"H-How could this have happened to me? Tell me this is a joke and I will get my funding soon. Head butler, please don't do this to me now."
Lady Freshia had gone to the bed with a conflicted look on her face and she had woken up in an even worse mood. It was all thanks to the latest piece of information the head butler had given her.
Lady Freshia's dress budget was too huge of a burden so it had to be cut down to accommodate other necessities. Lady Freshia had never been this humiliated before.
She knew that it was not the head butler's fault that this ended up happening but he was the only one nearby who could take her anger. So that was where Freshia aimed her frustration.
"I know you are annoyed Freshia and I am so sorry that this had to happen. But we need to save the Abstel family's name as well. We cannot allow this party to be shabby. You understand me, right?"
Rui sounded sad and apologist which made Freshia reel in her temper and consider her actions.
Rui was right in saying that Freshia was behaving like a spoilt brat. She needed to cut down on her temper so that she did not alienate Rui from her as well. Rui was the only one who had been willing to take Freshia in.
"I understand. Sorry for blowing up on you like this because I was frustrated. I will try to control my temper next time."
Freshia had no choice but to cooperate. Rui was her sponsor for everything.
"It's quite alright Freshia. I can understand that falling from the queen's favor was a hard blow for you. You can take as much time as you want to feel better."
Rui was such a good friend, not even blaming Freshia for blowing up in her face like this. Freshia felt guilty all of a sudden for her narrowmindedness.
So what if her dress was not the top of the line? She could try to improve and look for another dress. As long as she did her best, Rui would not abandon her because Rui had a good heart.
"Rui, can I ask you for a favor? I need Yohan Strout to escort me so that I can go to the city today. Do you think you can spare him for today?"
Rui looked alarmed at the sudden request and Freshia grinned inside her mind. She was saving Rui from Yohan's horrible influence when Rui did not even know it.
The head butler gave Freshia an encouraging smile that made her feel better for herself. She was doing the right thing by taking Yohan away from her.
"You want to go to the town with Yohan today? But Yohan must be so busy with all the preparations he had to make for the party and-"
"Rui, please. Yohan is the only person I know except the head butler in the Abstel household. Surely you can spare one person for me? I will be so thankful if you did this for me."
Freshia was begging at this point and Rui could not bring herself to turn her away. The image she had cultivated would not allow her to do this to herself.
"Fine, alright. You can take Yohan if you want to take him. The head butler will find someone to do Yohan's work for the time being."
Rui agreed since she had no choice but to do so. She was caught between a rock and a hard place here. Freshia had made such good use of her charms without even knowing it.
"My lady, I will surely help you both out. I will go and inform Yohan that he is needed asap and someone else will take over his duties for him."
The head butler bowed to the two females in front of him was a satisfied expression.
He knew he was using Lady Freshia for his gains but he did not care at this point. His only goal was to use Lady Rui and nothing else. What Lady Freshia did not matter to him at this point.
'I cannot deny that Lady Freshia is a good pawn but she is not someone essential to me at this point. I will get back to her sometime later.'
……………………
"Let's head to this shop next. The dress on display looks somewhat decent for me to wear."
Lady Freshia pointed toward the sparkly new dress on the front display. It was such a lovely design but it was missing something essential.
"I am sure that dress would suit your body, Lady Freshia. You are beautiful and so is the dress."
Yohan complimented the lady, knowing well that she was someone who could not tell the difference between a genuine compliment and a fake compliment. Lady Freshia was a tragic person.
As expected, Lady Frehisa frowned, not liking how Yohan was complimenting her. She could not find fault with him so she did not say anything to him.
"Hmph, of course, I am beautiful. My queen used to tell me that I was the most beautiful person she had ever seen in her life."
Freshia sounded proud of this fact and her face was lightened by a flush. She was embarrassed to be talking about this to a stranger.
"A-Anyway, now that I take a second look at this dress, it doesn't look to be as good as I first expected. Let's go somewhere else to shop. because I don't feel like being here."
Yohan rolled his eyes behind Lady Freshia's back. It was such an expected move but Yohan was not surprised by it. He had realized what kind of person Lady Freshia was by now.
'I guess I do not need to fear what will happen next. This event will repeat itself soon enough.'
Since this was the case, Yohan knew that it was time to start his plan and move it into action. He had promised Huye that he would bring Lady Freshia to meet him.
'Now then, shall we start heading toward the cafe? I am sure Lady Freshia is hungry by now as well.'
"My lady, are you not hungry? You missed breakfast and it is past lunchtime as well. I know a famous restaurant in the town if you would like to come with me."
Lady Freshia had a stubborn look on her face. She was most likely not going to agree with Yohan out of principles but her body also had needs. In the end, those needs won her over and she pretended not to notice.
"Hump, I guess I am a little hungry. Then, let's head to this restaurant you are suggesting. But be aware, if I don't like this restaurant, I will leave it."
Lady Rui was a tough nut to crack. Yohan could not believe that she was still acting like this, even after he had given her so much attention.
They both entered the restaurant and Yohan instantly made his way to the back of the room where Huye was sitting. He 'coincidently' sat on the table next to Huye's and stood up.
"My lady, this is a self-servicing place so I will go and place our order. Is there anything you cannot eat?"
Yohan asked this question and Freshia looked offended at that suggestion.
"Of course, there isn't anything I cannot eat. I am a noble lady who is perfect. I will not be humiliated like this by you."
Lady Freshia was raging now and everyone was looking at them. Yohan decided that it was time to distract lady Freshia before this got back to the head butler.
'That old man would make so much fun of me if he got to know what happened. I cannot allow that to happen.'
"My apologies Lady Freshia. Of course, a lady like this is great indeed. I should not have doubted you."
Yohan took a step back from this argument and Lady Freshia was finally calming down. It was prime time for Yohan to take his leave.
Huye was making her move from the other side of the room as well. Her eyes were closing in on Freshia and Yohan knew that things would work out alright.
By the time he came back, Freshia was talking with Huye with a happy expression on her face. It seems like Huye had managed to win Freshia over with her words and actions as well.
"Yohan, this here is a new friend of mine. Her name is Huye and she is a commoner. She will be joining us today on the outing so make sure you treat her well."