The reason I was so shocked was simple.
Next to her, there was a massive pile of books stacked so high that it could only be described as a small mountain.
From a distance, it didn’t even look like a stack of books but rather one giant mass.
‘No, seriously, what is all that? Did she actually bring all that here?’
Did she empty out her study for this?
I hesitated, suspecting this might actually be the case.
For a brief moment, I regretted not just listening to Ian earlier.
Of course, Diana had no idea what was going through my mind. She just waved at me cheerfully.
After standing there for quite some time, I finally moved slowly toward her and sat across from her.
Now that I was closer, the sheer volume of books seemed even more overwhelming.
Staring blankly at the pile with my mouth slightly open, I finally turned to look at her.
“It’s good to see you. But, um, what is all this?”
Unable to hide my astonishment, I asked.
Diana glanced between me and the mountain of books beside her, her sky-blue eyes widening innocently.
Somehow, her expression was still endearing.
“Oh, this? I mentioned it last time, remember? That I’m going to give my all and pursue what I want to do.”
She smiled brightly.
“I’ve been studying recent fashion trends in the Levant Empire. While preparing to meet you today, I ended up packing all of this.”
She spoke with such pure enthusiasm, her face full of excitement. For some reason, her expression reminded me of Madame Jed and the princess.
It had the same kind of madness.
“So you brought all of this…?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I see.”
I nodded, at a loss for words.
‘Well, thinking about it, Diana has always had a tendency to get completely absorbed in something and pursue it single-mindedly.’
That was one of the reasons I liked her so much.
While I was lost in thought, marveling at the fact that I was sitting here face-to-face with her, Diana’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
“Your Grace, you’re well-known for your sense of fashion. I was hoping you could review a few things I’ve selected. People say your taste is the best in the capital. Even the princess acknowledged it, so it must be true.”
That was just a fluke.
Of course, I couldn’t crush Diana’s hopeful gaze, so I just laughed awkwardly.
Before I could respond, Diana quickly opened one of the books.
Inside, the pages were filled with dazzling materials, all meticulously collected. It was clear she had put an extraordinary amount of effort into gathering these resources.
“I’ve gathered everything I could find, but I’m not sure if these are things people in the Levant Empire actually like. After all, I’ve spent the last three years on another continent, so it’s been hard to keep up with the trends here.”
For someone claiming that, the information was incredibly thorough and accurate.
Honestly, it looked far more impressive than all the research I had done during four years of university.
At this point, I started to wonder again.
How on earth did she collect this much information in a world without the internet or any wiki-like resources?
Is this the level of dedication needed to graduate early as the top student?
Wait, is it even humanly possible to gather this much data in just a few weeks?
“…This is more than enough. The information is highly accurate, too. Especially this page—it’s incredibly up-to-date.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief.”
Diana smiled brightly at my response but soon wore a thoughtful expression.
“But that’s part of the problem. While I’ve collected a lot, to stand out, you can’t just follow trends—you have to get ahead of them, right?”
“Exactly.”
She tapped the page with her finger.
“The issue is, as someone without recognition or support in high society, how am I supposed to create trends? Honestly, because of my past connection with the Grand Duke, my reputation isn’t exactly great. Some people even call me a stalker or something. It wasn’t that bad, though.”
“Pfft.”
…That came out of nowhere.
I was taking a sip of tea and almost spit it out but barely managed to swallow it.
“Oh my, are you alright?”
“I’m… I’m fine.”
Does the heroine really have no brakes on her words?
As I waved my hand dismissively, Diana handed me a napkin and continued, propping her chin on her hand.
“Well, I suppose it was a bit reckless to go straight to the Grand Duke’s residence and wait there for over six hours when he agreed to meet me.”
“Cough.”
Please.
Every time she casually mentioned my man’s past actions, I felt like I was losing my mind.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess that was too much of an old story.”
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
“Well, in any case, that’s the problem. Trends in the capital usually start with the princess, but since I’m not close to her, I can’t figure out her preferences. To be precise, she doesn’t like me.”
…She’s even aware that the princess dislikes her.
“That’s why I’m so worried. Honestly, I feel like no matter what I create, the princess would probably start a counter-trend just to spite me.”
The princess would definitely do something like that.
I was half-dazed by Diana’s extreme objectivity, but then I snapped back to my senses.
“But Lady Lawrence, isn’t that something I might be able to help with?”
“Your Grace, you?”
“Yes.”
I smiled confidently, completely forgetting about how I’d nearly spit out my tea moments ago.
Diana, you have no idea how hard I’ve worked for this day.
“How about this? You could make the shoes the princess will wear for the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.”
“…Me?”
For the first time, Diana’s face showed genuine bewilderment.
Her expression seemed to scream, ‘Didn’t I just say she doesn’t like me? Were you even listening?’
Wow, look at how honest her face is.
To be fair, her reaction was understandable.
The image of the princess openly displaying her displeasure toward Diana flashed through my mind.
“You’ll show her what you’re capable of, so she won’t dare covet the Grand Duchess’ position!”
“But why would I need to—”
“It’s the perfect chance to make it clear. Think about it: Diana Lawrence has been in the Nomos Empire for over two and a half years. She wouldn’t know the current state of affairs between the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess, would she? This is where you make a grand entrance and overwhelm her with a sense of defeat!”
Hmm.
It didn’t seem like the princess was just mildly displeased; it was more serious than that.
But surely, once Diana declared her independence and distanced herself from Ian, it would be a situation we could resolve.
Besides, I still had the favor I secured with the princess just for a moment like this.
I smiled faintly.
“You just said it yourself, didn’t you? The princess’ approval is key to starting trends.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Then trust me. I have a great plan in mind.”
All the effort I’d put into running around tirelessly these past few months might finally pay off.
Diana blinked rapidly, as if she couldn’t figure out what I was thinking. Then, she smiled brightly.
“All right. If Your Grace insists, I’ll trust you.”
Her face, which had been full of concern just moments ago, suddenly lit up with confidence.
Her unwavering gaze showed complete faith in me.
‘Does she trust me too much?’
Somehow, I felt like she had always seen me in an overly favorable light since we first met in the Nomos Empire.
But then again, who was I to complain?
‘Well… it’s not like it’s an impossible task.’
As I silently resolved to contact the princess as soon as I returned, Diana suddenly seemed to remember something.
“Oh, right! I was supposed to give this to you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s what I mentioned in my letter. You said you were researching various types of magic.”
“…Ah, yes. That’s right. I had my reasons for that.”
While I calculated how to explain myself in case she pried too much, Diana seemed to sense my hesitation and quickly added, “Don’t worry, I have no intention of prying into the Grand Duke’s household affairs. I just thought it might be related to Your Grace and wanted to be of help.”
“Hm?”
“After all, there’s no way Lord Cloud would be interested in magic.”
She shrugged as she spoke.
Fair enough. Ian Cloud being interested in magic was indeed unthinkable.
Diana suddenly extended an item toward me.
“I once heard that the grandmother of a classmate I collaborated with on a graduation project was quite knowledgeable in that field. I reached out this morning on a whim, and they passed this along to me. I’m not sure if it’ll be helpful, but here it is.”
She smiled playfully.
“By the way, this is a bribe. I have a feeling I’ll need Your Grace’s help often in the future.”
“A bribe, huh.”
I stared at the heroine, who was blatantly calling her gift a bribe, slightly taken aback. Then I lowered my gaze to the item in her hands.
The moment I saw it, my eyes widened.
‘Wait, this is….’
It was something I was very familiar with.
• • •
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