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Chapter 6
There was a private boutique exclusively used by members of House Kereis.
After being taken there, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw the prices.
Each dress cost a fortune.
Even though I’d been given a generous allowance, I could only afford two or three dresses before running out.
“Everything you purchase here is free of charge for you, my lady.”
“W-What?”
Seeing my confusion, the elegantly dressed clerk smiled.
“For members of House Kereis, I simply record the purchases in our ledger.”
“Then… who pays?”
“His Grace the Duke settles the bill later.”
Ah… rich people really did live in a different world.
For a while, I completely forgot my original objective.
Instead, I became absorbed in all the luxurious dresses and jewelry before me.
Since none of it would be paid for with my own allowance, I enthusiastically picked out dresses, necklaces, and all sorts of accessories.
Only after I came back to my senses did I try to carry out my real plan.
That’s when the problem began.
No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake off the long line of attendants following behind me.
“Ah, I’d like to use the restroom for a moment.”
The instant I said that, the maid Britta followed me.
“I’ve been walking around all day. My head hurts a little.”
Even when I sent several servants away to buy medicine, it made no difference.
There were still far too many people surrounding me.
“…Sigh.”
In the end, I gave up.
Had that duke become completely obsessed with magic?
It was obvious now.
He was keeping such a close watch because he was afraid I’d disappear.
“I bought so much.”
After spending the entire day in town, all I had to show for it was a mountain of dresses and jewelry.
I’d picked things almost at random without really looking, so the pile had grown surprisingly large.
When I finally returned to the estate, I wanted nothing more than to collapse onto my bed and rest.
But that wasn’t possible.
“My lady, where should I put these?”
“…Hmm?”
“The new jewelry is so beautiful. You should try it on.”
“R-Right now?”
Watching Britta carefully organize my shopping bags left me speechless.
Still, seeing her work so diligently with things that weren’t even hers made it impossible for me to simply ignore her.
At the boutique, I’d only pointed vaguely at things without trying anything on.
Britta had probably been looking forward to seeing me wear them once we got home.
Looking into her innocent, sparkling eyes…
I finally gave in and got to my feet.
“Shall I try one on?”
“Yes!”
Britta clapped both hands together in delight.
Out of the dozen or so dresses, I chose a soft violet one.
Its elegant shade of purple matched my red hair perfectly.
My hair was swept up neatly, allowing the ruby necklace and earrings to stand out beautifully.
The thirteen-year-old Maryanne, who usually looked cute and timid, now looked every bit the young lady ready to attend a grand ball.
“Wow…”
“You’re absolutely beautiful, my lady…”
The maids couldn’t stop admiring me.
Even I was surprised when I looked into the mirror.
“Wow… she’s actually gorgeous.”
Hearing me talk about myself like that made Britta giggle softly.
She gently smoothed the slightly wrinkled skirt as though she were handling a baby.
It was then that her reflection in the mirror caught my attention.
“Britta.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Was this dress… very expensive?”
I’d been shopping so frantically that I barely remembered anything I’d bought.
Britta looked up in surprise.
“Of course! It’s probably the most expensive dress here.”
“I-Is it?”
I glanced at the other dresses lined up nearby before looking back at the violet one I was wearing.
They all looked about the same to me.
What made this one so special?
Then Britta answered my unspoken question.
“This shade of purple isn’t something just anyone can wear. People like us couldn’t even dream of it.”
“Not anyone can wear it? Ah… purple!”
Suddenly, I remembered the cover of the original novel.
The heroine, Bianca, had been standing beside the Crown Prince wearing a purple dress.
“My noble beloved, accept my love.”
I remembered the scene where the Crown Prince confessed to Bianca and presented her with an amethyst.
He had chosen purple because both purple dye and amethysts were extremely difficult to obtain in the Empire.
That made it a color reserved for the truly exceptional.
A symbol of the dignity of the imperial family and the highest-ranking nobility.
That’s right! Someone even commented that priests wore purple robes during Mass.
I remembered that comment becoming one of the most upvoted.
Purple had been such a common color in my previous life.
Who would’ve thought it would be so precious in this world?
After the maids left, I wrote “purple fabric” on a sheet of paper.
If I wanted to escape House Kereis, I needed money.
The best way to earn that money was to secretly establish a trading company under another name.
And perhaps…
This purple fabric would become its very first product.
“Whew… that’s enough for today.”
Now I really intended to rest.
Since I was inside the estate, there was no reason anyone needed to follow me just because I wanted to take a walk in the garden.
I’d even insisted repeatedly.
“Don’t follow me! Absolutely not! No matter what!”
At last…
I finally had some time alone.
I wandered slowly through the estate’s backyard.
The sunset looked just like yesterday’s.
It was hard to believe nearly a month had already passed since I’d arrived at the Duke of Kereis’s estate.
Was every day going to continue repeating like this…
Only to end exactly as it had in the original story?
As I absentmindedly watched the sky deepen into a richer crimson, I realized I’d wandered onto a narrow path in the backyard.
Huh…? Where am I?
Turning around, I could still see the way I’d come.
Although evening was settling in, the light spilling from a nearby warehouse made it easy enough to see.
Britta will be looking for me. I’d better head back.
If I disappeared from this estate, Britta was the one person who would genuinely worry about me.
Thinking of her, I hurried forward.
Just as I was about to pass the warehouse—
“Ahh…”
A strange sound suddenly reached my ears.
My feet stopped on their own.
What was that…?
Ever since arriving at this estate, my hearing seemed unusually sharp.
Thinking I’d imagined it, I took another step.
Then—
“Mmnh!”
The second sound was even more suggestive.
At that moment, I understood exactly what was happening.
The first voice had belonged to a woman.
The second…
To a man.
No way…!
Driven by overwhelming curiosity, I cautiously leaned toward the warehouse.
The wet, intimate sounds became even clearer.
Gulp.
Without realizing it, I swallowed nervously.
Maryanne’s body might have been thirteen years old…
But my soul belonged to an adult who understood exactly what those sounds meant.
If it’s the warehouse… it’s probably servants.
People working together naturally fell in love sometimes.
And there probably wasn’t a better place for secret romantic meetings than this.
Then I should leave without disturbing them.
Nodding to myself, I regained my composure and turned to go.
But then I heard the next words.
“I want you to leave this place with me.”
“Oh… but how could we?”
The man’s voice drifted through a slightly open warehouse window.
I’d never heard his voice before.
The woman’s voice, however…
I knew it.
T-That’s the nanny…!
It was the nanny assigned to Third Young Master Crimu.
Her sweet, coquettish tone had confused me at first, but there weren’t many servants in the estate I’d interacted with.
I recognized her almost immediately.
“We still… haven’t saved enough money.”
At her weak reply, the man sighed.
“Don’t worry. It won’t take much longer. The problem is that Duke Kereis is unbelievably thorough. He even checks the account books himself.”
“Then how much longer do we have to wait?”
“Just a little longer. Everything will be finished within this week. We only need to prepare the money for Kunu Marketplace.”
“Hmm…”
Hearing the nanny’s cutesy whine made me shudder.
Ugh… my ears.
She’s really something.
I can’t believe a woman like that is Crimu’s nanny.
More importantly…
What does she mean by saving money?
And why were they talking about the account books?
I vaguely remembered seeing Kunu Marketplace while I was in town.
When I’d secretly tried to slip away from the boutiques around the plaza, Kunu’s shop had been right there, blocking my path.
If I remembered correctly, they sold various kinds of leather and raw materials.
But…
Preparing money for Kunu Marketplace?
A strong feeling told me something was very wrong.
