Heroine On Strike

“Wait. There’s a volunteer for that hellhole!”

Ella didn’t have the slightest wish of becoming the crown princess anymore. She would have followed down that road without thinking if Cladis was in love with her. Fortunately, both of them weren’t interested in each other anymore. 

‘This was the best thing that happened!’

Compared to moments ago, Ella’s expression was filled with joy. Now, she was glad that Cladis had brought someone to take her spot. All she needed to do was smile and leave. She didn’t need to overwork herself in this world. Even though she entered a romance novel, she didn’t need to fall in love with the male lead. Not only that, Ella would at least have eight hours of sleep every night and delicious food to eat. That kind of lifestyle was fulfilling enough for her.

‘It’s better to get married to some random noble family and live a normal life. I don’t need to go down that road.’ 

Her life’s goal changed in an instant. The emotions Ella felt were different from the ones she felt when she sat down at her desk earlier. Her goal had changed. Now she needed to figure out a solution to her new problem. The royal family had selected her to be engaged to Cladis. Their broken relationship wasn’t enough to end their engagement. She needed Cladis’s help to end it without damaging their families’ reputations. But how could she get his help? She hoped he loved Clara as much as he loved Luciella in the novel.

***

The next day, Ella, surprised by her appearance, stood in front of the mirror. ‘I still look amazing even in these clothes.’ 

The bright yellow outdoor dress that she wore was one of a kind. The dress was, in its own way, unique. Ella’s beauty and her gorgeous purple-colored hair outshined the dress. The laces and the ruffles made the dress look very elegant. She was shocked when Joanne had first brought this dress over. Most of the girls who were at her party yesterday wore dresses similar to this one. They were full of laces, ribbons, and ruffles. Ella was disgusted by how these dresses looked, and she never thought she would have to wear one.

“This type of dress is the current trend at the capital. You loved it yourself.”

Then Ella remembered that Luciella purchased it without too much thought and pretended that she was happy with it. ‘Luciella, what have you done?’ Ella was at a loss for words. She couldn’t reject the dress that Luciella chose for herself. Once more, she took a look at the dress, but it wasn’t something she could bear looking at any longer. 

‘I should have realized this beforehand.’ Ranhee had a habit of wearing whatever her stylist chose for her. Even after she came into this world, her focus was always on whatever grabbed her attention. The only time she had ever paid attention to the clothing given to her was the inner skirt that she was fascinated with on her first day. Afterwards, she never really had much interest in her clothes. Up until this point, her outfits never looked as horrendous as this one. 

“You had your debutante already, so you should wear something new. I waited so long for this day to arrive. I’ll make you the most beautiful lady in the capital.”

Her question was answered by Joanne’s eager words. The reason why it never came to Ella up until now was because ladies who haven’t had their debutante had to wear simple designs with dull colors. The current trend at the capital was an overly puffed up pannier dress that had ribbons tied in butterfly knots crazily pasted all over. The dress that Joanne brought to Ella followed the usual standards of a pannier dress. It just wasn’t as puffy, because it was an outdoor dress. Usually, party dresses were so puffy that it required the wearer to walk like a crab to pass through doors. It would look modest to others, but it was still too much for Ella. She didn’t have the courage to go outside with that on her. Out of shame, she wouldn’t have been able to put her head up.

“Are there any other dresses?”

“Other dresses? Don’t you like this dress, my lady? Or maybe you don’t feel this is enough?” asked Joanne disappointingly. 

Ella insisted on wearing another dress. Joanne disappointingly followed her order and brought over 10 other dresses. After inspecting every dress, Ella accepted her reality. In their own right, all of the dresses seemed a bit too much. Joanne tried to describe each and every dress to her. Eventually, she decided that the dress she was currently wearing was the best choice. It was the least puffy out of all the dresses. 

‘This… this is painful. It feels like this dress was installed onto me and not worn by me! They made me lose all this weight and now I have to wear this?’