EPISODE 17
“Harbert Youngae. I love your necklace.”
Ranier smiled at the compliment.
“Is it? My father gave it to me when he was away on a business trip, saying it reminded him of me.”
“Oh, my. The Marquis must love you.”
Flattering compliments poured in from all directions.
Although Viscountess youngae was the hostess of the tea party, Lanier was the star of the show.
“Yes, this is how it should be.
At the Countess’s last tea party, Ranier had suffered a terrible insult.
Everyone was gossiping about Ines, and she took a backseat.
No one stood up for her when she said mean things to me.
Even after she left, Ranier was treated like she didn’t exist.
My pride was so bruised that I still woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it.
“I need to make sure I’m on my side now.”
Ranier glanced around the table at the young people.
I showered them with gifts and praise, and they all liked me and followed me.
I could count them on my side.
“You’ll see.”
I will not be humiliated as I was then.
This disgrace and humiliation must be felt by Ines Eldin.
As Ranier dreamed of revenge, he suddenly let out a short sigh.
‘I am so tired. Why do I have to do this…….’
A few years earlier, Ranier and Ines had lived together briefly in the Marquis’ mansion.
Then Ines took Halo and moved out, citing her mother’s illness.
They hadn’t spoken since until they met at the Count’s tea party.
I was happy to see her and eager to talk to her, but instead, she belittled and criticized me.
In front of everyone!
Ranier bit the inside of her lip, feeling unnecessarily embarrassed.
“Halo is my sister, too.”
Ranier and Halo were half-siblings, but there was still blood between them.
As a big sister, she wanted to look out for him.
But to not even contact her, was too much.
Ines must have warned me without asking Halo’s opinion.
“He’s jealous that I’m getting closer to Halo.”
How jealous Ines was of her father’s love.
Stopping her thoughts, Ranier tried to rejoin the conversation.
“Did you hear the news? Eldin is getting engaged to the Master of the Sword.”
The room fell silent at her words.
The others gave her a disapproving glance.
Viscount Youngae, who was sitting next to Ranier, immediately changed the subject.
“Marquise Youngae is also coming to the imperial banquet, right?”
Ranier’s expression stiffened for a moment, then she smiled.
“Of course.”
The conversation quickly turned to the imperial banquet.
The young ladies’ biggest concern was what dress to wear that day.
“It’s hard to even get an appointment at the Rubisenon costume room unless you have the right one.”
“If I could try it on at least once in my life, I would have no wish.”
Rubisenon has been the most popular dressing room for years.
As a favorite of the royal family, they don’t take reservations from just anyone.
Ranier swallowed a smile of conversion.
Then, blinking, she interjected as if she hadn’t noticed.
“Oh, I’m going to wear that dress from the dressing room this time……. Was it hard to get an appointment there?”
“Oh, my God. Really?”
The younger girls chimed in before she could finish.
“I’m so jealous.”
“You’ll have to show me around next time.”
“When you go to the costume room, if you’ll take me with you…….”
The enthusiastic response was very gratifying to Ranier.
Wearing a dress from Rubisenong’s wardrobe to an imperial banquet was sure to turn heads.
It was worth the effort of coaxing her mother and father to let her go.
“I had so much fun today.”
“I’ll see you at the palace banquet, my dear Harbert.”
After the tea party, Ranier climbed into the carriage.
He spoke to the coachman who was waiting for me.
“Let’s go to Rubisenon’s dressing room.”
I hadn’t even made an appointment yet, although I told the young ladies that I already had my dress made.
Nevertheless, I was confident that Ranier would take my order.
She was like the only daughter of the Marquis de Harbert.
If I charged double the price of the dress, she would take my order.
“By the way, is Innes Eldin engaged to be married to the master of the magic sword?
Ranier had heard the rumors, too.
But she didn’t think much of it.
It must be a rumor.
‘There’s no way a proud, vain girl like her would be betrothed to the master of a magic sword.’
Maybe if she marries a rich, high-status old man.
