Chapter 17: Birthday Party 1
And in no time, Ralph’s birthday party arrived.
“Oh. . .It’s a beauty that even the Goddess of Beauty would be jealous of!”
“You’re exaggerating.”
Wearing a dress that made me feel sick just thinking about how much it cost, along with beautiful luxurious accessories, and with carefully applied makeup; I saw Nadia clasping her hands together, with tears streaming down her face.
No matter how you looked at it, she was much more beautiful, dressed up so elegantly. With her beautiful silver hair tied up neatly and carefully applied makeup, she exuded a sensuality that didn’t seem like that of a sixteen-year-old.
As I desperately tried to calm Nadia, saying that my makeup would smudge, a knock sounded at the dressing room where we were.
“Come in,” I called out, and Ralph, the protagonist of the day, entered. I casually glanced at his appearance and unintentionally held my breath.
“. . .”
He perfectly pulled off his formal attire and looked every bit like a prince, no matter how you looked at him. I was so captivated that I ended up standing there dumbfounded.
Even the maids blushed and stared at him. Nadia, who had stopped crying without us noticing, was the only one calmly complimenting his outfit, saying, “Oh, that color looks lovely.”
Meanwhile, Ralph, with his hand covering his mouth, seemed to have turned red up to his ears.
“. . .Lisette-sama, you look truly beautiful.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“It feels like a dream to stand next to you as your fiancé.”
As he said that, he had a genuinely happy expression on his face, even though it was just a pretense, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Shall we go?”
“. . .Yes.”
And so, I took his hand and we began to walk.
❂❂❂❂❂❂
“Happy birthday, Ralph-sama. And congratulations on your engagement. Your partner is also a wonderful person.”
“Thank you.”
Since then, I have been standing next to Ralph, wearing a constant smile. People came one after another to greet him and quickly moved on, so I was relieved that I didn’t have a chance to reveal my shortcomings.
After that, as we walked arm in arm into the venue, I was overwhelmed by the vast and luxurious hall, and the countless number of guests. Moreover, all eyes were on me.
Some were appraising me, while others were filled with jealousy. It seemed like everyone was focused on me, who suddenly took the seat of Ralph’s fiancée, rather than the protagonist himself.
“Lisette-sama, are you okay?”
“. . .Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Although I felt like everything I had worked hard for in the past month was about to be blown away, I had to stay strong.
“Onee-sama, let’s talk for a moment, shall we?”
After a while, Nadia took me away, allowing me to take a break away from Ralph’s side. I took a sip from the glass she handed me and let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
“No, it must be tiring to attend such a social event after a long time. And with all the attention on you, it must be hard to breathe.”
I thanked Nadia again and then turned my gaze to Ralph, who was in a slightly distant place.
“Ralph-sama, congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
All the young women in front of him blushed and had maiden-like expressions on their faces.
On the other hand, Ralph, while not being rude, still couldn’t completely hide his indifference.
“Is Ralph always like that?”
“No. Today he’s the one inviting everyone, and maybe it’s because he’s in front of Lisette-sama, so he’s being quite friendly.”
“That’s being friendly. . .?”
“Yes, That is being friendly.”
Ralph always had a gentle smile, and I thought he was more friendly than anyone else, so I was surprised.
“Only Lisette-Onee-sama is special.”
I didn’t feel bad hearing those words from her. In fact, I felt a little happy. I thought I was just too nervous at this long-awaited social event and had lost my mind.
“Are you Lisette-sama from the Ashburton family?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Actually, when we were children, I had the opportunity to greet you.”
The person who spoke to me seemed to know me. He was a stranger, about the same age as me.
By the way, it seems that Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law have already been told not to do anything unnecessary. I wasn’t given any details, though.
“Lisette-sama.”
As I thought it would be troublesome if the conversation turned to my family, I was suddenly pulled close, and when I looked up, there was Ralph.
Even though he had just been entertaining the guests, he was suddenly here. Nadia, who was next to me, giggled.
“Oh, you’re here so soon. Do you have eyes and ears everywhere?”
“I don’t.”
And then, the man who had spoken to me quickly left as soon as he saw Ralph’s figure.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh? Yeah, nothing really happened.”
Just because someone talked to me normally, Ralph seemed overly protective. And from then on, I found myself even closer to him than before.
“It feels like we’re closer, doesn’t it. . .?”
“Do you dislike it?”
“N-No, I don’t.”
“That’s good. I love you, Lisette-sama.”
At Ralph’s words, the surroundings became restless all at once. “Is that Ralph-sama?” “Was it true that he was head over heels?” I could hear voices like that, and I felt my face getting hot.
He continued to give me a sweet smile, and I pretended not to notice that my heart was racing, thinking that it was just because I was too nervous at this long-awaited social event.
“Ralph, can I talk to you for a moment? I need you to come quickly.”
“Understood. Lisette-sama, please stay here and don’t move. I’ll call Nadia right away.”
“Yeah, got it.”
Even though Nadia had already been called by the Marquess and was supposed to be greeting guests, I felt sorry for causing them so much trouble because of my incompetence.
As I bid farewell to Ralph, who had been called by the Marquis, and waited for Nadia, I picked up a nearby glass. That’s when. . .
“Hey, you. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“. . .Yes?”
When I turned to the voice, several noble young ladies were glaring at me. They were staring at me intently.
