Chapter 44
Undercover Infiltration Duchess
Now that he had decided to visit the Imperial family, he had to prepare accordingly. As she tried on the dress Edmond had bought from the dress shop, she chose a dress to wear for the court banquet, a dress to wear for the Emperorâs dinner, a dress to wear outside, and an indoor dress.
âEdmond, what do you say?â
He doesnât have a very good look on his face.
Doesnât it look good on me?
Ezet looked at herself in the mirror. It looks good in her eyes, but strangely Edmond didnât praise it.
âHow about this? When I wore it in Madame LaPrometâs wardrobe before, you said it was okayâ¦â
âBeautiful, but not for the court.â
âReally?â
Perhaps the dresses worn in the court are formal? Ezet tilted her head and undressed again.
She had no idea why Edmond was putting on an uncomfortable face.
âDamn it. I have to keep the bad guys from looking at her.â
Edmond was annoyed because Ezet was beautiful no matter what.
The light green dress, which gives a bright and lovely impression, makes Ezetâs impression look milder and more tender, and there may be people who come up and talk to her.
A brown damask cloth little darker than Ezetâs hair and an olive frill dress would be elegant, so no one would flirt, but an intelligent criminal who approached with courtesy and made it difficult to refuse was likely to stick to her.
Never a brain-blocking rose-colored dress that cuts deep down her back.
Edmond chewed his lips as he could see the blackened men over her neck after seeing her smooth back, even though she had not even left the mansion yet.
âWhy is she so beautiful?â
Of course, some outfits didnât suit Ezet either. The dark wine-colored, heavy yet profound dress was too dark compared to her brightness, dark brunette hair or amber eyes to make her look like a dull, pale, sick woman.
Edmond didnât want Ezet to catch many peopleâs eyes because she was pretty, but he didnât want her to wear clothes that didnât suit her. Edmond, who was cornered because he didnât like this or that, moaned.
Of course, the face was expressionless.
âEdmond, what do you think is the best?â
ââ¦wear what you want to wear, Milady.â
He had no choice but to say so. If neither side can choose, the only thing left is to leave it to heaven. Edmond left his fate to Ezet.
Of course, the moment she chooses a revealing dress, it will be accidentally ripped off and unable to wear.
âWell, how about this? Iâve never worn purple before.â
Perhaps because she had worn a light-sky blue dress before, Ezet boldly chose a purple dress.
Her purple dress, contrasted with her amber eyes, gave her an air of pure and mysteriousness. It didnât look too mild, it seemed moderately arrogant, and it looked good on her.
Most of all, he liked the fact that the hat with wide brim was a set, and the brim slightly covered the face.
âItâs so beautiful, Milady. It looks good on you.â
Edmond praised Ezet with a pleased smile. Her eyes turned a little red.
âBut isnât the front part too bland? There must be a necklace in the setâ¦â
As Ezet winked, the maid silently pulled out the jewelry box and showed it to her. Two types of necklaces became a set. One is a delicate silver design blue topaz necklace. The other one is a ruby necklace with an extensive and dark pattern.
Ezet wondered which of the two necklaces to wear. Topaz didnât match the color of her eyes, and ruby looked rather heavy for a young woman to wear.
âEdmond, which one do you think is better?â
âBoth of them are bad. It doesnât suit you.â
This time, he answered honestly.
He was afraid that the dress would catch other peopleâs eyes or look less pretty, but he could only be objective by choosing a necklace to wear on top of the dress while covering her entire body.
Edmond looked through the jewelry in the jewelry box. This and that are not enough. It was lamentable that there were so many jewels and no jewelry perfectly suited to Ezet.
âMilady, letâs buy new jewelry.â
âWhat? Youâre buying again?â
Edmond whispered soothingly, stroking her cheek as he looked at herself with startled rabbit eyes.
âItâs a meeting with the Emperor. Other ladies will attend the court banquet. Donât you think you should dress up to match the status of Duchess Jaxen?â
The higher the status of the aristocrat, the more responsible they were for maintaining their dignity, so she could not just wear anything. The design of the dress was also important, but the jewelry on the body was even more critical. There was an implicit rule that one should wear jewelry that was more precious than ones worn by those who were lower in status.
For example, if the Empress or Duchess appeared wearing ruby or diamond necklaces, no ladies under the latter could wear rubies or diamonds. It was because she would receive glares if she wore more precious jewelry than a woman of high status. The exception was given to the host of a wedding, birthday, or party, but this was the case at a typical court banquet.
Therefore, the Empress and Duchess mainly used precious gems such as diamonds and rubies, and they wore relatively large ones. In the case of aesthetically small jewels, the number of jewels on them was increased.