The carriage came to a halt in front of Rubisenong’s dressing room.
“What is it?”
It was pitch black inside the shop.
I peeked around to see if it was already closed, but a woman who looked like an employee came out.
“We’re closed,” she said.
“I’m here to reserve a dress for a banquet.”
Ranier held her head high.
“I’m sorry, but we’re no longer taking reservations.”
Ranier smirked.
“Do you know who I am?”
When the employee looked confused, Ranier emphasized.
“Are you going to refuse an order from the Marquisate of Harbert?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but even if His Majesty the Emperor were to come, we would not be able to take orders.”
Ranier flinched at the firm refusal.
The emperor couldn’t come?
“Then cancel the other reservation and take my order. I’ll pay you many times over.”
“I’m sorry, sir. Please come back next time.”
Ranier’s face crumpled at the staff’s repeated refusals.
“I’ve already shown her off, and now she can’t fit me into the dress?
That was a no-no.
Ranier pushed past the employee and stormed into the store.
A dress hung in the center of the store.
It was a colorful but elegant dress that immediately drew admiration.
The delicate lace, the embroidered flowers that almost smelled like perfume.
I could tell it was the best dress I’d ever seen.
As Ranier studied the dress in fascination, she exclaimed.
“I’ll buy that!”
“It’s custom-made, so we don’t sell it.”
“Well, you can pay more. I’ll tell you who owns the dress myself.”
The employee gave a small laugh.
It felt like a sneer.
“Ms. Ines Eldin.”
Ranier paused.
“And the price of that dress is…….”
Ranier’s body shuddered at the price.
It was an amount Ranier could never afford.
Ranier bit her lip hard.
Even if she died, she would never lose to Ines Eldin.
She had no choice but to pay more and have a new dress made.
“Get me a designer now!”
“He’s not in the Empire right now.”
The employee showed me the sign in his hand that said “On vacation.”
“That’s because Eldin has given me an all-staff vacation.”
***.
In the meantime, Ines kept busy.
Between investments and business ideas, he met with Kalad occasionally.
Ines liked the relationship with Khalad.
It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
Nothing personal, no need to explore each other.
It was the most comfortable relationship she’d ever had.
And a few days ago, Ines had asked Khalad to attend the Emperor’s anniversary celebration with her.
The time had come to pretend to be lovers.
A little time passed, and today, just a few days before the wedding.
“There they are.”
Through her window, Ines spotted a strange carriage racing toward her in the distance.
She ran downstairs to the front porch, where she found Calad just stepping out of the carriage.
“Just in time.”
Ines greeted him, and Kalad looked around before speaking.
“Where’s your brother……?”
“He’s back at the Academy, so it’s just the two of us today.”
Kalad paused at Ines’s answer.
It sounded odd, even though he knew she didn’t mean it.
“Come in.”
Ines turned around, and Kalad followed suit.
As they walked down the hall, Kalad spoke first.
“Do we have to go to the banquet?”
“What, you don’t want to go?”
“If I go, everyone will hate me.”
Kalad laid out the objective facts like he was talking to someone else.
“And I’ve never been to a banquet before.”
“Never?”
“Yes.”
A nobleman and never been to a banquet.
kalad sighed, already tired.
“Where there’s a lot of people, there’s a lot of chance of trouble…….”
Well, Kalad was a walking misfortune.
“So this is your official debut, then.”
Most of them would never have seen the master of the magic sword in person.
I should take this opportunity to put to rest the rumors surrounding Kalad, Ines thought.
“Don’t worry about that, I’m here.”
Ines smiled gently, and Kalad’s expression grew strange.
Nipping the worry in the bud, Ines paused in front of a room.
The door swung open and Kalad froze.
Six hired hands lined up in the spacious room.
Behind them were piles of clothes and boxes.
Ines pushed the unwilling Khalad into the room.
Kalad hesitated, stopping in the center of the room.
Ines followed and made her way to a chair that had been prepared for her.
Sitting cross-legged, she opened her mouth.
“Go ahead.”
