Episode 27

“Seeing you two, my wife and I need to work harder.”

Ezekiel took my hand and lifted it, slowly removing my glove. While I gaped in surprise, Ezekiel kissed the back of my hand.

His gaze lingered on me, accompanied by a sensual kiss, as if he were telling me to watch him brand the back of my hand with his lips.

“Because I can’t afford to lose in the competition.”

A gust of wind stole his short laugh. A heat rose to his face.

Ezekiel’s eye smile was so provocative that even the Marquis and his wife held their breath and looked at us.

“oh.”

The Marquise de Milini sighed. The Marquise quickly pressed his cheek against his wife’s.

“Let me hug my wife too. To me, she is the best.”

“This is true!”

While they were making a fuss, I took advantage of the moment when the Marquis and his wife weren’t looking and snuck my hand out.

The back of my hand was burning.

‘Eww! Ow! Gyaaak!’

I screamed inwardly. What the hell is this guy doing? Why is he doing this?

Are you going to act like a nice guy for external use again?

I spoke with a fresh mind, trying to catch my confusion.

“Ezekiel. There’s no need to do this.”

“……yes?”

The back of my hand still tingled. To overcome the awkwardness, I pretended to fan my hands and shook them.

“Let’s not be childish. We’re people who don’t care about each other.”

“…….”

“You don’t have to act the same way as them, just follow their rhythm.”

Ezekiel smiled, seeming embarrassed.

Not long after, he quietly put my gloves back in my hands.

I took the gloves, being careful not to touch them.

“You’re making people’s hearts flutter for no reason.” He stroked the shoulder that sent goosebumps down his spine.

“Hahaha. Anyway, let’s have a friendly competition!”

Our conversation was cut off abruptly by the intervention of the Marquis, who had been showing off his affection for his wife for quite some time.

I tried to ignore Ezekiel, who seemed to be full of foolishness, and smiled gently.

“Yes. We’ll see who wins within the next two weeks.”

***

The day after I spoke curiously, I started pulling my hair out.

‘This is a big deal. From now on, I won’t know the original story!’

This means that there is no point in showing off by taking advantage of the original work and pretending to be better than others.

You said you were going to do well, but then your most powerful weapon disappeared. What could be more absurd than that?

It’s like setting out on a vast ocean with a single boat, feeling lost.

“Calm down. Life is about never knowing what’s ahead, right? Just consider yourself lucky so far.”

Having finally regained my composure, I collapsed on the bed. Memories of meeting the Marquis de Milini and his wife yesterday flashed through my mind.

Then suddenly, a moment completely unrelated to competition occurred to me.

‘Why did Ezekiel kiss the back of his hand?’

I thought you weren’t the type of guy to fall for cheap provocation.

‘You push people away until the very end, but you only show physical affection when you need it? Huh.’

I unconsciously stroked the back of my hand and looked out the window at the canal. The moment he stared at me, kissing me like a brand, kept replaying in my mind.

He stared at the sparkling water that resembled Ezekiel’s eyes, and calmly lamented the chaotic situation.

“Ezekiel is strange, I don’t know the original story, and he competes with the neighboring city. Oh my, my fate. Oh my.”

Sigh. There’s a lot of stuff piled up, but I have to unpack it one by one.

‘First, the dress.’

Ezekiel, you can take your time. You won’t be able to escape from me for the next nine months anyway.

The problem was the fabric, lavender glittering, which had declared itself a rival to the Marquis.

I need to decide on a way to promote the dress, which will be completed in two weeks and enter full-scale competition.

Just pulling out my hair alone wasn’t going to solve the problem.

So I asked the people who lived in the mansion what they thought.

First, Ollie’s opinion.

“Madam, how about trying on the sample yourself?”

It wasn’t bad. If I made a dress and wore it around, it would be good for publicity.

Next is Butler Alfredo.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to enhance the beauty of the fabric? Huh? Actually, I’m not sure since it’s not my specialty. But I’m confident in ironing, so if you need me, please call me.”

