The day had arrived.

I barely blinked, and it was already time to put all my training to use… Not that there was much of that to begin with.

The private training session was really just me repeating all the moves Miss-who-knows-what-her-name-is had taught Carine before.

I was worried that I would be forced to dance with myselves, but it seemed Mother didn't like the thought of that as she immediately shut down that idea. So, I would just partner myself with Mother or the instructor interchangeably.

Not gonna lie, it was kind of awkward, but dancing with myself, especially in front of others, would be even more so…

Ever since I tried dancing with myself in that very dance hall, I have only ever tried it again two more times. And don't get me wrong, I only decided to do that to test if I was starting to get used to being close with myselves. Although I still cringed whenever I held my own hands, I was beginning to get the hang of it. Not enough to show it off to others, though…

Well, uh… back to the lesson…

A huge chunk of my time was also spent on ballroom etiquette. Mother and the instructor drilled the basics all day, from how to properly greet someone, knowing who to greet, knowing who you shouldn't greet, etc. Basically, it was the basics that were already taught to Carine.

So, all in all, I wouldn't say that it was all that productive, but I actually remembered their explanations way better when hearing them through Feyt. The way my ears worked eluded me.

Still, it was the only preparation I had against the looming threat that would happen tonight.

The entrance celebration ball.

It was still early in the morning, but even then, I already had no energy to spare. I didn't want to go, I just wanna stay here all day, all night… was mindlessly staring at my respective ceilings, though in Carine's case, it was more of a canopy.

Man, my canopy looks nice.

Like clockwork, knocks came from Carine's door as usual.

"Lady Carine? Are you awake?"

"Coming," I answered calmly. I let out a silent groan as I made my way out of my ever-so comfortable bed.

I opened the door to greet Leila, who was her usual self, holding a tray of delectable morning dishes.

No get-together for breakfast today, huh?

I let her in and she promptly placed the tray on my bedside table. She then straightened and faced me. "Lady Carine, after breakfast, the Duchess would like your thoughts on your dress."

"Oh, they're finally here?"

Leila nodded. "Yes, just this morning. Both yours and Sir Feyt's."

Mother had ordered a tailor-made dress and suit for the both of us just for this special occasion. I understood why she would order one for Feyt, but why Carine? I had, like, countless dresses in my closet, and I barely wore any of them.

In fact, the last dress tailor-made for me, the one used for the First Prince's birthday party I mean, was pretty okay. I wouldn't mind wearing it again, but… I get why Mother would avoid seeing me wearing that, just to avoid bringing up some bad memories.

Oh well, a new dress is a new dress.

The only thing I could hope for was that it wouldn't make me stand out too much.

—

Oh god, I'll definitely stand out too much.

Both of me were in the master chamber's private dressing room, Mother's, I mean. Before us stood two distinct sets of clothes.

On the left stood an elegant, sharp, and immaculately designed suit. It was a set of well-made pants, a clean inner suit, and a sharp blazer-like coat. Its colors were dark overall, with a faint red accent along the cuffs and collar.

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It was a great piece of clothing. But the one that truly made me worried wasn't that. It was the other one that stood beside it.

It was a dress.

The design itself was pretty simple, clean lines, no ribbons, no lace, no frills. It was totally my kind of dress. But the fabric…

It was like someone had taken the night sky captive and woven it into silk. The color started from a deep blue that Mother seemed fond of to keep putting as my dress's main color, but it then faded into a near black at the hem with a gradual but smooth transition.

The fabric was also speckled with tiny silver threads that, once exposed to light, shimmered like stars. Even the detached sleeve followed the same design.

It wasn't flashy in the usual sense. There was no gold embroidery or stuff I'd typically see in other noble women's dresses. And yet, I couldn't look away.

And to think I would be the one wearing it.

That thought alone made me worry if this was overkill.

"How is it?" Mother nonchalantly asked. "The tailor seemed proud of his work, but if you deem it unworthy…"

"I-It's great, Mother."

"Oh, then I'm glad."

I couldn't even imagine how much she had spent to commission something like this, and I could tell she was proud of the dress herself. Her subtle little smirk was showing.

Then, Mother turned to Feyt.

"How about you, Feyt?"

