"You're getting married by the end of the month?! This is the first time I'm hearing of this Yvette!" Toini exclaimed.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, she was so worked up that she disregarded any honorifics.

Yvon sat down beside me and grabbed my drink, "If it makes you feel any better, the bride-to-be just found out about her wedding yesterday."

Nacht interjected, "Is this some sort of joke?"

"If it was then at the very least it would've been funny but nope, this is happening," Yvon replied.

Haetsal, teary-eyed, asked, "The chief is getting married?! To whom?!"

"Lev Niege," I answered.

Suddenly, the room went silent before Vandilo broke it, "Lev Niege?! he youngest vice-captain of the imperial valorians? The so-called 'Swift Blade of the Battlefield'? Not to mention, the forlorn suitor of 'the crown prince and the golden girl'?! That Lev Niege?!"

He accidentally hit the glass Yvon was drinking from but didn't notice, my brother was ticked but just shrugged it off, "Why didn't you mention him being the Duke of Serebro's second son and a future marquis while you were at it? But to answer your question, yes we're talking about that very same Lev Niege."

Haetsal then stepped in, voicing concern, "Isn't this way too sudden? Didn't your older sister get married a month ago?"

Zora then chimed in, "I think that's precisely why things are moving fast, right? Ever since the royal wedding, the alliance between Serebro and Sunglen has been hanging in the air. During your grandparents' generation, Serebro and Sunglen were at odds, practically at war against each other. Your parents managed to form an alliance with the agreement that a daughter from Oryx and a son from Niege would get married. Doing so would not only bring the two families together but also form a strong partnership in which both territories would mutually benefit."

She continued, "When their radiances got married, that alliance was in danger of being broken, and both sides couldn't afford to be at war with each other. So they came up with a solution quickly."

I smiled, "Excellent deduction as usual, Zora."

"Did they even ask your opinion on this?!" Toini shouted in frustration.

But before I could even answer, Yvon spoke up, "Of course they didn't, and guess what? This was approved by the empress. It's basically an imperial directive."

Except for Yvon, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT?! And why do you seem so calm about this Yvette?!" Toini asked.

I grabbed my drink from Yvon who was surprised that I snatched it off his hands and said, "Because I'm the kind of person to use what I have to my advantage."

Haetsal noticed the smirk on my face and tugged on Zora's clothes, "S-She's smirking... Should we be worried?"

Nacht sighed as she saw what Haetsal was talking about, "As long as the opponent isn't their older these twins are a force to be reckoned with."

"Ah dingy... What's she cooking up in that brain of hers now?" said Zora, "Hey newbie, pay attention to what I'm about to say. Between the chiefs you best not be messing with her. Like Yugen itself, chief Nanami is someone who's a good friend but a horrific enemy to have. You understand?"

Eugen, looking a bit overwhelmed, nodded and replied, "G-Got it..."

"You people make it sound like I'm a villain!" I retorted.

"You're not, both of you aren't but if we're being totally honest here, as long as the opponent isn't your older sister, both you and chief Nagisa can be pretty scary," said Vandilo.

"So what are you planning?" asked Zora, "Care to share a glimpse into that brain of yours?"

I gave them a mischievous smile, "I wouldn't want to spoil my surprise, but I'll give you a hint: phase one of our plan just became easier thanks to my fiancé."

♡

Stolen story; please report.

After lunch, Yvon, Toini, Eugen and I made our way back to the restaurant through the same passageway that we came through, heading to my dress fitting.

This time, we all rode in the same carriage because the one Toini and Eugen rode coming here had broken a wheel. The coachman blamed the rocky roads but the truth of it was that Haetsal had broken it off under my command so that we could brief Eugen on his new duties as Yugen's doctor without suspicion.

When we arrived at the boutique the staff welcomed us and showed us to the private room. The boutique's staff didn't waste any time and showed us three gowns.

Toini's eyes widened as she recognized the gowns, "Young miss, aren't these her radiances extra gowns from her wedding?"

I only nodded in response, feeling a bit uneasy myself now that I've seen them again. Toini and Eugen looked shocked, even the botique's staff looked uncomfortable because wearing any one of those would cause a stir given current situations, contoversies, as well as what high society knows about our family.

Toini was getting womed up again so I turned to my brother, "Yvon do something about her, she's close to blowing her lid!"

