Adelaide chatted while snatching a moment to eat a piece of steak to fill her stomach. She had to admit the Malfoy Family knew how to enjoy life; the flavor of this steak was truly unforgettable, even better than Mrs. Weasley's cooking!
The dinner, which lasted an hour and a half, passed quickly amidst laughter and cheerful conversation. Most of the pure-blood families achieved their goal for this evening: becoming a familiar face to Adelaide Grindelwald.
When nine o'clock arrived, Lucius Malfoy stood up with a smile and invited everyone to move to the garden to admire the moon.
Everyone responded by rising to leave the Great Hall for the garden, while the House-elves moved swiftly to clear the hall during this twenty-minute intermission, making room for the upcoming ball.
For a high-status guest like Adelaide, this twenty-minute break wasn't just for resting or moon-gazing; she would head to a lounge prepared by the Malfoy Family to change into a gown specifically meant for the ball.
Adelaide reluctantly took off the purple gown she was wearing. Although she had a special fondness for it, according to the rules of social occasions, a gown could only be worn once in public.
So, after tonight's dinner, this gown was considered "retired."
Adelaide had just unfastened her belt and hadn't even had time to take off the dress when the door suddenly opened without warning.
She turned her head in shock to see Armandina, who had already changed into a dazzling, fiery red gown at some point, slipping through the crack in the door like a flickering flame.
"My beautiful little mistress, please allow me to help you change."
With a faint, ambiguous smile playing on her lips, Armandina reached back to softly latch the door, then slowly approached Adelaide with light, elegant, cat-like steps.
Adelaide's heart rate accelerated instantly. She watched nervously as Armandina drew closer, her heart filled with unease and fear—when Armandina stood before her, she could even feel the heat radiating from the other woman, as if it were about to consume her.
"N-no need, I can do it myself!"
Adelaide stammered, her voice trembling noticeably.
She suddenly lunged two steps to the side to keep her distance from Armandina, clutching her chest tightly with both hands as if guarding her body's final line of defense.
However, Armandina didn't seem to intend to let her flirtatious little mistress off the hook. Her hands reached toward the zipper of Adelaide's gown as silently and swiftly as a ghost, seemingly about to pull it open.
"Don't!"
Adelaide cried out in alarm, her body instinctively shrinking back.
Her eyes felt as if they were being scorched by the red dress Armandina wore; she didn't dare look directly at her and could only look around in panic.
What kind of lousy lounge is this!
Adelaide cursed inwardly. It was bad enough there were no windows, but was the Malfoy Family too lazy to even set up a Temperature-Regulating Enchantment? Why was it so hot!
With a kind smile on her face, Armandina said softly, "I'm afraid you'll have trouble reaching the zipper on your back. Let me help you."
Hearing this, countless thoughts flashed through Adelaide's mind. Her brain worked like a high-speed computer, rapidly calculating a counter-strategy.
"Wait, I think I remember an Outfit-Changing Charm that can quickly—"
Before Adelaide could finish, Armandina interrupted her.
"That won't do, little mistress. It is a tradition of pure-blood balls for high-status guests to have their subordinates help them change mid-party without using magic~"
Although Armandina's tone was gentle, it carried an unquestionable firmness.
Adelaide ground her teeth in frustration. What kind of bullshit tradition was that!
She had been backed into a corner, and seeing that Armandina had no intention of giving up, Adelaide could only let her reach out and pull down the gown's zipper.
As the zipper slid down, the upper half of the gown slowly opened, revealing Adelaide's fair skin—Armandina's hand "accidentally" brushed across Adelaide's smooth back. In that instant, Adelaide felt as if she had been struck by lightning and gave a sharp jolt.
"Ah~ What are you doing!"
She couldn't help but cry out, looking at this familiar yet strange older woman with a face full of shock.
However, Armandina seemed completely unaware that there was anything wrong with her actions. She nonchalantly continued to remove the gown, then picked up the silver ball gown and knelt down, signaling for Adelaide to lift her leg.
Adelaide's face was hot enough to grill meat, but she knew she couldn't resist, so she followed Armandina's instructions and lifted her leg quite unnaturally.
The entire changing process was a nightmare for Adelaide. Her body was as stiff as a piece of wood, completely unable to move on its own; and Armandina's burning gaze made her feel as if there were needles in her back. She was terrified that Armandina might suddenly have some malicious intent toward her, and her heart was practically leaping out of her throat.
Fortunately, Armandina still had professional ethics; aside from her terrifying gaze, she didn't make any further unnecessary movements.
After finally waiting for Armandina to help her put on her shoes, Adelaide hurried out of the dressing room like a refugee, as if something terrifying were chasing her.
She didn't dare look back, for fear of meeting Armandina's eyes.
Armandina didn't stop Adelaide from leaving like she had before. Like a cat that had just finished a full meal, she followed lazily behind Adelaide, walking toward the garden at a leisurely pace.
A satisfied smile still hung on the corner of her mouth, as if she were very pleased with everything that had just happened.
Just as Adelaide breathed a slight sigh of relief, a figure suddenly emerged from a corner.
Pansy Parkinson, who had also changed gowns in a lounge, ran up to Adelaide like a cheerful little bird, hooked her right arm, and began to act spoiled: "Sister Grindelwald, you look so beautiful in a silver gown too~"
Before Adelaide could respond, her left arm was also taken—Alice, dressed in a dark green gown, beautiful and elegant, clearly had a look of displeasure on her face now.
She looked at Adelaide and asked with some dissatisfaction, "Adelaide, since when did you become so close with the young lady of the Parkinson Family?"
Adelaide couldn't help but sigh, starting to feel mentally exhausted.
Although her ultimate goal was to use these admirers to build a force loyal only to herself, the frequent "shura fields" she had encountered since the summer break had already left her physically and mentally drained. She began to wonder if she could really hold on until the day the mission was completed without crashing...
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