BCOM 24

Chapter 24

This wasn’t the kind of reaction I was expecting when I mentioned my name… now things felt a bit awkward. I could sense the young ladies inside sneaking glances, watching the situation.

If I’d known it would turn out like this, I wouldn’t have mentioned my name at all.

Still, it seemed like an odd time to say anything more, so I let it drop. Once I stepped further inside, I saw even more dresses displayed. The colors and designs were quite varied, and most were extravagant.

“To think that you would honor our shop with your visit! Thank you so much, Lady Riserne!”

The shopkeeper in the orange dress kept attaching her name to every sentence, speaking with almost tearful gratitude.

One of the young ladies across the room was browsing dresses without any attendant helping her. She had already picked out three and was carefully comparing them. Why wasn’t anyone assisting her?

“Madame Romonde? It looks like there’s a young lady who arrived before me and has been waiting?”

“…Pardon?”

The orange-dressed Romonde, who had been chattering non-stop about what types of dresses they had and which would suit her, blinked as if she hadn’t even considered that.

Agnes gazed at her steadily before shifting her eyes over Romonde’s shoulder. The young lady with three dresses laid out in front of her, who had been sneaking glances this way, startled and quickly turned her head.

“Ah… ha ha, yes, you’re right…”

Romonde had been watching Agnes closely, trying to gauge her true intention, but when Agnes showed no sign of moving, she realized that she truly meant it. With a small bow, she hurried over to attend the other young lady.

“Honestly, she barely gives you room to breathe.”

Tarin, who had been observing from behind, muttered under her breath. It was one thing for a shopkeeper to guide a customer, but Romonde had been overwhelming her—cutting her off before she could even glance around or say what she wanted.

“But the dresses are well made. Look at this one!”

Soon after, Tarin’s energy returned. She bustled about, picking up dresses one by one, and held up a blue-tinged gown.

“You’re right. That’s nicely made.”

Agnes nodded. The designs were elaborate, and some were overly adorned with ornaments, which wasn’t her taste—but Tarin understood her preferences better than Romonde had.

“Tarin, you seem to know my taste much better than Romonde. Do you think that one would suit a banquet?”

Most of the dresses were more extravagant than she expected. Even the three that the other young lady had chosen were far too flashy for her liking.

Memorable, yes—but in the wrong way.

“Hm… it’s less flashy than the others, but my lady, you don’t need something overly dazzling. Your beauty is already radiant enough.”

Such embarrassing words made both of their faces warm. Agnes rolled her eyes to avoid reacting and kept her gaze on the dress.

Meanwhile, another young lady entered the shop. The gentle sound of fabric swishing and attendants speaking carried through the peaceful atmosphere.

“I can’t wait for the banquet! You’ll look wonderful!”

“Please make the alterations quickly! I’ll be waiting.”

“Of course, don’t worry. Goodbye, my lady!”

The young lady Romonde had been helping found a dress she liked and left the shop, satisfied.

It was finally Agnes’s turn.

Romonde, smiling brightly, strode back toward her and immediately thrust a gaudy dress into her arms.

But just then, the chime of the shop’s door rang again.

“Lady of the Shingo Duchy is here. Is Romonde inside?”

Agnes felt a shiver crawl up her spine. Ugh, what was that? Entering while announcing your own name like that—so corny it made her skin crawl.

Romonde hesitated. Agnes had told her to attend the customers in order, which meant prioritizing her over whoever arrived later. But the new arrival was a duke’s daughter.

“Romonde? Why are you dawdling there? Come help me choose my dress, quickly.”

The Shingo duchy’s young lady stepped inside, standing at the entrance with an air that she would not take another step until Romonde came to her.

“…Hmm.”

Agnes wavered. She could wait a bit longer, and she didn’t mind browsing on her own. The duchess’s daughter, on the other hand, probably expected to be guided by the shop’s attendants.

“Romonde, go ahead. I’ll keep looking around on my own.”

Romonde, still frozen in place, looked relieved. She bowed deeply to show her gratitude before hurrying over to the duchess’s daughter.

