Our Summer Is Not Over - vanish into fiction

“I was in awe the entire time we were coming in. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a beautiful party.”

“Is that so? I’m so glad you think so, Madam. The other ladies are waiting inside. Shall we go together?”

Mia whispered softly to Dylan, who still hadn’t let go of her hand.

“Then I’ll spend some time with the ladies, Dylan. You should enjoy yourself with the other gentlemen.”

As if recalling something he greatly disliked, Dylan’s expression stiffened, and he tightened his grip on her hand.

“If something like earlier happens again—”

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen.”

Having already dealt with Annabelle earlier, Mia was sure she wouldn’t appear at the party again. Annabelle was the type to leave without lingering once she’d achieved her objective. It was something Mia had learned from past clashes with her.

But Dylan, who didn’t know this, seemed anxious about a repeat of what had just happened.

“Still, if it does, I’ll be nearby.”

Mia thought about mentioning the previous incident to reassure him, but then she shut her mouth. The moment she brought it up, everything Annabelle had done in Dylan’s absence would come to light.

If Dylan ended up in conflict with Marquis Luc, there was a chance that the Marquis might stop supporting House Rihardt in the future.

Mia decided it was best not to create any unnecessary trouble, so she spoke.

“Dylan, didn’t I tell you before I came? I’m not a child. More importantly, you need to start mingling in high society, too.”

Even though Mia herself had been insulted by Annabelle, somehow Dylan looked as if he’d been the one to suffer harsh words. She’d always thought of him as reserved, but lately, she felt she’d been seeing many new sides of him.

“Don’t worry about me. Please, just enjoy the party.”

When Mia stroked the back of Dylan’s hand, which still hadn’t loosened its grip, he finally let go. Mia smiled warmly at the waiting Marchioness Perville and soon disappeared from view.

Dylan stared at the hand Mia had touched. Nobles, noticing him standing unmoving at the entrance of the ballroom, began to tilt their heads before coming up to greet him.

Only then did Dylan realize Mia had completely disappeared from his sight, and he started to walk.

* * *

In the place where Marchioness Perville led her, familiar faces awaited. They started to greet Mia, but instead fell silent, openly admiring her.

“My goodness.”

Someone let out a gasp.

“Madam…!”

“You look so beautiful.”

Even Marchioness Perville, who hadn’t noticed Mia’s appearance due to the earlier tension, finally realized how different Mia looked today.

Her hair was neatly tied down, as usual, but the pin holding her hair was not the one Mia normally used. And her dress was not her usual plain style, but something so luxurious and intricately crafted, it was almost decadent.

Someone among them recognized the dress and couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“That’s Madame Elise’s dress!”

At the mention of Elise, everyone gasped.

There were particular conditions to request a piece from Elise’s salon. Not only did you have to fill out paperwork for everything, but you also had to select each design element yourself.

As difficult as it was, the quality of the clothing was guaranteed.

It was a dress shop every noblewoman dreamed of visiting at least once. But it was much easier to get a dress elsewhere than to meet Elise’s demanding requirements, so those who owned her dresses were few and far between.

Perhaps because of this rarity, Elise’s atelier was the most famous in the capital.

Elise was so famous that even Mia, who had little interest in clothing, knew of her. When Dylan brought Elise, Mia had been a little surprised.

But seeing the many outfits Elise produced, Mia became certain. It wasn’t Dylan who had picked the designs, but surely one of his adjutants.

Dylan, choosing dozens of dress designs? Not the Dylan she knew, even if he had all the time in the world.

“My goodness… His Grace the Duke is more attentive than he appears.”

The ladies, unaware of the truth, all praised Dylan’s attentiveness and envied Mia. Even though Mia could see their misunderstanding growing, she saw no reason to correct them, so she simply smiled and remained in place.