Volume 1 - Chapter 34: Just the Way You Are

An hour before the welcome ball for new students, Mia was alone in the public bath.

It is not because she can... Instead, she was on the verge of tears.

[Ugh, the worst...., this is the worst!]

For starters, the trend among the young daughters of aristrocrats and royalty is extravagant dresses with many layers of clothing. If we include makeup, the preparations can take hours.

Despite of this....., Mia was in the public bath. And what's more, she was alone. There was no signs of Anne, who should be by her side.

Mia scrubs and washes her hair in a hurry. There is some kind of mucus sticked to it....

There was a small little reason she was in this situation.

On that day, Mia got up early in the morning.

She had breakfast and lunch. And had plenty of time to change into her dress.

Her doting father, the Emperor, had sent her a very high-quality dress. It would take some time to put on, but it was extremely luxurious and couldn't be found in any other country.

She was dressed in such a flashy dress and her makeup was perfect. Everything was ready 2 hours prior to the party starting.

That small extra time proved fatal.

[There are still time left, so, I should take a small stroll around the school...]

Mia set her mind to that, and on her way, she came across something unusual.

The equestrian club was walking their horses.

(I've never seen one so up close.)

Mia thought so, while staring at one of the horses. The horse approached its face.

Mia doesn't hate animals, so she was pleased with the horse and asked if she could stroke it.

Horchoo¹! She was caught in a loud horse sneeze.

[Hiaaaa!]

After the sneeze ended, there was Mia, soaked with mucus from the horse.

[Ugh, why.... why is this happening...?]

Mia was sniffing and sobbing.

It was an event that could only be described as bad luck.

Actually, the reason it happened is that Mia was spraying a little too much of her favorite perfume beforehand. But even so, it is hard to not feel sorry for her.

Anne almost faited when she saw Mia's state upon returning, all dreary and depressed.

She calmed the half-crying Mia down and told her to go clean herself in the bath. But there was nothing Anne could do about Mia's situation.

Or that should be the case, but.....,

[....It can't be helped, Anne, just put on enough makeup so I don't get too embarrassed.... and find a suitable dress nearby that you think is good.]

Since Mia looked so dejected when saying those words, Anne's maid spirit was ignited.

(As if I would let the princess feel embarrassed!)

Anne was on fire. She was burning!

(Mia-sama is cute even without much makeup!)

With that in mind, Anne only drew an eyeliner to soften her slightly harsh impression around her eyes². The remaining of her energy was spent on Mia's dress.

Preparing something formal now would be impossible. And if it is a simple one, it is better to avoid anything too flashy. With those ideas in mind, Anne chose a simple snow-white dress.

The chosen dress showed off Mia's shoulders and had a slightly short skirt, perfect for dancing.

As for the finishing touches, she spritzed on a faint scent of perfume, different from the one Mia had used before. And the time was up.

The boys gathered at the party couldn't help but be taken aback by Mia's appearance.

Among all the girls wearing lavish dresses, Mia, who was wearing a simple one, looked more healthy and radiant than anyone.

The reason was simple.

Most of the girls in the hall looked pale from the tightness of their corsets. Intead of being white and beatiful, they just looked pale.

Mia, on the other hand, wasn't wearing a corset. Moreover, she had a good complexion after taking a bath.

Her slightly reddish cheeks looked lovely, and her skin was glowing radiantly.

In addition, Mia's smooth skin, which would have been hidden within all the dress's layers, was exposed thanks to her informal dress.

Although the dress lacked luxury, Anne made sure it had the effect of fully enhancing Mia's natural charm.

The combination of all of these things raised Mia's rating from "a normal beautiful girl" to "a truly pretty girl".

She is not a peerless beauty.

And she is not even be the most beautiful girl in the country.

However, her beauty was definitely enough to attract the attention of all the boys in the venue.

And the fact that Mia, such a beautiful girl, sighs so sadly at times has attracted even more attention.

(Of course I would stand out. Comming to a party in such light clothes.)

Some of the boys in the venue were taken aback, not knowing what was going through her mind or that she had no choice but to wear this dress because of a stupid reason like being caught in a "horse sneeze".

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TN: 

1. How do I describe a horse sneeze in English? I have no idea.

2. All the talk about makeup got me really confused. If you saw the description and thought it doesn't make sense, that is probably because it doesn't. If you have a better idea on how to describe it, please teach me in the comments.

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