Episode 53
It was shabby, not unlike the dresses that surrounded it.
“Ah.”
I walked up to it and took it.
“These are the things I brought with me when I first came here.”
“Must be valuable.”
“Nothing that costs much. Just look at the bag and you’ll know.”
The bag had a padlock, but it didn’t have anything valuable inside.
“Anyway, as a lady of the Ifrit Ducal House, I think this is too much.”
I couldn’t help but smile when I heard the words ‘Lady of the Ducal House.’
“This one, that one, and this one, too. They are all old-fashioned clothes with simple styles.”
Rona used a whiny voice to point out each dress.
“I don’t have anywhere to go anyways.”
I replied in a casual way, but Rona’s face soon became sad.
“Because the Master is sick,” she said.
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
Rona doesn’t know that the whole thing started with a contract.
What I should be doing in this house is having a child, not going to parties.
Dresses with jewels, lace, and frills looked fancy, but they were not very useful.
They were dresses that could be worn to the court, to night balls, or to other events with a lot of people.
For me, who stays in the ducal house all day, these clothes were neither right for the time nor the place.
Even Camilla doesn’t wear dresses that fancy in the house.
“Even when she’s inside the mansion, the Mistress wears such beautiful clothes.”
“You’re right.”
Camilla made sure her style didn’t lose its dignity and grace by wearing elegant, well-kept dresses inside with the right accessories.
“When did you last get fitted for dresses?”
“Um… well, it was before you came…”
I used my fingers to count the days. Rona’s face showed more and more surprise.
“It’s okay, they can all stll be worn.”
“But still…”
When I saw Rona’s sad face, I felt uncomfortable.
“Should we finally get some new clothes made?”
Rona’s face lit up as soon as she heard those words.
“Yes! I’ll call them as soon as possible!”
“…Right away?”
“Of course. I’ll get in touch with the designer who only makes clothes for the Mistress.”
“Ah, no….”
I was going to tell her not to. Camilla might make a scene if she found out I was getting clothes made at the same seamstress she goes to.
‘Who are you to say that?’
The sound that echoed was loud and clear. I was worried, so I stood up to stop Rona.
Rona, however, had already run away.
* * *
“What the hell…”
A short time later, I was in the waiting room, facing the staff from the dressmaker, and I couldn’t believe what I saw.
“Isn’t it really pretty, my lady?”
“Yes, but…”
There are dresses here and there. Everything in the room was a dress.
That wasn’t all, though. It looked like they brought in a whole dressmaker’s shop, and I was blown away.
“It’s nice to meet you, Duchess Ifrit. I’m Paula, and I’m the dressmaker’s head designer. Please look around at your own pace.”
Paula then started excitedly to talk about the different fabrics, decorations, and patterns she had laid out.
Each thing that was shown was clearly expensive and high-end.
I got so caught up in the show that I forgot what time it was.
“I thought Duchess Ifrit wanted clothes, so I thought Camilla had called. I took these things to Camilla.”
“…”
I quickly looked in the direction of where Rona was. When I thought about how Camilla might have responded, my vision suddenly blurred.
“The Mistress told me to make everything her daughter-in-law wants, since she’ll be paying for it herself. I really want to be you.”
“Ah, yes.”
In any case, I was known as the sick Duke’s wife.
Camilla couldn’t have said to take back all the clothes because it would look bad.
“But this makes it possible for me to meet the Duchess in person. I was interested. It looks like you don’t do anything with other people”
…And this was exactly what I was afraid would happen.
“I really am not interested.”
“Ah, I see. Good health to His Lordship…”
Paula put her hand over her mouth and she now looked crestfallen.
“That’s not the only reason. Just… it doesn’t fit me very well.”
Even as I said it, I knew it was a weak reason.
“If His Lordship had been a little bit healthier, he could have come with you to our tailor.”
Paula said sadly.
“Even more dresses are there. Please come see us sometime, and it would be even better if you both did.”
“Both of us…?”
I knew that guys sometimes went with women to the tailor, but I didn’t know it was so common.
“What did you think? It’s cool for women to go to the tailor with their husbands these days. They pick out clothes together and show off their money.”
“I see.”
