Chapter 109, The Finishing Touches

Freya looked beautiful in the gown, but something still felt off.

She looked less like a noble lady and more like a commoner who had suddenly put on an expensive dress.

Which, admittedly, was pretty much exactly what had happened.

Still, Euphemia could not sense much of that effortless noble elegance from her.

After thinking for a moment, Euphemia realized what was missing.

She hurried off and returned carrying a pair of black heels.

“You can’t wear flats with an evening gown,” she said. “You need heels.”

“Huh?”

This time, Freya genuinely looked troubled.

“But I’ve never worn heels before.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Euphemia reassured her. “I specifically picked a pair that isn’t very high. They’re only about two inches. That should be easy enough for a beginner.”

In the end, Freya accepted them.

Euphemia did have a point.

Pairing a formal evening gown with ordinary flats would look a little strange.

There was no need to go back into the fitting room just to change shoes.

Freya found a seat, slipped off her own shoes, and carefully stepped into the black heels.

They had pointed toes, so her first impression was that they squeezed her toes a little.

After putting on the second shoe, Freya cautiously stood.

As expected, it felt strange.

Very strange.

Normally, walking was something she never needed to think about.

Now it felt as though she were trying to balance on a narrow rail.

Without realizing it, she shifted most of her weight toward the front of her feet.

The moment Euphemia saw her posture, she burst out laughing.

“Faye, what kind of pose is that?”

“You’re leaning forward and hunching over. You look like a little old lady.”

Freya herself had not noticed anything wrong.

“Huh? Really?”

After laughing for a while, Euphemia walked over and steadied her.

“Of course. Head up, shoulders back.”

“Don’t put all your weight on your toes. Keep your balance farther back.”

“And when you walk, don’t land toe-first. Let the heel touch the floor first, then bring the rest of your foot down.”

Freya tried taking two steps.

Click. Click.

“Like this?”

“Better than before,” Euphemia said. “But don’t take such long steps.”

“And keep your legs straight. Don’t walk with your knees bent.”

Under Euphemia’s constant corrections, Freya’s posture gradually became more natural.

She was still far from comfortable, though.

After only a short while, her toes were already starting to ache.

Euphemia nodded approvingly.

“That’s about right. From here, you just need to wear them more often and get used to them.”

Freya’s face immediately fell.

“Huh? I have to keep wearing these?”

“Of course.”

As she spoke, Euphemia moved behind Freya.

She undid Freya’s usual simple ponytail and began working on her hair.

Freya’s long light-brown hair was gathered neatly at the back of her head.

Euphemia secured part of it with three elegant gold hairpins, while leaving the rest to fall naturally down Freya’s back.

Completely exposing the back would have been too plain.

Leaving part of it hidden created a better effect.

The loose strands softened the open-back design of the gown, revealing only glimpses of Freya’s back between sections of hair.

Anyone trying to get a clear look would have to stare for far too long.

(For reference, think of Fugue’s hairstyle from Honkai: Star Rail. The hair color is fairly similar too, except Freya obviously doesn’t have fox ears.)

Once she finished, Euphemia circled Freya several times.

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Mm-hm. Now it finally feels right!”

Freya, meanwhile, still wore the same miserable expression.

“This is so much work...”

But as she complained, she happened to glance at the mirror beside her.

Then she froze.

The heels raised her posture just enough to change her entire silhouette.

Her ankles and lower legs no longer formed the same straight lines they did in flats. Instead, the raised heel created a clean, elegant curve.

Without stockings covering them, the delicate shape of her ankles was clearly visible.

The extra two inches also made Freya look noticeably taller.

Her legs seemed longer, and the proportions of the entire outfit came together much more naturally.

Combined with the hairstyle Euphemia had just given her, Freya no longer looked like an ordinary student wearing an expensive dress.

She actually carried the refined air of a young noblewoman.

Freya blinked at her reflection.

Then she murmured almost blankly,

“...It actually does look pretty good.”

Just like that, most of her complaints about the heels vanished.

After all, the discomfort had produced results.

Euphemia smiled.

“See?”

“For the next three days, just practice in the heels whenever you can.”

“You only need to make sure nothing goes wrong during those few hours at the royal gathering.”

“When the time comes, wear this exact outfit and this hairstyle.”

“I’ll add some light makeup too.”

“Perfect.”

Once they had settled on everything, Freya returned to the fitting room and changed back into her own clothes.

Then they went to the counter to pay.

The price almost made Freya choke.

The clerk smiled politely.

“That will be fifty thousand Ducats. Thank you for your purchase~”

Freya stared.

“???”

Euphemia, on the other hand, did not look surprised in the slightest.

She simply paid.

It was only after they left the boutique that Freya finally spoke.

“Wait.”

“Wasn’t that ridiculously expensive?”

“One dress costs almost as much as a Rank One potion?”

Euphemia looked at her as though the answer were obvious.

“Yeah. Rank One potions aren’t that expensive.”

The corner of Freya’s mouth twitched.

For a moment, she could only marvel at how extravagant the nobility of this world could be.

Her own sense of money still came from the original Freya’s life.

The original Freya had earned around two thousand Ducats a month from part-time work.

And whenever Freya borrowed money from Scarface, she could only get around one hundred thousand at a time.

Which meant the original Freya would have needed to work for more than two years without spending a single Ducat just to buy one dress like this.

Even one entire loan from Scarface would only buy two.

After leaving the boutique, Freya and Euphemia headed toward Euphemia’s family estate.

There was obviously no need to rent a place in the capital.

Euphemia already had a home here.

Freya had visited the Holmes estate once before during the simulation where they had traveled into the past.

The real estate looked almost identical to what she remembered from the simulation.

The moment they arrived at the gates, the guards recognized Euphemia and immediately let them through.

As they crossed the gardens, several gardeners trimming the hedges and flowers waved to her.

Euphemia smiled and greeted each of them in return.

It was easy to tell that she got along quite well with the people who worked here.