"Dress alterations? What do you mean? Did you have one of my dresses, sister?"
"…Do you remember what I said at the last party?"
"You said my sense of fashion was atrocious."
"I didn't put it that harshly. Didn't I say it'd be better if you wrapped yourself in candy wrappers?"
That's worse!
Just as my annoyance was about to bubble up again, she added,
"I've been having a few of my dresses altered to fit your size."
"What? Why… would you go that far?"
"It's clear you have an eye for beauty, but your sense of style just doesn't measure up. It's such a shame. At least wear something that looks like a proper dress at the next party."
Wow.
For a moment, I thought I misheard her.
Natalie, delivering a kind-hearted insult?
Sure, no matter how much she sugarcoats it, an insult is still an insult. But the fact that she's claiming to do this for me… What's her angle? Is she serious?
I wondered if I was too biased against Natalie. When I turned to check, even the maid looked shocked, her mouth slightly agape.
Natalie spun on her heel.
"Wait here. I'll get dressed quickly and join you."
"What? Are you planning to come to the botanical garden with me?"
"Yes. These days, if I leave you alone, you end up clinging to desserts. It'd be a shame if the altered dresses didn't fit anymore."
"You really don't have to come! I'll eat less, I promise!"
But Natalie ignored me completely and walked off briskly.
What on earth is with her?
She's having her dresses tailored for me? Is she planning to hide thumbtacks in the seams?
"What do you think?" I asked the maid.
She, too, looked puzzled but eventually said,
"Whatever happens, stay strong, Lady Dory."
"...."
Right. I have to endure no matter what.
In the end, I headed to the outdoor event with Natalie.
She had pressed a large bonnet tightly over her head, clearly determined not to let even a trace of sunlight touch her skin.
I brushed off her attempts to lecture me about the angle of my hat as we entered the botanical garden.
A servant called out loudly to the guests,
"Welcome to the botanical garden opening ceremony! Tables and refreshments are prepared further inside the garden. The main event begins at 1 PM…"
I wasn't expecting much, but the scenery was quite beautiful.
The entrance was flanked by lush green trees like a curtain, leading to a garden filled with vibrant orange gladiolus and tulips.
"Wow, it's so pretty!" the maid exclaimed in admiration. Even Natalie, in a slightly higher-pitched tone than usual, commented,
"Gathering dozens of flowers like this doesn't diminish their aesthetic appeal. From now on, I'll only accept bouquets with at least fifty flowers."
Uh, sure.
Then the maid let out a gasp, this time of a different kind.
"Oh my…."
Curious, I turned to look—and my jaw dropped.
"Wow…"
Maria Meyer, the original female lead, was walking through a field of daffodils.
She was just walking, yet it felt like I was looking at a masterpiece painting.
When someone is truly beautiful, all you can do is marvel.
Maria, seemingly flustered by the attention she was drawing, quickly retreated to a nearby greenhouse.
Some guests took the opportunity to start whispering about her.
"She actually showed up to the event. I heard she declines more than half of her party invitations because she's so shy."
"Her uncle probably pressured her to attend something, at least for his sake. If she hates these events so much, she should just hurry up and accept any suitor and get married already."
"With that face? You think she'd settle for anyone?"
"If all she has is her looks, she should decide quickly before her suitors lose interest."
Ugh, what filthy gossip. Is this high society or the jungle?
…And then a terrifying thought struck me.
'Natalie could be even worse than this.'
In the original story, Natalie doesn't attend this outdoor party.
But since she followed me here, what if she starts picking a fight with Maria? What if that changes the course of the story?
Should I stop her? Maybe if the maid and I team up, we can hold her back—
Wait, hold on.
Why isn't Natalie saying anything about the female lead?
Feeling uneasy, I turned my head and immediately locked eyes with Natalie.
I nearly screamed. Why was she staring at me? Did I do something wrong?
As I froze in place, Natalie finally spoke.
"Lucky for you, Dory. There's someone else here to listen to their nonsense."
"…What?"
"If Maria Meyer hadn't been here, you would've been the one getting ripped apart by those gossipers."
"Oh…"
"…Maybe I shouldn't have come."
Muttering quietly, Natalie tugged her bonnet lower, as if annoyed by the sunlight.
Hey, Natalie.
Don't tell me… you came along because you were worried I'd get trashed behind my back?
As I pondered the reason, Natalie spoke up.
"Dory, are you really here just to look at flowers?"
I repeated the same lie I'd told the maid earlier.
"Yes. Once I get married, I probably won't be able to attend events like this so easily."
"Hmm. So you believe you'll be married soon. To whom?"
