“Well, has the misunderstanding been cleared up? Although it took some time, we did have our reasons…”
At that, Kayan let out a small laugh and said, “You still think I’m a joke, don’t you?”
Though the tone was harsher, it carried a similar meaning to, “Do you still think I’m easy to manipulate?”
Truly, Kayan was undoubtedly a rare genius. His ability to adapt and apply lessons so effortlessly made me want to applaud him.
While the information guildmaster flinched and fidgeted with his fingers, the dressmaker Madame from the Laisano Tailors stepped forward this time.
“Ahem, we also have a matter to discuss.”
The Laisano dressmaker was a middle-aged woman, forcing a strained smile as she cautiously inquired,
“By any chance, are you the one who informed the press that our atelier received 5 billion gold to design outfits for the Barcklith Viscounty?”
Three billion gold as a down payment, with an additional two billion on top…
Unbelievable.
Even though I had once been a princess with no concept of budgeting due to my abundant private funds, not even in both my lifetimes combined had I spent that much on clothing.
Hearing it out loud made my blood pressure rise, despite already knowing the facts.
This time, too, Kayan calmly retorted with another question, “And what if I am?”
The Madame, her voice trembling, asked again, “So, um… are you really planning to let the press publish an article about the clothes we delivered last time? Surely you’re joking… right?”
“You still think I’m a joke, don’t you?”
At Kayan’s words, the Madame’s face turned ghostly pale.
“Hans, go to every newspaper and magazine in the city immediately,” I had instructed. “Tell them that the Barcklith Viscounty commissioned exclusive outfits from one atelier, paying a total of 5 billion gold.”
“What? Is that even newsworthy?”
“The Barcklith family is the first commoner-born nobility in nearly a hundred years. The fact that they spent 5 billion gold on clothes is, of course, a headline-worthy story.”
The media would naturally have flocked to Laisano Tailors, as such a lavish expenditure—whether it was for breathtakingly luxurious garments or outdated and garish outfits—was bound to stir up sensational gossip.
“But… why would we do that? Isn’t it embarrassing to admit we were scammed? Shouldn’t we desperately hide it?” Hans had protested.
“Yes, it does affect Barcklith ’s reputation,” I admitted.
“Then why…?”
“Because their livelihood depends on it.”
If the Laisano Tailors’s dealings became public, they’d undoubtedly be labeled as scammers.
Even if they tried to justify it by saying, ‘We were just playing around because it was Barcklith!’ it wouldn’t matter.
People might smile and respond with, ‘Oh, what a charming little prank!’ but inside, they’d be thinking, ‘I hope they don’t pull a stunt like that on me.’
The Madame pleaded desperately, “Young Lord, can’t you reconsider doing the interview? It wouldn’t even be good for Barcklith… The media loves sensational stories and will surely take the chance to criticize your family.”
Kayan rose slowly to his feet and replied, “I’m tired of listening to this nonsense.”
Brilliant! His adaptability was exceptional to the very end.
I had taught him to say, “I’m done dealing with you.” And here he was, flawlessly delivering it! Teaching him felt so rewarding.
Kayan abruptly left the drawing room, exactly as I had trained him to do.
“Oh no, what do we do now?”
The moment Kayan left, the Madame looked on the verge of tears.
“If he really does an interview with the media… It seems like he’d actually go through with it, no matter how much Barcklith might suffer for it!”
The Red Falcon guildmaster wasn’t much different. He rubbed his temples, clearly distressed.
“I thought they’d just request help from other guilds. But spreading rumors like this? If they’d approached two or three guilds and failed, that’d be one thing, but this is fatal… Singling us out as the only ones who couldn’t deliver? It’s devastating.”
Now, it was my turn to act.
I grinned and clicked my heels as I strolled confidently into the room, pretending I’d just stumbled upon the guests.
“Pardon me, but I couldn’t help overhearing something.”
Everyone jumped to their feet in shock, hastily bowing.
“We… we greet the Star of the Empire.”
“It is a tremendous honor to meet the radiant Star of the Empire.”
Of course, it was their first time meeting me, but my face had already been splashed across countless newspapers.
Even just walking down the street, many people would recognize me. My appearance and lineage were distinctive enough to make that inevitable.
Since I hadn’t been in the Barcklith manor long, it seemed word of my presence hadn’t yet reached the information guilds. I had also been moving discreetly due to the nature of my punishment.
“Why is the Princess here…?”
They exchanged uneasy glances, clearly worried I might be angry.
The truth was, since I rarely left the palace, no one in the capital really knew my personality.
“Oh, this is just so sad,” I said with a hint of amusement.
I put on a sorrowful expression and replied in a roundabout way.
“It’s so sad to see people in conflict over just a little bit of money. I wish we could all laugh together and resolve this with smiles and goodwill.”
“Ah, ahaha. Yes, indeed.”
“Fighting is a bad thing, isn’t it? Everyone should take a step back, make compromises, and reconcile beautifully. Oh dear, how unfortunate.”
When I pouted with an innocent expression, I sensed a faint flinch from Kayan, who was still hiding.
On the other hand, the two people in front of me visibly relaxed, unable to hide their belief that “The young princess is just a naïve and kind-hearted little fool, completely out of touch with reality.”
“But you know, Kayan isn’t the type to ever take back what he says.”
I tilted my head slightly and casually added, “So, how about this idea? It’s something I might be able to convince him to cooperate with.”
“What do you mean?”
“To ensure the worst doesn’t happen, why not just… change the facts?”
The two blinked in confusion.
“What… do you mean by that?”
This was where it truly began.
And within mere hours, the Barcklith estate started to change.
***
4- A Proper Noble
The solution I proposed to the dressmaker Madame and the guildmaster was simple:
“The rumor about not catching the scammer? Then just make it so the Barcklith family wasn’t scammed in the first place.”
“Worried about the 5 billion gold clothing being exposed to the press? Then make 5 billion gold worth of clothes to show off. You never said the ones made so far were the only ones, did you?”
And so, by that afternoon, the first person to return to the estate was the dressmaker.
“Oh-hohoho! Lord Kayan, please, stand here for a moment. Yes, yes, right there. Perfect!”
Kayan looked utterly alarmed. It was clearly his first time facing people armed with measuring tapes instead of swords.
The Madame skillfully took his measurements and quickly withdrew.
“Well, I’ll be sending the clothes over shortly.”
“What clothes?”
“Your clothes, my lord! Oh-hohoho, you ordered 5 billion gold worth, so naturally, we must deliver even more! It’s just that we were so busy with prior orders that we hadn’t had time until now!”
She then whispered to her staff, “Fortunately, he has an excellent frame. With the right outfits, he’ll look quite dashing. This is our chance to really make a name for ourselves.”
As I watched the Madame swiftly disappear, I smirked inwardly.
“Now they’ll do their absolute best. If the media catches wind of their skills, it’ll only benefit them in the end.”
The Madame clearly wasn’t concerned about Kayan’s opinion. Her goal was simply to create outfits that would leave a lasting impression.
“This works out perfectly.”
I couldn’t have been more satisfied. “Her taste is far more reliable than Kayan’s.”
In noble society, appearances mattered greatly. Strolling the streets in ridiculous outfits while whining, “Why won’t anyone treat me like a noble?” would only make one look more foolish.
“What on earth is happening…?”
Kayan looked utterly bewildered, but that wasn’t the end of it.
“Hahaha! Greetings!”
As soon as the Madame disappeared, the infamous real estate scammer arrived—this time accompanied by a team of skilled workers.
□ ■ □ ■ □
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