Episode 43

“Over here! This way!”

“Send that bouquet over there!”

The Reinhardt manor was in a frenzy of activity.

With less than two days remaining until Aria’s debutante ball, decorations were constantly being brought into the manor. The arrangements were made of freesias and lilies.

‘They must have chosen these with the Empress Dowager in mind.’

More specifically, with an eye on her favor toward the Crown Prince.

In any case, I wasn’t in charge of organizing Aria’s debutante. My role had already ended. The Duke seemed satisfied that Chris had been prevented from becoming Aria’s partner.

‘Which means I don’t have to worry about being dragged into anything else.’

But there was one thing that kept bothering me.

The day after I returned from selecting the debutante jewelry with Chris, I received a gift box delivered to me in secret.

Inside the box was a brooch adorned with a magnificent yellow diamond.

Along with it was a brief note.

To Lady Reinhardt.

I await the day when I can return your handkerchief.

There was no signature, but it was obvious who the sender was—the Crown Prince.

“The audacity.”

An anonymous gift, no less.

This kind of gesture was usually reserved for mistresses or other delicate situations between high-ranking nobles or royalty.

‘The nerve of him, not even trying to hide that he considers me nothing more than a passing fancy.’

To top it off, the back of the brooch was engraved with an initial. Just one letter: ‘A.’ It was likely a reference to the Crown Prince’s name.

The fact that he hadn’t chosen a new piece but instead given me something of his own made his intentions clear…

‘But it’s hardly a jewel suitable for commemorating a fresh start at a debutante.’

As I shook my head lightly, heading toward my room, I passed by Aria’s toilette room.

“How could you do this?!”

A voice filled with despair echoed out—a voice so laden with emotion that anyone who heard it would have to turn around.

Even I couldn’t resist and found myself stopping.

“How could you, brother…”

“Aria!”

“You told me it was a secret and wouldn’t let me see it, so I was looking forward to it!”

The anguish in her voice was so palpable that it made my heart ache as well.

Slowly, I stepped into the toilette room.

Countess Claire, Lady Ellie, and the maids all wore expressions of shock as they looked at Aria and Servi.

Servi hastily spoke up.

“I’m sorry. As the young master, I had too much on my mind.”

“This was too much, Lord Servi,” even Countess Claire, who was an outsider, spoke with a voice full of concern.

“How could you forget the debutante dress for the debutante herself?”

As soon as I heard this, I realized a major disaster had occurred.

‘Servi forgot something like that?’

He must have been preoccupied with something serious. The only thing that could have disrupted Servi recently was…

‘Was it because of the Oracle’s visit?’

As I pondered, the conversation continued.

“Why can’t you find a dress designer immediately?”

“That’s right. For Lady Aria’s debutante, designers would jump at the chance!”

“…They’re all fully booked. And the fabric supply is…”

It seemed that with the entire nation’s young ladies commissioning new dresses for Aria’s debutante, there were no designers or high-quality fabrics left to make Aria’s dress.

‘Even if they tried to cancel other reservations now, it would be difficult to get her dress made.’

A debutante dress is crafted with the finest materials and meticulous attention over a long period.

Now, with less than two days left until the debutante, it would be almost impossible to create a dress that was both fashionable and elaborate without the right materials.

‘Any designer who takes on this task and fails would only harm their reputation.’

Servi spoke again, his voice heavy with regret.

“I assumed my steward would handle the request… It’s my fault. I’ll have him flogged and dismissed.”

Shifting blame onto his subordinate was typical of Servi, just as he had done to me before.

Aria was nearly collapsed on the floor.

Finally, a long, heart-wrenching sob escaped from her. It was a pitiful sound.

“How could you, brother? How could you…?”

“Miss, please don’t cry.”

Everyone was at a loss, unsure how to console Aria.

I watched the scene for a moment before stepping forward. Servi was the first to notice my presence, and he flinched.

“You—how dare you show up here…?”

Ignoring Servi, I spoke directly to Aria.

“Mindia?”

Aria looked up at me, her eyes full of uncertainty. I met her gaze steadily.

As I thought about my own miserable debutante, I couldn’t help but feel that perhaps it was only fitting for Aria to face some adversity at her own. But at the same time, I wondered if it was truly right for her to bear the full brunt of this misfortune.

After all, I knew all too well how painful that feeling could be.