"Of course, to His Highness Tristan."
Natalie's eyes narrowed like a fox, and her sharp voice pierced straight through me.
"His Highness may keep up appearances regarding the engagement, but don't expect him to take you flower-viewing after marriage. What an unhealthy trust you have."
"Oh…"
"What do you think about that, Your Highness Tristan?"
What?
Startled, I turned to follow Natalie's gaze—and there he was.
Tristan himself stood there, dressed impeccably in formal attire but with his hair slightly disheveled, as if he had rushed to get here.
You weren't supposed to attend this event in the original story either…
Now, with me stuck in the middle, the original villainess and the secondary antagonist exchanged icy glances. Definitely not the warm kind.
Tristan lifted one corner of his mouth into a smirk, though the expression reeked more of disdain than friendliness.
"It's been a while, Miss Redfield. I thought you only attended parties with orchestras and red carpets. Feeling the pressure to secure a husband, are we?"
In the original story, Tristan and Natalie didn't get along.
Natalie thought Tristan was a guy with nothing but a pretty face and the worst personality, who still believed himself to be a great catch.
Meanwhile, Tristan thought Natalie was a woman with nothing but a pretty face and the worst personality, who still believed herself to be an amazing bride-to-be.
…Come to think of it, don't they actually have a lot in common?
Of course, saying that out loud would get me buried on a hillside by Natalie.
Still smiling, Natalie replied smoothly,
"As an older sister, there are times when I want to spend time with my younger sibling. Perhaps Your Highness should occasionally stop chasing after beautiful ladies and instead focus on assisting your brothers. With a temperament like that of a ten-year-old boy, I'm sure they'd be delighted to spend playtime with you."
In summary: "You immature brat, you don't even have the emotional capacity to woo women properly, so go play with your brothers instead."
Tristan's pupils trembled at her scathing insult, but he maintained his composure.
"It seems the ailment of underestimating younger siblings isn't exclusive to men. Rest assured, I am a self-aware adult. I came here today specifically to see my fiancée."
"What?"
As the two villains elegantly traded barbs, I let out an undignified squeak.
Still, can you blame me?
Sure, Natalie might've come here to pick a fight. But Tristan, why are you here to see me? Are you looking for a fight, too?
It seemed Natalie also couldn't accept the prince's answer. The tension between the two crackled like the start of a war.
Should I just step aside and let them duke it out?
But before I could retreat, both of them turned to me at the same time and spoke.
Natalie went first.
"To be honest, I don't get you. You used to say a single dandelion growing between rocks was more beautiful than flowers in an artificial garden."
Then Tristan bent down to my eye level and asked,
"Dory Redfield, what exactly were you thinking, coming here today?"
Oh, original Dory! Just how much of a homebody were you that everyone treats you like this for showing up to one flower-viewing event?
As their intense gazes made me feel like I was being disinfected under a UV lamp, a servant's loud voice rang out nearby, cutting through the tension.
"Sir Arthur Albion is arriving! Everyone, please make way!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"Arthur?"
"Albion? Isn't that the royal family's surname? Who is Arthur?"
He's the original male lead!
Hearing the name I'd been waiting for, my head instinctively turned toward the entrance.
There, walking in slowly, was a man as massive as a door.
With the classic K-fantasy traits of a protagonist—jet-black hair and obsidian-like black eyes gleaming under the sunlight—he immediately commanded attention.
All eyes were drawn to him.
"Who is that young man?"
"Arthur Albion, the young lord! The heir to Duke Frosthill."
"I'd heard he was coming to the capital to find a bride, but I didn't expect to see him first at this event!"
The host quickly ushered Arthur aside to minimize the crowd's interest. After some time, when people had settled down, they'd probably formally introduce him to the attendees.
That's also when the male lead and female lead would meet again.
Alright, until then, let's just breathe—
…Wait. Why are these two still staring at me?
Natalie spoke first.
"Dory, do you know this Arthur Albion?"
I only know of him, not personally!
"I have no idea who he is!"
"Hmm?"
Natalie tilted her head. Oh no, this is bad.
"Then why did your eyes light up just now when you heard 'Arthur Albion has arrived'? You reacted like it was a name you recognized."
Uh.
"Isn't that right, Your Highness?"
Tristan nodded.
"Indeed. It seemed as though you were waiting for news of a particular guest."
"N-No! I'm not interested at all! Really!"
"I see," Tristan said, raising both hands in a mock gesture of surrender.
"I'll believe you. My virtuous fiancée would never lie."
Natalie chimed in as well.
"My dear little sister would never tell a lie, would she? I believe you."
Neither of you believe me at all!