Chapter 84 The Maiden'S Bedroom
Sara woke up.
"I don't know this ceiling..."
'I've always wanted to say this line...'
and other carefree thoughts, but Sara clearly woke up in an unfamiliar bed in a mansion. Moreover, she was neatly dressed in her nightgown.
Sara tried to remember what happened before she slept, but she could only recall fragments.
"Let's see... I remember getting angry at that disgusting mercenary's remark and revealing my position a little. After that, the knight's horse came galloping in, right? And I think I saw Sir Jeffrey too...?"
But she couldn't remember the details. When she looked out the window, the sun was quite high up. It was probably close to noon.
Next, she checked her hands and feet. It seemed she was still in Sophia's body.
The next moment, the door was lightly knocked on.
"Yes?"
Sara replied, and a maid and Rebecca entered the room.
"Sophia, did you sleep well?"
"Yes. Lady Rebecca. By the way, where is this place?"
Sara looked around the room, clearly a noble's or wealthy commoner's mansion, but it was a place she didn't remember.
"This is Baron Walt's mansion. You collapsed into Sir Jeffrey's arms as soon as the knight's group arrived last night."
"Eh?!"
"I think you were exhausted from all that excitement. You slept so soundly that Baron Walt said, 'Why don't you rest at my place?'"
"That's what happened, huh?"
During the conversation with Rebecca, the maid quickly set up a light meal on the nearby table. When she opened the lid of a small pot, a delicious soup aroma wafted through the room.
"I'm starving!"
Rebecca chuckled.
"I'll hurry and get dressed. Where do I change?"
Then the maid, who had finished preparing the table, approached with an unfamiliar dress.
"Let me help you."
'Wait, is this my first time wearing an adult dress?'
Rebecca offered Sara a helping hand, looking at her slightly shaken state.
"Yesterday, you collapsed, and while it's a bit of a breach of etiquette, wouldn't it be better to eat before changing? You might collapse again, you know?"
"Yeah, that's true..."
The maid, still looking down, replied "Understood" and placed the dress on top of the dresser before returning to the table to set the meal.
After the maid finished setting the table, Rebecca told her to leave, wanting to talk to Sara alone.
"Thank you. Miss Rebecca."
"You're still not used to adult dresses, are you?"
"I'm not confident in my corset, to be honest."
"I understand how you feel."
Sara's stomach was growling, so she started eating the meal that was neither breakfast nor lunch. Seeing the 2 servings, Rebecca probably thought it was lunchtime too.
"What time is it now, I wonder?"
"It's almost noon. This is a bit of an early lunch, I suppose."
'Like brunch in my past life, haha.'
"By the way, Ms. Sara, I should let you know."
"What is it?"
"You're being mistaken as Sir Jeffrey's fiancée by the servants in this mansion."
"Huh?!"
Apparently, Sara had fallen onto Jeffrey's arm, and he had no choice but to carry her, still riding his horse, all the way to Baron Walt's mansion. And even to the bed!
"At first, Rob was going to carry you, but it seemed like even Rob couldn't handle carrying Sophia, who had fainted, on horseback."
"Whattt..."
"Ugh, that groaning sound is, as a governess, a minus point."
"It's not like I can help it, being carried around like that."
"You're a maiden being carried by a dashing red-haired knight. It was quite a picturesque scene."
"I'd like to remember that scene without fainting, though... it's just too embarrassing..."
"Oh, Ms. Sara, do you like the type of guy like Sir Jeffrey?"
"But he's so cool, isn't he? The knight's uniform is a feast for the eyes."
Jeffrey had a slender yet athletic build. Since he specialized in speed-based swordsmanship, he didn't have any unnecessary muscles that would hinder his movements, giving him a wild and agile atmosphere like a feline beast.
With his refined facial features, he looked every bit a Grandchester. He had the skills to win a swordsmanship tournament and was blessed with good looks, which led to him receiving invitations from the Imperial Knights when he was young. However, since the Imperial Knights of Avalon had a rule that members had to be single, Jeffrey, who was already engaged, joined the Grandchester Knights instead.
"Wait, isn't Sir Jeffrey married? Why did the servant think we were engaged?"
"He did get married and have a child, but his wife passed away about 10 years ago."
"How old is Sir Jeffrey, anyway?"
"I think he's 36 years old. His son is almost 14, if I'm not mistaken."
"So, a widowed father with a kid is being misunderstood as being engaged to a noble lady with a questionable past?"
"That's a very accurate description!"
Sara covered her face.
"That's really unfair to Sir Jeffrey, isn't it?"