I nodded, almost frantically. "Y-Yeah, it looks great, instructor!"

If I actually wore those, no one would even think that I came from the boonies.

"Good," she said, facing the clothing sets. "I'm sure you know, Leila and I will be coming along. But even then, I'm sure you know what to do?"

"Yeah," I nodded again, calmer this time. "Keep an eye on Lady Carine, and don't let others get too close to her."

"Correct." Mother nodded almost satisfyingly.

I was planning on doing that anyway. I wouldn't overdo it, though, or else someone might get the wrong idea about the both of me.

"As for you, dear," Mother addressed the other me. She stared at me silently, then she smiled gently. "I'm sure you know what to do."

…Do I?

Silence stretched on as we continued to stare at the clothes. Then, Mother raised her voice.

"Now then, stick with your schedules and go freshen up. We don't want to be late for the ball."

It's only morning, though.

"Of course, Mother."

"Right away, Instructor."

And so begins my journey to look presentable. For Carine, it was the usual hubbub of maids taking care of me from head to toe. Of course, Leila remained the boss of the whole operation.

For Feyt, though, Mother had assigned Eliza and several maids and butlers to help prepare me for my first debut at an official party. And, it just so happened that one of those butlers was Anton.

But, I had been noticing something weird with the way he treated me ever since that incident with Sebastian. He was… weirdly timid.

While Eliza was styling my hair…

"S-Sir Feyt? Would you like some drinks?"

While I was sitting in the garden…

"Perhaps warm tea could match well with the scenery?"

While I waited for the bath to be prepared…

"Shall I give you a massage while we wait?"

What was he trying to do? Be my personal butler or something? I had a sneaking suspicion that Sebastian might have messed with his head somehow. But judging from his eyes and the way he acts in general, I couldn't see any traces of it.

I was genuinely more disturbed by this new Anton than I was with his usual self…

—

Night had arrived before I knew it.

Standing before the mirrors were me. A full-length mirror in Carine's room, and one modest mirror in Feyt's, both fully outfitted with our new clothes.

I barely recognized myselves.

As Feyt, just as predicted, the boy from the boonies was gone, replaced by someone who looked like a prince in his own right. Though the suit itself hugged me tight, it didn't feel restricting. It felt more like a second skin, a comfortable and warm one, I might add.

As Carine, I looked like I carried the night sky with every step I took, with the countless silver threads lighting up with every sway and motion. The long hem of the skirt flowed gently on the back, while still giving my leg room to move.

"You look beautiful, Lady Carine," Leila said behind me, her face subtly smiling through the mirror as she did the final touches to my hair.

I could only nod in agreement.

The room was absent from other maids; only Leila was here.

On the other end, though. Things weren't exactly calm. The maids and butlers were moving in and out of my room, finishing their final preparations.

When things were done, both of us left our rooms at around the same time. Leila followed me while Eliza and the others stayed behind.

"Good luck, Sir Feyt," Eliza said with a warm smile.

"You'd better make a good first impression, you hear?" Ressa gave a thumbs up.

"Please, stay safe," Anton said with a clearly forced smile.

Outside of that last one, it felt like they wanted the best for me. It shows with how different I looked. As I walked my way to the entrance hall, I caught glimpses of myself in the mirror's reflection, sometimes wondering if I was even the same person.

As I made my way as Feyt to the entrance hall, Carine's heels clicked softly on the polished marble floor, followed by Leila's inaudible footsteps.

We converged at the hall at around the same moment. Mother was already there; she wore an elegant dark navy dress with see-through layers covering her elegantly embroidered gown. She stood there with her hands folded.

We didn't make her wait too long, did we?

Mother turned at the sound of us approaching. Her eyes widened at the sight. Her eyes performed a slow inspection of the both of us, sweeping from Carine's gown to Feyt's suit. Then, without saying anything, she turned to face the grand doors, hiding her face from us.

"Good, you made it in time. Now, let's go."

The two knights guarding the grand doors moved in unison, grabbing the handles, and with silent groans, swung the doors inwards.

The cold night air rushed in, carrying the scent of grass and flowers into the hall. Our beloved, ever-so-expansive garden lay ahead, and at the end of the long, lit path sat a carriage, ready to be boarded.

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