The next day, Elias was already standing in front of the main gate of the Nocturne Estate alongside Evelyn and Elysia, waiting for their ride to show up.
After a short wait, their carriage finally rolled in.
Elias walked over to the door and offered his hand as support while Evelyn and Elysia climbed inside, careful not to trip over their own skirts on the way up.
Once both of them were settled, Elias moved to climb in himself, but Alistair suddenly called out and pressed a small pouch of money into his hand before he could.
Elias had figured he’d probably end up handling Evelyn and Elysia’s spending money at some point, but he hadn’t expected the amount to be this over the top.
“That’s for the day.”
“…Thank you.”
He gave a small smile before climbing into the carriage, and once everything was set, they rolled off toward the city of Aurellis.
The ride in was fairly quiet, with Elias sitting across from the two girls as they chatted back and forth the whole way, while he mostly just watched the scenery slide past the window.
* * *
Once they hit the city, Elias hopped out first and offered his hand again to help the two girls down, then paid the coachman with some of the money Alistair had handed him while Evelyn and Elysia started walking ahead.
‘One gold coin’s not that much, right?’
After walking for a while and grabbing a few snacks along the way, they finally reached their destination, a large clothing shop that stood out from everything else on the street, its building far more upscale than the shops crowded around it.
A sign hung above the entrance, reading Bellamere Atelier.
The place was known as a favorite among noble families both in Aurellis and beyond, stocked with everything from formal wear and gowns to suits and one-off pieces made for noble gatherings.
Elias took a moment to look the building over before spotting Evelyn and Elysia already heading toward the entrance, and the second they stepped inside, a female staff member standing near the door greeted them with a bright smile.
“Welcome to Bellamere. How may I help you today?”
Elias, trailing behind Evelyn and Elysia, pulled out a small item and showed it to her, the Nocturne family crest engraved right on it, a black raven with wings spread wide, perched before a silver crescent moon against a black shield.
The moment the staff member’s eyes landed on it, they went wide before she quickly ducked her head.
“Ah… Welcome, Lady Evelyn and Lady Elysia!”
“We’re looking for some clothes.”
“Of course! Please give me just a moment.”
She hurried off toward the back of the shop, and Elias used the pause to look around, taking in just how spacious Bellamere really was, rows of clothes arranged with almost military precision, some pieces looking far more luxurious than anything he’d ever laid eyes on.
‘I should grab Mira something here too.’
Before long, an older woman approached, her outfit noticeably sharper than the other staff’s, enough that Elias could tell right away she held a higher rank in the shop.
She gave a polite bow.
“Welcome back, Lady Evelyn and Lady Elysia. It’s wonderful to see you both here again.”
“We’re glad to be back too. How have you been, Madam?” Elysia asked, tugging lightly at Elias’s sleeve.
“Lady, I’m touched you’d even ask. I’m doing wonderfully, of course! I might have some years on me, but this body’s still got plenty of fight left in it!”
‘W-what?’
Elysia, catching the confused look on Elias’s face, leaned in close to his ear and whispered.
“She’s turning fifty this year.”
“S-seriously…”
The woman gestured toward a seating area a few steps away, saying she’d have refreshments brought out, and Evelyn and Elysia walked over and sat down side by side while Elias followed but stayed standing behind them instead of taking a seat.
A few moments later, two staff members showed up with tea and an assortment of snacks, setting everything down on the table before the older woman took a seat across from Evelyn and Elysia.
“My goodness, Ladies. How many weeks has it been since we last saw each other? You’ve both gotten even more gorgeous, and it looks like your two… assets have grown a bit too.”
“We take good care of them.”
As the two of them fell into conversation, Elias found himself drawn more to the clothes lining the walls than to whatever they were discussing, which honestly didn’t sound like something that belonged in a place like this to begin with.
He wasn’t exactly interested in menswear, since his mind was already stuck on what kind of outfit might suit his sister best, though he was pretty sure she’d look good in just about anything anyway.
“So, what kind of clothes are you two looking for today?”
Elysia picked up the teacup set out for her and took a small sip before answering.
“For us, later. We want to find something for him first.”
She pointed toward Elias, still standing quietly behind them.
“Eh? What?”
Elias, still lost in thoughts of Mira, pointed at himself, half convinced he’d misheard.
“Me?”
“Is there someone else standing behind us?”
Evelyn nodded with a small smile, and whether out of sheer obliviousness or genuine confusion, Elias actually turned around to double check there wasn’t anyone else lurking there.
‘There’s really no one else!’
“Hmm… I understand. Though, if you don’t mind me asking, who exactly is this gentleman?”
“Ah, he’s our Caretaker, just hired yesterday. His name’s Elias Veyron.”
The woman walked over to Elias and studied his face from a distance that felt a little too close for comfort, humming to herself the whole time.
“I take it he’s a commoner, but that face of his isn’t exactly typical commoner material, is it?”
‘Oh, come on.
I know I’m handsome, no need to drag it out like this.’
“Bottom line, turn him into someone else with your clothes. You can do that, can’t you?”
She turned away, raising one hand to cover her mouth with the back of it, eyes closed and head tilted back as a laugh bubbled out of her.
