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Chapter 95
All eyes in the shop were fixed on Crevel and the children beside her.
She ran the largest boutique in the capital.
It wasn’t just large in size.
From prominent nobles to wealthy elites, and even famous personalities—everyone who visited this boutique was a fan of Crevel’s talent.
Naturally, there were so many customers that Crevel couldn’t personally attend to everyone.
Besides, she spent most of her time in the workshop, designing and creating clothes for her clients.
As a result, the customers she personally attended to were always those whose presence made sense to onlookers.
But right now, the “customers” next to Crevel were merely two children.
“A silver-haired girl with sapphire eyes…”
One of them was a girl with a striking beauty that was hard to forget at first glance.
Though still young, in a few years she would likely rise to the top of the capital’s social scene. People soon realized who the girl was.
“It’s Irene Terrence.”
“Madame Crevel surely treats her well, given the support she received from the Terrence family to grow her business.”
“I heard that after graduating from the academy for prodigies, she’s planning to actively participate in the social scene here. That’s why the Terrence family renovated their townhouse in the capital.”
“Since the academy is on break, it seems she’s out shopping. Perhaps there will be a chance to greet her.”
“But…”
The whispers shifted from Irene to the child beside her.
“Who’s that little one?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen them at any social gatherings…”
“But judging by how politely Madame Crevel is treating them, they must be from a very prestigious family.”
“Though… their clothes look so shabby for that.”
The crowd continued murmuring as they watched the three.
Irene could hear everything they were saying.
‘So what if the clothes are shabby? They’re still cute!’
But even Irene couldn’t deny that Ebi’s clothes were indeed worn-out.
‘That’s exactly why I brought her here.’
Irene looked over the long racks of clothes.
All of them were designed by Crevel and her cherished protégés for this season.
Each design came in three sizes. Customers would try them on here to see what fit, then the chosen garment would be adjusted to the client’s measurements before delivery.
Naturally, these ready-made pieces were considered slightly lower in grade than bespoke designs.
‘But Ebi has to wear them immediately, so there’s no other choice.’
Irene briefly examined the clothes and quickly began selecting items.
The staff standing nearby efficiently handed over each piece Irene picked.
After piling up enough clothing to slightly wobble three staff members, Irene decisively said,
“All of these.”
“As expected, your taste is impeccable. All of these will suit Ebi perfectly.”
“Of course. I spend the whole day with Ebi; how could I not choose wisely? Now, let’s have her try them on and check the sizes.”
At Irene’s command, the staff approached Ebi with the first outfit.
Ebi looked up at them, as if wondering why.
“What’s wrong, Ebi?”
“Uh… well… why are these clothes for me…?”
“Why? Because you’re going to wear them, of course.”
Ebi looked around uneasily, then hurriedly whispered to Irene,
“Irene, this might be too expensive for me.”
Irene stared at her, genuinely baffled.
“What are you talking about? Why would you pay?”
“Because… they’re my clothes.”
“No, I’ll buy them for you. That’s why we came here.”
When Irene said she would pay, Ebi jumped in surprise.
“No! I can’t accept them!”
“Why not? They suit you perfectly. You’ll look adorable in them.”
Crevel, observing from behind, nodded in agreement.
Ebi was still young and slender. For months, Irene, Arsel, and Ruska had tried their best to help her gain weight.
But Ebi, who had never eaten so much in her life, barely put on any weight.
At least her face had gained a little fullness, and her cheeks were pleasantly soft to the touch.
Her hair was no longer dry and brittle. Brushing it now brought out a healthy shine, and what once looked like straw was becoming a deep golden blonde.
Considering all this, Irene carefully selected clothes that would suit Ebi.
Yet, Ebi refused.
“Ebi, don’t worry about money. I’ll pay for all of it…”
“That’s why I can’t.”
Usually, Ebi would quickly yield to Irene, but not now.
“…Irene, I really appreciate your kindness.”
Ebi’s firm words surprised Irene. She waited silently for the rest.
“But these are my things. I don’t think it’s right for you to buy them for me. I’m truly grateful for your care and thoughtfulness… but if you always do this for me, I might start taking it for granted. And if you don’t, I might feel disappointed.”
Unlike her earlier hesitation, Ebi spoke smoothly and clearly.
Irene realized that Ebi had thought deeply about this matter for a long time.
‘She’s been worrying about this every time I tried to be kind…’
Irene’s heart tightened.
“Ebi… how can you…”
She muttered in awe.
“Until now, everyone around me always expected to get something from me without question…”
Whether in the south or in the capital, children around Irene always wanted to gain something from her.
Even if they said thank you, they acted as if receiving gifts was natural. Some even openly expressed disappointment if they got less than others.
After that, Irene stopped giving her things freely.
Ebi, however, was someone who genuinely wanted to receive whatever Irene wished to share.
She would ask politely if she could touch and examine Irene’s belongings, curious but never envious.
So Irene decided that during the holidays, she would gift Ebi the same things she herself used and wore.
Ebi would sincerely thank her and smile as always.
Yet now she refused.
Despite being rejected for the first time in her life, Irene didn’t feel upset. She smiled even more.
Irene pulled Ebi close, rubbing their cheeks together.
“Okay, okay. I didn’t know you were worried about that. I didn’t think you’d feel that way, but if you don’t want it, we won’t.”
Ebi brightened at Irene’s words.
“Thank you so much, Irene.”
Ebi had been worried that Irene might feel hurt if she declined.
“But we can still look at the clothes together, right? I want someone to honestly tell me what looks good. There’s so much to choose from.”
“I can do that!”
Ebi clenched her fists in determination from Irene’s embrace.
“Then let’s start with hats. Which one do you think suits me?”
Ebi dashed toward the hat section and carefully examined each one.
Meanwhile, Irene whispered something to Crevel, who smiled gently in response.
Irene returned to Ebi’s side, while Crevel quietly gave instructions to the staff.
The staff noted the numbers of the clothes Irene had picked and discreetly disappeared.
“Irene! This one looks pretty. It even has the flower decoration you like.”
Irene held the hat Ebi chose and tried it on in front of the mirror.
It suited her perfectly, with wide brims and the decoration Irene favored.
Pleased that Ebi knew her taste, Irene picked up a similar, slightly smaller hat for Ebi to wear.
They stood together in front of the mirror.
“We both look good, right?”
“Yes!”
Since Irene wasn’t buying it yet, Ebi answered freely.
“Great! We’ll take this one. Madame Crevel, please.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Irene handed over the hat Ebi was wearing to Crevel.
“…?”
Ebi looked puzzled. She wasn’t supposed to buy her own hat. Why were there two?
Irene explained casually,
“I just heard from Madame Crevel that there’s a special event today—buy one, get a slightly smaller one free! Right, Crevel?”
“Yes. It’s during our boutique’s special promotion.”
Irene and Crevel spoke as if it were obvious. Ebi tilted her head, confused.
Was this really how things were sold? She would end up with the wrong size!
Though it didn’t make sense to Ebi, she assumed such rules applied in such a prestigious shop.
“Oh, this one’s pretty too. Come here, Ebi!”
Ebi followed Irene’s hand to another section.
Crevel pulled a long measuring tape from her pocket and subtly measured Ebi’s shoulder and arm length.
While Irene held up clothes for Ebi, Crevel quickly noted her height, wrist, and waist.
For anyone else, this might be difficult, but for Crevel, it was effortless.
She recalled the clothes Irene had chosen.
They would be displayed in the Terrence family residence as if Ebi had once worn them in her childhood.