"But if Sir Jeffrey likes it, then it's okay, right?"
"It's just that... I'm 8 years old, so I'm younger than his kid."
"Well, it's not unusual for nobles to have a big age gap... but 8 years is physically quite a challenge, isn't it?"
"I don't think I need education on how that would be physically challenging."
"I don't know much about it either, so education is out of the question."
"With my memories and experiences from my past life, I think I know more about it."
"Then, when I get married, I'll ask Ms. Sara to educate me, okay?"
"That's not possible, please forgive me."
The two of them exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
Since dinner was over, Sara decided to change her clothes. She could have called the maid again, but to avoid suspicion due to her obvious lack of experience with dresses, she decided to use magic to change instead.
First, she had Rebecca explain the dress on top of the clothes case to her. Since it was quite different from the children's dresses, she needed an explanation for each part.
So, these are the 'parts'. Sara didn't know until she reincarnated that a dress was composed of so many parts like this. And that's also why it's hard to change into it by herself.
The shorts in this world are like the bloomers she saw in her past life, Sarasa. They don't use rubber or anything, so if the strings come undone, they'll fall down. Since children's shorts are like pumpkin pants, girls in this world feel like they've become adults when they wear bloomers for the first time.
Next, she wears a thin, cotton-muslin-like undergarment that's like a one-piece. This serves as a shimmy.
And then, it's time for the corset. Since this is an everyday dress, it's made of soft fabric, but unlike the one her mother wore, the strings are in the back.
'I guess it's no wonder it's hard to put this on by yourself.'
But apparently, there are strong people who can do it alone, which is really surprising.
Next, she hangs a small pouch on both sides of her waist with a belt. This pouch has a slit and serves as a pocket. The socks are like knee-highs, but instead of being held up by strings, they're tied with a ribbon and folded back. This part is the same as children's dresses, so she understood the mechanism.
Finally, it's time for the skirt part. She needs to wear a petticoat under the top skirt. Depending on the type, she might need to wear multiple layers, but luckily, it was just one layer this time. By the way, lately, bustle-type dresses have been popular, and people often wear a bustle, which is like a waist pad, under their skirts when they go out. But not this time.
The skirt is made up of separate parts for the front and back. She wears a waist apron in the front and back and tie it with strings to secure it. Also, there's a slit on the side of the skirt, so it's important to check that she can put her hand in there and reach the pouch for the pocket.
Finally, put on the gown and attached the front part. This time, it was designed to be fastened with buttons. At social gatherings like balls during the season, it's common to attach a decorative brooch called a stomacher to the front part with a pin.
'Yeah, no way I can do it alone.'
In reality, many women take almost an hour just to change clothes, and when one adds the time it takes to style their hair and apply makeup, Sara was afraid to think about how long it would take to get ready.
With Rebecca's explanation, Sara quickly changed behind the screen and finished getting dressed in an instant. However, Rebecca let out a sigh when she saw it.
"Honestly, I wish I could use that magic too..."
"If it's something that can be taught, I'd be happy to teach you."
"But usually, it's better to have a maid do it for you. You should get used to it, just like Sophia did."
"Yeah, I'll try to get used to it when I have the chance."
Rebecca simply styled Sara's hair by tying it up with a ribbon.
"Miss Rebecca, you're really skilled, aren't you?"
"I used to be a lady-in-waiting at the palace before I got married, so..."
"I didn't know that."
"It's like a training program for noble ladies to become brides. They temporarily serve at the palace to gain experience."
"I see."
Normally, one'd do their makeup and hair before putting on the dress, but since Sara changed quickly, Rebecca applied a simple makeup to Sara.
"Ugh, normally I'd teach you step by step, but considering Sophia, I have to teach you the makeup method too."
"Can't a maid do it for me?"
"Basically, yes. But if you can do it yourself, it's easier to touch up your makeup in a hurry."
"That's how it is, huh?"
"Yes. And if you accidentally kiss a guy, you'll be at ease!"
"Miss Rebecca... I'm 8 years old..."
"But Sophia is different, right?"
The beautiful ladies laughed again, giggling.
"Shall we go, Sophia?"
"Where to?"
"His Excellency the Marquis will be there, along with Rob and Sir Jeffrey. We need to take care of the aftermath of this commotion."
"Isn't that their job, anyway?"
"Oh, they've been waiting for Sophia to wake up."
"Aren't women not supposed to get involved in things like this? It's going to be a huge pain... or rather, a huge hassle, I can feel it."
"That's definitely not wrong."
And then, Sara and Rebecca left the room and headed towards the men waiting downstairs.
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