‘Besides, she did give me her dress when I needed it.’

I softened my expression as much as I could and smiled gently. The maids quickly lashed out at me.

“Are you here to gloat? To mock Miss Aria?”

“You stole her partner, and now this!”

“That’s not it.”

I knelt down to make eye contact with Aria. I could see the anxiety reflected in her eyes.

“I still have the dress I wore for my debutante.”

“You do?”

The maids frowned again, but I hurried to explain.

“I’m not suggesting you wear it as is. It’s not exactly the best dress.”

The Duke had certainly not given me a dress of the highest quality for my debutante. Only certain parts of it were of good quality.

If he had given me something better at the time…

‘Then it would be a dress that Aria wouldn’t be ashamed to wear now.’

The maids, knowing this fact, still looked at me with distrust. Countess Claire and Lady Ellie also watched me closely.

“I’ll ask Lady Helena to help with the dress.”

“Lady Helena?”

“The Stein family owns several salons and boutiques.”

I had recently heard rumors that Count Stein had gone missing. Helena would likely be in a good mood now.

‘She should be willing to do me this favor.’

“We can take the good fabric from my debutante dress and combine it with the fabric from another of your dresses to create a custom gown.”

“…”

“Since it’s just a matter of matching the existing fabric to a pattern, if all the designers in the boutique work together, they could finish it in a day.”

“You’re suggesting that Lady Aria wear a patched-up dress…?”

“It’s the Orland fashion trend. It’ll probably become popular in the Empire next season.”

I firmly stated, countering the maid’s insulted expression.

Orland was a small southern kingdom, but it was known for leading fashion trends across the continent.

Trends that began in Orland usually spread to the Empire shortly after.

I knew this because I had already lived through this period before. Around this time, Orland’s textile industry had been severely impacted by floods.

Orland tried to turn this crisis into an opportunity.

To demonstrate frugality and set an example, they made a trend of deconstructing existing dresses and reassembling them like patchwork.

What had once been rags when worn by the poor were transformed by the hands of Orland’s artisans and sophisticated designs into stunningly beautiful fashion.

“And how can we trust your word!”

“Actually… it seems like a good idea.”

Surprisingly, it was Countess Claire who spoke in my favor.

‘I knew she would.’

Countess Claire, like Count Stein, was a shrewd businesswoman and a major player in society. She had a talent for predicting the next big trends.

She likely knew about Orland’s fashion trend herself.

“Although the trend is just beginning…”

“I agree as wel.”

Lady Ellie added. With both chaperones nodding in agreement, the maids’ eyes widened.

“But, madams…”

“I’ve heard that in Orland, chaperones contribute pieces of their own garments to match the young lady’s patchwork dress. I happen to have some fine fabric from a dress I wore in my youth. Lady Ellie?”

“I do as well, of course.”

With Countess Claire taking the lead, the maids and Servi fell silent. Aria still seemed confused, though.

“Mindia?”

“Don’t worry. Helena knows the perfect designer for this,” I reassured Aria. As I spoke, I could feel Countess Claire looking at me with a newfound curiosity, as if reevaluating me.

“I’ll ask them to add pink accents to match your brooch.”

I comforted Aria with these words before rising to my feet. Servi, still seething with anger, glared at me, but I ignored him.

As I walked out of the toilette room, filled with a strange mix of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness, I wasn’t surprised when Servi followed me out.

“What are you trying to do?”

“I’m simply helping Aria as a fellow noblewoman.”

“You…”

Servi bit his lip, his distaste for me obvious. I looked at him with a smirk and whispered,

“By the way, Lord Servi, wouldn’t it be a good idea to write a letter to His Highness the Crown Prince, requesting him as Aria’s partner, while she’s still too distracted?”

“How dare you…!”

“You nearly ruined Aria’s debutante dress. Do you want her to hate you?”

I watched as Servi’s fists trembled with rage, finding the sight amusing.

“I, on the other hand, need to go try on my debutante dress. I ordered it well in advance. It won’t be as grand as Aria’s, of course.”

Servi finally fell silent, storming past me with heavy footsteps. As he did, he made sure to bump my shoulder hard.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in my shoulder, I just smiled.

“At least do the rest of your duties well if you want to be considered a proper brother.”

Not that I ever had a proper brother myself.

I needed to prepare as well. I headed to my room.

The room where the brooch Chris gave me awaited.