“O~hohoho… Don’t you worry, my Lady!” She clapped her hands once, and two staff members appeared out of nowhere beside Elias, dragging him off toward a separate room before he could even react.
“I’ll make sure Mister Elias comes out absolutely dazzling!”
‘What the hell is happening!
I’m being kidnapped!’
Elias shot a look back at Evelyn and Elysia, one that practically screamed for help, but instead of stepping in, the two of them just went right back to picking at the snacks in front of them.
“Give us a few minutes~”
* * *
Two days later, the day everyone had been waiting for finally rolled around.
Night had settled over the city of Aurellis, and the Aurelle family estate buzzed with more life than usual, a steady stream of carriages rolling in one after another, each one dropping off a fresh batch of guests.
Inside the main hall, Lady Seraphina Aurelle’s coming-of-age ball had already kicked off.
The hall was massive, dripping in luxury from every corner, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and casting light across the whole room while the polished marble floor caught the glow and threw it right back under the guests’ feet.
Music drifted from one side of the hall, blending with the chatter of Ladies and young Lords from various noble families who’d already packed the space shoulder to shoulder.
Before long, the hall’s grand doors swung open once more, and Evelyn and Elysia stepped in side by side, immediately pulling every eye near the entrance toward them.
Evelyn wore a white gown with black accents and silver detailing that gave her whole look an elegant, refined edge, while Elysia, beside her, wore a gown of similar cut but in reversed colors, black dominating the fabric with white accents and deep violet touches that made her look far colder and sharper than her twin.
The two of them walked calmly through the hall, seemingly unbothered by every stare trailing after them from all directions.
A few Ladies who already knew the Nocturne family hurried over to greet them.
“Lady Evelyn, Lady Elysia. It’s wonderful to see you both again.”
“We’re glad to see you too.”
Evelyn returned the greeting with a small smile, and a few young Lords soon joined in as well, light conversation picking up around the party that evening, the outfits everyone had on, and a bit of gossip about the noble families in the room.
Elysia chimed in here and there, though her expression stayed noticeably more distant than Evelyn’s the whole time.
While the two of them talked, a young man had just stepped into the hall, and quite unlike his usual look, Elias wore formal black attire that night with silver detailing running through it, making him look every bit like he belonged among the young nobles around him.
His black hair had been neatly styled and tied back short, courtesy of Alistair’s orders, and a sword hung at his hip, setting him apart slightly from the other young Lords scattered across the hall.
Carrying a weapon to an event like this wasn’t exactly proper, but given his job as Caretaker, Elias figured he needed to stay ready in case something went sideways and either Lady ended up in danger. Get faster updates on novelping . com.
‘Though they’re both stronger than me anyway.’
Elias himself didn’t pay much mind to how he looked.
He just walked a few steps forward before coming to a stop behind Evelyn and Elysia, scratching the back of his head as he took in the room.
‘…Is the whole commoner-getting-bullied-by-nobles event about to kick off?’
He scanned the hall, watching the Ladies and young Lords chat away amongst themselves, and with nothing else to do, he just stood quietly behind Evelyn and Elysia and let the moment pass.
Noticing Elias right behind her, Elysia eventually drifted away from her sister and moved to stand next to him instead.
“Lady, why aren’t you with Lady Evelyn?”
“I’m not really into crowds, and I’m not much of a talker either.”
‘So that’s why she looked so unenthusiastic earlier.’
“What about you? Do you like this kind of thing?”
“…Depends, I guess. Sometimes I’m into crowds, sometimes I’d rather have quiet.”
“Why’s that?”
“Eh?… Maybe because my environment’s never really been consistent? Though today I’m honestly not feeling much of anything either way.”
“I see.”
After that, Elysia went quiet and turned her gaze back toward her sister, and Elias fell quiet too, since he had no clue what else to say to her.
Then again, he’d never lived as a noble a day in his life.
How was he supposed to know what topics noble kids usually bonded over?
Not long after, Evelyn wandered over and joined them.
“What are you two talking about?”
“We were just talking about—”
“We weren’t talking about anything.”
Before Elias could even finish his sentence, Elysia cut him off flat.
“Oh? Are you two keeping secrets from me now?”
“I don’t know what you mean, Big Sis.”
Hearing that, Evelyn suddenly latched onto Elias’s right arm and put on the world’s fakest pout.
“My little sister… my sweet little sister’s all grown up now, and she’s turning mean on her own sister.”
Elysia shot back, voice rising a notch, wrapping herself around Elias’s left arm right after.
“W-what do you mean I’m mean?! I really wasn’t talking about anything!”
“See, she’s even snapping at me now.”
“Big Sis!”
Caught right in the middle, all Elias could do was freeze up as both his arms got squeezed between two very generous chests.
‘Why does this feel like deja vu?
What the hell is this soft sensation?!’
Before he could even process it, Evelyn and Elysia had already let go without him noticing.
“Elias.”
Hearing Evelyn call his name, Elias turned around to find both her and Elysia standing right in front of him, both looking a little restless, cheeks starting to flush pink.
After trading a quick glance with each other, they turned back to face him.
“Do you think… we’re beautiful?”