Translator: Nox

61 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper

Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 61

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The Madame was a pleasant and gentle person with a cheerful disposition. Her affectionate voice was pleasing to the ear.

Her appearance, with her red hair piled high and secured with pearl pins, wearing a satin and muslin dress that hugged her neck, and always carrying a long measuring tape draped over her shoulder, was unimaginable on anyone else.

Today, too, a slender measuring tape hung from her shoulder like a tassel.

“Madame Dobigné, how do you do?”

“What brings you to a place like this, Sir? And who is this beautiful lady beside you?”

I stepped forward and greeted Madame Dobigné.

“Greetings, Madame. I am Sissae from the Bishvarts Family.”

“Oh, you’re the one from the rumors.”

“If you don’t mind, may I ask what rumors you’re referring to?”

“Foolish gossip riddled with falsehoods, my dear lady. Don’t worry, beautiful lady. I was merely intrigued.”

I hope so. I murmured inwardly and smiled faintly. Then, I took the hand Madame Dobigné offered.

She began to walk me around her boutique. Everywhere in the shop, countless dresses and hats were on display, from new dresses to dresses of designs currently in vogue in society—everything that could make one’s eyes pop was on display.

Whenever I showed interest in a dress, Madame Dobigné chattered like a talkative lark. Unlike her appearance, she had a rich girlish sensibility and seemed to enjoy speaking figuratively.

I listened to her calmly, occasionally offering words of agreement. Because Madame Dobigné was so witty, listening to her was never boring.

I was looking at the sixth dress when a question suddenly arose. Why wasn’t she chasing me away as before, even after hearing my name?

In the past, Madame Dobigné had never held my hand and explained the dresses like this. As soon as I opened the door, she would coldly tell me to leave, before I could even utter the ‘dr’ of dress.

But now, she continued to speak in a very affectionate tone and even held my hand. A quick glance at her face showed no difference from how she treated other noblewomen.

My question was soon answered by her next words.

“I heard that Madame de Lavallière was very pleased with the Bischwartz Young Lady’s conduct. Indeed, it is so, Young Lady. I am a person who greatly values the poise when standing and the noble and elegant gait. It is because I want the dresses I make with all my heart to shine most beautifully.

When the Young Lady first came here with Sir Halberd, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the enchanting figure you showed then. Standing properly like that is very difficult. And what about your gait? Oh, it’s so lovely.

Unfortunately, people often misunderstand. They say, what’s so difficult about standing? They don’t know that it is the foundation of dignity. But the Young Lady is showing it perfectly. Perhaps the Young Lady has the most beautiful gait and posture of anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Only then did I think I knew why she had started walking with me. This was Madame Dobigné’s own way of distinguishing people. And also, guiding you to a seat only if you passed her standards.

She soon took me to the area where the noblewomen were sitting. It seemed that almost all the famous figures of society were gathered there.

They, who had been admiring the copperplate engravings of Madame Dobigné’s new designs, looked at my appearance with curious eyes.

A girl who had not yet made her debut in society—surprisingly, they knew I was still young—coming to Madame Dobigné’s boutique to choose a dress seemed strange to them.

It was because enduring the shame of public rejection with courage was impossible without an extraordinary mindset.

“Did Madame de Lavallière send you a letter of recommendation?”

I answered their question in a shy, small voice.

“No. But I heard Princess Dieunzel mention Madame Dobigné’s dresses several times when she was preparing for her debut.”

“Oh, does the Bischwartz Young Lady know Princess Dieunzel?”

“Of course. I was even invited to the Dieunzel Family’s mansion a few days ago.”

Their eyes changed at my answer. The noblewomen seemed surprised that I was acquainted with Princess Dieunzel.

I nonchalantly mentioned the names of the young ladies I had met at the gathering. At the same time, I clearly expressed that I belonged to Princess Dieunzel’s group and that this was not a lie.

Although my mother’s status was low, I was friends with a prestigious young lady and shared relationships with her group, so there was nothing lacking in frequenting this boutique.

The fact that Madame de Lavallière had educated me also worked in my favor. Here, I had only the inherent weakness of my birth, but in terms of attitude, appearance, and dignity, I was undoubtedly a noble young lady.

“The dresses here are beautiful. I wonder which piece has moved the Young Lady’s heart.”

One of the noblewomen subtly pushed the copperplate towards me. There were many beautiful designs that would evoke fantasies in girls my age. All of them were Madame Dobigné’s latest works.

But unfortunately, most of the designs did not suit me very well. Rather than dresses with many ruffles and ribbons, I preferred clothes that emphasized the chest more, like those Madame de Châteauroux enjoyed wearing.

