It was truly an unfortunate event. Of course, it was also true that in her excitement, she’d sprayed a ton of her favorite perfume all over herself, and the scent might have been a tad strong. However, as the undeniable victim in this situation, she definitely deserved some sympathy.

Anne almost fainted when she saw her crestfallen master plodding her way back. She quickly ran over to console Mia, but she knew full well the dress was ruined. Though she’d instructed Mia to go clean herself off in the bath, there was little else she could do. Or so she thought...

“...Well, there’s nothing for it. I suppose I’ll just have to make do. Anne, could you help me put on some basic makeup so I don’t make a fool of myself? And as for the dress, just go pick any old one...”

The disheartened voice of her master lit a fire in Anne’s soul. She was a maid, damn it, and as a maid, she wasn’t going to let this stand!

This won’t do! I won’t allow the princess to embarrass herself!

The fire grew and grew. It raged and roared, infusing her with a burning passion that awakened her true maid spirit!

Princess Mia is a natural beauty, so she doesn’t even need much makeup to look stunning!

With that thought in mind, she only applied some eyeliner. Mia’s eyes normally looked a little fierce, so she softened their corners a little. The rest of the time she devoted to Mia’s outfit. It was far too late to put her in a formal dress, so she’d have to go with a semi-formal one, in which case it was best to avoid anything too gaudy. In the end, she settled on a completely white dress. It showed a bit of shoulder, and the skirt was on the shorter side, making it perfect for dancing. As a final touch before time ran out, she applied a few spritzes of perfume — one with a far fainter scent than the one Mia had used on herself earlier.

When Mia arrived at the party, she caught the eye of every single boy there. Among a sea of girls, all in extremely elaborate dresses, Mia alone radiated an aura of health. The reason was simple: almost all the other girls were wearing tightly-laced corsets, which had the effect of adding a sheen of color to their skin best described as “asphyxiating white.” Their blanched faces more pallid than pretty, some of them looked like they might keel over at any second. In comparison, Mia wore a simple dress without a corset. She’d also just taken a nice, warm bath that got her blood flowing, so her cheeks were rosy and her skin glowed. Furthermore, as a result of trading in an elaborate, eye-catching dress for a simpler one, the focus of her entire outfit had shifted. The appeal was no longer the dress but its contents. What was supposed to be an outfit lacking in extravagance instead became the perfect garment to show off the fruits of Anne’s meticulous efforts — Mia’s impeccable skin.

All these factors came together to push the public consensus of Mia from “passably pretty” up to “fairly pretty.” It didn’t become “exquisitely pretty” or anything. She didn’t suddenly become the stuff of legend. However, her beauty was definitely enough to turn the heads of all the boys at the party. And when the fairly pretty Mia decided to let out a forlorn sigh, a couple of them turned to look at her so quickly they probably gave themselves whiplash.

As I thought... Being so lightly dressed, I stand out like a sore thumb.

None of the boys at the party could have imagined that Mia arrived in a simple dress because she’d suffered a bout of terrible misfortune at the nose of a horse. All they knew was that the princess had immediately stolen many of their hearts.