Chapter 38
No, hasn’t everyone forgotten something important?
‘……My fiancé would deign to come to such a place.’
I scowled fiercely.
Because of that, the maid who had been approaching froze in place.
“……Grandfather and that guy are both utterly useless.”
The air around me froze solid as I muttered irritably, but I couldn’t hold back my anger.
They were the culprits who only made things worse!
I lifted my head.
“Help me change. I’m going back.”
“……Yes, my lady.”
As I changed clothes to head out, my gaze lingered on the designer among those who had bowed their heads.
I paused for a moment before opening my mouth.
“What’s your name?”
The imperial designer slowly raised his head.
His face was full of surprise.
“……Rona.”
Rona. A commoner, perhaps? I nodded slightly.
“The dress was beautiful.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t complimented the pretty dress even once.
I gave a small smile.
“I thought an imperial designer couldn’t be that special, but the imperial family really is the imperial family. It seems they’ve gathered only the best.”
With that, I left the room.
Completely unaware of how the designer was looking at me.
* * *
The next morning.
I woke up just as late as yesterday.
The only difference was that it was a little earlier than yesterday?
“Did you sleep well, my lady?”
“You look beautiful today too!”
“That’s right, you’ll be the most beautiful in the world today, my lady.”
……And for some reason, the maids’ greetings seemed to grow more extravagant with each passing day.
It was a bit overwhelming, but not in a bad way.
‘Maybe it’s because I raised their salaries last night?’
Last night, I appointed Susan, Anna, and Beth as my personal maids.
The moment I did, I tripled their pay. About three times over?
‘Honestly, even I might lick my boss’s shoes if they tripled my salary overnight.’
Thinking from my omniscient office worker perspective for the first time in a while, I nodded to myself.
Even if money was what connected us, this sticky, affectionate morning wasn’t bad at all.
But the good mood vanished in an instant when the visitors arrived.
“My lady! We have come to see the beautiful my lady.”
“It’s an honor!”
I frowned at the crowd gathered in the drawing room.
‘They’re all dressed so flamboyantly…….’
Not to mention the fabrics, dresses, jewelry, and mysterious boxes piled high in the drawing room.
Ten minutes ago, Grandfather’s aide had summoned me, saying I needed to go to the drawing room.
Since it was Grandfather’s summons, was he finally going to say the things I couldn’t last time because of Roxidian?
‘I hate getting scolded.’
With those thoughts, I headed there. But when I arrived at the drawing room, I felt utter bewilderment.
‘I definitely came to the drawing room because Grandfather had called for me…….’
But there was no Grandfather, just these people.
“What are you all doing here?”
As I stood silently, they exchanged glances before hurriedly introducing themselves one by one.
“Oh my, it’s me, my lady! The head designer of A.B. Atelier! Hehe, I’ve prepared everything myself.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m the owner of Viaque Atelier. Our atelier is currently the most rising star in the empire…….”
“I’m Beone from Lepapa Atelier, my lady. Did you receive the limited-edition bag we sent last time?”
They began chattering away like a flock of magpies, and by the end, their voices overlapped so much I couldn’t make out what they were saying.
But from the earlier ones, I understood who they were and what this was about.
‘A gift from Grandfather?’
I was floored. Well, was this an apology for forcibly dragging me away in front of my fiancé?
I eyed the mountain of clothes and accessories slantwise.
The sheer volume was staggering.
I’d heard that on Grandfather’s orders, they’d bought out everything, making the amount enormous.
To the point where what was in this drawing room was only a tenth of it?
……What a waste.
“Hehehe, my lady, you truly have a wonderful grandfather. Duke Altzveit treasures you so much……!”
“…….”
“All the clothes, bags, hats, shoes here today…… everything will become limited-edition items exclusive to you, my lady, unavailable anywhere else in the empire.”
From head to toe, everything wrapping around me from now on would be limited edition.
I tilted my head loosely as I listened to the designers’ explanations.
I could see the maids beside me widening their eyes in shock, but I wasn’t surprised.
‘I’m on the verge of death anyway, and my beloved coins are about to fly away too—what use is any of this?’
If I couldn’t change my fiancé’s mind, death was the inevitable outcome.
And even if Grandfather arbitrarily overturned the decision and broke off the engagement to find me another one, it would still be death.
