Irene's POV
The room was a whirlwind of silk, lace, and frustration. Dresses of every color lay sprawled across my bed, shoes scattered like forgotten treasures, and the maids scurried around me like nervous ants. I sat cross-legged on the floor, meticulously unpacking one of my new shopping bags, examining a gold-threaded gown I had bought just that morning.
“Are you deaf?!” I snapped at the maid fumbling near the wardrobe. “That’s not how you handle silk! Do you want me to look like a crumpled rag on my date? Oh, wait—you’ve never seen anything finer than your peasant rags, have you?!”
The girl flinched, mumbling a soft “sorry, miss,” but it only irritated me further. I stood and snatched the dress from her trembling hands. “Pathetic. Do you know how much this costs? More than your en
