'How did I find myself in this situation? I can feel the eyes glaring daggers into my back even from behind the window curtains.'
Elysia flinched as the needle came too close to piercing her body again. This was already the tenth time she had been pricked because of her body's reaction.
"Lady Dirac, you need to relax. Your dress will not sit well on your body if you move around too much."
The old lady who was fixing Elysia's dress somehow managed to prick Elysia again. She was being extremely patient with Elysia which made it easy for Elysia to ignore these small mistakes on her part.
But Lord Dirac, eh, Lucas didn't seem to think the same. He was glaring at the old lady, daring her to prick Elysia again.
'Brother has a powerful glare. I am sure it must be making the shop owner even more nervous.'
Elysia wasn't sure if it was because of the nervousness or her frigidity that was causing so many mistakes today but Elysia knew better than to blame a third party.
"No matter how much you glare at me my lord, I cannot work any faster than this. Perhaps you should leave the room if you are going to distract me from working on readjusting My Lady's dress."
The old lady got an even more acidic glare for her efforts. The expression on the shopkeeper's face did not change but Elysia did feel her hands shake a little.
'I guess even other people get nervous in brother's presence. Should I ask him to give me a little privacy?'
It would not be odd for Elysia to ask for a little privacy. Despite how well things were going between the siblings, Elysia was still nervous to be in the same space as Lord Lucas for a long time.
Sora had returned to the enchanted forest for a few days to gather information which had also left Elysia along with Lucas in the mansion. (There were maids and butlers around but they didn't count)
"Lord Dir- eh, I mean, Bother Lucas, can you give me and the shop owner some privacy? I need her to adjust some parts that she cannot if you are standing in here."
Elysia made sure her voice was as unoffending as she could make it. The old lady let out a relieved sigh nearby.
Her nerves must be off the roof while being glared at by Lord Dirac.
"Elysia, I thought you were on my side? But even you are throwing me to the sharks? I will be assaulted and taken advantage of as soon as I step out of this room. Can't you feel those eyes on me? Those predators are waiting for me to come out alone."
The old lady looked startled at Lord Dirac's weird behavior but Elysia was getting used to it now.
It had been startling to see his behavior at first but it did not take long for Elysia to adjust. Maybe because she had no real friends outside Eve and Adam, Elysia's expectations when it came to these things were a little weird.
But ever since Lord Lucas had helped Elysia out, he had seemed a little more relaxed than before.
"Brother, please go. You're also making the shopkeeper scared. She can't possibly work like this."
'She can't work in front of me? Then, she need not work for me,' that was what her brother's face was saying to Elysia.
But he likely read Elysia's worried face as well and decided to take his leave which Elysia was grateful for.
She did not want to change in front of her brother and she had not lied when she said that there were some 'private' changes she wanted to be done to the dress.
"Excuse me but can you add more black to the dress? And a Dirac crest on the back will be nice as well if you can embroider it."
Now that Elysia had decided to work toward formally annulling the engagement, it was time to start taking those steps.
Usually, Elysia's dress needed to carry the crest of the royal family since she was the Crown Prince's fiance. But this time it would not be needed.
As Adam's partner, Eve's dress would carry the royal crest. Elysia could not publicly wear the royal crest despite her position so normally her dress should be devoid of any crest.
But she was a noble representative of the Duke's house this time. So as per customs, her dress needed to carry the house crest on it.
"The Dirac crest? Are you serious, my lady? Won't that be a crime-"
"Why would it be a crime for me to wear my own family's crest on my dress? I am a full-blooded Dirac as well, right?"
Elysia felt annoyed at being asked the question. She did not originally want to cause a fuss but she could also not let this matter rest.
'Sora would scold me again if I don't say anything now. I don't want him to be disappointed in me.'
Elysia knew she was taking a risk by asking for this but she did not care so much. Once her engagement was broken the death flag that was brewing on her head would go away.
"If this is something my lady wants then I will try to incorporate it. But I will need to run it by Lord Dirac first before I make any changes. Please be ensured that it is not because of my lady but as a standard protocol we must follow."