“Why did you let her cut in? You could have told her to wait her turn,” Tarin pouted.

Agnes understood her frustration, but she didn’t want her first outing to the city’s shopping district to end in noisy conflict.

She thought the shop’s peace would continue. With Tarin’s help, she chose two dresses and selected some accessories.

The final step was to try them on and note where alterations were needed, which required assistance from a clerk or the shopkeeper. But for that, she had to wait until Romonde finished…

“What’s this? Don’t you have anything better?”

The argument continued on the other side.

The Shingo duchess’s daughter was still ordering Romonde to bring out new dresses. At this rate, she’d ransacked a third of the shop. On top of that, she was trying on every single one.

“She’s making such a mess just to buy a single dress,” Tarin muttered, unable to hold back harsh words.

“Hey, you there. Come over and help me too. Find me a dress that suits me. At this rate, the sun will set before I’m done.”

As if that weren’t enough, she even tried to drag over the attendant who was helping another young lady.

By now, Agnes’s patience was at its limit.

“I was already generous enough to give up my turn. Isn’t that sufficient? Why must even this clerk be taken away? This is too much.”

She had tried to let things slide, but this so-called duchess’s daughter knew no bounds. Not only was she wasting Agnes’s time by monopolizing Romonde, but now she was trying to steal the other attendant too.

Agnes was not known for being endlessly patient.

“What? And who do you think you are, to speak to me like that? Which young lady are you?”

The duchess’s daughter sneered, glaring sharply. It wasn’t charisma like Teowin’s—it was just sharpness born of arrogance.

She didn’t even bother to ask which family Agnes belonged to, as if all other noble ladies were beneath her. She ignored Agnes’s point about order and focused only on the fact that someone dared contradict her.

“Oh my, are you scared now that you’ve spoken up?”

Her mocking tone was accompanied by a smirk, making her pretty face all the more irritating. She wasn’t standing up for justice—just acting spoiled.

“I yielded once because you are a duchess’s daughter. But I will not yield again. Romonde is yours to command—but that attendant is assigned to me and this young lady.”

“What?”

The duchess’s daughter blinked, clearly not expecting such a firm reply.

“Perhaps at home, raising your voice got you whatever you wanted. But this is outside. As a duchess’s daughter, shouldn’t you maintain your dignity?”

Agnes hadn’t been ordered to uphold “dignity,” but her love for her family naturally extended into a desire to protect her house’s honor.

Did this duchess’s daughter not feel the same—not even a little?

Agnes stepped closer and closer, locking eyes with her. She didn’t avoid the sharp glare but met it head-on.

“W-what are you doing?”

The duchess’s daughter began to retreat, unnerved by Agnes’s unwavering stare. She hadn’t expected her opponent to stand firm, and each step Agnes took forward forced her to step back.

“Lady Shingo, will you take back your words?”

Agnes didn’t let it slide. She closed the distance until she was right in front of her and asked again—would she retract what she said?

In the thickening tension, the duchess’s daughter could only swallow dryly before muttering a faint “…Fine.”

It was Agnes who had forced her to retract it, who had compelled her to back down.

Though the Shingo duchess’s daughter still kept her eyes sharp, she turned away, loudly calling, “Romonde!” before stomping back to the pile of dresses.

Watching her leave, Agnes turned to the frozen attendant.

“I’d like to hurry now too. Could you finish up quickly and help me?”

“Ah—yes, my lady! Right away!”

The attendant nearly shouted in relief and rushed off with the dresses into the fitting room.

“Just don’t rush so much that you do a sloppy job,” Tarin muttered from the side.

Agnes let out a small laugh as the tension drained from her body.

“My lady, you were incredible… whew…”

Tarin whispered and then exhaled heavily, showing just how nervous she’d been. Agnes shook her head. She had planned to live quietly, peacefully, and enter court society without drawing attention.

“The Shingo duchess’s daughter is nothing. The real problem… is the duchess herself.”

And so, Agnes realized she had gained yet another concern for her future life at the imperial court.