Grand Party I

The next morning came with a bunch of footsteps entering Laura's room. It was very unusual for other maids except Mary to enter the room, but it was a special day.

It was not her usual day as it was the day she would be going to the ball with Erwin, which she didn't tell anyone. However, she did state that there was a party that she needed to attend in the palace.

The maids entered the room with excitement ready to transform Laura into another person. The excitement faces on the maids face scared Laura since she wasn't the type of person to dress up or cake herself with powder.

At least it's better to be groomed properly than not to be. It would be embarrassing if she went to the grand party looking plain. For sure other nobles would mock her for not trying, murmuring how rude she is for not representing herself properly to the emperor.

It was early in the morning, and Laura was lying on the bed. She was sightly awake but still kept her eyes shut. Mary sighed upon seeing the dark and heavy bags under Laura's eyes. Most likely, she slept late out of nervousness.

"Miss Laura, please get up," Mary coughed. But Laura didn't bulge at all. 

"Miss, please get up. You're going to be late for the party."

Still, Laura did not move a single muscle. It was rather unusual for Laura not to wake up after one call. And the bags under Laura's eyes did not ease Mary's worries at all. 

Laura stayed quiet, and unmoving with no response, leaving Mary and the other maids without any choice but to let her sleep more.

Mary and the other maids decided to stay in the room for a little while longer, giving her more time to rest. But before the maids moved to their position, Laura's eyes opened, shocking the maids. 

Laura blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. She felt tired, and what can she do after staying up late? She clearly remembered lying down on the bed as her eyes remained wide open. It was not a pleasant experience at all.

Mary rushed to Laura's side, pouring a glass of water for her. On the other hand, Laura sat up on the bed and took the glass of water from Mary. Without realizing that she was taking things too quickly, she took a sip and choked on her water.

Laura coughed out loud, handing the glass of water to Mary and patted her chest. It looks like she was still half-asleep and remembered what day it was. She groaned in annoyance and smacked her pillow.

Mary, who stood by her side, titled her head and was confused. She wondered if it was a good idea to give her a glass of water in the morning, but then recalled that this had been a routine that Laura had over the past months, and there was never a problem until today.

There was a figurine in the middle of the room with a sky blue dress, and on the neck was a pink necklace to be given to her by Count Harrison, and a light grey mask decorated with gold. 

The sky blue dress was beautiful. It wasn't the usual dress where many frills were on it. It had a modern look, and the long sleeves were transparent.

 It was Laura's first time seeing a dress like that, and she absolutely adored it and praised Scott quietly for his hard work.

Laura thought deeply. 

The long transparent sleeves might become a trend amongst the high women. And she was glad to be the first one to receive such an elegant-looking dress. It was an honor.

"This is my first time seeing a dress like that," Mary said, glancing at the dress.

"Me too," Laura agreed.

"Anyway, we have no time to spare. We need to move quickly," Mary rushed.

Mary called the other maids in the room to start their unique spa. And obviously, Laura didn't like it, but she had no choice because she looked worn after a sleepless night. There was nothing for her to say, and so she followed.

The grand party started at night, and even if it was morning, there was no time to spare. It takes hours to beautify a woman, and every pace should be relaxing, not in a rush.

Laura touched the mask while Mary was combing her hair. And as the sun was setting, the nervousness in her grew. Her focus on the party was gone for a moment, but now it seemed like her nerves were getting to her.

It was not an ordinary party, but a grand party celebrating the crowned prince's birthday and revealing his face amongst hundreds of nobles. It might be more nerve-wracking to be the crowned prince than to be someone else partner.

A knock was heard from the door and entered Lester, who froze upon seeing Laura. The dress she wore made her look even more graceful and had made his forget his reason for coming in the first place.

"Miss Laura, you're partner is here to pick you up..." Lester coughed once he recovered, placing an arm at the back.

"Already?" Laura panicked. "Am I forgetting anything?"

"No, you're not," Mary smiled, pushing Laura to the door. "Now relax, and go have fun."

Laura sighed, looking at the grinning face of Mary. Sometimes Laura didn't understand why Mary would grin when she goes out with a guy. It is weird, but really, Laura and Erwin are just friends who met each other in unexpected circumstances.

It's not like the petal will bloom in one night.

"You look gorgeous tonight," Lester complimented as he walked in front of Laura.

"So, you mean I don't look beautiful as any other days?" Laura said with a serious expression.

"No, that's not wh-"

"I'm just kidding," Laura laughed softly. It is fun to mess with a guy like Lester. He gives the vibe of an older brother who you can tease all day long. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lester chuckled.

Laura walked out of the entrance floor, looking down the stairs. She was worried she might step on her dress and fall of the stairs. And so her attention was not on Erwin, who she didn't notice stood there speechless.

Erwin watched Laura walking down the stairs and quietly praised himself for suggesting Scott's long transparent sleeves. Erwin was glad, as expected of Scott, he never fails to impress him.

Laura carefully walked down the stairs, and when she reached the bottom, she looked up, and her face slightly turned red.

Looking at the man, she recognized who he was and was it none other her partner for the night, Erwin. Even if he did look stunning all the time, he looked much more attractive with the dark blue suit he wore.

Not only that, but she also noticed the matching mask that they seemed to have, the only difference was the color. It was black. Even if Erwin had the masked on, his light blue eyes still manage to stand out.

Erwin rubbed his neck and coughed, catching Laura's attention, making her embarrassed all the more. She tried hiding her blushing face, but Erwin had noticed it already.

"Are you that in love with my eyes?" Erwin teased, making Laura embarrassed all the more.

"Stop teasing me," Laura scolded.

With the flustered face, Laura was showing Erwin couldn't hold it in further. He promised himself not to touch her or make her feel uncomfortable in any way, but he couldn't control it with how gorgeous she was.

Erwin gently held a strand of Laura's hair and kissed it. Laura shrieked intuitively, touching the part where he kissed and was speechless. She wondered 'just what in the world is he thinking—doing something in public where all eyes were on them.'

"What are you doing?" Laura asked nervously as she took a step back.

"Showing everyone that you are my property," Erwin smiled, making Laura's heart thump.

She couldn't hold it in any longer with the embarrassment she felt, and she decided to enter the carriage without Erwin's help. 

The moment she got in, Laura sat on the corner, looking out the window, hiding her face. While on the other side, Erwin laughed softly, stepping into the carriage.

"Sometimes, I don't understand what you're doing," Laura puffed, still looking out the window.

"Sometimes, I don't understand why you like looking at my eyes," Erwin teased—crossing his arms together while smiling.

"Don't tease me any further. I'll kill you," Laura complained.

"You prepare yourself. Once you step into the palace as my partner, you already know that it's going to be chaotic, right?" Erwin reminded as his smile turned into a frown.

"I know. But it's not as obvious that I'm Laura Alvarado," Laura laughed, now facing Erwin's direction.

"At least they know now that they can't touch you," Erwin smiled, leaning his head on the window.

"Please stop saying embarrassing things," Laura pleaded.

"No, I'm not going to stop," Erwin smirked.

Laura shook her head and gave up on arguing with this man. A man like Erwin will never listen and will do what he wants to do. There is no point in stopping him. 

But Laura didn't think that it was that bad of a thing.

Having her heart skip a beat and her face blushing were all unusual things for her, but it wasn't bad. For some reason, she didn't mind Erwin teasing her all day long.

Perhaps she has fallen for him?