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Chapter : 39
We left the courthouse holding the official document.
“Well, it worked out in the end.”
Perhaps because everything had ended smoothly, Duke Rekaten looked unusually relieved.
“Finally, it seems the legal order of our Elbenade Empire will be properly upheld.”
The duke spoke with a peculiar expression.
He could never have imagined that Judge Antonio had been manipulated by me…
“Well, Antonio will still live up to his responsibilities as a judge from now on. Not exactly a lie.”
If a single word from the Emperor could erase the law, then the very concept of state institutions would be meaningless. The empire would simply be a playground for the Emperor’s whims.
“What words did you use to convince him?”
The duke asked me at that moment. Anap, his aide, also looked curious.
Well… did I convince him exactly?
“I believe conversations with a judge are bound by confidentiality.”
Since I couldn’t admit to manipulating him, I had to vaguely dodge the question.
“Hahaha!”
Then the duke suddenly burst into laughter.
“I’ve never seen him laugh like that.”
Even I had never seen the duke look like that before.
“Your Excellency, you seem pleased.”
“Indeed. Diel, you accomplished something significant today. This wasn’t just about persuading a single judge.”
The duke looked at me again.
“Changing even one judge will change many things.”
“….”
Well, I felt a little embarrassed.
The duke’s interpretation sounded impressive, but I hadn’t acted with any grand intentions.
“But Senior Jua, that judge was ridiculously unreasonable…”
“Do you want to keep saying the same thing twice? Stick to the script.”
Moreover, memories of the headquarters incident also floated back.
‘Baek Jua, just take care of yourself.’
But I shook my head and pushed the thought away.
I didn’t have time to indulge in useless reflections when I still had work to think through.
Since we wouldn’t be stopping by the guild today, I would just quickly check the location.
‘Why just leave?’
However, Duke Rekaten, who was walking ahead, passed the carriage.
“Your Excellency, aren’t you going to take the carriage?”
“Hmm.”
Duke Rekaten stopped at my call and cleared his throat.
“I’m a bit tired, so I’ll walk. If we see a decent salon or shop along the way, we could stop and rest.”
Huh? If you want to rest, wouldn’t it be better to go home? Walking around outside would be even more exhausting.
“Oh, by the way, Your Excellency, there’s a salon right ahead. It’s said to be the most famous salon in the Empire, so we can rest there.”
Anap pointed ahead as if he had been waiting for the chance.
‘That’s Camerata Salon.’
It was the most famous salon in the Elbenade Empire, famous enough that I could even remember the name.
To meet Madame Matilda, the owner and chief designer, one would sometimes have to wait several years.
‘I’ll just pretend to escort them and sneak back to the carriage.’
But I wasn’t particularly interested. I didn’t have the money to spend there, and with the duke by my side, there was no way I’d even notice it.
“Hmm. Fine. Let’s do that, then?”
For some reason, Anap and the duke seemed quite pleased with the plan.
I watched them from a distance.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you coming in?”
The duke turned and stopped, speaking to me.
‘I’m supposed to go in too?’
…So tiring.
Reluctantly, I followed them, thinking: Ha. Let all the A-ranks fail.
At the same time, Camerata Costume Shop.
“Really? Is it really Duke Rekaten?”
“Yes, really, Madame!”
Madame Matilda, the most famous costume designer in the Empire, jumped to her feet.
In her twenty years running the shop, no noble had ever passed through without her touch. She even refused reservations from the Empress and princesses herself.
But a long time ago…
“…Is this really pretty?”
“Oh, darling. You really have no eye for things.”
This was when she first started her business on the Senta continent. A casually dressed couple had wandered in during a date and said those words.
‘It turned out that was Duke Rekaten and his wife.’
The couple left without buying anything. Learning their identity later, Matilda vowed to one day craft Rekaten’s clothes.
‘I will take money from Rekaten’s pocket someday!’
And though the resolve remained, circumstances had changed…
‘The duchess passed away long ago, and they had no daughters.’
The duchess had died when Matilda was just establishing herself. Nearly twenty years had passed, and she had become famous enough to be the Empress’s exclusive dressmaker.
‘It’s humiliating.’
Yet there was still one family—Rekaten—that she had never served.
‘Do you know how much that wounded my pride?’
It was like losing a single button on a perfectly tailored shirt, or missing the most important puzzle piece, or wearing mismatched shoes with a flawless outfit.
“Today, he wants to book the entire shop. However, Empress Merry is scheduled to come in the afternoon…”
“This is the moment I’ve waited for all my life.”
Her manager looked troubled, but Matilda didn’t seem to hear.
“Close the shop immediately.”
Matilda braced herself on trembling legs and stood up straight.
“Yes… sir?”
“Immediately.”
She shouted into the empty shop.
“Close the shop and proceed with the reservation NOW!!!”
She gritted her teeth, vowing:
‘I will avenge that humiliation.’
She would never let this once-in-twenty-years opportunity slip again.
“Welcome to Camerata. Please, come in, Duke Rekaten.”
But her anticipation only lasted a moment.
‘What’s with that scarf?’
When the duke entered, Matilda flinched once at his appearance—and again at the scarf he was wearing.
‘What pattern is that? Whose design could it be?’
The Empire’s top designer wasn’t even noticed by him, and yet he was wearing something so remarkable!
‘No wonder he has such an excellent personal designer…’
Seeing the geometric pattern, Matilda felt a rare pang of crisis. Even she could not replicate it. It seemed random at first glance, yet carried some profound truth upon closer inspection.
“Your Excellency, whose design is this? I’ve never seen this pattern before.”
“Oh, naturally. Diel made it for me personally.”
“Excuse me? She’s not a professional designer?”
“There’s only one in the world like it.”
At the unexpected name, Matilda’s eyes widened.
‘That’s Diel Ekaterina.’
Recently, everyone in the Empire seemed to know of her. She had survived the Crown Princess’s palace, and even Empress Merry couldn’t overpower her.
‘This is the work of that princess?’
Matilda’s lips parted in disbelief.
“Here she comes.”
With a small jingle, someone entered.
“Would you have something suitable for her? Quantity and price don’t matter, just focus on it.”
Matilda’s gaze, previously fixated on the scarf, shifted.
“Oh my goodness!”
At that moment,
‘God, how could this happen to me…’
Matilda almost leapt in surprise. Her resolve to take even a single Blanc from Rekaten’s pocket vanished like melting snow.
It was no longer an issue.
“Of course! Leave it to me, Your Excellency.”
Matilda’s devotion—or rather, her artistic passion—blazed to life.
From the moment she saw Diel enter the shop:
‘The muse I’ve been searching for has appeared!’
A perfect creation was walking right before her.
