The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 75

When Artizea arrived at the Crown Princess’s palace, Eloise was in the toilette room. A tea table was placed near the wall, and refreshments had been prepared. Among the attendants, only Selenea, the granddaughter of Duke Orca, was present.

“Rosan’s Artizea is here to see the Crown Princess.”

“Come in and sit down, Tia. You’ve done your makeup today?”

“Yes.”

Without saying another word, Eloise and Selenea both broke into wide smiles. Artizea felt awkward and quickly added an explanation.

“I’ve been trying a few different things lately. You know, people who try makeup usually get better at it.”

“Hehe, what did Ced say?”

Eloise, knowing that the topic was one Artizea wanted to avoid, never missed the chance to press on. Artizea blushed and lowered her gaze.

“Well, that blockhead wouldn’t suddenly get all worked up just because his fiance looks pretty, would he?”

“He did say I look pretty…”

Despite realizing she was digging herself into a hole, Artizea protested in a small voice. Eloise reached out with her long, elegant fingers and gently lifted Artizea’s chin, turning her face this way and that as she inspected it.

“Hm. You’re definitely cute. But maybe you’re still a little too cute?”

“I’m sure Grand Duke Evron always thought Lady Artizea was cute. But maybe that’s just not enough?”

“Your Highness—”

Artizea tried to pull her head back, but Eloise giggled and kissed her on the cheek before releasing her.

When they were younger, Eloise had thought of Artizea like a little puppy that Cedric had picked up, but now she felt more like a younger sister. Unlike the younger brothers, who were often kicked aside, little sisters were like sweet candy, charming and adorable.

The fact that she would one day be Duchess Evron was reason enough to keep her close, and she was clever enough that Eloise looked forward to her future. Moreover, while she excelled in her studies, her awkward actions provided plenty of opportunities to tease her.

Selenea giggled.

“Don’t worry too much, Lady Artizea. If the Grand Duke was going to change his mind, he would have done it by now.”

“That guy’s already twenty-three. When I was his age, I had at least three lovers.”

“You were a bit much, Lady Eloise. The Grand Duke already has a fiance, so the situation is completely different.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have paired Ced and Pavel together. Both of them have this odd, oblivious side when it comes to women.”

“As long as Prince Pavel still has his love for jousting, I think romance is off the table for him. It’s probably best to stick with the engagement that Elder Grand Duchess Riagan arranged.”

“I think, in all likelihood, the fiance will be the one to run off first.”

While the two were chatting away, Artizea kept her mouth shut with a pouty face. So, did that mean Cedric had to be with someone else in the meantime?

Eloise, knowing Artizea was dissatisfied, chuckled mischievously.

“Don’t worry. I’m not exactly cheering for Ced’s womanizing. I just thought we should really change up your impression today.”

“Me? Wasn’t the goal to choose your Highness’s outfit?”

“Oh, I’ve already chosen mine. That one.”

Eloise pointed to a mannequin standing against one of the walls in the toilette room, where a ceremonial military uniform, resembling a men’s formal uniform, was displayed.

“It’s the uniform I’ll wear to the western army’s celebration. Looks good, doesn’t it?”

Artizea scrutinized it carefully, looking for flaws, but there was nothing wrong with it. Normally, ceremonial uniforms were different from evening gowns, so there wasn’t much room for design changes.

Since Eloise had always worn whatever she wanted, from dresses to military uniforms, if she had chosen that one, there would be no problem with it.

“Will you wear that to the party too?”

“Yes.”

“Then your partner will have a lot to think about.”

“That’s something they’ll have to figure out.”

Artizea raised her eyebrows and looked at Eloise with wide eyes. Eloise giggled and responded,

“I’m the Crown Princess. I should be able to do whatever I want. I have no time to waste on clothes and such.”

“But you’re picking out my clothes, aren’t you?”

“That’s not a waste. It’s a hobby.”

As the second most powerful person in the Empire, Eloise’s words were final, and Artizea had no room to resist.

At a signal from Eloise, the door on one side of the toilette room opened, and seven mannequins, each dressed in different styles of dresses, entered. They were all dressed in outfits that matched Artizea’s height and body shape.

“I was going to gift you a dress for your 18th birthday party.” 

Eloise said cheerfully.

“But then I thought, it might be a bit much to just decide on my own and send it to you. It’s an important day, after all.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Artizea spoke sincerely, but she couldn’t help but express some confusion.

“But if that was the case, you could have just told me in advance instead of lying on the invitation. And this is even the day of the event… What would I have done if I had other plans?”

“If the Crown Princess calls, you should come running if you have any sense. If Ced suddenly decided to skip a military meeting and take you on a date instead, you’d have to forgive him for that.”

Artizea looked at Eloise in disbelief as Eloise responded so casually. Selenea, covering her mouth with her hand, laughed softly.

“Please bear with her, Lady Artizea. She’s always been like this.”

“Selenea, you should be thankful for how generous a mistress I am.” 

Eloise argued with her favored lady-in-waiting and gestured to the attendants. They brought the mannequins closer one by one to show Artizea the dresses in detail. Eloise alternated between looking at Artizea’s face and the dresses, and hummed.

“Hmm, it’s hard to tell just by looking. Why don’t you try it on?”

Artizea let out a sigh, knowing this was exactly how things would turn out. When Eloise selected her clothes, she usually had someone of a similar build try them on first, then made the final decision before tailoring. Artizea had suspected this when the mannequins appeared today, knowing it was all part of Eloise’s plan.

The first three dresses were fairly simple designs. They were sleek and mature styles Artizea hadn’t tried before, with a fair amount of exposure, but they weren’t bad for a ball gown.

The problem came with the fourth dress. This dark green gown covered the neck and chest but had a deep back cut, and when she tried it on, it revealed much more skin than Artizea had anticipated.

Inside the changing room, she hesitated to come out, but Eloise’s insistence to show herself eventually made her step out.

With a flushed face, Artizea let her hair fall to cover her back as she came out. She had thought the exposure might not be that much after all, but Eloise snapped her fingers sharply.

“Let’s put your hair up.”

“I don’t know about this…”

“Selenea, do I have that in my jewelry box? The chain with the ruby.”

“Oh, I’ll get it right away.”

“Your Highness.”

Artizea made a troubled voice. Eloise’s personal maids were already approaching with a comb and hairpins.

“Trust me, Tia. This is it.”

“This is it?”

“It’s about Ced. Let’s see if that guy is still standing there staring after he touches your back directly.”

Artizea looked at Eloise in surprise. Eloise’s face was full of certainty.

“Your back is beautiful. Perfect. It makes you look mature, and if he’s escorting you, some skin contact is unavoidable.”

“Well, no, that’s not really the issue…”

“You said you wanted to make him realize you’re a woman, right? This is the best way. Do you know how many men I’ve seduced?”

With that, Artizea had no response.

Soon, the maids expertly arranged her hair. Eloise herself added a delicate chain made of gold and small rubies to the exposed back.

“Perfect. You’re good to go to the party now.”

“Your Highness…”

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Wait, what?”

“Selenea, bring me the ball invitation that came today.”

After giving the order, Eloise looked at Artizea seriously.

“Tia, I believe you should never underestimate Ced. Think about his nickname. To break the Shield of the North, a full attack is necessary.”

Artizea wanted to protest that his nickname didn’t mean that, but she was overwhelmed by Eloise’s intensity and couldn’t say anything.