s smile was brimming with customer-service spirit, so Eleonore gave a slight bow and replied politely.
Beside her, Lady Etie gently turned her head to look at her daughter.
It had been only a year since Eleonore had left the estate in the territory for the townhouse in the capital.
In that short time, her daughter had grown so much more mature—in both her body and the thoughts she had and words she spoke.
Not only in the way she treated her father and older brother,
but also in the way she treated the estate’s servants and people far beneath her station, like these. She never looked down on them and was always polite.
She was so different from the Eleonore of a year ago, who had been endlessly affectionate with everyone she met.
When she first saw Eleonore again, Etie had even wondered whether someone had entered her daughter’s mind.
She had even had the irreverent thought that perhaps something had possessed her after her high fever.
Her daughter, whom she hadn’t seen for a year, had changed so much that even her own mother felt it.
At least in the bedroom, she was still a sweet girl who nestled in her mother’s arms and acted spoiled, just as she had in the territory.
So Etie had thought, as Albris put it, that Eleonore had grown up after narrowly escaping death.
Suppressing the smile that had crept onto her lips as she looked at Eleonore, Etie greeted Olivia, who had come to the townhouse.
“You must have had a long journey. We’ve prepared some light refreshments in the drawing room, so why don’t you have a cup of tea before we try on the dress?”
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As always, Eleonore sat snugly beside Etie.
Beside her mother, who lifted her teacup with perfect poise, Eleonore glanced around the drawing room, which was packed with people.
There were fewer people from the dress shop than she’d expected.
Perhaps it was because this time there was only one dress, unlike before.
And in their place, the drawing room was filled with people she hadn’t expected.
In one corner of the room, full of maids, dress-shop employees, and other women, her father and older brother were still bickering with each other…. Well, they were family, so she supposed that was just how they were.
The estate’s maids had gathered one by one, too…. Well, she was the young lady they served. They probably wanted to see her dressed up in a gown.
But she hadn’t expected the woman who had somehow come to stand beside her, elegantly raising a teacup.
“Oh, come on. Don’t look at me like that. You’re hurting my feelings.”
At Eleonore’s sharp glare, Lorschua smiled brightly and carefully set down the teacup in her hand.
“It’s our Eleonore’s debutante gown. As her teacher, I simply had to come see it.”
Without being asked, Lorschua smiled and answered first.
At the sight of the married woman’s innocent smile and shamelessly lustful gaze, Eleonore shook her head.
As her glossy platinum-blonde hair swayed from side to side, Etie gently clasped Eleonore’s hand.
“I had Albris invite her. Olivia is a busy woman, and today is probably our last chance to get everything ready, so we need to see how you move in the dress, too.”
Eleonore gave a small nod.
There were far fewer people at the townhouse this time, but in the end, there were far more eyes watching her than before.
And she had to dance in front of all these people, too?
Had I possessed an idol trainee instead of a noblewoman?
Eleonore let out a small sigh where Etie couldn’t see.
As Eleonore earnestly swallowed down her complaints, Sophie came trotting into the drawing room to tell her everything was ready.
She forced her reluctant feet to move and struggled to her feet.
“Mother, they say everything’s ready, so I’ll go change into the dress.”
Etie smiled brightly and released her daughter’s hand.
Following Sophie, Eleonore headed to an empty room in the corridor behind the drawing room.
Unlike the room beside her bedroom, which had been filled with dresses that day,
this one held only a large full-length mirror, a dressing table, and the pure-white dress she had worn once—and would wear for the last time—waiting beside the mirror for its owner.
In the end, Eleonore’s debutante gown had been decided: a pure-white dress with a deeply plunging neckline.
After that, Eleonore hadn’t been in any condition to try on more dresses,
and with the height of the social season approaching, Olivia hadn’t had time to visit the townhouse again.
If she hadn’t liked the dress she wore that day, perhaps things would have been different, but the pure-white gown suited the innocent-looking Eleonore rather well.
It was a little… more than a little revealing. Still, as Olivia had said, it didn’t look cheap or vulgar.
Thanks to that, Eleonore once again found herself facing the dress from that day in front of the mirror.
Looking at the gown hanging from the rack, Eleonore found herself examining its skirt.
Naturally, there was no trace left of the stain that had turned the white skirt red that day.
“We replaced the fabric below the waist, so there’s no need to worry, milady.”
A woman’s unfamiliar voice came from behind her.
When Eleonore turned around, she saw a face she didn’t recognize. The woman was probably with Olivia, not one of the estate’s staff.
At those words, Eleonore’s fair cheeks had already flushed red.
“Ah… You must have had a lot of work to do…”
Eleonore whispered in a tiny voice.
There was no reply.
Had she not heard because Eleonore had spoken too softly, or was she being considerate of the shy young lady?
The woman, who had come to Eleonore’s side and picked up the dress, only smiled faintly.
Soon, the maids gathered around Eleonore.
As they did every morning, Eleonore let herself be dressed by their hands.
One by one.
Each time the women’s gentle hands brushed her skin, her blouse, the white camisole beneath it, and her high-waisted long skirt all disappeared.
And so, beyond the mirror, the platinum-blonde young lady stood with only a pair of briefs on, raising her arms to cover her small breasts.
A familiar voice came from behind her.
Then someone ran a hand down Eleonore’s waist.
Beneath her swaying hair, Eleonore bit down hard on her lower lip and barely managed to stifle the moan threatening to escape.
“Milady, I’ll only tighten your waist a little. And I’ll lift your bust as much as possible from underneath.”
Then the stiff bones of the corset brushed against her bare skin.
As she began to feel the pressure little by little, Eleonore drew in a deep breath.
They had said it would only be a little,
but the very word corset made Eleonore tense her stomach as hard as she could without realizing it.
Fastened higher than usual, the corset’s soft fabric, wrapped around its firm boning, pushed Eleonore’s small breasts up as high as they would go.
At the sudden change in her silhouette, Eleonore gazed at her reflection in the mirror with curiosity.
Is this the era’s version of padded bras…?
Feeling a vague sense of self-loathing, Eleonore let the maids continue dressing her.
Once she had it on, it didn’t look all that different from before.
Aside from being properly and securely fastened instead of held together with pins, the little lace details and elegant pleats were exactly the same.
So naturally, the deeply plunging neckline was unchanged, too.
“Hey, isn’t this way too indecent?”
Looking at the little bit of cleavage beneath her collarbones, Eleonore turned this way and that in front of the mirror for no particular reason.
She tried to find a pose that would show as little skin as possible, but it didn’t make much difference.
“Oh, but you look lovely!”
Sophie replied as she straightened the hem of the dress.
The other maids in the room agreed with her.
“That’s right, milady. These days, a young master won’t even look twice unless you show this much.”
“Your face is so full of innocence to begin with. And this makes your figure look even more striking, so the other young ladies will be jealous.”
Sigh. Girls, listen… I don’t need the attention of men or the jealousy of young ladies. Not at all.
“All right, the dress is ready. Now put on these shoes we brought and you can go out. The heels are a little high, so be careful.”
With the maid’s help, Eleonore carefully stepped into the silver shoes she had set down before her small feet.
They weren’t uncomfortable. Unlike the shoes she’d worn last time, these had fairly low heels, so they were easier to walk in.
Her feelings, though, were another matter.
She forced her reluctant feet to move and took hold of Sophie’s hand.
“Oh, honestly, milady! It’s dangerous to walk like that. Walk properly! How are you supposed to dance like this?”
As Eleonore headed for the drawing room, she looked just like a little lamb being led to the slaughter.