Father, I Won’t Do Anything

Livian was a designer who created dresses in the style that would be trendy five years from now.

No matter how quickly fashion changed, wearing a dress that would be in vogue five years in the future was adventurous for the present time.

-Allow me to be your chaperon.

However, Jaina trusted what Elia had said earlier.

Jaina looked back. She saw Elia giving her a firm nod of affirmation.

‘High society is ultimately about getting closer to the center of power.’

For Elia, a hero beyond just the Empire but the entire continent, to act as her chaperon was tantamount to vouching for Jaina’s credentials.

While others struggled from the fringes to reach the center of high society, Jaina could bypass that process and go straight to the heart of it.

It felt as if Elia was saying that with her gaze.

‘With me by your side, no one will dare mock you.’

* * *

On the day of the debutante ball, Jaina entered the soiree hall wearing a dress strikingly different from conventional ones.

“Oh my, look at the dress that young lady is wearing!”

“It’s a dress style I’ve never even imagined before?”

The current trendy dresses were based on delicately woven lace with subtle embroidery densely adorning them.

But Jaina’s dress was unconventional.

First, it had no lace or embroidery at all. Instead of a deeply plunging neckline, it boldly exposed her shoulders while the chest area was modestly covered. As the dress hugged her body on its way down, it formed diagonal folds and creases.

Overall, the shape accentuated Jaina’s slender figure without appearing plain.

And to prevent her neck from looking too bare, a brilliantly sparkling diamond necklace added a touch of glamour without being overly flashy.

“Amidst all the same white dresses, hers really stands out. She’ll undoubtedly be the center of attention at this debutante ball?”

“How can elegance and glamour coexist like that? Is that even possible?”

Following trends essentially meant conformity.

Naturally, Jaina couldn’t help but draw attention amidst the rest.

‘In retrospect, it was a good thing her dress got ruined and had to be remade.’

In truth, the dress she had initially tailored was pretty but didn’t quite suit Jaina.

Being dresses befitting seventeen-year-old maidens, they tended to lean more towards the cute side despite following current trends, or bluntly put, they appeared childish.

But as Jaina’s baby fat gradually melted away and she took on a more mature air, she had outgrown her previously adorable looks and blossomed into a cool, intellectual beauty.

The refreshing dress she wore today suited her far better than the initial one.

While everyone couldn’t take their eyes off her, not all the reactions were positive.

“Is it really proper for a noble lady to stand out so much right from her debut?”

“How brazen. Do the other ladies not wear such dresses because they’re fools?”

However, they could only outwardly smile.

“This child’s name is Jaina. She’s the one I wanted to introduce to you all.”

It was because Elia was her chaperon.

‘Princess Elia has never been a chaperon for anyone before!’

‘Didn’t she also attend the martial arts tournament with her? This is a significant sign.’

With Elia by her side, there was no one in the Empire who dared insult Jaina.

Naturally, only positive comments reached Jaina’s ears.

“Which atelier did you have that dress tailored at? I’ve never seen a dress like that before.”

“It’s so wonderful. If you could let me know, I’d be truly grateful.”

Those who admired her dress and those who wished to seize this opportunity to connect with Elia were eagerly vying for Jaina’s attention.

‘So this is the power of authority.’

Jaina was newly struck by Elia’s prestigious status.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Meanwhile, Marilyn, who was beside Jaina, seemed proud as she chattered away.

“Hmm, hmm. Our Jaina does have quite exceptional taste.”

“Oh my, it seems Lady Marilyn is well-acquainted with Lady Jaina.”

“Of course. I’ve known her since we were thirteen…”

Marilyn lightly tossed her head as she divulged details about Jaina.

“She was so composed, like an old woman who had seen it all.”

“Indeed, Lady Jaina doesn’t seem tense at all, despite it being her debutante.”

The topic shifted from Jaina being an extraordinary child to an overly mature one, then back to her debutante dress.

“Her debutante dress suddenly got torn, can you believe it! But instead of crying over her ruined debut, she brought this unique dress instead!”

Jaina didn’t disclose to Marilyn the bizarre manner in which her debutante dress had been shredded.

She only briefly explained the circumstances that led to changing ateliers.

But Marilyn was vividly recounting it as if she had experienced it herself, embellishing the details.

As the lively party continued-

“Princess Elia.”

A stranger approached Elia and whispered something in her ear.

It seemed an incident had occurred that required the knights to mobilize.