Next is Anna.

“If you focus only on the dress, you will never win.”

Oh, that was a different opinion.

“No matter how much effort is put into making a dress, the craftsmen of Milini are already the best on the continent.”

Anna’s eyes lit up like an expert.

“Ultimately, this competition started to attract more outsiders to Vetra. Vetra’s way to beat Milini might lie elsewhere, not in the dress.”

That’s true too. Based on the advice of these three people, I devised a plan that would make my head hurt.

A way to grab people’s attention, regardless of the dress’s perfection.

What strategy could I use to defeat the great craftsmen of Milini, using myself as a weapon if necessary?

So, conclusion.

I declared solemnly at the dinner table.

“Ezekiel. Through this dress promotion, I want to showcase the charm of the city of Vetra to prospective vacationers.”

“You’re saying that you show the city’s charm through dresses?”

“Yes. We’re using the entire city as one giant promotional stage!”

“That’s a refreshing idea. But, ma’am, is that alright?”

Ezekiel stared blankly at me as I lay dying. I told him I was fine, and slapped his face, my face weary from exhaustion.

I took a sip of the soup, gulping it down, and somehow the soup knew my taste, and the taste was exquisite.

I ate the soup half-crying.

“Our ultimate goal is to get people to come to the city. To do that, we have to sell Betra’s beautiful scenery, dreams, and romance.”

So-called storytelling?

I clenched my fists with bloodshot eyes.

“If you work hard to create an image that makes people think of that dress when they hear ‘Betra,’ even Millini won’t dare copy it.”

It was a strategy that took advantage of the fact that technology and sensibility were in different fields.

“Have you thought about it that far already?”

I raised my head and interrupted him, wondering if he might say something else.

“I told you before, didn’t I? If I’m good enough, your nephew, who will beat me and become my successor, will be good enough.”

“I didn’t mean to accuse you of interfering with the territory. It’s just that…”

He licked his lips and said a simple sentence.

“Don’t overdo it.”

Sadly, those words fell on deaf ears.

Because I was getting impatient with the thought that I had to keep moving to prove my worth here.

The moment I fell for those words and didn’t really push myself, I felt like I would be treated like an incompetent person, just like I was treated by the Starache family.

“I will do my best.”

Although I was feeling a little unwell, I tried to overcome it and smiled brightly.

No matter what he said, I definitely wanted to succeed this time too.

certainly.

***

“Hwaaam.”

Maybe it was because I had such a bad dream last night that I couldn’t sleep. I yawned loudly and covered my mouth with my book.

I don’t remember exactly what the dream was, but it wasn’t an ordinary dream.

Oh no. I’m yawning again.

What the hell is this nonsense at Valentina’s Tea House? I need to be more careful.

Employees brewed tea in teapots bubbling on a magic stone brazier.

The atmosphere here, with the quartet orchestra elegantly playing classical music, was always artistic.

“That’s why I need Valentina’s help. I think she knows how to create atmosphere and story.”

As a duchess, it was also my responsibility to find smart people and place them in the right positions so that they could use their abilities.

So after much deliberation, the person I chose was Valentina.

“You know this city better than I do, so if you have any beautiful sights to recommend, let me know. It’d be even better if they highlight the purple hue.”

“There is one place that comes to mind.”

Valentina snapped her fingers. The attendants and servants brought out a city map.

“It’s a little bit away from Duke Betra’s residence. How about here?”

***

[“Madam, there are only you and me here.”

I approached him as if I was possessed by his seductive gestures on the bed.

I ran my hand over his well-toned muscles. He met my eyes and let out a strange snort as I stroked his hand.

My heart raced with excitement at the thought of doing something sleazy in the bedroom.

Thud. Thud.

A drop of coffee covered the word “betrayal.” I hurried out of bed and grabbed a handkerchief.

‘You’re saying this is enough to make your nose bleed?’