CH 69

Not A Lonely Festival (9)

But it didn’t all end well. I thought this joy would lead to the masquerade, but in the middle, a disturbance appeared. It was when he came down from the podium and was being congratulated by everyone. Leto saw a man approaching him. The man wearing a monocle and neatly dressed was obviously from the Arsene family.

The butler’s expression was not good, as if what happened at the academy had already fallen into the Arsene’s ears. Noticing this, Leto frowned.

“Leah?”

When I grabbed him, Leto relaxed his hardened expression and looked at me. He grabbed my wrist and slipped out of the crowd.

“I think I’ll have to go back to the mansion for a while.”

Leto’s voice was low. It was clear that he didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to send Leto to the Arsene family either, but if he doesn’t go, his parents might come to the academy like last time. I gently held Leto’s hand.

“Go ahead, I’m sure nothing will happen.”

“…….”

Leto smiled slightly and nodded.

“I will be sure to come back before the masquerade.”

“Yes.”

“Wait for me.”

After saying that, he left. Please let nothing happen……

“It’s like a wife sending her husband away.”

Bona said sarcastically as she watched us. Leto had gone now, and I was in low spirits, but Bona and Vivian grabbed my arms from both sides.

“Right, we should go get ready now.”

“Ready?”

I tilted my head at Bona’s words.

“We are going to the boutique. The same place where we first met last time.”

“……But, I have no money…….”

I paused my words, remembering the money I received from doing the task from Senior Jimbo’s friend. I haven’t had the chance to use the money yet, but I guess I was going to spend it like this. When I didn’t continue my words, Bona realised that I had money and instantly grabbed my arm.

“Let’s go.”

“Am I going, too?”

When Vivian asked carefully, Bona nodded as if it was only natural.

“You should see if our dresses are pretty!”

Yeah, it wasn’t a bad thing to choose a dress for the masquerade until Leto came back. I had to pick out a dress anyway. Bona urged us to go right away, appearing like she had already prepared a carriage outside the academy. After calming down Bona’s excitement, I stopped by the dormitory to get my money. I was thinking of choosing a dress that would surprise everyone.

The three of us left the academy and got into the carriage. It’s been a while. I looked at the people in the capital who weren’t students, looked at the town, shops and buildings apart from the academy. For some reason, I was excited as if I was going on a picnic, but I was also sad that Leto wasn’t here. The carriage ride only took a few minutes before we arrived at the boutique I had been to before.

The place remained the same. So did the staffs. I was glad to see that she immediately recognised us, and she guided me and Bona to the dressing room. Meanwhile, Vivian sat down at a table where cookies were served and slowly looked around. It reminded me of the past. When I saw Bona for the first time here, I was simply amazed. I never thought we’d come along to be friends now. 

Bona was already excitedly choosing a dress.

“Which one do you think is pretty?”

“Hmm, I think the purple dress is pretty!”

After picking out Bona’s dress, I went to choose mine. I didn’t have a particular colour in mind, but my mother had always said I looked good in pink. Among them, what caught my eye was a bright pink dress adorned with transparent laces.

It was cute and simple, so I thought it would go well with my silver hair. It was a little embarrassing to have my shoulders and knees exposed, but there was nothing I liked better than this. 

“Oh my, it suits you well. I think it would look well with this white choker. What do you think, miss?”

Before I knew it, a staff came to my side and showed me some ornaments one by one and recommended something to match the dress. I thought it would look pretty too, so I took it with me and went inside the dressing room. At the same time, Bona, who was choosing a dress, did the same thing.

Fortunately, the dress fit me perfectly. The waist was a little loose, but it wasn’t a big deal, and so I continued by putting the choker on.

The moment I looked in the mirror, I thought the clothes were like wings. It was different from when I wore a school uniform. I was in a daze from the unfamiliar appearance, but the staff fixed up my hair. When I let my hair, which was usually tied up, down, it looked much better with the dress.

“Bree, are you all dressed?”

I heard Bona’s voice from outside the dressing room. When I answered, she asked me to step out of the dressing room and quickly show her. Bona’s face lit up when I came out shyly.

