“What?”
“M-Madam!”
From both sides, I could hear the voices of Vivi and Madame Zed in a surround sound.
“Did I hear you correctly? You said you’d buy all the dresses in the shop?”
“If your ears aren’t failing you.”
Upon hearing my confirmation, her face turned as white as a sheet of paper. She stared at me blankly and even pinched her own cheek lightly.
“Ouch!”
Oof, that must’ve hurt. She probably pinched herself too hard. Unlike me, who sighed quietly, Madame Zed still seemed to be in a daze.
Out of consideration for her, I decided to wait patiently until she gathered her senses. After all, it was understandable to be surprised by such a sudden offer.
How long had it been?
Madame Zed, seemingly realizing this was indeed reality, asked me in a trembling voice,
“Is there a reason why…?”
“Does a lady need a reason to buy a dress?”
“No, it’s not that….”
“I really came here to buy your dresses.”
“Haaah…”
At my repeated confirmation, Madame Zed gasped, her breath catching in her throat.
If I emphasized it once more, she might faint.
She kept glancing between me and her dresses, clearly still in disbelief.
Then, cautiously, she asked,
“In that case… what parts of the design would you like to have altered…?”
Her voice was filled with caution.
Typically, noble ladies are notorious for being extremely particular, requesting modifications down to the lace or ribbon. This was the main reason Madame Zed’s shop had been relegated to the back alleys.
She took great pride in her designs, which often led her to refuse requests for alterations from others. In short, her stubbornness had caused her downfall.
‘For her to be asking me this now, she must really be in dire straits.’
Pride means nothing when faced with financial hardship, after all.
As proof, Madame Zed was bracing herself for whatever I might say, a look of determination in her eyes.
Glancing indifferently at the dresses, I shrugged.
“There’s no need for any design changes. Just adjust them to fit my measurements.”
“No changes… at all?”
“That’s right.”
I answered indifferently.
‘Whatever it is, it’ll be better than what’s currently in Eloise’s wardrobe.’
Eloise was the kind of woman who’d shamelessly wear a dress over ten years old just because it hadn’t fallen apart yet.
Of course, with a face like hers, she could pull off anything.
‘And yet, she managed to maintain her status as the belle of the social scene with that kind of attitude.’
The more I learned about her, the more impressed I was.
Perhaps she truly believed that fashion’s ultimate accessory was a beautiful face.
Anyway, unlike Eloise’s usual fashion choices, the dresses before me were all so extravagant that it was hard to make heads or tails of them.
“I trust your sense of style.”
Madame Zed gasped again, taking a sharp breath.
For a moment, I thought she might faint, but this time it was different.
Her eyes suddenly began to shine brightly.
She looked incredibly moved.
‘Looks like I’ve hit the mark.’
Swallowing my satisfaction, I leisurely turned to Vivi.
“I’ll settle the payment right away. Vivi?”
At my call, Vivi, who had been standing a step behind me, handed over a blank check with trembling hands.
Her expression was one of hesitation, as if to say, ‘This doesn’t seem right….’
Without hesitation, I snatched the blank check and handed it to Madame Zed.
“Write down the price and bill it to the Grand Duchy. Don’t leave out a single item.”
“Ahhh…”
The moment Madame Zed received the check stamped with the Grand Duchy’s golden seal, all the color drained from her face.
Her hands shook as she nervously accepted the check.
“Have the dresses tailored to my measurements and sent to the Grand Duchy in a week.”
“Yes… yes.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“I plan to continue using this dress shop, so you might want to be certain of my measurements.”
Madame Zed’s eyes lit up at my words.
“I-I’ll do my utmost to serve you!”
Madame Zed carefully placed the check in her safe, then rushed over to me with a measuring tape in hand.
“Let’s begin taking your measurements.”
At that moment, I saw it clearly.
In her brown eyes, which had been dull until now, a sharp and cunning glint had appeared.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had looked so defeated just moments ago.
Madame Zed started circling me with her measuring tape.
“Your Grace has such long arms and straight shoulders. You’d look beautiful in an off-shoulder dress. My goodness, your waist is so well-defined! You have the figure of a spinal beauty!”
‘What even is a “spinal beauty” anyway?’
Once Madame Zed started talking, she couldn’t seem to stop.
She rambled on about my natural physique and how I could pull off any fabric effortlessly.
‘There’s definitely some flattery mixed in, but….’
Leaving that aside, Madame Zed genuinely seemed excited.
Perhaps I had gone too far, I thought, as regret started creeping in. But before I could dwell on it too long, the measuring finally ended.
It had taken a full 30 minutes.
“That should do it. I’ll deliver a dress that fits Your Grace perfectly.”
“That’s music to my ears.”
“I will have the dresses delivered within a week.”
Madame Zed’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
She was completely hooked now.
Indeed, in this world, nothing beats money when it comes to getting what you want.
But was this the end?
‘Of course not.’
As stubborn as she was, Madame Zed was also overflowing with loyalty. She was already halfway to becoming my ally.
But for the sake of my dear Diana, I needed to make sure.
“Vivi?”
“Yes?”
“There’s one more thing we prepared, isn’t there?”
“Yes, Madam. Here it is!”
Gracefully, I extended one hand, and Vivi promptly produced another blank check she had been holding onto.
I handed it over to Madame Zed without hesitation.
“What… what is this…?”
With not one, but two blank checks in her hands, Madame Zed’s face paled further, and she looked as though she was on the verge of fainting.
Why was she so shocked by something like this?
I was the Grand Duchess, after all.
“Write whatever amount you desire. It doesn’t matter how many zeroes you add.”
“What?”
I smiled at her with the utmost grace.
“From now on, I will sponsor your dress shop. In the name of the Grand Duchess.”
There, the finishing touch.
❖ ❖ ❖
“Then, Your Grace, please take care!”
Madame Zed was practically treating me like a saint as I left the shop, probably because of the two checks I had thrown at her.
She kept saying she had no idea such a noble person existed, and that meeting the Grand Duchess was the greatest fortune of her life.
I waved at her nonchalantly as she was already on her twenty-eighth bow.
“See you then.”
“Thank you, thank you! Grand Duchess!”
Her spine is going to snap.
The door opened with a jingle, and I stepped outside.
‘I’ve pretty much made her my own at this point.’
Now I’ll use her as my informant for a while, and as soon as Diana returns, I’ll connect her with Zed’s dress shop.
A proud smile spread across my face.
‘My favorite! May she walk only on flower paths!’
I walked briskly, humming a little tune.
“Vivi, since we’re out, let’s go for a little walk before we go back.”
♧♧♧
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