~The String of Fate~ discontinued... Well, continued on another account 😁😁

Chapter 12:

"Alright, the next time I'll be seeing Anartis will be at the imperial ball. Which is in how many days?" I turned to Ardeat who instantly turned her full attention to me.

"In about a week, my lady." Ardeat responded before returning back to watering the flower pot while I nodded in understanding while pressing my pen against my lower lip out of habit.

"I see- Huh?" I instantly halted in my actions realizing what Ardeat had just said as she raised a brow at me.

"In about a week." She repeated as the pen slipped out of my hand while my mouth hung agape in shock, panic washing me.

"What?! But I don't even have a dress ready yet!" I exclaimed jumping out of my seat as Ardeat dropped the water can in her hands in shock while her jaw dropped open.

"..." The room fell dead silent as the water spilled over the entire carpet yet Ardeat simply kept gazing at me in shock.

"PARDON?!"

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Long story short, after a whole ten minutes of panicking.

I shooed Ardeat off to the store to buy anything shiny and pretty to decorate the dress with the money I had gotten from selling the gems on my dresses.

Why? I'm going to compromise and make my own dress from all the things I know Anartis hates with the little time I have left to prepare for the ball!

'If I'm surrounded with everything he hates, then he'll eventually hate me and this engagement too!' That was the plan... But is it even possible to do all that in one week?!

It took me all the hours in my day when I first came here to remove all those gems from my other dresses and I only managed to finish about half of them in two weeks before giving up after discovering Sovine's second closet.

Back then I decided that if half of these dresses were normal and the other half wasn't but at least had fewer gems then it would be pretty balanced and then wouldn't have to worry much about future events either.

And I'm glad I did so. Thanks to that, now I didn't have to scramble and scurry around the room trying to find the fanciest dress I have and then stick more jems on it.

Though I did have to stitch the back of the dress up a bit since it was a bit too revealing for my taste. It felt as though if a kid ran over and tugged on the back then the whole dress would slip off.

Ardeat had finally returned with the shells and also brought me some synthetic pearls which seemed close to real pearls though I hadn't asked for them. Though it wasn't a bad idea either.

You began stitching the dress, adding a few laces and different clothed fabrics and attaching the pearls onto the dress as Ardeat bolted around the mansion getting you everything you asked for.

"Ardeat! Go get me a hammer!"

"Understood!"

I took more time than expected to make the dress the definition of Anartis's dislikes. But even though I had spent three days to make this dress plus two cause I had to be careful to not prick my fingers.

The result was worth it. Though it was a bit disappointing since I didn't know many of his dislikes. Or at least as many as I'd want to.

And I doubt Avis would tell me any considering all those things that he heard the other day in the duke's office. But this much should be enough to leave a horrible first meeting as fiance's.

'Hm... I feel like I'm forgetting something...' I scanned over the dress trying to figure out what it was missing, I couldn't think of anything even in the end.