Chapter 30: Saturday Morning

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Saturday Morning

Saturday mornings felt different.

The hurried footsteps that usually echoed through the residence halls had disappeared, replaced by a peaceful quiet that only the first weekend of the semester seemed able to bring.

Golden sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, filling the room with warmth.

Vivienne slowly opened her eyes.

No lectures.

No professors.

No uniforms.

Only the first Saturday since classes had begun.

Across the room, Claire stretched lazily before letting out an exaggerated yawn.

"...Morning."

"Morning."

Vivienne smiled as she climbed out of bed.

Today was volunteer orientation at the Ashford Foundation.

Unlike weekdays, there was no university uniform to wear.

No riding attire.

No dress code.

Only civilian clothes.

A knock sounded on the door.

Claire wandered over and opened it.

Standing outside were Amelia and Eleanor.

Both carried elegant garment bags over one arm.

Amelia, however, balanced an additional shopping bag with obvious satisfaction.

Claire laughed.

"You really brought half your wardrobe."

"I most certainly did."

Amelia stepped inside, looking around the room.

Then, with complete confidence, she placed her bags onto one of the beds.

"There."

She clasped her hands together happily.

"I’ve officially taken over your room."

Claire burst into laughter.

"You absolutely have."

Within minutes, the room transformed into cheerful chaos.

Garment bags hung from wardrobe doors.

Shoes lined the floor.

Jewellery cases sat open across both beds.

Hair accessories, handbags and cosmetic pouches somehow occupied nearly every available surface.

Amelia looked around proudly.

"...Perfect."

Vivienne laughed.

"I don’t think we’ll find the floor again."

"Oh!"

Amelia suddenly remembered something.

"I almost forgot."

She reached into the shopping bag and triumphantly pulled out four lightweight dressing robes.

Claire blinked.

"...You brought robes?"

"Of course."

Amelia looked genuinely surprised that anyone would question it.

"We’re putting on makeup first."

"I refuse to risk getting foundation or lipstick on our dresses."

She handed one robe to each of them.

"I thought ahead."

Eleanor smiled.

"That was thoughtful."

Claire accepted hers with an amused shake of her head.

"...I didn’t even think of that."

"I know."

Amelia smiled proudly.

"That’s why I did."

A few minutes later, the four girls were seated around the room in matching cream dressing robes, cosmetic pouches spread open before them.

"So..."

Claire looked around.

"Who’s starting?"

"You already have," Eleanor observed.

Claire blinked.

"...Right."

The room gradually settled into an easy rhythm.

Claire experimented with two different lipstick shades before immediately asking for opinions.

Amelia carefully applied a soft shimmer across her eyelids, humming quietly as she worked.

Eleanor finished surprisingly quickly, her routine simple, neat, and efficient.

Vivienne...

Was still blending.

Claire watched for nearly a minute before finally asking,

"...What are you doing?"

"Blending."

"I can see that."

"But..."

Claire leaned closer.

"You’ve been blending for ages."

Vivienne smiled.

"It’ll look softer."

Claire frowned.

"...It already looks soft."

"It can be softer."

Claire slowly leaned back.

"I think we’re living in different realities."

Amelia laughed.

"No, let her finish."

"I’m curious."

Vivienne continued working patiently.

A little concealer.

A touch of blush.

A soft wash of neutral colour over her eyelids.

Mascara.

Then lip colour.

She paused.

Studied herself.

Reached for a tissue.

Pressed it gently against her lips.

Claire looked horrified.

"You just took it off!"

"I softened it."

"...There’s a difference?"

"There is."

Vivienne blended the edges one final time before setting everything down.

"There."

Claire stared.

"...You look exactly the same."

Vivienne laughed.

"I promise I don’t."

Amelia stood and examined her more closely.

After several moments, she smiled.

"I think I understand."

"You do?" Claire asked.

Amelia nodded.

"The makeup isn’t meant to be noticed."

Vivienne smiled.

"Exactly."

Claire looked completely bewildered.

"...That’s the goal?"

"Of course."

"I want people to think I’m hardly wearing any."

Claire looked as though everything she knew about cosmetics had just been challenged.

"...That’s..."

She searched for the right word.

"...Actually rather clever."

Even Eleanor nodded thoughtfully.

"It makes your features stand out."

"Not the makeup."

Vivienne smiled.

"I’ve always preferred it that way."

Soon everyone had finished.

The conversation naturally shifted to hair.

Claire looked over as Vivienne studied her hairstyle.

"What do you think?"

Vivienne tilted her head thoughtfully.

"...Leave it down."

Claire blinked.

"Really?"

Vivienne nodded.

"It frames your face better."

Claire turned back to the mirror and let her hair fall naturally over her shoulders.

She studied her reflection for a few moments before smiling.

"...You’re right."

Amelia looked over immediately.

"Then what about mine?"

Vivienne studied her for a moment.

"The ribbon."

"Half-up."

"Not all the way."