It would be even better if the front center of the skirt was widely open like a mountain shape, with flounces fluttering in layers, and jewels studded in the exposed underskirt. My chest, which was more developed than that of young ladies my age, was one of the elements that could highlight my charm.

“They are all beautiful dresses. But since this is a formal occasion, I think I should think more carefully.”

“Oh my, Young Lady. You don’t have to be too formal at tea parties with young ladies your age. They are still young ladies who have not even made their debut in society.”

One woman covered her lips with a fan and laughed softly. She seemed to think that I had come here as part of a vanity to not fall behind my peers as a noble young lady. That was because everyone envied Madame Dobigné’s dresses.

“Oh, how wonderful would it be if that were the case? The place I am going to is a place where formality and etiquette must be strictly observed.”

“Oh my, I wonder what kind of place it is.”

I smiled silently, as if it were difficult to answer. The noblewomen did not urge me, giving me unknowable glances.

But infinitely many imaginations must have passed in the exchanging glances. It would become a great piece of gossip, and it was clear that it would spread its wings and be engraved in everyone’s minds when I appeared in the palace.

A young lady who was receiving everyone’s attention but had not even made her debut in society. Could there be a more tempting prey than this?

Most of the noblewomen who visited the boutique to choose dresses would come deep inside the store, drink tea, and chat. The discussion about dress designs was a discussion, but there was no place more suitable for talking about interesting gossip.

In particular, people who needed secret stories often came to Madame Dobigné’s boutique in groups.

She willingly gave her space for such people, putting a sofa and a table in a small space in the corner and covering it with thick curtains to create a place like a lady’s room.

This place was an exclusive place that only those who passed Madame Dobigné’s test could be invited to, so the number of people who could enter was limited.

This was why some people called her shop another salon.

Above all, unlike other shops, the maids and knights who accompanied them waited in a small space on the opposite side of the door in her boutique, so there was little chance that the story would spread due to them.

I was looking at the copperplate for a long time, choosing a dress that would suit me, when a small laugh and a voice mixed with whining flowed in from somewhere.

It was too frivolous for noblewomen to make, so I was wondering who was making such a sound.

Then someone whispered that it was a maid brought by one of the ladies here. It seemed that the woman with a particularly red face and a fan trembling in her hand was the main character.

I was wondering if it was strange to distinguish the maid’s voice in this place, and if it was something to be so angry that she couldn’t hide her expression, when he kicked his seat and hurriedly left.

The short greeting did not follow proper etiquette, but no one here was displeased by it. They just whispered in a nonchalant voice as if it were always the case.

“It must be hard.”

“I know. If it were me, I would have locked her in Capsa and scolded her a lot. She really has a very tender heart.”

“To have to take such a vulgar maid with you, what an insult is this?”

I had no idea what they were talking about, so I just rolled my eyes, pretending not to know.

Then they gave me a sly smile and spoke to me. It was a vile trick to shatter the shining envy and shy affection that a girl who was about to become a woman would have for many men.

“We are talking about the lesson that men and young women should not be put in one place. Faithfulness is nothing but ashes in the face of desire, and it is virtually meaningless to argue for intelligence, reason, and rational nobility in the face of the pleasure that a woman gives.”

“That is a fact that there is no need to say twice for a wonderful knight. The special respect that a woman gives to a man is ultimately the same as wanting Exclusive Favor. Oh, now that I think about it, you came with a very wonderful person.”

One of the women here gave a strange smile and slightly moved the curtain with the end of her fan. It was a small gap, just enough to show her eyes, but strangely, everyone saw it.

Surprisingly, we could see the corner of the store where the maids were sitting head-on.

I blinked silently, looking at the maids blushing as they glanced at Sir Halberd, and his expressionless face staring straight ahead.

The noblewomen were laughing and ridiculing the behavior of the maids in love, as if they were watching a comedy.

They made suppressed laughter every time the maid moved her steps little by little to get closer to Sir Halberd. It was a ridiculous sight that seemed to be in a satirical painting. If you were to give it a title, it would be ‘Fools’?

These were women who were well-versed in etiquette enough to pass Madame Dobigné’s test, but in reality, they had a base personality that giggled while watching the ridiculous scene of the maids.

Perhaps they had been evaluating the women who came into the store through this small gap every time, and had been feeling proud while expressing sympathy for those who could not enter.

The appearance of me in the past, screaming and rushing like a shrew, must have been watched clearly through this place as well. So how many people must have laughed at me?