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Chapter 15
Laura introduced the dresses with a confident smile.
“I’ll start with this one. In the capital these days, dresses with extravagant ruffles and frills at the hem are in fashion. The way they spread like flower petals when dancing is absolutely beautiful. I’m sure you’ll love it once you see it.”
She held out the dress wide. When Sellaquia didn’t show much reaction, she swiftly moved on to the next one.
“Of course, elegant designs like this are also still very popular. This one, in particular, has delicate embroidery sewn with top-grade silver thread that gives it a subtle sparkle. Here, can you see?”
“Oh my. It’s so pretty! It would suit madam perfectly!”
“Hoho, this young lady knows her stuff. The soft sheen of the silver thread will surely complement your lovely hair, madam. Would you like to try it on?”
With the maid enthusiastically helping, Sellaquia nearly faltered in her act of being a refined noblewoman completely familiar with dress salons.
“No, I’ll try them on next time. I’d like to just take a look for now.”
She waved her hand, adjusting her expression. The dresses, beautiful like ornamental fish tails, weren’t to her taste at all.
“Let’s start with your measurements.”
Despite her vague refusal, Laura approached without hesitation and placed a measuring tape around her body. Caught off guard, Sellaquia stood and raised her arms. Laura quickly and accurately took her measurements.
“Did any of the dresses catch your eye? Or would you like to see more from the back? Even if none meet your standards, don’t worry—we can create a custom dress with your chosen pattern and fabric.”
“No, Laura. This is enough.”
Sellaquia answered first, then glanced at the dresses that had filled the room to capacity.
That one’s out—too many ruffles. That one too—too flashy with the silver thread and jewels. That one looks decent… no, the back’s too exposed. Out.
While she carefully evaluated each one, Tenus was tapping the rolled-up catalog he held against his palm, making a sharp sound. Was he signaling her to hurry up? She had taken quite a bit of his time.
Growing anxious, Sellaquia finally pointed to the most modest-looking indoor dress.
“That one…”
But before she could finish, Tenus interrupted her.
“All of them except that one.”
Sellaquia’s eyes widened as she had been concentrating intently on the dresses. Tenus handed the catalog to Laura.
“Include everything listed in this catalog too.”
The cover of the catalog, now in Laura’s hands, showed women’s dresses—clearly not men’s clothing.
“Tenus…”
Startled, Sellaquia grabbed his arm in protest.
She was supposed to leave the duke’s mansion in a month. There was no way she could take all these dresses with her, so buying this many was wasteful.
“Laura. The lady also needs accessories.”
Ignoring her distressed expression, Tenus calmly told Laura. He was clearly pretending not to know. Laura’s smile deepened.
“Of course. I prepared only top-grade items in advance, expecting the young master’s visit.”
“No…!”
“Laura’s salon really is as amazing as they say!”
Laura, Tenus, and even the young maid seemed to be in cahoots. Sellaquia began to wonder if she was truly picking things for herself.
Soon, the staff cleared away the dresses with practiced hands and brought in dozens of jewelry boxes that sparkled so brightly they hurt her eyes.
Laura, the staff, the maid, and Tenus—all eyes in the room turned to Sellaquia.
Feeling pressured, Sellaquia spoke cautiously.
“This one…”
Then quickly changed her words after catching Tenus’s glance.
“…except for this one, I’ll take everything from here to there.”
She vaguely swept her hand over a section of neatly aligned jewelry—necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, hair ornaments. Just counting them was overwhelming. She didn’t care what jewels they were or what the detailed designs looked like.
Turning her eyes away, she suddenly spotted a familiar silhouette among the bracelets.
“This one…”
Laura clapped her hands with delight as she noticed where Sellaquia’s gaze landed.
“You recognized it! It’s a pearl bracelet we procured with great difficulty from the Rensh region. Cream-colored pearls with such a perfect round shape and soft rosy hue only come from the Rinoché pearls in Rensh. They’re incredibly rare.”
