Chapter 99. The Princess Consort Appears at the Department Store!
"This would be perfect to wear to the warship construction ceremony tomorrow. Could you help me take it off?"
As Olivia walked behind the screen, Jane quickly followed.
The Princess Consort had become astonishingly elegant in the time since they last met. Jane watched the Princess Consort's graceful movements with admiration, carefully removing the dress.
Suddenly, the Princess Consort's shoulder twitched. Her fair and refined face looked somehow uncomfortable.
"Your Highness, if you feel any discomfort, please tell me now. I will make adjustments immediately."
"Ah… no. I'm fine."
The Princess Consort, who had frozen for a moment and gasped for breath, shook her head slightly and changed into another dress.
Jane blinked and quickly attended to her, whispering, "You still look uncomfortable… Are you perhaps ill?"
Jane pretended to adjust the dress, lightly placing her hand on the Princess Consort's shoulder. But she couldn't tell if there was a fever.
Olivia inhaled and exhaled slowly. As she took off the dress, a surprisingly intense pain stabbed her chest and disappeared. She had felt a similar pain a few days ago, but this was even stronger.
Even while changing dresses, all her attention was focused on her chest. But it seemed to be a one-off, as the pain did not return.
Of course, it was still difficult to breathe, and her chest felt tight. However, this was a symptom that had persisted ever since she started wearing a Corset, so she couldn't tell if it was a symptom of illness or not.
'What is it?'
Olivia bit her lip and straightened her back. As Jane finished the preparations by tying a ribbon around her waist, Olivia shook off her thoughts and stepped out from behind the screen.
"Then, Your Highness, I will prepare the dress and accessories you will wear tomorrow."
"Very well. Thank you for your hard work."
As Jane and her assistants retreated, Mrs. Timberlin, who still wore a displeased expression, let out a short sigh.
Mrs. Timberlin's eyes darted around Olivia.
It was proving difficult to win over the Princess Consort, whom she had expected to be easy to manipulate. She had loudly boasted that she would be in charge of repairing the Prince's residence, but that had fallen through, and she couldn't even get rid of the lowborn head maid.
So, in the end, she had no choice but to use that method. To be honest, she had wanted to use it for a while now. At the very least, she had wanted to take the Princess Consort to meet the noble ladies last week and break her sky-high pride.
'I didn't expect it would take this long to gather the noble ladies.'
When she set a date, one person said they couldn't make it, and when she set another date, another person complained that they couldn't make it.
"Why are you excluding me?! I want to be included in that gathering! Oh, and I'm unavailable on weekends."
"Of course, I'll be there. Oh, and I can't make it this Friday. My son and his wife are visiting."
Because this person and that person insisted on seeing the Princess Consort up close, the date was eventually pushed back to the day before the warship construction ceremony.
Mrs. Timberlin glanced at her watch and cleared her throat.
"Your Highness, about the Marchioness Rettium's salon that I mentioned before…"
As she broached the subject, Olivia, as well as Betty, who was standing nearby, turned their heads.
"I told her that you would be attending, and she was very honored and pleased."
"I am very grateful for your kind words."
"She would like to set a date for one day next week. What do you think?"
Olivia felt her heart pounding and nodded.
"I am happy to."
"I mentioned before that it is customary to bring a small gift when attending a small salon, and it seems that you will only have time to prepare it today. You will be attending the warship construction ceremony for the next few days."
"Then how about preparing it today? There is still quite a bit of time left."
As Olivia asked, Mrs. Timberlin smiled brightly, as if she had been waiting for this.
"Shall we? Then let's just leave as we are? While we're out, how about enjoying a cup of tea at a cafe in the city?"
Mrs. Timberlin was acting as friendly as if she had never worn a sullen expression.
"Very well. Let's leave right away."
At Olivia's signal, Betty quickly gathered her gloves, hat, and coat. Olivia, wearing dark navy gloves, pressed down on her chest, which seemed to be strangely agitated, and looked out the window.
Mrs. Timberlin led Olivia to a department store that had recently opened.
"Prince Noah has invested a considerable amount in this department store. It's an innovative shopping space that brings together a variety of stores."
"Was it a castle that was renovated?"
"Yes, that's right. It's a renovated castle that was going to be demolished."
Until the last century, it was a detached palace used by a noble family, but after extensive renovations, it was reborn as a modern department store.
The rows of carriages lined up in front of the department store were reminiscent of a procession attending a royal party.
The Princess Consort's carriage displayed its power at times like these. The coachman straightened his shoulders and drove the carriage proudly on the VIP road. It was a different path from the carriages of prominent families lined up on the general road.
The two royal knights riding horses side by side next to the carriage also attracted people's attention.
"The Princess Consort has arrived."