In this situation, Grandfather’s gift—which he might change his mind about at any moment—was neither welcome nor necessary.
And though I hated to admit it……
The clothes my tyrant brother gifted were far prettier.
To the point where, after seeing that dress, no other clothes caught my eye.
It was like how, after seeing my fiancé and Roxidian, no other handsome man seemed handsome anymore.
As I stood there apathetically, the designers panicked all at once.
And when I showed no interest in any item and ordered them to leave, they all turned pale and clung to me desperately.
What is lacking, my lady? Just say the word! Do you have a design in mind, my lady?
When I scowled, they all shut their mouths in unison as if by prior agreement.
‘They still remember Charlize’s villainous reputation.’
That was when it happened.
Someone knocked on the door.
After I gave permission, the person who slipped in through the crack was a maid I’d never seen before.
She approached hesitantly and held out a letter on a tray.
‘A letter?’
I tilted my head inwardly as I picked up the envelope.
Then my eyes widened at the name written on it.
“Askin?”
Askin Remute.
I blinked. It was still my fiancé’s name!
“Everyone, leave at once.”
“M-my lady!”
“……Don’t you want to leave on your own two feet?”
It was a line I’d heard knights use, but the designer who bravely spoke up turned ashen.
I realized too late that it sounded like I was asking if they wanted to keep their ankles intact.
They all vanished in a frantic scramble, as if by agreement.
All that remained were the piles of clothes and items.
I walked through them casually and sat down.
I sat leisurely enough, but inside, I was tense as could be.
‘……No way, this time it’s really breaking off the engagement and cutting ties, right?’
My heart didn’t hurt……
But given our history so far, it didn’t feel like good news at all.
Finally, I opened the letter while tense and read it eagerly.
“……Whoa, jackpot.”
I covered my mouth without thinking.
The tiny mutter had slipped out uncontrollably.
And for good reason—this letter contained astonishing contents.
“……You’ll attend the banquet with me?”
Incredibly, this man was saying he’d attend the Goddess’s Blessing Banquet as my partner!
Why? Why on earth? Was the sun rising from the west tomorrow?
I looked up at the sky without thinking.
I glanced at the sun shining perfectly fine, swallowed hard inwardly,
And looked back at the letter.
「……Thus, House Remute acknowledges your aid and has no intention of ignoring that grace.」
Wow, he uses formal language in his letters?
Pretty romantic. And his handwriting was neat too.
Feeling his personality in the penmanship was strangely intriguing, so I smiled a little.
「I will attend the Goddess’s Blessing Banquet officially as your fiancé. This will not only repay the favor of helping my sister but also be no loss to you.」
Hmm, right. It would be great if he went to the banquet with me.
Even better if he changed his mind and kept the engagement with me for just one year.
I touched the writing.
For some reason, it felt like I could sense the cool, crisp chill of that man’s hair color.
「Please send your reply via the knight who delivered this.」
I ended up laughing at his curt, so-very-him farewell to the end.
‘No thank you even at the last.’
Isn’t that a bit much?
I had risked Grandfather’s ire to call the physician, spent my own money, and even assigned expensive healing mages.
The polite and righteous man from the book seemed truly harsh to me.
……But this was also the karma of ‘Charlize,’ so it was my own doing—I couldn’t even complain.
Pathetically so.
“Um, my lady.”
I looked up, chuckling to myself.
And flinched.
The maids were all watching me with cautious, sparkling eyes.
“Um, if I may be so bold to ask, is that a letter from Duke Remute, by any chance?”
“……And if it is?”
“Ah!”
Susan clapped her hands.
Her face was somehow flushed.
“Y-you were smiling with such a rosy face the whole time you read the letter, my lady.”
“Y-yes! It made my heart race just watching!”
“If I may say so, you looked so lovable, m-my lady!”
At those words, I touched my cheek without thinking.
I was smiling? Rosy-faced?
News to me.
When had I ever?
‘Did I get ahead of myself, drinking kimchi soup about recovering my coins thanks to this man?’
Had my love for my coins been exposed?
I pondered for a moment before raising my gaze.
“Susan, go bring the designers back! Right now.”
“Y-yes? Yes, my lady!”
Susan scurried out the door.