Elysia wanted to say something about this 'standard protocol' she had never heard anything about. But she also did not want to fight with the old lady unnecessarily.
Despite her words and actions, the old lady had been nothing but courteous with Elysia. She had not outwardly shown hostility toward the 'new' Dirac.
Elysia was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.
"I understand. I will be waiting for good news then."
Elysia had nothing else to say after that. The shopkeeper looked a little uncomfortable at being along with Elysia after that disagreement so Elysia decided to take her to leave.
Her brother was waiting in the waiting lobby of the Saloon, her body tense and guarded against the attention he was receiving.
A lot of eyes had already sought him out as an eligible target to try and seduce. Elysia was not surprised to see her brother's popularity.
After all, he was a handsome and young rich noble. Being a Duke was a big position and a huge attraction for most ladies.
"Lord Dir-eh, I mean, brother, I am done here. Let's go back home or we'll be late for dinner."
All eyes in the saloon turned toward Elysia as one to make her take those words back. It was the same as being bullied by the owners of those eyes.
Elysia had always hated seeking attention from these people so having their eyes on her was a huge pain.
"Finally! Are you sure you don't have anything else to do? You can always bug me to take you out. You don't have to be so polite all the time with me."
'I don't think I have the luxury of doing that. These people already look ready to eat me alive just for being with you. I don't think I will survive if I behave any more informally with you.'
It was not only the females who were eying Elysia with disdain for taking their 'future' position. The proof of Lord Dirac's favor painted an even bigger target on her back.
"Ely, you need to be careful and avoid these people. They would try to take advantage of you if you let them. So you need to know when to cut them off."
Lord Dirac's voice was not low when he suggested that. Most of the faces turned red at the indirect jab being made at their expanse.
But the others darkened at being insulted because of an 'unknown' person. People were not willing to accept Elysia so easily into their ruling household.
There were mainly three kinds of people at this saloon - those who ignored Elysia's existence, those who found her an eye-sore, and the third kind,
"Umm, Lady Elysia, hello. My name is Sharon and I'm Count Erwin's daughter. I heard that you had a problem with your eyes so I was wondering if I could help you as a friend. Won't you like to be my friend?"
Lady Sharon looked like a sweet lady with brown hair and green eyes. Beyond that, Elysia could not tell what she looked like.
She was a prime example of the third kind of people present in the saloon - those who wanted to use Elysia to get closer to Lord Dirac.
Most of the nobles here were young and had only heard about Elysia from an external source. To them, she was a naive young girl who fell into their world blind.
'She thinks of me as an easy target. Does she think I cannot tell who her real target is if she keeps on glancing toward my brother like this?'
It was true to an extent. Elysia could not feel the pressure of Sharon's eyes on her. The elder girl seemed more interested in watching her brother than waiting for Elysia's response.
"Brother, I am feeling faint and I want to go home now. Can you please escort me? Ah, I'm sorry Lady Sharon but I'm feeling quite unwell right now. I guess I over-exerted myself today."
The poor girl looked taken aback by the sudden address. It was clear to even the half-blind Elysia that Lady Sharon was not paying attention to her.
"Ah, is that so? If that's the case then I should help you at home. Right, Lord Dirac. Isn't that what friends do for -"
"There is no need for Lady Erwin to escort Elysia home. I shall do it myself since she's my sister. Tell the shop owner to come to my home with the dress in two days and make any changes my sister wants. No matter what she asks, it shall be done without question."
The old lady who had just exited her room went red and then white at the subtle threat. Elysia had a feeling that her dress would have the crest she requested from the Lady.
"You didn't have to make such a fuss in there. What if this negatively affects the Dirac house in the future?"
Elysia was not worried but she still felt concerned about her brother's future. He had no diplomatic value and made enemies left and right.
He was so easily triggered as well which was a big concern Elysia had.
"Don't worry about the future so much. These people are no threat to the Dirac house and I've had a talk with the crown prince as well about a possible future collaboration. We are as safe as we can be."
Despite Lord Dirac's reassuring words, Elysia could not help but feel worried still. She did not know why but the future looked too uncertain for her liking.
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