49 - Transmigrated as the Villainess Fake Young Lady, Please Spare Me, Female Lead Sister

The figures of Claire and Raphtia were meticulously recorded on two parchments. Raphtia's careful measurements of Claire's dimensions were precise to one decimal place, leaving no room for error. However, Claire's attempts to help Raphtia resulted in less accurate numbers. Due to her shyness and nervousness, Claire struggled to get too close, which affected her accuracy in measuring. Now Claire must admit that there might, perhaps, be some data that are not quite perfect. This situation humorously aligns with the system's accusation that she ‘deliberately altered some data to ensure the dress wouldn’t fit!’, coupled with a teasing thumbs-up emoji floating in her vision, seemingly mocking her. Feeling slightly defeated, Claire examined the parchment again. The measurements for the chest width and bust size seemed off. When she attempted these measurements, she was so startled by the soft and pliable sensation that she couldn't focus on the numbers. Truthfully, she didn't mess it up intentionally—or at least she hopes it's not a significant mistake. She tries to rationalize, akin to a student who knows their experimental data is flawed yet hopes the teacher won't notice. Claire reassures herself that being the protagonist, Raphtia will, no doubt, have some way to miraculously fix any issue, even if the data was inaccurate. Stories like these always find a way to work things out! "Where did Ms. Aurora go?" Claire looked around, noticing only Aurora's black-laced top hat and wondering when she had left. Raphtia explained that she hadn’t been present since they began taking measurements. "What!?" Claire was in disbelief, as she had assumed they had been watched the whole time. While Raphtia took her measurements, Claire had tried to remain as quiet as possible, fearing Aurora might overhear anything embarrassing. Her mind spun with embarrassment and confusion at overthinking the situation. Raphtia called out to the hat, "Ms. Aurora, are you there?" There was no response initially, but with a raised voice, she repeated herself. Suddenly, the top hat floated to head-height, and the air shimmered—Aurora materialized from the shadows, emerging with a serene grace. The system whispered in Claire's mind: ‘This is space-related magic.’ Aurora's eyes, free of glasses and alight with pink, heart-shaped hues, observed them with delight. "Finished already? Do you need more time?" she asked, teasingly. Claire used the moment to inquire, "Teacher, where did you go just now? Did you watch us measure this whole time?" Aurora sweetly denied, "Of course not, Miss Claire. I would never peek~ truly." Claire scrutinized Aurora’s pink-tinged eyes. Claire prodded, "But didn't you say I was 'just like Claire Carbon'? Whatever that means…" Aurora met her gaze evenly, feigning innocence. ". . . You totally saw it." "No, I didn't," Aurora insisted. "Absolutely saw! You must have hidden somewhere, watching us awkwardly struggle with the measurements!" Claire accused, blushing with a mix of indignation and embarrassment, while Raphtia's ears reddened at the implication. Aurora laughed, "Certainly not. Raphtia was so protective; she even blocked you from my view!" "Really?" Claire asked, blinking in surprise. "Yes," Aurora sighed theatrically. "All I saw were glimpses of you two close together in the corner… Your teacher couldn't give a high rating on that!" "Could we… do it again?" Aurora casually suggested, pulling out another parchment with a hopeful look. "Impossible!" Claire protested with irritation. "Put on your glasses and just focus on etiquette class!" ———————— Outside, rain continued to fall, and the kitchen buzzed with lunch preparations. With the fuss over measurements concluded, the morning etiquette lesson resumed, proving to be just as monotonous and physically taxing as their previous exercises—balancing books during standing and now sitting. Although before, balancing books was hard, Claire managed to hold hers steady for nearly two minutes this time. The posture required them to imagine having swan-like necks without letting the book fall, not even while drinking tea. Maintaining perfect poise is no easy feat. Such is the life of a noble lady. "Laphotia," Claire murmured, glancing at Raphtia, who achieved the task with ease—walking gracefully with a book on her head as if it were second nature. Raphtia's poise and talent unfailingly impressed her. As Raphtia finished her practice, she noticed Claire watching and smiled warmly. "Miss Claire, everything alright?" Caught in thought, Claire looked at her favorability rating with Raphtia. Although it had dipped substantially yesterday, it inexplicably rose today. Baffled but pragmatic, Claire decided on a strategy: when the rapport was high, she could afford to be a bit snide, but if lower, she'd work on rebuilding it. "Sister," Claire teased, "you're from the countryside, no wonder you're so sturdy." Despite the sarcastic undertone, Raphtia only nodded, accepting the comment. "Yes, I've been punished a lot as a child, perhaps I've grown used to it," Raphtia replied softly, and her words left Claire momentarily taken aback.