It was the morning after Lilliana had unexpectedly run into Vanessa at the wine shop.
Lilliana, who usually spent most of her time at the estate, was unusually busy preparing to go out.
As she was getting dressed, she suddenly examined herself in the mirror. The yellow dress, though neat, was outdated. It was a dress she had cherished until recently, but today, it looked particularly unsightly in her eyes.
‘If it looks like this to me… I wonder how Lady Winder saw it.’
Lilliana was never one to care much about fashion. Her philosophy was simple: as long as the clothes were clean and tidy, it didn’t matter what she wore.
However, after running into Vanessa a few times recently, her thinking had changed.
‘Lady Winder in her purple dress, adorned in jewels, was truly beautiful…’
Vanessa possessed the beauty of a poisonous butterfly. She was dazzling to the point of enchantment, yet one could sense the danger of getting too close, as though they might get addicted if they reached out recklessly.
Her beauty was mesmerizing, almost intimidating. Whenever Lilliana stood before her, she couldn’t help but feel small.
‘I must have looked so shabby in Lady Winder’s eyes…’
Lilliana wanted to make a good impression, but the thought that her outdated dress might have harmed her chances was unbearable.
So, she immediately resolved to order a new, fashionable dress.
‘And once the dress is ready, I’ll wear it properly and go see her.’
Luckily, Lilliana had a perfect excuse to meet Vanessa—an exquisite wine Tristan had asked her to deliver.
‘I still don’t understand why my brother suddenly wanted me to give her that wine…’
But the important thing was that she had a valuable reason to meet Vanessa.
Although she wanted to go to her right away with the wine, she knew it wasn’t that simple.
Vanessa was no ordinary person. She was her former future mother-in-law, and not someone Lilliana could meet without a valid reason.
So, Lilliana’s plan was to show her best self whenever the opportunity arose.
‘The boutique Lady Winder frequents should be the right place to go.’
Yes, it was with innocent intentions that she set out to buy a dress.
However, the attitude of the boutique’s madam, who greeted her, felt strange.
“Are you sure this dress is in fashion?”
“Yes, absolutely. Most people at royal banquets wear dresses like this.”
Lilliana wasn’t just anyone—she was a princess of the empire. She had attended countless royal banquets.
‘But I don’t recall seeing such dresses…?’
No matter how much she thought about it, something felt off.
“Are you really sure? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this before…”
“Oh, well, it’s a design favored by high-ranking nobles, so it can be rare to see.”
The more Lilliana listened, the stranger it seemed. After all, she was a high-ranking noble herself.
‘And the design feels oddly out of style.’
Lilliana might not have been well-versed in fashion, but that didn’t mean she lacked all aesthetic sense.
In her opinion, this dress was definitely not a style that suited her.
“Does it really look good on me?”
When she asked again, doubting, the madam brazenly responded without hesitation.
“Of course! It suits you perfectly. The color matches you so well, making you look vibrant and beautiful. Shall I ring it up for you? The price is…”
At that moment.
“Oh, Mother?”
Lilliana, startled, called out to someone. Only then did the madam notice the new arrival, turning her head towards the door.
And there she was.
“Eek!”
The madam gasped, her eyes widening as she saw Vanessa Winder glaring at her. Startled by the ominous gaze, she even dropped the bill she was holding.
Vanessa stepped forward, crushing the bill underfoot. In a voice calm but clearly laced with anger, she slowly asked,
“Do those pitiful rags truly look beautiful in your eyes?”
“L-Lady Winder! If I had known you were coming, I would have…”
Madame, drenched in cold sweat, tried to manage the situation, but Vanessa cut her off sharply and demanded an answer again.
“Forget about that. Answer me again.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“Madame.”
“Yes, yes…”
“I’m asking you. Tell me if that dress is really beautiful.”
Madame, visibly trembling, looked like a helpless herbivore in front of a predator.
***
I just came to spend money and feel good.
What is this scene unfolding before my eyes?
“Hoo…”
My entire body trembled with the anger bubbling up from deep inside.
Lilliana.
My beloved, who should only be walking on a path of flowers.
Was wearing such a wretched dress, getting ripped off. And at my regular shop, no less!
‘I gave her 5.2 billion more to buy delicious food and pretty clothes, yet she’s getting scammed! Why!’
I didn’t see the whole situation from the start, but it was obvious.
Lilliana, when walking around outside, didn’t usually reveal her true status.
So, Madame must have tried to scam her, having no idea that Lilliana was the only daughter of the Duke of Locke.
‘Lilliana does look gentle and fragile… And she does have a somewhat gullible personality.’
Given that she’s the female protagonist of a regret novel, such a personality is expected… But still…
‘I can’t stand seeing my baby getting treated like this!’
By the time I snapped back, I was already storming toward Madame, demanding whether she truly thought the dress Liliana was wearing was pretty when she recommended it.
Madame, looking troubled, stayed silent for a while before finally responding. And her words were truly ridiculous.
“…Yes. I recommended it because it’s beautiful.”
“Is that so? You thought it was beautiful? In what way?”
Madame hesitated before slowly starting to explain.
“As Lady Winder might know, first of all, that frill design is a trending style right now. So…”
Listening to her, I couldn’t help but sneer.
“You’re spouting complete nonsense. My ears are rotting.”
What she said wasn’t technically wrong. That frill design was indeed the latest trend in the empire.
But that wasn’t the issue.
‘The problem is the color.’
No matter how pretty the design is, if the color is off, it’s meaningless.
That was exactly the case with the dress Liliana was wearing.
The design wasn’t terrible. It may not have been groundbreaking, but at least it could give off the impression of following trends.
However, that crude color…
That green fabric, mixed heavily with yellow, couldn’t look good on anyone, in my judgment.
It didn’t even suit Lilliana.
‘My baby looks much better in cool-toned colors.’
Anyway, what mattered was that the dress Lilliana was currently wearing was nothing but trash.
But there was no need to explain all this to Madame. She was probably aware of it herself.
Looking down at her, I spoke in a clear, firm tone.
“Until now, I thought you were at least a person with some dignity, but it seems that was my mistake. How dare you lie to my face.”
“N-no, ma’am. That’s absolutely not the case.”
“Not a lie, you say? Then are you telling me that you’ve dressed the Lady Locke in her finest attire? Have you ruined that precious gem like this?”
“W-wait a minute. The Lady Locke?”
As expected, Madame had no idea Lilliana was a high-ranking noble.
“Yes, the person you tried to scam is the Lady of Locke. But what does that matter now? Neither she nor I will ever set foot here again.”
Madame’s face turned ashen. She looked as if she would grovel on the floor, begging for forgiveness, but it was too late.
Anyone who messes with Lilliana, regardless of who they are, won’t be forgiven.
“The dresses I ordered yesterday are probably still in production, right? Cancel all of them. And I plan to discard all the dresses I’ve bought here so far.”
“Lady Winder, please. Calm down…”
“I hope we never meet again.”
With those final words, I dragged Lilliana outside.
As the trendsetter of the capital, declaring the end of our dealings meant I had effectively sentenced the boutique to death.
‘But I’m still not satisfied.’
Seeing Lilliana under natural light, she looked even more pitiful.
Feeling upset, I lashed out at her, saying things that could only be described as villainous mother-in-law-like remarks.
“What kind of appearance is this? Even if you’re about to part ways, it’s disgraceful that people will gossip about my son having once been involved with a woman like you.”
Lilliana looked as if she was about to cry.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