“Jaina, will you be alright if I step away for a bit?”

“Please don’t worry too much.”

Jaina readily nodded in assent.

However, Elia seemed troubled at the thought of leaving Jaina alone, even briefly.

“I’ll be so sorry if anything gets disrupted because of me.”

Only after hearing those words did Elia follow the person who had summoned her. Those around briefly gossiped about how deeply Princess Elia cared for Lady Jaina.

“I wonder which atelier ruined Lady Jaina’s dress?”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t have left that place unscathed.”

“It wasn’t done intentionally, though.”

“So mistakes aren’t punished? Oh my, Lady Jaina is quite…”

And it was at that moment.

“But what if the atelier did it on purpose?”

Jaina turned to see not a debutante lady, but an unfamiliar woman standing there.

Concealing her face with an ornate fan, she gave a coquettish smile with her visible eyes.

“I’m curious how Lady Jaina would react if someone intentionally ruined her debutante dress.”

Jaina didn’t immediately respond. Instead, the indignant Marilyn stepped forward.

“What kind of remark is that? Are you insinuating someone was jealous of Jaina and did such a thing deliberately?”

“Perhaps.”

“How dare you? Your words are too outrageous.”

Jaina held Marilyn back from her outburst.

The woman snapped her fan shut with a click, revealing her face. Then she laughed.

“I’m only jesting.”

The woman was Countess Milpres.

‘Countess Milpres…’

She was the noble who had torn Jaina’s dress at the martial arts tournament yesterday.

‘Something feels odd. This woman couldn’t be the one who shredded my debutante dress…’

Just yesterday, they had been complete strangers, hadn’t they?

It seemed too extreme for her to have ruined the dress out of pique from the incident with Elia.

Moreover, the ominous lipstick message on the mirror.

It was content only someone deeply familiar with Jaina could have written.

“By the way, it seems Lady Jaina doesn’t have a partner?”

Countess Milpres was accompanied by a distinguished gentleman with a trimmed mustache.

“Being popular with ladies is all well and good, but you might end up being rejected by the truly important man.”

Where Countess Milpres gestured was a group actively mingling with the opposite sex at the debutante ball.

“Isn’t the greatest purpose in a female’s life to find a suitable mate?”

“You’re being too blunt…”

As one of the ladies timidly protested, Countess Milpres impassively tilted her head.

“Did I say anything wrong?”

For a moment, silence hung in the air.

The faces of the ladies around Jaina who had come to the debutante ball without partners showed discomfort.

However, Countess Milpres was currently a rising star in high society these days.

Those standing near Jaina were mostly debutantes attending their first soiree. They simply rolled their eyes, unsure how to respond.

With a smug smile, Countess Milpres snapped her fan open again and spoke.

“It seems Princess Elia didn’t prepare any partners?”

In a languid tone, she declared that a man was more important than any accessory or dress.

“I had expected the intelligent Lady Jaina, so favored by Princess Elia, to understand what truly matters. Why else would you all wear those white dresses you never normally wear and come to a place with men?”

“Saintess Prindelle was one who traveled the entire nation, sacrificing herself to care for patients afflicted with disease.”

When Jaina calmly spoke up, everyone turned their attention to her.

“Suddenly bringing her up… Are we having a history lesson now?”

“God deemed her worthy and decreed that she would wear undefiled white clothes for life. And from then on, she was never infected by any patient’s illness.”

Countess Milpres fell silent, assessing the atmosphere.

The story Jaina had just told, about the origins of the debutante that even etiquette tutors barely knew, was something only she, practically living in the library, would be familiar with.

“Saintess Prindelle introducing herself before the Emperor was the beginning of the debutante ball. The white dresses of the debutante ball don’t signify being ready to meet men, but emulating Saintess Prindelle. The debutante ball is a solemn occasion for ladies to greet the Emperor upon their debut.”

“My lady, aren’t you being too bold despite Princess Elia’s favor?”

“I merely wished you wouldn’t sully that noble meaning by reducing it to something as simple as finding a mate.”

“Ha, you knew that meaning yet still wore that standout dress? You should be more humble, commensurate with Princess Elia’s favor.”

Countess Milpres’s brows furrowed.

“Does it matter to you, Lady Jaina, what intentions I had in attending the debutante?”

At that moment, a voice broke the silence.

“Yes, Countess Milpres, you have no right to question what others might be thinking, do you?”