Liuli knew she wasn’t a saint, so she only made those requests to make herself feel a little better.
With her figure being what it was, she didn’t particularly care about so-called appearance anxiety; if she could avoid wearing something like a corset, she would.
“Since the Little Fox feels that way, I can talk to the tailors and make sure your future outfits don’t have corsets. However, if it were up to me, I’d suggest you avoid making such requests. After all, some people might view your request as a classic case of acting spoiled after getting a good deal…”
‘Ugh, what a pain…’
“This isn’t just about being a pain. As a Princess and a public figure, you must be careful with your words and actions to prevent anyone from using them against you.”
It really was a pain.
Liuli looked at the clothes she was wearing, and the thought of having to spend the entire ball in such restrictive attire made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Not to mention, she would likely have to deal with all sorts of people trying to get close to her during the event.
Honestly, was there any magic that could make her skip forward to the next day in a single moment?
“Serveyia, can the venue for the ball really hold that many people?”
There needed to be space for the students, a dancing area, and various facilities required for the ball.
A typical venue certainly wouldn’t be able to meet those needs.
“Actually, not everyone attends the ball. To be more precise, not everyone attends the main ball. The participants of the main ball are mostly the powerful and wealthy; they attend more for social networking.”
“The ball and the dancing are just excuses. People don’t actually pay much attention to the ball itself. If someone truly wants to dance or have fun, Saint Laia provides many other venues for that.”
“But isn’t Saint Laia supposed to be a Noble Ladies’ School?”
“Little Fox, I don’t know if you’ve heard the saying, but often the difference between one noble and another is greater than the difference between a commoner and a noble.”
“So, is my speech also meant for those children of the elite?”
“Not exactly. Your speech will be broadcast throughout the entire school, so almost everyone will hear it. That’s why I told you to be well-prepared.”
“…”
Liuli was speechless.
She had originally thought her speech was only for those at the top, which might have given her an excuse to righteously complain about their preferential treatment.
But since it was a speech for everyone, she felt there was nothing left to say.
She would just read from the script.
“Little Fox, it’s time to go.”
Seeing Liuli still hesitating, Serveyia decisively took her hand and led her to the carriage waiting to take them to the ball.
Riding in a carriage to a ball gave Liuli a profound sense of fantasy.
For some reason, she thought of Cinderella.
It didn’t seem much different from her current situation—both were heading to a ball in a carriage.
Of course, unlike Cinderella, she didn’t have an evil stepmother or mean stepsisters.
Even her Prince was already by her side.
She didn’t need to be afraid like Cinderella; all she had to do was enjoy the ball tonight.
Looking at it that way, she might actually be quite lucky.
Along the way, Liuli saw many people dressed in their finest, walking in groups toward different directions.
It seemed that even if they looked similar on the outside, everyone’s destination wasn’t exactly the same.
“Serveyia, does everyone have to go to the ball?”
“Not necessarily. Some people don’t like to dance, and some don’t need to. For them, there’s no need to attend. But you’re different, Little Fox.”
“You don’t have to bring me up every time…”
She was just curious, but Serveyia kept pointing it back to her.
She didn’t actually have those intentions, but Serveyia’s words made it sound like she was really trying to escape the ball.
“It’s just to help you understand better. After all, it’s not just you; many others are also forced to attend the ball for various reasons.”
“Like you, Serveyia?”
“Me? If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t need to attend. Generally speaking, people like the Student Council President or the Disciplinary Committee members are the ones who truly have no choice but to participate. And they don’t just have to show up; they can’t even ‘attend’ the ball in the true sense. They can only participate as staff members.”
So that was how it worked.
Liuli had assumed everyone was required to attend the ball.
But that had nothing to do with her.
As a Princess, she had no choice but to participate as well.
When they arrived at the venue, Liuli would never have associated the scene before her with a ball if she hadn’t known beforehand.
Although everyone was dressed magnificently and soothing music played in the background, the first thing that caught her eye was the massive, long table in the center, piled high with various kinds of food.
Was this a ball or a banquet?
However, it seemed the two weren’t mutually exclusive.
Liuli hadn’t eaten dinner yet, but she guessed Serveyia wouldn’t let her eat haphazardly here.
Did that mean she had to endure the entire ball on an empty stomach?
The more she thought about it, the more her head ached.
Wasn’t there any good news waiting for her?
After arriving backstage with Serveyia, professional makeup artists came to touch up Liuli’s makeup.
She took this opportunity to look over the script Serveyia had prepared for her once more.
Although she didn’t have to memorize it, she still needed to be familiar with it.
If she stumbled through it, it would likely make everyone else uncomfortable.
But the content wasn’t much to speak of.
It was mostly pleasantries and formal clichés.
Liuli had heard these words many times before, and she never expected they would one day come out of her own mouth.
It felt strange no matter how she thought about it.
Six o’clock arrived.
As the bells chimed throughout the campus, Saint Laia Academy’s annual Academy Festival Ball finally began.
The first event was Liuli’s speech.
Liuli had initially thought that everyone would be disinterested during her speech, but it seemed they were willing to show respect to her as a Princess.
At the very least, they appeared to be listening with great interest on the surface.
As for how much of the content they actually took to heart, that wasn’t something Liuli needed to worry about.