“Bree! It’s so cute! How are you so pretty! I was annoyed when I felt that way before, but now I just find it adorable!”

She hugged and patted me like a puppy. Unlike me, Bona had a mature purple dress that showed her cleavage. The long, elongated dress with no fancy decorations matched Bona’s image. Still, Bona kept glancing at my dress as if she wanted it.

In case Bona changed her mind, I kept praising her dress, saying it looked good on her. At my sincere compliment, Bona smiled confidently before dragging me out of the dressing room, saying let’s quickly show it to Vivian.

Through the curtain gaps, I could see Vivian sitting stiffly.

“Vivian! Look here!”

Bona pulled back the curtains and came out first to show Vivian her dress. Seeing Bona spinning around and asking what he thought, Vivian nodded his head shyly. It was much like Vivian to timidly say she was pretty.

“Now, Bree’s turn!”

When Bona pulled my arm, I came out unprepared. When I came out, I felt awkward in the shoes I wasn’t used to yet. Even so, the dress gave me confidence. I gave a smile at Vivian and spun around like Bona.

But I guess it wasn’t as good? Vivian, who told Bona that she was pretty, became silent this time.

“……Woah.”

Bona and I burst into laughter at Vivian’s late exclamation.

“Will Leah like it too?”

When I asked, Vivian said of course.

“She’ll be surprised, I’m sure of it.”

“What dress will she be wearing?”

Bona said it as if she was keeping in check.

“Wouldn’t Leah look good in anything?”

Yeah, she’d look good in anything.

After that, we tried on a few more dresses before getting back into the carriage. It was a pity to go back just like that, so we had a little chat at a dessert shop nearby. Still, we weren’t satisfied, so we sat on a bench at a nearby park and talked about the cricket tournament. It wasn’t until it was late at night before we returned to the academy.

Entering the dormitory alone, I felt as if my heart was as empty as the vacant spot at Leto’s side. Every time Leto went to the Arsene mansion, he never returned to the dormitory early. Maybe he’ll be back late again this time. It’s only been a few hours since I saw him and I already missed Leto. What was he doing now?

Then I fell asleep.

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As soon as the afternoon came, Bona and I headed to the boutique we went to yesterday. There, I put on the dress I had bought yesterday and did my hair and makeup.

“Is Leah here yet?”

I shook my head at Bona’s question. I thought he’d return this morning, but Leto was still at the Arsene mansion.

“Really? By the way Bree, have you decided on a partner?”

“Yup!”

“Really? Who is it?”

“I guess…Leah?”

At my words, Bona turned her head away, unable to hide her disappointment.

“What about you, Bona?”

“I’ll just grab someone and dance.”

Wow, that’s much like Bona. After an hour of makeup, we went out of the boutique looking different. By then, it was getting dark. One by one, lights began to lit up in the academy. They were already preparing the time to mark the end of the festival.

Bona and I put on our masks for the last time and went inside the party. Inside was completely different from the students who usually wore school uniforms. Everyone looked like a different person, dressing up and looking pretty. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the ball, endless laughter could be heard here and there.

I’ve been to a ball once before. But here, it was completely different than the previous one. If that ball had been a little stiff and formal, this place was free. I had heard that this masquerade ball was not limited to the Lexley academy students, and that people from other academies could also participate.

It was also the day where students who had been struggling from their studies to place their books down, leave their uniforms behind and have fun, so it was a completely festive atmosphere. I looked around. There were many women crowded in one place, and in the centre, I saw Kazen wearing a mask.

I wondered how he had been since I haven’t seen him around lately, but he seemed to be doing well as a popular person.

“Oh, I want to eat that!”

Bona suddenly ran away when she saw the pudding in front of her. She appeared like she intended on eating that pudding rather than trying to get a partner in the first place. It was the academy’s special pudding which was only made during special occasions and was famous for its delicious taste. Not only Bona, but everyone else seemed to be aiming for that pudding too as it was crowded with people.

Being alone in an instant, I was left looking around. I worried whether Leto would arrive on time.

“Bree?”

Turning my head, I could see a man in a neat frock coat.