Amelia quickly adjusted it before turning toward the mirror.

"Oh..."

"I like that."

Eleanor smiled faintly.

"I suppose I’m next."

Vivienne considered her hairstyle.

"Keep yours exactly as it is."

"It suits you."

Eleanor laughed softly.

"That was the easiest advice yet."

Only then did they finally turn their attention to the dresses.

The room immediately became lively again.

Claire held up two skirts.

"Camel or black?"

"Camel," Vivienne answered almost instantly.

"It makes the blouse feel lighter."

Claire changed into it.

A few moments later, she stepped back out.

"...Well."

"I wasn’t expecting you to be right so quickly."

Amelia was next.

She held up two dresses.

"A blush pink?"

"Or the ivory floral?"

"The blush."

Vivienne smiled.

"It matches your complexion better."

Amelia nodded before disappearing behind the folding screen.

Eleanor quietly considered two handbags.

Vivienne pointed toward the smaller one.

"That one."

"It finishes the outfit without competing with it."

Eleanor studied both again before smiling.

"I agree."

Claire suddenly looked around the room.

"...Wait."

Everyone looked at her.

"We’ve all asked Vivienne."

Silence.

Then they realized she was right.

Vivienne blinked.

"...You did."

Claire pointed dramatically.

"And every single suggestion worked."

Vivienne laughed.

"I only said what I liked."

"Apparently," Claire replied, "you like the right things."

Finally, all three girls turned toward her.

Claire folded her arms.

"...Our stylist."

"Your turn."

Vivienne laughed.

"I knew this was coming."

She opened her wardrobe.

Two dresses lay waiting.

One cream.

One pale powder blue.

The other three immediately gathered beside her.

Claire studied them carefully.

"The cream is beautiful."

Amelia nodded.

"It feels slightly more formal."

Eleanor looked between them before speaking.

"The blue."

Vivienne looked over.

"Why?"

"It feels more appropriate for today."

"It looks elegant."

"But approachable."

"It also suits you better."

Claire looked again before nodding.

"...I think you’re right."

"So do I," Amelia agreed.

Vivienne smiled.

"Blue it is."

She disappeared behind the folding screen.

While she changed, the others continued tidying the room, returning unused dresses to their garment bags and packing away cosmetics.

A few minutes later, Vivienne stepped back out.

The pale blue dress fit her beautifully.

Tailored through the waist before falling into a graceful skirt just below the knees, it was elegant in the quietest way.

Not overly decorated.

Not overly fashionable.

Simply...

Beautiful.

She walked toward the jewellery case.

Pearl earrings.

She paused.

Small sapphire studs.

She held them beside the dress.

"No..."

Back they went.

Pearls again.

This time she smiled.

"These."

Then came the watch.

The handbag.

One last glance in the mirror.

A tiny adjustment to a loose strand of hair.

And finally—

"...Done."

Claire looked at her for a long moment.

Claire folded her arms as Vivienne finally stepped away from the mirror.

"...This is unfair."

Vivienne looked up.

"What is?"

Claire swept an arm dramatically around the room.

"All of this."

"The dresses."

"The handbags."

"The shoes."

"The makeup."

"The jewellery."

She pointed toward the evidence scattered across both beds.

"We’ve all witnessed the truth."

"The fifteen-minute discussion over earrings."

"The lipstick that was apparently half a shade too warm."

Vivienne cleared her throat.

"...It was."

Amelia dissolved into laughter.

Even Eleanor smiled.

Claire sighed dramatically before pointing at Vivienne again.

"And then we’re going to walk out that door..."

"...and everyone is going to think you simply woke up looking like that."

"As though you just threw on a beautiful dress, glanced at a mirror once, and somehow ended up looking effortlessly elegant."

Vivienne smiled innocently.

"...Let’s hope they do."

Claire shook her head with exaggerated resignation.

"If anyone ever tells me, ’Lady Beaumont always looks so effortlessly elegant...’"

She placed a hand over her heart.

"I’ll just smile."

"...Because I’ll know the truth."

The room erupted into laughter once more.

When the laughter finally subsided, the four girls found themselves standing together before the full-length mirror.

Claire looked stylish and confidently fashionable, every piece carefully chosen to reflect her love of current trends.

Amelia was graceful and feminine, her soft blush dress and delicate accessories giving her an elegant, romantic charm.

Eleanor’s tailored navy dress reflected her composed nature, quietly refined without a single unnecessary detail.

And Vivienne...

In her pale blue dress, with understated pearls, softly styled hair, and makeup so subtle it was almost impossible to detect...

Looked as though beauty simply came naturally to her.

Only the other three knew just how wonderfully misleading that impression truly was.

Only five days earlier, they had been complete strangers.

Now they were spending their first Saturday morning together, laughing over dresses, makeup, and earrings as though they had known one another for years.

It was an ordinary moment.

A simple one.

Yet somehow...

It felt like the beginning of something far more precious than any of them had expected.