How the Useless Me Became the Beloved of the Devilish Duke Knight - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 : Dress and Makeup

Elma left the bath and had her wet hair carefully wiped off. She put on a bathrobe so her body wouldn’t get cold, and then it was time to choose clothes.

In front of the colorful dresses, Elma’s drowsy mind, which had been half asleep during her bath, suddenly woke up. Having been a seamstress herself in the past, she knows it very well. These are all custom-made items worn by real aristocrats.

‘I don’t think even Carolyn-sama ever wore clothes like this ……!’

“Um… I’m afraid I can’t borrow such expensive items. It’s too much for someone like me…”

She feels sorry for complaining about things when she’s already out of place. But because she knows how out of place she is, she’d like things to be toned down a bit, you know ? 

The smiling maid tilted her head.

“Oh? Elma-sama is quite humble, isn’t she? Well, your hair hasn’t fully dried yet, after all. Perhaps something a bit lighter would be better.”

Elma momentarily felt relieved as she felt other clothes being brought, and immediately regretted letting her guard down for a moment.

“How about this? It’s a dress for everyday use when you don’t go out!”

“More…um…if possible, something more simple… like this one, perhaps.”

“No, that’s no good, that’s a mourning dress! If you don’t want something too tight on your body, how about this? The frills are cute, aren’t they? I’m sure it suits Elma-sama well!”

“That’s a loungewear, right…? It’s not something you’d wear at someone else’s house, right…!?”

“Hmmm. I thought it would be interesting to see how the young master would react, but I guess it is indeed a bit too bold in a different sense. Well then, how about this safe option–”

“Can I borrow some clothes like the ones you are wearing right now….!”

Elma sensed that if she left things as they were, she would only come up with clothes that the mistress of the mansion would wear, so she pointed at the clothes worn by the woman in front of her. The maid looked at her with a startled look in her eyes.

“This one? Well, of course, there’s a spare for this, but… it’s for servants, you know?”

“Then, I’ll take that… Please…!”

The maid kept saying, “But you’re young,”, “You’re a guest,”, “Since it’s a special occasion, why not go all out?”, and “Think about the young master’s reaction…”, but Elma refused to budge.

Just having a bath like that was enough to make Elma happy for the rest of her life, but if she were to be made to wear a dress on top of that, her heart would probably stop. 

When Elma finally got the clothes she wanted, she couldn’t help but let out a huge sigh of relief.

‘Even for this one, if you look closely, you can see that it is dyed and has a pattern, and even the collar has a stylish design…’

The luxurious lace on the apron seems to be showing off the difference in wealth and status of the master. Even at this point, it was too extravagant for Elma. Furthermore, as the woman offered to help her change, she noticed something else.

“Um…”

“What’s the matter?”

“Well… why is the ring here…?”

That’s right, the ring that was supposed to be returned was still there, along with the clothes. What’s more, Elma’s crude handmade string had been removed, and in its place was a delicate silver chain threaded through the ring.

“Oh, it’s hard to reach the back of your neck by yourself. Come on, let me put it on you.”

“That’s not what I mean, I thought I already returned it…!?”

“But this was given to Elma-sama by the young master, wasn’t it? What about the young master? Did he tell you to give it to me?”

“No…”

Being asked like that only reminded her of the ongoing struggle of whether to return it or not. For some reason, the woman’s smile deepened on her face.

“In that case, please hold onto it until Elma-sama is asked to return it. And when it’s time to return it, it should be done by Elma-sama herself. The young master would surely prefer it that way. If I were to take it away on my own initiative, I might end up being scolded instead.”

Just when she thought the weight was finally lifted off her shoulders, it returned in a more solid form. But indeed, Elma was directly given the ring. 

In that case, it made sense that returning it from Elma herself rather than through intermediaries was the right thing to do. With a somewhat unsettled feeling, Elma put on the ring and the servant’s clothes.

“Oh my, they are so cute! It’s nice to be young, isn’t it? Especially since, aside from the main residence, there’s usually only the young master around here…”

Dress is obviously a no for her, but at least with this, she won’t look too shabby or ugly. 

Elma, who was feeling small in front of the mirror, where her whole body was reflected, felt a sense of relief at the woman’s words. However, the next problem was about to occur.

“Now then, let’s put on some makeup–”

“Makeup !?”

“Are you not someone who wears makeup often, Elma-sama?”

“No, it’s not no often, more like, not at all…”

“You have a very good face, don’t you? You have beautiful skin. Although, I do think you’re a bit too thin.”

Elma was completely confused. 

What is this person’s deal? Are they trying to compliment and criticize at the same time? 

Moreover, I wonder what they’re going to do by tinkering with Elma’s appearance. Well, she already felt like an outsider in this place, so if that’s the case, she’d rather just be kicked out altogether.

‘They must have never seen Carolyn-sama. Yes, because if they did, they would immediately realize that she’s much more beautiful than me, and they would say so… ’

Perhaps people like Elma are just too unfamiliar to them, making them feel fresh and intrigued. However, while she could somewhat accept that explanation, it didn’t mean she was off the hook from makeup. 

A knock sounded behind Elma, who backed away with tears in her eyes in front of the suspiciously smiling woman.

“Nisa. The young master is pacing back and forth in his room, worrying about how long he should wait, whether you’ve drowned in the bath, or if you’re already suffering from heatstroke. Should I go in and check on him?”

“Well, of course! A man who can’t wait for a woman to get ready is just being impatient!”

It seems that Eugreek was getting nervous and sent a butler. The maid glared at him, but he was like a godsend to Elma. 

Why is he always there when she needs help?

“I’m fine…! I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep Eugreek-sama waiting too long!”

The appeal was made out of a sense of danger that the longer they stayed, the more they would be subjected to unknown demonic modifications, but after the butler and maid met, their faces became strangely kind.

“Nisa. If you rush this too much, won’t both the young master and the young lady hate you?”

“Well… it seems I was being a bit rude. He was so reluctant to be apart from her just a moment ago. I was careless.”

‘I wonder what it is…Even though the crisis should have passed, things seem to be getting more and more strange…’

In any case, Elma was finally able to escape from the dressing room in this manner.

“Elma!”

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Translated by : Cutae30