Marchioness Rettium, who was waiting inside the carriage, muttered as she glanced out the window, and Mrs. Seymour, who was sitting opposite her, slowly let out a long breath.
"Yes, she has."
Mrs. Seymour's blue eyes sharply watched the passing luxurious carriage.
The hand resting neatly on her skirt tightened.
Princess Consort.
She never knew that word could make her so furious.
Mrs. Seymour smiled sweetly at Mrs. Letium.
"I've always wanted to meet her, and thanks to you, Marchioness, I get to meet Her Highness like this. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The two elaborately dressed women turned their heads to look out the window at the same time, as if they had made a promise. The door of the carriage that had stopped at the entrance of the department store opened, and a beautifully dressed woman was seen getting off. A woman wearing a dark navy coat and hat slowly raised her head.
All eyes in the vicinity were on her.
Olivia Rosemond Astrid.
The commoner Princess Consort, who had been in seclusion since her marriage, made her first appearance in nearly two weeks.
The Princess Consort appeared without warning!
The general manager of the department store, who heard the news, appeared in the blink of an eye.
"Welcome, Your Highness."
Olivia was inwardly embarrassed to see the middle-aged gentleman bowing deeply. In addition to the pouring gazes, the guards hired by the department store, apart from the two royal knights who had come as escorts, surrounded her as if they were setting up a barricade.
As a result, the wide and magnificent main hall of the department store seemed to be full in an instant.
"I hope I'm not causing any trouble by visiting without notice."
At Olivia's kind words, the gentleman quickly shook his head and put on a sociable smile.
Trouble? What trouble! We're grateful you came!
"We have been eagerly hoping that you would visit us at any time, Your Highness. If you tell us what items you need, we will arrange for you to view and select them comfortably in the VIP room. I will guide you to the VIP room."
At his suggestion, Olivia quickly scanned her surroundings. Many people were shining their eyes from beyond the guards. It was said that not only nobles but also commoners frequented the place quite a bit, and indeed it was so.
Olivia turned to Mrs. Timberlin with a sociable smile on her face. She had already raised her head stiffly, as if she was ready to go to the VIP room.
"Thank you for the offer, but I would like to go to the store and see the items myself. Countess Timberline, please guide me."
The gentleman, who had been perking up his ears, quickly changed his words.
"Then please tell me the name of the store. I will arrange for you to enter alone."
"No, there's no need for that. Let others watch comfortably as well. If my presence makes others uncomfortable, I won't be able to come here in the future."
"Ah……."
"And my escort is sufficient with the knights here. I would hate for my presence to inconvenience other people's passage."
The Princess Consort expressed her opinion gently but firmly. Perhaps because of the pressure of her status, her words seemed to carry an undeniable power.
"Yes, I understand."
Eventually, as the gentleman took a step back, the department store guards, who had been surrounding Olivia like a wall, all stepped back at once. Then, the many gazes that had been blocked by them until then rushed in like a tidal wave.
Mrs. Timberlin realized that gazes had weight. She was suffocating from the attention pouring in from all directions. She was frozen stiff and unknowingly holding her breath when she heard a low voice beside her.
"Let's go, Countess Timberline."
"Ah… yes."
Mrs. Timberlin finally came to her senses and turned to look at the Princess Consort. Her fair and refined face was surprisingly calm. Olivia glanced at Mrs. Timberlin, who was hardening her expression, and took the first step.
But then.
"Your Highness!"
As a youthful voice rang out clearly, not only Olivia but also the royal knights turned their attention to one place. A shattering silence fell over everyone's heads.
A girl holding her parents' hands was shining her eyes and holding out a lollipop to Olivia.
"Oh, you!"
Although they were well-dressed, it was obvious at a glance that they were a commoner family. The girl's father quickly grabbed the child's shoulder and bowed his head.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. My child is young and doesn't know what is rude."
At her father's words, the girl's face hardened. The girl's eyes, fearing that she had made a big mistake, turned red.
Olivia was reminded of the girl who had handed her a candy from the carriage a few months ago. That day, she had received that candy and walked along the old stone road crying for a long time… and at the end of it was Noah.
Before the tears welling up in the child's eyes could fall, Olivia carefully took the candy. Then, she said to the parents, who were surprised and widened their eyes.
"Rude? Not at all. I'm grateful."
"Ah……."
The girl, facing the Princess Consort's kind expression, smiled, her face flushed even with tears welling up in her eyes.
"I'll enjoy it. I like candy very much too."
As Olivia winked, the girl smiled brightly.
"Yes, Your Highness!! I'll give you another one if we meet again next time!"
"Okay, thank you."
Olivia gave the girl a light nod and turned her body, and the parents breathed a sigh of relief and pulled their daughter into their arms.
At that moment, a camera flash went off somewhere. At the same time, the precarious silence shattered with a crash, and a murmuring sound spread instantly.
