IRMDH 18

Chapter 18

I fidgeted anxiously as I looked at the dresses—a terror-like gift from my ex-fiancé.

Blake only gave a hollow laugh, then didn’t say another word.

He just glanced at me briefly before retreating into his office.

For a moment, I felt an impulse to follow him and say something.

But as I tried to figure out what exactly I could say, my footsteps came to a sudden halt.

“I won’t wear those dresses, I’ll throw them away.”

Hmm, would that make me look like nothing more than a vain, extravagant crown princess?

Or maybe, “I bought them myself, but they were mistakenly sent to the crown prince’s palace.”

…But he had already seen the tag showing they were from Ian. His expression had been downright terrifying.

After agonizing over it, I simply sighed and turned back.

Explaining this felt ridiculous.

Why force explanations onto a husband who couldn’t even stand to look at me?

To him, it would only be an annoyance.

Just the petty provocation of a wife he didn’t care about and her ex-fiancé.

Even if I tried to tack on an explanation, he wouldn’t care.

“Lily, what should I do about this?”

“Mm… I think rumors are already spreading.”

The looks on the courtiers’ faces as they whispered to one another were already telling.

Great. Now I wasn’t just the clueless, lowborn crown princess chatting with her ex-fiancé—I was the fool who flaunted it in front of her husband.

“I didn’t think Ian would go this far.”

Had Ian been cast out of his family?

No, that wasn’t it.

Since Marquis Harmel couldn’t pass on the title to his second son Ian, he had been even more eager to provide for him.

He had even been willing to take me—a commoner like Ariel—as his daughter-in-law, provided I paid enough to buy a noble title.

With money, his son could expect a comfortable future.

But still, he probably never imagined Ian would cause a scandal so openly.

“Send all of this back to the Harmel family.”

“Yes, Your Highness. That would be the cleanest solution.”

“And… let’s go to a boutique.”

“A boutique?”

“If I want to prove that I rejected Ian’s dresses, I need to buy one myself and wear it at the Golden Valley Festival.”

Normally, a crown princess wouldn’t need to visit a boutique. She could just summon a designer to the palace.

But right now, appearances were crucial.

My reputation was already bad enough.

I couldn’t let rumors spread that I was having an affair with Ian. Absolutely not.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Your Highness!”

Lily’s eyes sparkled as she answered.

She quickly sent the extravagant dresses back to the marquis.

No doubt the marquis would clutch his chest when he saw the trouble his son had stirred.

As a moderate, Marquis Harmel might even run to Blake to beg forgiveness once the rumors grew louder.

Or, if things went badly, he might abandon everything and side with Prince Alec.

I let out a long sigh, silently apologizing to my husband, who had been of no help at all.

“I made a reservation at Madame Audrey’s boutique on Revilla Street.

It’s a busy place, and lots of young ladies pass by, so word will spread quickly.”

“…I hope so.”

I swallowed a sigh and answered Lily.

Lately, Blake and I felt like we were walking on thin ice.

Before, we rarely even saw each other, so it hadn’t bothered me much.

But now, even though we shared the same bed, the atmosphere was so uncomfortable that I sighed whenever I could.

At first, I had tried to approach him gently despite his distant attitude…

But lately, I hadn’t had the energy. I just turned my back and slept.

Then Blake would watch me in silence for a long time before drifting off himself.

Even with my eyes closed, pretending to be asleep, I could feel his gaze on me.

What it meant—I had no idea anymore.

“We’ve arrived, Your Highness.”

The carriage stopped, the door opened, and the lively street unfolded before me.

Leaning on Lily’s hand, I stepped down carefully, my mouth unconsciously falling open as I looked around.

Since I’d transmigrated, I’d been shut up in the palace.

But here—women in full skirts, carriages rattling along the street, boutiques displaying feathered, bejeweled hats—

It all looked like a scene straight out of a movie.

After a brief moment of awe, I followed Lily into the reserved boutique.