Seeing a specialty from her hometown in a foreign place brought a wave of emotions—part pride, part sadness. Absentmindedly, Sellaquia stroked her empty right wrist.
“Would you like to purchase it as well?”
“It’s fine. I have something similar.”
She shook her head and looked at Tenus. She was suddenly exhausted and just wanted to go home, but Tenus didn’t look satisfied yet.
“Now it’s time for gloves.”
Sellaquia decided she wouldn’t look at him again. Sending pleading glances his way was useless.
“Since summer is approaching, I recommend lamé gloves woven with gold and silver threads instead of velvet.”
“Oh my, the shimmering color is as luscious as honey!”
“Pack them all.”
Even without Sellaquia saying a word, the purchases proceeded smoothly.
Even buying the entire salon wouldn’t make a dent in the Seiden duchy’s vaults. Still, Sellaquia, unused to such extravagance, felt her heart race. The thought that all these things would soon be discarded filled her with quiet regret.
“If you wear all these to the banquet, everyone will admire you, madam. Even Her Highness the Princess, probably!”
The young maid gushed with admiration, risking the wrath of impropriety—an admirable attempt to please her mistress.
Sellaquia resolved to secretly give a few necklaces to the girl when she left the mansion. Better that than letting them go to waste.
When they left the boutique, the sun was already setting. Though all she’d done was sit and move her eyes and hands, Sellaquia felt completely drained.
Everything would be delivered to the mansion in a few days, yet her body felt as if she’d carried all those dresses on her shoulders.
“You were so eager to live a life of wild extravagance just a moment ago.”
Tenus clicked his tongue, scolding her poor stamina and courage. Sellaquia didn’t have the energy to reply, so she just flapped her hand—let’s get to the carriage already.
“Helping you is really thankless.”
She ignored him and walked ahead toward the carriage.
Then someone shouted at them.
“Oh? Look who it is! Isn’t that the young master of Seiden!”
A woman was waving and brandishing a sword from a distance. She looked rough, like a traveler, but the way she casually addressed Tenus suggested she was a noble.
“Can’t believe I ran into the Seiden heir here! What are the odds?”
She ran over, her high ponytail of golden hair swaying. Up close, she was tall and had striking, well-defined features.
Tenus stood still as she approached, then asked,
“Who are you?”
Cracks formed in the woman’s cheerful smile. Understandable—what a rude thing to say to someone’s face. Even Sellaquia felt embarrassed for him.
But unexpectedly, the woman didn’t blame Tenus. She just sighed.
“Damn. That’s the fourth time I’ve heard that. Sure, you can’t remember every academy student, but at least recognize someone you’ve crossed swords with?”
Tenus looked indifferent. It seemed he’d ignore her and get in the carriage if left to his own devices. The woman, with a slightly offended expression, introduced herself.
“Roberta Belfona. Third daughter of Count Belfona.”
“…”
“I even greeted you last year when I graduated from the academy!”
“Oh.”
Tenus finally reacted.
“The one who said she’d join a mercenary company to earn money.”
“That’s right! I knew you hadn’t forgotten!”
Roberta laughed heartily and gave Tenus a friendly pat on the shoulder. She didn’t seem bothered at all that he hadn’t recognized her earlier.
Tenus gestured toward Roberta, looking at Sellaquia.
“As you heard, Roberta Belfona.”
It was a half-hearted introduction, but Sellaquia let it slide. It seemed Tenus didn’t know much or care about Roberta.
“Sellaquia Seiden. Pleased to meet you, Lady Belfona.”
“Standing beside the young master of Seiden must mean you’re the future duchess. An honor to meet you.”
Roberta gave a courteous greeting, hand to her chest, in a knight-like gesture. She didn’t seem to be scrutinizing Sellaquia or looking down on her. Whether she truly didn’t know Sellaquia’s origins or was pretending not to, she didn’t seem like a bad person.
