The day of the celebration finally arrived. Grandma brought Tsubaki along with her to a temple she always frequented to pray for longevity and prosperity to bless the family. A few of her old friends came to the old house and had a chat with Grandma. The celebration began at 6 PM.Tsubaki had changed into a dress designed by Ms. Noman. It was a sleeveless dark blue long dress where the color faded to white at the bottom of the skirt. The ombre dress wasn"t over the top, maintaining its elegant. Her long hair was arranged into a twisted bun with small sapphire hairpins adorned the hairdo. A sheer white shawl finished the touch of her appearance.
"Madam, you are so beautiful! No wonder Master chose this dress for you," one of the maids exclaimed in excitement once the stylist was done with her job.
"Thank you," Tsubaki blushed as she looked at her reflection on the mirror. She didn"t know how much her overall outfit had cost, afraid to even know the figures.
The stylist had come early to help her. Grandma was excited too since she was one of the renowned stylists from a high-end salon. Her makeup skill was totally incomparable to hers. Tsubaki just knew some tips and tricks in doing makeup but this young lady"s skills turned her speechless.
"Thank you, Miss Chiharu," Tsubaki bowed her head in grat.i.tude.
"Aiya, don"t thank me!" Chiharu quickly waved her off. "Your skin is already good, Mrs. Fuse. I just need to apply some makeup to enhance your beauty. I"m actually tempted to use red color for you but since you said you didn"t want anything bold, I just settled with coral pink and peach colors."
Tsubaki laughed when she heard her. She really did refuse from using such colors and asked for her favorite lighter shades. "Tonight is Grandma"s birthday celebration, I shouldn"t steal the limelight from her."
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The room was immediately filled with laughter. Chiharu"s a.s.sistants and the maids joined in the fun. They were relieved since the young Mrs. Fuse wasn"t one of those sn.o.bbish ladies from high society. It was easy to ask for her cooperation during styling her too, making the process went smoothly.
Knock! Knock!
A steward appeared at the door. He was looking for Tsubaki.
"Madam, the helpers downstairs have done arranging the desserts. Do you want to have a final check?"
Tsubaki nodded. "I will go. Please look for the other sections too."
"Will do, Madam."
Tsubaki gathered her skirt and smooth it down as she stood up. The soft fabric rustled as she moved. One of the maids helped to arranged the shawl around her shoulders.
Tsubaki looked around the vanity table and spotted a brooch in the shape of a rose. It was one of the items from the sapphire jewelry set Ren sent for her. The necklace had graced her neck and the earrings dangled from her earlobes. It was a perfect fit for her dress.
It would be such a ha.s.sle if she just wrapped the shawl around her shoulders without using any safety pin. Tsubaki rearranged the shawl to cover her shoulders and used the brooch to pin it to her right shoulder. She had even twisted and turned the shawl to make a shape of a flower before she pinned it. The ends of the shawl fell effortlessly in front of her dress, the sapphire brooch gleamed under the lights.
"Madam..."
"It"s quite easy to move around like this," Tsubaki said as she winked to the maid who helped her. "I"ll be going downstairs now. Thank you for helping me changed into this dress."
Tsubaki slipped into a pair of white high heels before leaving the room. She pursed her lips as she tried to balance her body with the new heels. If not for tonight"s celebration, she would ditch these shoes and put on a pair of flats or sneakers. Luckily her husband was being thoughtful and only chose the ones which she could be comfortable with.
The guests had started filling the large hall of the old house. The hall was located at the center of the mansion. This part of the house was rarely used since Fuse Family wasn"t one to throw an extravagant celebration easily. Thus, whenever they were having one they would be no one who would turn down the invitations.
Tsubaki used the stairs at the back to avoid drawing attention and went straight to the dessert table. She held her nervousness in check as she looked at the guests around her. One could tell the suits and dresses on their bodies worth more than a regular person"s annual paycheck. The gold and glitters somehow made her felt dizzy.
"Madam, you"re here." A young woman in a helper uniform greeted Tsubaki. She was adjusting the positions of the decorations of the table.
"I think everything is done according to our plan," said Tsubaki as she carefully inspected the area.
The desserts were arranged according to the prop stylist led by Old Yuuzo. After she was done with the desserts, she left them in Old Yuuzo"s hands since he was more experienced in decorating the table to Grandma"s tastes.
"The guests would love your sweets, Madam," the young helper tried easing Tsubaki"s nerves. "We"ve tried the samples you gave before and they were absolutely delicious! You don"t have to worry about anything."
Tsubaki chuckled, her mood improved gradually. As she was chatting with the helper, Old Yuuzo came to her side.
"Madam, Master has yet to arrive but we need to abide by the schedule," Old Yuuzo whispered by Tsubaki"s side. "Old Madam is waiting for you to accompany her. She will be going downstairs from the main stairs."
"Okay, Old Yuuzo." Tsubaki knew what she had to do. "I"ll go to Grandma now."
Tsubaki carefully gathered her skirt in one hand and went to the stairs at the back. Ren and she were supposed to appear alongside Grandma in the middle of the grand stairs, leading her downstairs. But Ren was needed at the company and he had yet to arrive so she was the one who Grandma should rely on. The relatives of Fuse Family had started to gather with the guests but she had yet to meet them.
En?
Tsubaki paused in her steps. Her back felt chilly all of a sudden. She reflectively turned around and stared at the direction behind her back. The guests were mingling among each other, exchanging pleasantries. There was no one who was paying attention to her.
But, why did she feel like there were eyes on her?
And the feeling was unpleasant. It felt cold and suffocating.
Tsubaki quickly pushed the nasty thoughts away. She quickened her steps and went upstairs. Grandma was waiting for her.
As she just vanished beside the thick curtains, her ears caught the sound of slapping behind her.