Volume 1 Chapter 122

Volume 1 + Chapter 122: Please Help Yourself

Only after Eve had left Chancelianne’s bedchamber did Alice hurriedly rush back toward her own quarters, her steps so frantic that it was as if someone were chasing after her. She moved at a near run the entire way, so rushed that her high heels nearly flew off her feet, she stumbled a few times before barely managing to steady herself.

The maids inside the bedchamber had been tidying up when they suddenly saw their princess dash in with such force and urgency. One and all, they froze in surprise, unable to understand what had happened. Alice was usually composed and elegant, rarely so flustered. They did not even have time to salute before they could only watch her charge straight into the changing room like a gust of wind.

“Your Highness, your undergarments—!”

A young maid hurriedly called out after her, worried that in her haste she might forget something important.

“Don’t worry about that now, I’m busy!”

Alice shouted back without turning her head, then plunged headfirst into the changing room, her movements swift, as though she were rushing off to carry out some urgent mission.

The young maid stood at the doorway, listening to the noisy sounds of rummaging coming from inside, her face filled with confusion and growing bewilderment.

At that moment, a crisp rhythm of high heels striking the floor echoed down the corridor.

The maid instinctively glanced outside and saw Eve approaching Alice’s room, her expression solemn, her long legs carrying her forward atop slender red-soled heels.

She was as captivating as ever. If anything, the faint seriousness in her expression made her appear even more dignified and composed.

For a moment, the maid was so transfixed that she nearly forgot herself. If Chancelianne was the empire’s most carefully chosen jewel of royalty, then Eve was undoubtedly the same—perhaps even the finest among the finest.

Whether in appearance, bearing, or temperament, Eve could be said to rival—and even surpass—the Empress in her younger days.

Such praise was already the highest possible compliment for a woman.

After all, in other kingdoms there was a saying: below Chancelianne, there were no true beauties.

From this, one could see just how highly the Empress was regarded and how exceptional Eve herself was by comparison.

Only then did the maid snap back to her senses. Something was wrong—Princess Alice was still busy in the changing room.

The princess was in such a hurry… could it be because she knew Miss Eve was coming, and was rushing to put on the undergarments she had not been wearing?

The maid paused briefly, then found her own thoughts rather amusing.

Don’t be ridiculous. If the princess didn’t strip down to nothing but her stockings, it would already count as her being conservative today.

So then—

Bang!

Just as the maid was still thinking, the door to the changing room suddenly flew open.

Alice appeared much as expected—though not quite. Today, she was wearing knee-high black stockings trimmed with lace.

Other than that, there was little else, prompting the maid to hurriedly turn her back in alarm.

“I’m dying of heat after running all that way. Has Miss Eve arrived yet?”

When Alice spoke the first part, her voice was rougher, casual and unrestrained.

But when she said the name “Eve,” her tone inexplicably softened, becoming gentle and sweet, tinged with a bit of playfulness and anticipation.

It was the kind of voice that could melt hearts.

Yet clearly, with such attire, no matter how pleasant her voice sounded, it was hardly appropriate.

What should be done? Miss Eve was already on her way—could they really let her see the princess like this?

The maid was frantic, but there was nothing she could do. Eve was already close at hand.

“Miss Eve!”

The maid quickly bowed, her voice filled with deep respect.

“Mm. Where is Alice—”

Before Eve could finish speaking, her gaze swept lightly ahead, and she spotted Alice standing not far away.

Alice was wearing only a pair of delicate black stockings. Her slender, fair figure was faintly visible, her brows and eyes carrying a trace of deliberate allure. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward as she beckoned gently toward Eve, as if she had prepared this scene carefully, waiting to see Eve’s surprised or embarrassed reaction.

However, the imagined response never came.

Eve’s expression showed almost no change at all. Even her eyes remained calm, as though this were something she had long since grown accustomed to. Her gaze passed over Alice without surprise or shock, as if she were merely observing something entirely ordinary.

The maid beside them was stunned, staring at Eve in confusion. What was going on? Miss Eve… had no reaction whatsoever?

In the midst of the awkward silence, Eve finally spoke.

“Class begins.”

Her tone was steady and neutral—neither distant nor intimate—like the announcement of something perfectly natural.

Clearly, not only her expression but even her voice showed no ripples of emotion.

“Miss Eve, do you have no thoughts at all about my carefully prepared appearance?”

“Carefully prepared? I don’t see it. Didn’t you just throw all your clothes aside?”

Eve even gave her a brief once-over. To be honest, at first glance, the sight had indeed been striking.

After all, this was Chancelianne’s daughter—the imperial princess, the future empress, Princess Alice, renowned for her beauty.

But after seeing it often enough, Eve felt it was nothing extraordinary. That said, Alice was still growing, and watching her gradually resemble her mother more and more was, in its own way, rather interesting.

“Your undergarments need to be replaced with a larger size.”

Eve said this casually, her gaze briefly sweeping over Alice, as if it were a trivial observation.

“Huh? You could tell just by looking?”

Alice sounded surprised, then suddenly seemed to realize something. She murmured softly, “I knew it. Lately they’ve been getting tighter and tighter. Some of the ones I had made earlier—even the clasps popped off when I tried them on.”

Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, though her eyes were lively and playful, as if she had finally identified the root of the problem. She turned to glance at the young maid beside her, mischief flickering in her gaze.

It was as if her look were saying: It’s not that I don’t want to wear them—it’s that they simply don’t fit anymore.

The maid stood there blankly, at a complete loss for how to respond. A faint flush crept onto her face, her heart filled with confusion. Was it really appropriate to say something like this so openly in front of Miss Eve?

Hadn’t Princess Alice always said that she was shy about her developing figure, and that only those she considered closest to her were allowed to discuss it with her?

Even the maids who had grown up with her usually had to keep their distance on such matters.

“Then shouldn’t Miss Eve use her hands to measure it? Help me check the size.”

“Princess Alice, please show some restraint.”

“Restrain myself? Sure, sure!”

“It’s self-respect. Also—could you explain what you were doing just now, hiding outside the door and eavesdropping?”

In truth, Eve had noticed Alice long ago—lingering outside the door, pacing back and forth, stamping her feet, and fidgeting restlessly—long before she revealed herself.