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Chapter 06
“Ah, well…”
It was my fault for not giving prior notice since I visited suddenly. But the woman before me was kneeling, trembling all over. Feeling the unavoidable punishment was about to begin, I sank into thought.
‘How should I act out the scolding this time?’
After a brief moment, a brilliant idea struck me. I put on a wicked, villainous expression. I couldn’t be praised for suddenly being nice, so it was time to fully embrace the villain role.
“Bring me the scissors. Make sure the blades are very sharp.”
At my words, everyone in the shop, including Vera, flinched and went silent.
“Hurry up!”
When no one moved, I urged them again. After much hesitation, a man finally extended a pair of scissors he was holding, his hands shaking violently.
‘Perfect.’
I smiled in satisfaction, fidgeting with the scissor blades, then glanced at the woman. Her eyes, flickering without focus, were filled with fear.
Even though I had thought of a harsh punishment, I had no intention of going as mad as I once had. But I couldn’t reassure her either, so I simply spoke in my lowest possible voice.
“Stand up.”
“Huh?”
“I said, stand up from your seat.”
With trembling legs, she managed to rise.
“Eeek!”
As I approached, she involuntarily screamed and shut her eyes tight, unable to watch, while the surrounding people looked away. Ignoring them, I began my “scissor work.”
The owner of the dress shop, Koma, kept her eyes shut, hearing only the snipping sound coming from her direction.
‘What on earth is she doing?’
She wanted to open her eyes and see, but couldn’t summon the courage. Seeing that it didn’t seem painful, she felt relieved that her body wasn’t being harmed.
After a moment, she heard Harna’s mischievous voice.
“All done.”
Koma finally opened her eyes and looked ahead. Harna, holding the tailoring scissors and a familiar piece of fabric, was staring at her.
“For daring not to greet me properly, I’ve decided to display my special skills. Today, you’ll be working like this.”
With a proud tone, Harna handed what she was holding to a nearby maid and walked away gracefully. Only once she was out of sight did Koma inspect herself.
“This is…”
The familiar piece of fabric Harna had held was the hem of Koma’s dress. Harna had cut the floor-length dress up to her ankles. As Koma considered Harna’s intent, realization struck.
‘The length of the cut dress doesn’t look awkward.’
Though the scissors were a bit clumsy, Harna had stylishly cut just under the lace trim. Surprisingly, the hem no longer dragged on the floor, making it easier to move, and it didn’t expose much leg, so it wasn’t burdensome.
‘If a dress of this length were made…’
It would increase mobility and make choosing shoes that were hidden by long dresses much more fun. The designer in Harna had already finalized a plan to start a new trend.
‘Did she really think this through before cutting?’
Koma doubted Harna’s intent but couldn’t understand the meaning behind this “punishment.” After a brief hesitation, she quickly ran to where Harna had gone.
Harna was inspecting a dress she had ordered a week earlier through another employee. Koma subtly observed her. Seeing Harna’s unsatisfied expression despite the dress being made exactly as requested made her heart sink.
Harna’s tastes were strict. Dresses had to have plenty of jewels, moderate exposure was acceptable, but lace had to flutter excessively. These designs weren’t typical for young ladies, but Harna believed they suited her and had the dress made accordingly.
Seeing her usually satisfied expression now displeased, Koma grew worried. Harna, after a brief silence, spoke.
“Bring me parchment and a pen.”
Almost immediately, the maid returned with parchment, ink, and a quill. Harna placed the parchment on the table, dipped the pen in ink, and began drawing. Watching her, Koma’s mouth slowly dropped.
‘Is she drawing the dress?’
After finishing with swift, confident strokes, Harna handed the parchment to Koma. Koma carefully took it and looked at it with a confused expression.
“You want me to make a dress exactly like this?”
Koma’s pupils trembled at Harna’s question. She hesitated—should she admit she didn’t understand, or lie and get through this?
The hesitation was short. She quickly gave an answer to the waiting Harna.
“Of course. I’ve never seen such a perfect dress design. Especially this floral pattern—it’s very unique.”
