So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The next day.

“Milady… are you sure this is okay?”

Betty asked, her face twisted into a worried frown.

She clearly couldn’t trust how Katharina’s attitude had flipped overnight like someone turning a page.

“A sudden outing? There’s definitely some kind of scheme behind this!”

Even as she said that, her little feet never stopped moving—she was busy fussing over my hair, my dress, my everything.

I briefly replayed yesterday’s conversation in my head.

“What is it you want to show me?”

“Spring’s finally here, isn’t it? Flowers are blooming everywhere. So… let’s go boating on the Celeste River. The scenery from a small skiff is breathtaking. And I’ll make you delicious tea while we’re out there.”

Katharina—who’d begged me to be her friend—had followed it up with a very… ticklish little invitation.

Not just an outing.

A boat ride.

And the “Celeste River” she mentioned had to be the same river where we’d released the lanterns during the spring festival.

Boating?

Three letters, and my heart was already wobbling.

And it’s my first date with a beauty…

Honestly, how could I say no?

Flowers? Love them.
Tea? Love it.
Boating? Love it.
A beautiful woman? Love it the most.

Everything I liked, all in one place. Refusing would’ve been stupid.

I hadn’t even told the maid squad ahead of time, because I figured it was no big deal…

But apparently, to the Ga-Na-Da maid squad, it was absolutely a big deal.

This morning, after waking up from a completely obscene amount of good sleep in my fancy bed, I casually said I was going out for a boat ride—

and Betty practically launched into the air.

She immediately gathered the rest of the maids.

And after that…

…we ended up here.

“Alright. Pick one from here, Milady! Which dress will you wear?”

Rrrr—!

Betty dragged in a rolling rack all by herself, and it was packed with dresses so bright and flashy my eyes hurt just looking at them.

Frills and lace were the baseline. Every single gown was embroidered with ridiculous skill.

…Please don’t tell me she expects me to try them all on.

“Where did those dresses even come from?” I asked carefully.

We don’t have money, do we…?
Don’t tell me you—

Dora—who’d stiffened like she’d been caught doing something—popped her head out and protested immediately.

“We didn’t steal them! They were all prepared for you, Milady!”

Seeing how genuinely offended she looked, it didn’t seem like she was lying.

Dora always had the exact face of a guilty puppy whenever she actually did something wrong, so even someone as unobservant as me could tell the difference.

Even Nina—who was always glued to Dora like a twin, and who routinely stole things like madeleines meant for Katharina’s dessert—looked strangely confident.

“Then who prepared them?”

“Th-That’s… you’ll find out soon! That part isn’t important right now!”

Then what is important?!

The dresses felt suspicious as hell, but judging by their tight lips, I wasn’t getting answers today.

“Anyway! We cannot let everything go exactly as that peacock noblewoman wants!”

Betty declared fiercely.

I let out a long sigh and stared at her.

“Betty… for someone who’s worried, you picked the most dramatic dresses possible.”

“That’s a separate issue! If we’re going to beat Lady Katharina, this level is mandatory!”

She’s gone. Her eyes are gone.

Betty’s eyes were flipped inside out with pure battle spirit.

Honestly… she really was a Cerberus guarding the gates of hell.

Already exhausted, I muttered weakly.

“Why do we have to beat her…?”

“Because we’re going to crush the arrogance of everyone who’s looked down on you and us until now!”

“C-Crush…?”

Before I could process that escalation, Garnet strode in with a completely serious expression and wrapped an enormous petticoat around my waist.

With this much volume, if I put a dress over it, I wouldn’t just look full and fancy—
I’d look like I might float away.

No, seriously. Could I even walk?

My face drained of color, and apparently they misunderstood why—because Lia and Marie joined in while patting white powder onto my face like they were plastering a wall.

“This is also a matter of pride among us maids. We’ve been stuck in the annex for so long that we never had a chance to show our skills… but now it’s different!”

“That’s right! We’ll turn you into the most perfect, cutest, loveliest, most dazzling, most glamorous, most beautiful baby bunny Grand Duchess! You already are, but still!”

“Yeah! Let’s ride this momentum—go out there, fight, and win!”

“Wooooo!”

“Waaaah!”

“Kyaaaa!”

“….”

Why.
Why is it always like this.

Dating a beauty is hard.

Standing among them felt like I’d been drafted into a war with no guns—just couture.

And I still didn’t understand why they were doing this when I hadn’t asked for any of it.

Here it is… the maid squad’s Strict, Stern, Serious mode…

Once they entered that mode, nobody could stop them.

So I chose the path of least suffering:
I surrendered my body to their hands.

I had a feeling maid politics were way uglier than I’d ever guessed.

And once I stopped trying to understand it, everything moved terrifyingly fast.

“Milady… you’re absolutely stunning!”

I turned toward the large mirror Marie brought over and examined myself from every angle.

Oh… this is actually not bad.

It took a lot of effort to stop Betty from forcing me into every dress on the rack, but the one I “picked” (by pretending I had autonomy) did suit me surprisingly well.

It was a pale, buttery-yellow silk gown that softened my features.
The neckline dipped into a heart shape, with elegant puff sleeves blooming out at the shoulders.

And on my head, they placed a cream-colored silk headpiece layered with ornate lace.

I looked like an actual princess.

It’s kind of embarrassing to wear this at my age…

No. Confidence.
This is a romance-fantasy world.

I was the only one who’d been living like a hermit in a cottage, clueless about everything.

If I told myself this was “normal daily wear” for noble ladies here, it suddenly felt less awkward.

And honestly…

I started enjoying it.

“How do I look?” I asked, turning lightly.

Thanks to the petticoat, even a small movement looked bouncy and lively.

I might actually be… kind of cute right now.

Heh.

But then, Garnet—who’d been staring silently—

suddenly dropped to her knees.

“What—what are you doing? Why?!”

Why is everyone obsessed with kneeling the moment they see me?!
Please stand up!

Startled, I awkwardly stepped toward her—

and that’s when she shouted:

“A tulip fairy! A fairy has appeared!”

“….”

Nope. Cancel that.

Cute act? What cute act?!

I’m not built for these reactions!

My expression darkened instantly, but they didn’t even notice. Garnet’s declaration kicked off an endless wave of shameless praise.

“Oh my goodness, our baby bunny Milady… today you’ve become the fairy of flowers.”

“I think I’m going blind. Milady is shining like the morning sun—sniff!”

“Show us your hidden wings already! Damn it! There’s no way you’re not an angel—aaah!”

“Please stop…”

Going out for a simple boat ride was turning into a full-scale ordeal.

With dead eyes, I glanced out the window.

Because the last thing I wanted was to be late for my appointment with my new “friend.”

Thankfully, the morning sunlight was warm and gentle.

I turned back to the maid squad—still wailing and worshipping—and announced firmly:

“I’m leaving now. Are you seriously going to keep doing this? Because if you do, I’ll go without you.”

“No!”

“We want to keep looking at you for just a little longer!”

“Then let’s go. And please—please—don’t do this in front of other people.”

“Huh? Why not? You’re so tiny and adorable, though!”

“…Haaaah.”

I have social dignity too…

I was about to repeat myself and lay down the law—

when—

Knock, knock, knock.