Madame Audrey’s boutique, wasn’t it?

The owner, a sharp-featured woman, lifted her head and examined me closely before greeting me with a refined tone.

“Welcome, Your Highness. It is such an honor to have you visit my boutique.”

Surely she knew I was the infamous crown princess from the rumors.

But Madame Audrey’s eyes didn’t see me as gossip fodder. She scrutinized me instead as a customer, a model for her dresses.

With her crimson hair, pale face, and gray eyes, she regarded me with a strangely familiar, expressionless gaze.

Her posture was impeccable, her long neck held gracefully, and with a refined gesture she instructed her staff:

“Leave out anything too childish. Bring out the ten dresses I selected beforehand, and five of the newest designs.”

Her staff moved quickly, and soon, countless sparkling dresses were spread before me.

Madame Audrey approached, selecting those she felt would suit me best.

“Your Highness, designs that are fresh and sweet would suit you wonderfully. But of course, you may have different preferences.”

She pointed toward several ribbon-adorned dresses.

“Yet, despite your innocent impression, you have a surprisingly elegant figure and graceful lines.”

At her signal, her assistant lifted another gown.

“Something subtly revealing or figure-enhancing, like this, could also work beautifully.”

A mermaid-line dress shimmered in the assistant’s hands.

Oh no. They were all gorgeous.

“Do you have a particular design in mind, Your Highness?”

“Hmm… not especially.”

At my hesitant answer, she gave me a gentle smile—like an older sister saying, It’s okay, be honest.

I admired her professional demeanor.

And just as Lily had said, the boutique was popular—over there, I could feel curious eyes sneaking glances at me.

Well, the whole point of coming here was to show I wouldn’t be wearing Ian’s dresses to the Golden Valley Festival.

After a moment’s hesitation, I opened my mouth carefully.

“I don’t mind the design, but… I would like the dress to be blue.”

“Blue?”

“Because… the crown prince’s eyes are blue…”

I flushed with embarrassment as I explained.

A blue dress.

It reminded me of the ghost that had once asked me to wear red, since its eyes had been red like Blake’s.

I wasn’t sure Blake would even notice if I wore a color matching his eyes, but still…

At my shy words, Madame Audrey let out a delighted little gasp.

Then, with twinkling eyes, she instructed her staff to fetch several blue fabrics.

“His Highness’s eyes are like precious sapphires.

If you pair the gown with diamonds and sapphires, the effect will be exquisite.”

She continued recommending designs and shades of blue she felt would suit me.

I eventually nodded at the one she most strongly suggested.

Honestly, they were all beautiful—I couldn’t tell which was best.

Better to trust the expert.

Meanwhile, whispers fluttered among the young ladies in the boutique.

“The crown princess herself is here—buying a dress?”

And when they overheard me mention Blake’s eye color, their cheeks flushed, eyes sparkling like dreamers.

“Did you hear? She’s buying a blue gown to match His Highness’s eyes.”

“She’ll probably wear it at the festival. Then it’s true—she rejected the dress from Lord Ian!”

I felt a bit embarrassed, but also grateful that they were spreading exactly the rumor I needed.

Yes, let it spread far and wide.

I agreed to have the gown custom-made to my measurements and delivered to the palace before the festival, then stepped out of the boutique.

I just hoped my efforts would be recognized.

Especially by Blake. I hoped he wouldn’t misunderstand anymore.

He had made me into someone who couldn’t even divorce him with this unstable body of mine.

Yet he seemed to think I was still involved with Ian.

As I mulled over my frustrations, a better idea popped into my head, making me grin.

Since Blake was the crown prince, he had to attend the imperial ball at the Golden Valley Festival, even if only briefly.

Before he could slip away—I would ask him for the first dance.

It was rare for a woman to request the first dance, but…

I was his wife. He couldn’t refuse.

One way or another, I wanted to distance myself from ugly words like affair or adultery.

Especially from Ian’s twisted obsession—and from the dreadful ending of the original story.