DVDD 13

Chapter 13

Sundubu seemed ashamed that it had been revealed he was male, and for a few days, he didn’t even look in El’s direction.
After El apologized several times and gave him some treats, he finally began to approach timidly.

“Roll over!”
“Woof!”
Rolling around, Sundubu let El pet him as she smiled brightly. He liked beef steak the most—clearly a dog with refined taste.
For snacks, he was happy with chicken breast or fruit. There was a fruit called Tiya, similar to Korean plums, which he liked the most.

El had also liked plums, so she was delighted to find a similar fruit. Anyway, after Kopari disappeared, peace returned to the Lily Palace.
The newcomers didn’t dare to challenge El, and the previously filthy palace quickly became clean.
A large number of gardeners were deployed, and even the gardens were being tidily arranged.

Paths were made for walks with Sundubu. Just clearing some weeds and placing a tea table made the space so presentable it could host a garden party—it was impressive every time El looked at it.
El herself didn’t mind, but Sundubu liked to wander outside.
She thought the reason he sometimes disappeared at night was that he enjoyed being outdoors.
By morning, his white fur was often stained with grass, which showed how much he had enjoyed it. She worried that he might catch a cold from spending so much time outside, but no matter how tightly she closed the doors, he always sneaked out—so she’d given up.

“Sundubu, let’s go for a walk, a walk.”

As the surroundings improved, El went for walks with Sundubu more often, worried he might feel trapped inside.

“El-nim! Where are you going?”
“Ah, a walk. Don’t run. You can take your time!”

Raliga came running, flustered, holding a handful of invitations. Lately, this had become a common scene—thanks entirely to the Emperor.
El could not understand why the Emperor went through the trouble of personally selecting gifts and making things so bothersome.

Since that one incident, socialite ladies who had previously ignored the second prince now feverishly sent invitations, curious about the woman who had caught the Emperor’s attention.

But El had no intention of accepting any of these invitations. She just wanted to live quietly and disappear quietly.
Being friendly with nobles to prepare for emergencies wasn’t a bad idea, but given the current situation…
She was nothing more than a zoo monkey—a Sahad who had married a monstrous prince with a terrible personality.

Why had she been gifted by the Emperor in the first place? Once curiosity faded, interest would disappear, and society would stop seeking her out.
Or, she could become the subject of ridicule for being the monstrous prince’s wife. By continually refusing, she might be seen as rude, but at least she wouldn’t be treated like a monkey.

“Reject them.”
“Yes.”

Raliga handed all the invitations to the maid standing beside her without even opening them. The maid could read, so she took the letters and disappeared.

“Do you always refuse?”
“Yes.”
“Not even once…?”

Raliga replied gloomily, disappointed.
“Later, we can go for a walk.”
“Oh, yes!”

A cool breeze blew from the path.

Then an invitation from the Emperor arrived. Even a nominal princess consort could refuse invitations from other noblewomen, but not the Emperor.
El was stunned as she held the luxurious invitation edged in gold. The timing was absurd: the Emperor was hosting a birthday banquet for the second prince.
According to the head maid who came in place of the steward, this was the first banquet held since the prince had been cursed.

“…!”

The first thought that struck El was: is the Emperor deliberately making things difficult for me?!
Why now, of all times, hold a birthday banquet for the monstrous prince?

“I’ll write a reply. Give me a pen.”

She had to attend, at least for now. Even if she got sick and couldn’t go, the Emperor would probably find another reason to call her to a different banquet. Better to attend quietly.
However, she had no intention of just going along with it.

“Eh, El-nim?”
“Hm? Why?”
“…You’re smiling so wickedly.”
“Hehe, me? I’m not.”
“…Yes.”

Sending a positive reply to the Emperor, El planned to extract as much money from him as possible.
Since she had only recently married and didn’t know the country’s customs, she requested assistance with choosing dresses and jewelry.
She didn’t know which designers were popular or what designs were in fashion, so the Emperor had no reason to refuse. Even if she was the monstrous prince’s wife, she was still a royal daughter-in-law.
El intended to take full advantage. She would make the Emperor realize, financially, why Raela had been the greatest villain of the Sahad Kingdom. Since it wasn’t her own money, she could spend wickedly.

A designer sent by the Emperor arrived to tailor El’s dress. The designer, Madame Neria, was extremely polite and cautious.
She opened her dress book, showing pure and elegant styles that emphasized the female form.

“Do you have another dress book?”
“Yes.”

Other options were similar.

“What style would suit me?”
None of these. With El’s healthy, vibrant look and cat-like eyes, the delicate, innocent dresses wouldn’t suit her—they would pale next to Rennein.
She had no intention of buying unsuitable dresses and becoming a pushover for designers.

“You might suit bold colors rather than pastels.
And perhaps a bit of waist definition, with pleats at the hem instead of lace.”

El couldn’t visualize the idea immediately but understood the concept. She asked for a rough draft and for the dress book to be brought again.

“Oh, and make clothes for the dog too.”
“…For the dog…?”

El pointed to Sundubu sitting beside her. The wound from Kopari had mostly faded—he looked well cared for.

Neria initially frowned at the dog’s audacity, but she endured.
“Take measurements.”
“…But I can’t put clothes on a dog!”
“Then we can’t proceed together.”

Madame Neria accepted, and El nodded. She would handle it with the maids herself.

A few days later, Neria returned with a new dress book. El approved it—it suited her far better than the previous ones. Some designs were daring and broke all conventions.

“Don’t hold back on money.”
“Yes.”
“Use the finest materials.”
“Of course.”
“How many dresses can we make?”
“Up to four in the three months until the banquet.”
“Four is not enough. Make ten.”
“…Eh? That’s too much!”
“If you cancel other appointments, I’ll pay five times as much.”
“…Impossible due to trust issues.”
“Ten times.”
“…El-nim, no matter what—”
“Fifteen times.”

Madame Neria’s eyes went wide. El had successfully forced her hand. To an outsider, it would seem El was the Emperor’s favored daughter-in-law.
El smiled contentedly—not because she liked the dresses, but because she had found a way to spend extravagantly. She had no idea how much it would cost. Once she added jewelry, the Emperor might be in for a shock.

“Charge it to the Imperial Treasury.”
“Yes.”

After Neria left, a jeweler arrived, explaining he ran the largest merchant guild in the Empire, second in wealth only to the Imperial family. He was rotund, talkative, and had an unimpressive mustache, but since the Emperor had brought him, El gave him a look.

The table was full of sparkling jewels. El had no idea which were valuable—just that they looked pretty.