I smiled slightly and then changed the subject.
“Well, I can’t try all of these anyway…”
There were too many dresses for me to try on all of them when Paula showed them to me.
Paula snapped her hands when I told her to.
“Ah, we’ve made samples to make things easier.”
“Samples?”
At Paula’s request, one of the people helping her brought over one of the bags they had set aside.
“What’s this?”
When she opened the bag, I found dolls inside.
The dolls looked like people because they had eyes, noses, mouths, hair, eyelashes, and limbs. They also wore the same clothes that Paula had shown me earlier.
“They’re so cute and pretty. And so specific!”
Rona said in admiration, Paula answered by shrugging her shoulders.
“Putting on and taking off clothes isn’t something most people do. We thought of this idea to save time.”
“Great idea.”
I started putting clothes on the dolls with a smile, and Rona, caught up in the fun, helped me switch out the clothes. Time went fast.
At first, Rona was the one who started it with a lot of enthusiasm, but soon I was just as interested.
I hadn’t picked out clothes at my own pace in a long time, and it was fun to get lost in playing with dolls.
This helped me briefly forget about Amoide’s cold stare and what had happened that night.
“Okay, I’ve made my decisions.”
After making my choice from the many dresses, I let out a sigh of relief, as if I had just finished a big job.
“Is that all? Really?”
Rona looked at me with eyes that were wide with surprise.
“Yes.”
“You’re not getting more?”
Rona’s face fell when I gave her a short answer.
“What else do I need? I picked thirty dresses already. Is that not enough?”
“But all of those are for everyday use!”
Like to say, ‘So what?’ I nodded my head.
“Why don’t you go get dresses for the ball?”
Rona said as if she didn’t know what was going on.
“My lady is too frugal.”
“It has nothing to do with being cheap.”
Everyone has the same kind of eyes. What I find pretty and nice is usually nice and pretty to other people as well.
It all comes down to personal taste. I also knew what was expensive and nice because of this.
But I don’t want them.
Those clothes are for Amoide’s real wife, whom he will one day bring.
This is what the real Duchess Ifrit would wear, not a pretender like me.
“Why don’t you buy dresses for the ball? The evening dresses and riding dresses are both so beautiful!”
Rona looked at all of the model dresses and stomped her feet.
“I don’t have any reason to go there.”
I didn’t belong at outdoor tea parties, dazzling balls, banquets in the middle of the night, or the ladies’ riding grounds, and I never will.
“Those dresses don’t need to be there.”
I said, shortening it.
“But…”
Rona muttered, and it sounded like she was upset.
“That’s enough.”
“…Yes.”
Rona nodded, and Paula, who had been watching us argue, came up to us with a smile.
“I’ll make sure all the clothes you ordered get to you on time. Sign here, please.”
I took a moment to look at the proof of my dress order that Paula gave me.
“What should my name be?”
Paula looked at me with interest as I held the pen without saying anything.
“Duchess?”
“Oh, I just didn’t know what to write,” I said.
“You can put your name on it. You can write Selene Ifrit or Duchess Ifrit.”
Paula’s suggestive names aren’t mine.
In fact, the last time I signed something was on my marriage certificate two years ago.
I hadn’t done anything legal as the Duchess, and I hadn’t even gone out or bought anything under my own name.
So, I never had the need to sign anything as the ‘Duchess’.
‘Selene Ifrit.’
I felt like I shouldn’t use that name for some reason.
But I didn’t want to just write Selene. I picked ‘Duchess Ifrit’ in the end.
“Are you letting me use this signature?”
Even though I was signing in a strange way, Paula was able to understand what I was saying.
“Oh, do you have Camilla in mind? There are two Duchess Ifrit right now, which can be confusing at first, but you’ll get used to it.”
“I’ll get used to it?”
“Duchess is how most people greet the wife of the current head of the house. People often call the mother ‘Lady.’”
Paula’s words had a strange ability to make people agree with them.
After she told me that, I didn’t think about it anymore.
It turned out to be more important than I thought to have someone else back up what I thought.
‘Well, sure. I just need to use it for a little while. It should work out.’
After all, I’m briefly enjoying my status, even if I’m getting bad treatment.