Yvon sighed but took Toini out of the boutique to cool her off.

The botique's stylist then went ahead and told us about each gown including who had it made for my older sister, each one was a gift to her.

The first was a ballgown with puffy shoulders, long sleeves, and had multiple layers of fabric. Reminiscent of the gown we read in a fairytale when we were children. This gown was from our grandfather and though it was beautiful its designer was currently embroiled in a scandal for exploiting his workers.

The second was from our maternal aunt who lived in the eastern continent. It was a beautiful blend of eastern and western styles, far easier to move in than the ball gown but wearing it would be insensitive given the current strained relations between Vreqiseon and Goujia.

The third was a gift from the emperor, an opulent gown that had intricate details resembling battlefield armor, a nod to my older sister's nickname "The Battlefield Princess" laced with tule that was golden color and embroidery inspired from lions, the representative animal of the imperial family. It was obviously specifically meant for Yvonne and Haneul's wedding. Wearing it at our wedding would seem like I'm blatantly copying my older sister or that I was jealous of her position and want it for myself.

This entire dress fitting made me uncomfortable. All three of these were specifically tailored for Yvonne and if she found out I'd be wearing them she'd be furious not only because I would be using something that was hers but also for dragging the family name into the mud but then again, humiliating me has been a staple for her.

The stylist who seemed like she was somewhat aware of my discomfort smirked as though she found the situation amusing, "I was told by the countess that her radiance gave these to you for your future wedding! You must look up to her a lot, copying what she does, even getting married a month after she did! It's regretful that her radiance won't be able to attend your wedding, I heard that news travels slowly in the western part of Aewratis, their radiances won't even know what's happening in Vreqiseon until the news arrives to them a week or two later!"

"H-Hey!" another staff member called out to their colleuge but the stylist didn't pay them attention.

"How lucky you are, young miss, to have such a kind and dependable older sister, it must be hard measuring up to a sibling like that! It's understandable you'd want to be like her but not everyone can reach her achievents, you know? I tried to become like her too but it's not that easy, I'm certain you know what I mean," the stylist continued.

Eugen shot her an incredulous look, the manager of the boutique even dropped the box of shoes she was holding.

I could see a vein pop up in his forehead but he tried to be respectful and dignified, it reminded me that he was an excellent attendant.

"They all look lovely! Just what you'd expect something the future empress would recieve as gifts for their radiances wedding! While it'd be nice to hear about each of them some more, unfortunately, the young miss has a prior engagement. I will step outside so you can take her measurements—"

"Oh of course!" the stylist interupted, "However, I have to ask the young miss which gown she wants to have repaired."

Confused, I asked, "I beg your pardon? I was under the impression that all three were to be altered to my size. Was that not the case?"

The stylist chuckled, "Oh no, you've misunderstood, young miss! Only one of the dresses will be altered, and the rest will be taken back into storage as a memento of the imperial wedding. So which of the three will it be?"

I forced a smile, hiding my true emotions.

"Oh they're all so beautiful it's hard to choose just one!" I said cheerfully.

Eugen was taken aback by my sudden shift in attitude but we had to get through this without any problems especially simce the stylist is openly hostile towards me.

They say that a sword is scary but I'm more afraid of a smiling and kind face that spouts hurtful things even though I'm used to seeing such things.

"Would you mind if I take some time to decide which of these I'll have altered?" I asked.

"We won't mind at all!" answered the stylist, "Though, in order to alter it for the wedding, we would need to know which gown you would like altered by the end of the week."

"Thank you for your consideration," I said politely. "See you soon!"

Once we were outside, I turned to Yvon whose fists were shaking.

Back to my usual self, I asked, "What's wrong?"

"H-How can you stay calm when she was passive-agressively insulting you?! She was implying that you were copying your older sister!" he exclaimed.

And then his face looked like he realized something, "Y-You're used to this. You expected this would happen. How long have you endured this?"

"For as long as I can remember," I answered and looked at the botique, "That woman is Yvonne's personal stylist," I explained. "Like you, I'm sure my older sister has filled her head with all sorts of ideas about me. I'd be lying if I said I was fine but it's nothing new."

Eugen looked at me with pity. "I-I'm sorry, young miss. I judged you without even knowing who you were. I apologize for my actions, chief."

Smiling, I answered, "Apology accepted. Now let's go find Yvon and Toini."