Chapter 36
“Yaaawn…….”
I let out a long, drawn-out yawn.
Even though I’d slept in late today, my eyes were drooping shut on their own.
‘They say sleeping too long actually makes your body more tired.’
Even without that, maybe Charlize’s stamina was just weak?
……No. Looking back on the rampages Charlize had pulled off, she seemed more like a sturdy drunkard troublemaker?
‘She handles her liquor strong and gets hangovers less than others, right?’
Even downing double what anyone else could take before turning into a violent drunk.
But what did it matter?
‘I’m a total lightweight with alcohol? I’m screwed. Totally screwed…….’
The injustice washed over me again.
If they wanted me to play Charlize, they should’ve given me the exact same physical condition. What was this?
I grumbled to myself inwardly before lifting my head.
“…….”
Right now, I was sitting casually on a bench in front of the carriage the tyrant brother had ridden in.
Roxidian had told me to get inside the carriage, but on a day like this with such nice weather, I didn’t want to wait cooped up in there.
It was stuffy, after all.
Standing silently in front of me was one of the knights.
It was Jet, one of my escort knights.
“Jet.”
“Yes.”
I tilted my head.
“Why’d you follow me?”
“……Because I am the Lady’s escort knight.”
All the other escort knights like you had stayed put right in front of my door.
I was asking why you were the only one who’d chased after me.
“If you keep moving around with me like this, Grandfather might summon you alone and chew you out?”
“My master is you, Lady.”
Instead of responding to that, I propped my chin on one hand and gazed idly at Jet.
Hmm, looking at him again, he really was handsome.
It was just that I’d grown so accustomed to my fiancé’s looks or the tyrant brother’s that he didn’t really register anymore—but if I’d met Jet first upon opening my eyes in this world, it would’ve been enough to make me swoon.
A massive build paired with a blunt demeanor, giving off the vibe of some enormous beast, like a lion.
Especially those dark green eyes of his—they were striking.
“You’re a knight Grandfather assigned to me anyway, right?”
“…….”
The moment I tossed that out, Jet’s expression flickered with surprise.
Then a faintly sullen look crossed his face, and he opened his mouth cautiously.
“By any chance, have you forgot…….”
“What, why are you here?”
I whipped my head around.
The tyrant brother was ambling over.
‘Hmm, looks like he won the staring contest with Grandfather?’
His face was the picture of satisfaction.
Well, if it came down to a fight between those two, I’d want the less awful one to come out on top too.
I’d planned to brainstorm ways to stop the engagement from being broken off while the tyrant brother was gone, but the time had flown by with nothing but stray thoughts and chit-chat.
“Why are you sitting in such a filthy spot?”
“It’s not filthy.”
I jerked my head toward Jet.
“My knight cleaned it for me.”
“No, everything here is filthy.”
“Why not just admit you hate Altzveit stuff?”
I grumbled as I got to my feet.
Then I followed the tyrant into the carriage, only to be surprised when the guy actually extended a hand to help me up—a rare show of manners.
The funny part? The second our hands touched, he made a grossed-out face like he’d grabbed something nasty, which soured my mood right along with his.
“Ugh, me holding your hand.”
“……Think I enjoyed it? Don’t grab it next time then.”
He was acting exactly like Yun Ji-hoon. Exactly the same.
“Don’t wanna? At the banquet, you were chasing after that guy’s heels, begging him to hold your hand, weren’t you? You think I’ll just let that slide?”
“Ah, yeah, yeah. Stay out of my fiancé’s business. Brother.”
I had no idea what about my fiancé rubbed him the wrong way.
Or maybe my fiancé had accidentally bruised the tyrant’s ego somehow—who knew—but by the time we reached the Imperial Capital, we’d spent the whole ride sniping at each other nonstop.
I couldn’t take it anymore and shot him a glare, begging him to quit meddling, but that just made him enjoy it even more, so I decided to ignore him instead.
‘Is that guy the male lead or some bratty kid?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
We arrived at the Imperial Palace soon enough.
The door swung open, revealing Noah’s face.
He bowed politely.
I was promptly escorted to the same dressing room in the Imperial Capital that I’d visited before.
The moment I stepped inside, there they were: the designers, assistants, and maids from last time, lined up perfectly as if they’d been waiting.
Probably because of what had happened here before, all their faces were stiff with tension.
“You’ve arrived, Your Imperial Majesty.”
The maids’ tension seemed the most palpable of all.
“Greetings, Lady.”
I gave a small nod.
Had they left the windows open today? The curtains fluttered lightly.
A refreshingly cool breeze greeted me as I turned my head.
