KFBRV Ch 61

Thanks to her absence from the Countess radar, Odette had managed to lower Karls Loathing by another 30 points.

Another advantage was that she could now attend the ball in a dress of her own choosing.

In the small dressing room on the second floor, she stood before the mirror, wearing the dress Lize had made for her.

[Lize] "Milady, are you sure this dress will be alright? Think back to last year's social season... ugh. Every dress was so flashy it made my eyes hurt."

[Odette] "Lize."

[Lize] "Wearing such a modest dress among those people... you'll definitely be overshadowed. Maybe you should reconsider, even now—"

[Odette] "Fashion is meant to change, isn't it? Flashy dresses have been the trend for decades now. And honestly, aren't they more gaudy than glamorous? Everyone must be sick of them by now. It's about time for something like this to come into style."

[Lize] "Even so..."

She still looked anxious. It was understandable.

Lize didn't know the future, nor had she played The Only Savior. She couldn't possibly imagine that in just five months, with Charlotte's debut, the humble "country-style dress" worn by commoners would lead the fashion trends of high society.

[Odette] "Lize, you also thought the lace dresses I used to wear were terrible, didn't you?"

[Lize] "They were grotesque, devoid of any aesthetic sense! The demands Master Ferdinand wrote on the order sheet were laughable from the start. 'A dress that makes her look like a girl who will never grow up, harmless yet extravagant.' I bet the designers nearly had a stroke reading that. They probably wondered what kind of nonsense it was."

She spoke with scathing honesty.

[Lize] "What is more harmful to a girl than never growing up? Why talk about being harmless? Immaturity only shines when you look back on it after becoming mature. It is because growth exists that immaturity can be brilliant.

[Lize] "Why force forced extravagance on a girl who would be confused by being deprived of her growth? What does a noble young master who has never lived as a girl know about being one?"

Seeing her fire off words like a machine gun in anger, she was undoubtedly Madam Sarah's daughter. Recalling the times Sarah had passionately ranted about aesthetics, Odette gave a slight shudder.

Well, because he wrote such impossible demands, the result was a bizarre and fussy dress.

The problem was that "Odette" had worn it. Because of the mystique created by the first Purifier, young ladies began copying that gaudy style, creating a mini-trend. Even though she had zero desire for it, the style was labeled the "Odette Look."

I hated it too. Having my name attached to those dresses.

Even back when she was timid, she had loathed it.

[Odette] "But you think this dress is prettier, don't you?"

[Lize] "That's because it's too simple! On its own, the craftsmanship is visible, but surrounded by all those flashy things, it will get buried and pushed aside..."

She smiled at the worried Lize.

Charlotte didn't succeed in making modest dresses trendy just because she was special.

High society was already exhausted by bustles, corsets, and crinolines—the exaggerated beauty they created. Flashy dresses had dominated the trends for nearly sixty years. Every variation had been exhausted, and for the past three years, the eye-straining "Odette Look" had pushed that fatigue to its peak.

She was certain. This dress would work.

Even if it doesn't catch on in high society, I must claim the "modest dress" concept first.

This was also a preemptive move to steal the future [Reputation] destined for Charlotte.

Charlotte would step into society as the "Real Purifier." The humble dress she wore would come to be known as the "Charlotte Look." It would be framed as if to contrast the Fake Purifier with the Real one, even down to their dresses.

<The flashy, superficial Odette Look vs. The humble, genuine Charlotte Look.>

Every article would pit Odette's and Charlotte's dresses against each other in a head-to-head battle. Even those who didn't know Charlotte well would be compelled to root for her because they hated Odette.

Thanks to this, despite the disadvantage of being a commoner, Charlotte's [Reputation] in The Only Savior would skyrocket to 100 in an instant.

High society wasn't so soft that they would crown someone the flower of society just for being the "Real Purifier." Yet, Charlotte was handed that title naturally because the noble society cheered for her as much as they welcomed Odette's downfall.

Because of that useless rivalry, my name was endlessly dragged through the mud every time The Only Savior praised Charlotte.

Once her revenge was complete, Odette wanted to be forgotten as someone completely irrelevant to the game's stage. Ideally, as if she had never existed at all. Only then could she live a proper, real life.

Charlotte isn't greedy for [Reputation] anyway, so it should be fine.

<Ah... I really hate being the center of attention...>

Whenever the player chose an option that increased [Reputation], Charlotte would cry. Since she found the attention burdensome, this was a good choice for both of them.

[Lize] "No matter how I look at it, isn't it too monotonous? To someone with no eye for detail, it might even remind them of rural society fashion."

[Odette] "What if you ignore all current trends? Just looking at the dress' perfection."

[Lize] "In terms of perfection, it's overwhelming. The hair ribbons, accessories, and the waist sash. How many dresses did we baste together? We selected the absolute best from all of them. Even Mother said the same thing."

[Odette] "Then don't worry. You and Madam Sarah are the most sensible and talented designers in the entire empire. So there is no way this isn't the correct answer."

She declared this neatly as she stood up.

[Lize] "..."

In reality, Madam Sarah was the top designer in the empire within The Only Savior, and Lize was not far behind her. If they hadn't died in her past life—

—But why isn't she answering?

She turned to look at Lize.

[Lize] "...Milady, that's foul play. You work a person to the bone and then move them to tears like this."

Lize grumbled with a pouty expression, her eyes slightly red. Odette burst into laughter.

At a glance, it might look similar to Charlotte's dress, but it was fundamentally different from the dress she wore. Hers was "simplicity" itself—just the clothes she wore in the mountains. In contrast, Odette had used the most talented individual, Lize, to stage "simplicity."

It was not natural purity, but an artificial purity created through obsession. It was the crystallization of "purity" extracted using money, talent, and time.

There isn't a single detail or material we didn't agonize over. It's the best result, created by changing the fabric multiple times.

And she understood the breed known as "nobles" far better than Charlotte did. She knew instinctively that her "staged purity" would captivate their hearts far more effectively than genuine purity. Because staged purity was rare.

She planned to redefine the "Odette Look" this time. Anything attached to her name had to contain her own aesthetic.

Well. There is a secondary objective, too.

Johan's capture keywords were simplicity and plainness.

She remembered how easily Johan's Affection skyrocketed and his Loathing plummeted when Charlotte wore the "country-style gown."

[Odette] "Let's try on the shoes now."

[Lize] "Ah. Mother already picked out the prettiest pair."

It happened the moment she slid her foot into the white shoe. She frowned slightly.

[Lize] "Why? Do you not like the design?"

She tilted her head in confusion as Odette pulled her foot back out. Then, her face turned deathly pale.

Odette's foot, now removed from the shoe, was covered in blood. She had been stabbed by several thumbtacks that someone had hidden inside the shoe.

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