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The door opened, and staff carrying all sorts of fabric rolls and thick catalogs entered the room.
Large boxes filled with luxurious shoes were soon stacked one after another.
The somewhat excited madam unrolled a bolt of luxurious fabric in front of Marie.
“Now! What do you think of this mystical, glossy blue silk? The design would be like this…”
“Oh, it’s beautiful,”
Marie found herself exclaiming in awe at the fabric the madam held out.
Its subtle sheen and delicate patterns immediately drew her gaze.
The duke placed an order without hesitation.
“Do it.”
“Pardon?”
Before Marie could catch her breath, the madam shoved another fabric toward her.
“How about this? Look! This red floral fabric is directly imported from the Arsen Empire! You can’t find anything like it domestically—it’s top-tier!”
“Ah…”
Marie hesitated to respond, afraid the duke would place yet another order.
But just by reading her expression, he went ahead and did it anyway.
“Do that one too.”
The madam, now brimming with confidence, began holding fabrics up to Marie at lightning speed.
She was so excited, she didn’t even ask for Marie’s opinion.
“Oh my, milady! White fabric looks absolutely divine on you! Like a graceful swan!”
“Ah, madam, but…”
“Add that one too.”
“Oh my! This chiffon fabric melts so delicately—just like a dream!”
“Add that too.”
“Oh my! This one too! And this one! How is it that everything suits you so perfectly? It’s as if all of these were specially made just for you!”
Determined to make a killing today, the madam relentlessly presented more and more fabric.
“Get all of them.”
Duke Bloodstone, claiming he had no time, approved everything the madam showed.
His attitude was: get the clothes made, and if they didn’t like them later, just discard them.
“Ah! They’ll all be stunning! But, depending on what materials we choose for the trimmings, the results can vary dramatically.”
“What else do you need?”
“Well! Ribbons and lace, of course. The silk ribbons and finest lace are all imported—very expensive…”
“Use whatever’s necessary. Don’t hold back.”
“And then, of course, there’s things like jewel buttons—”
“Handle those as you see fit.”
“Yessss!”
The madam squealed with delight.
A swirl of vivid colors and ornate patterns wrapped and unwrapped Marie repeatedly.
Rainbow-glossed ribbons and delicate floating lace danced in the air around her.
‘This is insane!’
In a blink, dozens of orders were placed.
Marie didn’t even have time to examine the fabrics properly.
They were all breathtaking, of course—so much so that if she had to pick just a few, she’d be up all night agonizing over the decision.
“Haa…”
Suddenly, the madam sighed and clasped her hands together as if praying.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Duke! You truly understand! In all my 40 years as a designer, I’ve never felt so fulfilled! Please leave it to me. I’ll create a masterpiece into which I pour my very soul!”
The madam seemed satisfied at last.
But then she brought out a jewelry box.
“How about this pearl necklace? It’s a rarity even in high society.”
“Get it.”
“And this sapphire set? Let me tell you about these sapphires—”
“That too.”
“A noble lady must have a ruby set to go with a red dress—”
“Get it.”
“And to match colors properly, you’d want amethysts and emeralds—”
“Sure.”
“And of course, the queen of all gems—diamonds—”
“Get everything.”
Marie could no longer get a word in.
Were these people even sane?
“Um, Duke?”
She tried to calm her racing heart before speaking.
It felt like now or never.
“Yes?”
“I… I really think this is too much.”
Marie didn’t know all the customs of this world, but she knew enough:
One good dress cost more than a commoner’s yearly income.
And now, not one or two—but many—from the finest shop, with jewelry too?
At this rate, they could have bought multiple houses.
‘Just how much is he planning to spend?’
The moment she spoke, a flash of disappointment crossed the madam’s flushed face.
But Calix gave a nod, signaling her to proceed regardless.
“Proceed as planned.”
“Yes! Thank you, Duke!”
The madam rushed to fetch another dress.
“Milady? Will you like this one? This is the dress for you to wear today.”
It was an open-robe dress similar to what Marie already wore.
The subtle silk embroidery was incredibly elegant, and the fabric felt like soft butter to the touch.
“It’s so soft.”
“Right? Wearing this, you’ll outshine everyone at the ball!”
But then Marie suddenly recalled Mildred’s sweat-drenched forehead.
“We searched every tailor shop in the city.”
Marie paused, not saying anything.
The madam called again.
“Milady?”
“I’ll just wear the open-robe dress you selected.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll keep the bodice and petticoat I have on.”
“But this is a top-tier open robe! If you’re going to wear it—”
The madam trailed off, flustered.
“It’s fine.”
“Oh my…”
Her mouth hung open for a moment.
But she soon recovered, bringing out a corsage.
“T-Then shall we add this corsage?”
The pink pearl-decorated corsage would draw attention away from the plain bodice.
“This was made from daisies picked in the garden.”
But Marie remembered—Mildred had made the boutonnière herself.
“Leave the boutonnière as it is.”
“…Yes.”
The madam saw Marie’s smile and immediately understood.
To push further would only irritate the client.
“Oh my! The bodice and robe pair wonderfully. Shall I just list this next one for later?”
She held out a corset with intricate embroidery.
It had a white base with vivid pink thistles and green leaves.
Marie had never seen such extravagant underwear.
“It’s almost too pretty to wear underneath…”
“Right? With this, your figure—”
The moment the madam lifted the undergarment, Calix suddenly rose from his seat.
“Ahem.”
His ears turned red, and Josh fixated on the ceiling.
“M-My lord, I’ll go prepare the carriage.”
“Oh dear! I forgot we had gentlemen here—hohoho!”
The madam fanned herself and laughed awkwardly.
Calix spoke bluntly.
“Let’s say tonight will be our first meeting at the ball. I’ll arrange someone to introduce us.”
—
Count Weatherwood’s Estate
The ball was lively.
The gathered nobles were abuzz with a new topic of gossip:
The bankruptcy and downfall of the once-renowned House of Whitehouse, leaders in interior design.
“Misfortune just keeps falling on House Whitehouse.”
“The previous count and his wife passed away young, and now the current count too…”
Rumors surrounded the count’s death.
“It’s troubling—the ship he was on sank.”
“What do you mean? Wasn’t it just a maritime accident?”
“They say it was attacked by pirates on the way back.”
“I also heard it was just a storm.”
Then someone posed a curious question.
“Why go all the way to the continent of Efna to start a business? If it’s trade, there’s always the Arsen Empire.”
“Who knows…”
The topic soon shifted to Nathan Barrett, the count’s successor.
“If the ship sank, they won’t find the body.”
“Exactly. That makes Baron Barrett the new Count of Whitehouse.”
“Ha! What luck. A minor baron swallowing a prestigious house like Whitehouse!”
“I heard Barrett has a shady past.”
At that moment, Edith Perridan, her blonde hair styled in an elegant updo, joined the conversation.
“I heard the Barretts are trying to arrange a marriage with the Whitehouse daughter?”
As Edith approached, her massive diamond necklace and earrings glittered with opulence.
Even her hair sparkled with pearls.
The men visibly brightened as the glamorous beauty joined them.
“Oh, Miss Edith also knows about the Whitehouse family news?”
Escorted by her father, Viscount Perridan, Edith had just entered the main hall.
“Yes. Everyone knows the Whitehouse daughter was a recluse, right?”
Edith smiled sweetly.