“The dress is nearly complete. We’ll proceed with the final fitting once the Lady tries it on.”
I glanced at the changing screen and frowned slightly.
“Can’t I just take it and pretend I tried it on? Or I’ll try it at home.”
Dresses turned out to be way more of a hassle to put on than I’d expected.
The thought of struggling into it and out of it again didn’t appeal at all.
“……On top of that, I still can’t wrap my head around why His exalted Majesty came all this way personally for something like this. Doesn’t it strike you as pathetic?”
I was trying to poke at Roxidian enough to make him head home, but the tyrant brother just let out a mischievous chuckle at my snark.
“Keeping my troublemaker little sister from sullying my reputation as Emperor? That’s one of my duties. A very important one.”
“……That’s ridiculous.”
“I’m telling you, it’s important.”
Roxidian narrowed his eyes at me with that grin still plastered on his face.
A feral smile. As if he’d been waiting for it, he formed a coin shape with his fingers.
You. Until you pay me back?
My slave.
……Damn it. Cursing under my breath, I marched straight toward the changing screen.
The designer and assistants hurried after me.
“If anything feels uncomfortable, please tell us—anything at all, Lady!”
“…….”
A short while later, with help from the assistants and maids, I emerged fully dressed.
The maids had even styled my hair to match and added the accessories.
“What, you’re done already?”
He’d left me to play dress-up doll while he kept himself busy—now the tyrant brother was lounging in a chair, of all things, flipping through some documents that didn’t suit him at all.
Noah stood beside him, documents in hand, clearly acting as his aide.
Our eyes met, and half amusement, half intrigue flickered across the tyrant brother’s face.
“Wow, you look like you carved some lines into a pumpkin and turned it into a watermelon?”
“Watch your mouth. It was a watermelon from the start.”
No—top-grade melon, you jerk.
That much, I could say with total confidence.
Charlize’s beauty wasn’t called the empire’s greatest for nothing.
Sure, she had that fierce, venomous air about her, but she had the kind of insane looks that made any outfit work effortlessly.
‘Yeah, that’s what I thought…….’
And strangely enough, the red dress draped over me brought out every single one of Charlize’s best features.
It didn’t just highlight them—it made them shine.
An off-the-shoulder style that bared her shoulders.
The neckline dipped just enough to show a hint of cleavage, like it was tailored to Charlize’s tastes.
And then there was the blue gem hanging above her neck. At first glance, with its massive size, I’d thought it was a sapphire……
But Charlize’s memories informed me otherwise.
This wasn’t a sapphire.
It was a blue diamond.
According to the knowledge and memories of Charlize—who’d been obsessed with every gem out there—it was a massive blue diamond, found only in a special region up north in the empire.
One the Imperial Family held exclusive rights to, right?
‘Charlize always wanted one like this.’
Of course, she already had something similar, but she’d craved one bigger and bolder.
And the one around her neck right now? Exactly what she’d dreamed of.
I let out a quiet, inward laugh.
‘No way—he’s even sponsoring stuff like this to help me play the troublemaker role better?’
The room had fallen utterly silent.
Charlize was too busy admiring the necklace in the mirror to notice the atmosphere, but everyone watching her was struck speechless with awe.
When emotions run too strong, words just don’t come.
The shared feeling among them all was shock and admiration.
‘Good lord, I knew she was a beauty, but…….’
‘She’s truly stunning…….’
‘So jealous. How does anyone get looks like that…….’
Among the assistants and maids in the room, some had heard Charlize’s bad rumors and were terrified, intimidated, or outright disliked her.
Even the maid wearing Charlize’s hairpin had bought into those rumors hook, line, and sinker.
But Charlize’s beauty was enough to sway even her haters.
“L-La-Lady!”
The Imperial designer suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed low before Charlize.
Charlize stared puzzledly down at the top of his head.
‘……What’s his deal?’
She panicked inwardly, but it didn’t show on her face at all—no one noticed.
The Imperial designer—no, Rona—had been in the business for twenty years, and now he was hit with the greatest inspiration of his life.
‘I absolutely, absolutely cannot let this slip away……!’
He had lived his life as Roxidian’s personal designer.
Which was why, even on the Emperor’s orders, he hadn’t been thrilled about designing for anyone else.
Especially not the infamous troublemaking lady of Altzveit.
She was as breathtakingly beautiful as the rumors said, but that alone hadn’t been enough to shift Rona’s preconceptions.
Still, she was one of the Emperor’s vassals. He’d resolved to give his assigned task his all.
But when Charlize stepped out wearing the dress he’d poured his best into? Everything changed.
Rona felt the very foundations of his designer’s instincts quake.