“Oh, that’s not a flower…”
“Excuse me?”
Koma went pale. Looking at the roughly drawn circles, she couldn’t think of another answer. It was a messy sketch, unrecognizable. Normally, she would study it with her staff to figure it out, but she had already crossed a point of no return.
‘Is it really over?’
Instinctively, she wrapped her hands around her head and crouched, fearing another punishment. She worried Harna might strike her for not understanding the magnificent design.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“This isn’t a flower—it’s a ribbon. I’ll explain briefly. First, I want the fabric to be light and flowy. And this part should show the shoulder line well…”
As Harna continued her explanation, Koma, standing dazed, snapped back to attention and began taking notes. Her detailed guidance made the previously incomprehensible sketch suddenly clear.
“This will be a very special dress. I will make it perfectly.”
“I’ll look forward to it. I also want to buy a few ready-made dresses.”
“I’ll guide you. Please follow me.”
Koma quickly regained her composure, guiding Harna as the owner of the empire’s top dress shop and changing her perception of her.
After commissioning the new dress and purchasing a few ready-made ones, I got into the carriage.
Harna frequently visited this shop, and Koma’s skill was evident from the simple dresses I bought and the extravagant one Harna ordered.
‘The dress I requested will be made perfectly too.’
I had drawn the design I wore at the last awards ceremony and ordered it. If it came out satisfactory, I planned to order other dresses too. With Vera, I also visited the jewelry and shoe stores.
The shop owners were surprised to see me in person and apologized for not being able to greet me earlier. The identical reactions were irritating, but I endured and finished shopping.
At the jewelry store, I gave Vera a pretty bracelet as a gift. Surprised, she tried to refuse, but I jokingly said, “Do you dare reject my gift?” Forcing the stiff bracelet onto her wrist, I left the store, feeling thirsty.
I looked around.
“Is there a place nearby where we can sit and rest for a bit?”
“There’s a café called Mirenno. It’s for nobles only, so it will be suitable for you.”
“Really? Then let’s go.”
Watching Vera fidget with the bracelet I had given her, I felt affection for her like a cute little sister and headed to the café.
As Vera said, Mirenno was private and elegantly arranged for noble clientele. We were guided to a room on the terrace floor, ordered light snacks and tea, and sat down.
‘No one is watching, so it should be fine.’
Relaxing like a noblewoman, I leaned back in the chair, finally feeling a bit comfortable. But little did I know…
“My angel, I see you again! The goddess of luck must be with me today.”
This peaceful place was about to be hit by the terror of Cardin once again.
The staff quickly set our order on the table and disappeared.
“Vera.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Sit here.”
“Huh?”
Vera, standing behind me, asked in surprise. The seat was empty anyway, and after following me half the day, it was natural for her to rest. I patted the seat next to me.
“How can I sit in the same seat as you…”
“Do you want me to make you say it twice?”
With a sharp glare and raised voice, Vera obediently plopped into the chair like a robot. I couldn’t help laughing at the awkwardness and handed her a cup of tea.
“Miss.”
“Why do you think I ordered two cups? One is yours. If you don’t want it, just leave it.”
I spoke harshly but wasn’t satisfied.
‘I’m trying to act like a villain, but why do I keep turning tsundere?’
Lost in my acting thoughts, I watched Vera take a sip with a moved expression. Then she suddenly bowed, placing the cup down and kneeling.
“Thank you for showing such kindness to a lowly maid like me. Though my body is insignificant, I will serve you and live for you all my life.”
I was startled—what must Harna have done for her to say such a thing for a small act of kindness? But I couldn’t keep her kneeling forever, so I took her hand and helped her up.
“Becoming mine might not be easy. Will you still stay with me?”
“Yes! I will always serve by your side!”
“Thank you.”
Speaking coldly yet smiling warmly at Vera, I sat beside her, sliding the snacks toward her as I had done for the staff. Vera started crying again.
Other than having to scold her to console her, it wasn’t a bad time.
