~Chapter 18~
It was supposed to be just about choosing the right dress and accessories, but Leah felt kind of embarrassed and awkward under the madam’s obvious gaze.
She couldn’t help but wonder how shabby she might look to someone who actually knew a lot about clothes.
“…Oh my! I must’ve been rude to you, madam.”
The boutique owner had been deep in thought, trying to figure out what clothes to bring for Leah.
But when she saw Leah’s stiff expression, she paused.
Having worked only with high-ranking nobles, the madam had already figured out that the woman in front of her was the biological mother of the newly registered Lady of House Blumhardt.
‘The way the girl treats this woman… and those emerald eyes just like hers.’
She had thought the rumors about the duke bringing the girl’s mother to the mansion were exaggerated.
‘But to personally bring her and even buy her clothes?’
If the duke treated her like someone important, then the boutique and herself should do the same.
But while observing her like a hawk, she’d ended up being unintentionally rude.
“Madam, I was so focused on thinking about what clothes would suit you that I made you uncomfortable.
Please forgive me.”
The madam stood from the sofa, placed her hand on her chest, and bowed deeply to Leah in sincere apology.
“…No, it’s alright.”
Leah waved her hand, feeling awkward about the overly polite apology.
This was so different from how the other boutique owner had treated her earlier.
It had to be because of the man with her.
“If you’re a guest of House Blumhardt, then you’re an important guest to us too.”
Important guest?
‘Just earlier, I was thrown out for not having money.’
Was being with this man really the reason she was being treated so differently?
“It’s unacceptable for a guest to feel uncomfortable in our boutique.
That won’t happen again.”
Leah felt shy from the madam’s formal attitude, but Johann seemed completely unaffected.
‘…Is it just normal for nobles like him to be treated this way?’
After finishing her apology, the madam sat again.
“So, what kind of dress are you looking for, madam? We have everything you could want.”
She listed all kinds of fabrics and talked passionately about the latest trends in noblewomen’s dresses.
Leah wanted to say she was just looking for a few ready-made dresses.
She kept looking for a moment to speak up, but the madam, Evelyn, was too enthusiastic—so she just ended up listening until she was done.
“…Sorry, but I think three or four ready-made dresses for spring would be enough for me.”
“What? Ready-made?”
The madam glanced at Johann.
He signaled her to just give Leah what she wanted.
The madam picked up on it.
“I see, but you’ll be going out a lot in spring.
Three or four dresses just won’t be enough.”
“No, I don’t—”
“You’ll need at least seven to fully enjoy spring!”
Leah didn’t want to buy so many clothes she could only wear for one season—especially since they were probably expensive even as ready-made.
Even if her rich husband was paying, it still felt like too much.
“You’ll need a few pairs of shoes too.”
Johann n suddenly spoke, as if he had been checking her shoes for a while.
“You’re right, Your Grace.
She will definitely need some new shoes!”
Feeling both of their eyes on her old leather shoes, Leah stepped back a little.
“…These are still pretty sturdy, though.”
“But they won’t go with the dresses I’ll be bringing, so you should really get some shoes, too,” the madam gently persuaded her with a smile.
‘How different could the new dresses really be for these shoes to not match?’
Even though she hadn’t seen the clothes yet, they already felt overwhelming.
“Oh, and you’ll need a spring hat too, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
The madam looked between Leah and Johann n as she spoke, but it was Johann who answered.
Then she called her staff to bring over various items.
“Um, Your Grace?”
Leah whispered quietly, making Johann turn to her.
“You don’t need to buy me this much.
It’s not like I go out much.”
“While you’re staying at the mansion, you’re Lady Raphaella’s mother.
So, even if you don’t go out, you still need to dress the part.”
Johann didn’t really know why he was buying her so much.
Maybe it was because he felt closer to Raphaella today, or because Leah looked so pitiful walking out of that first boutique earlier.
‘…Or maybe because every time I see her, my chest feels tight?’
Even he wasn’t sure why, so he just brushed it off with vague words.
“You’re right.
Okay.”
Leah agreed.
She started wondering if maybe her plain clothes were the reason the staff at the mansion had treated her coldly.
‘…Though I know that’s not the only reason.’
But appearances did matter, sometimes.
While she was lost in thought, the boutique staff returned, wheeling in racks of ready-made dresses.
“We don’t normally carry much ready-made clothing, so we hope this small selection is acceptable.”
Small? There were quite a few beautiful spring-toned dresses.
Even though they weren’t overly fancy or covered in lace, the fabric looked really high-quality.
They weren’t noblewomen’s dresses, but they looked like something a wealthy middle-class lady might wear.
The staff began showing her the dresses one by one under the madam’s lead.
“Since spring weather is unpredictable, we’ve brought both light and slightly thicker materials.”
After finishing the explanation, the madam took Leah behind a curtain.
With help from the madam and a female staff member, she tried on multiple dresses.
Raphaella clapped and said the prettiest one looked like it had the green glow of spring.
It was unbelievably comfortable and fit so well, it felt tailored.
The fabric was soft against her skin, and the skirt draped perfectly.
‘Is it okay for me to wear something this nice…?’
Even though she hesitated, Johann n and the madam encouraged her, and she decided to go with the dress Raphaella liked most.
“Mom! You look just like a forest fairy!”
Raphaella’s eyes sparkled as she repeated what Leah had said to her earlier that morning.
Leah gently patted the little girl who was now wrapped in her skirt.
“Madam, considering clothes might get dirty or unusable, I suggest getting about ten dresses. What do you think?”
Anyone raising a child would know clothes don’t stay clean long.
The madam assumed Leah would be looking after the child herself.
“What? That many…”
“Then let’s go with ten.”
“But we only have nine ready-made dresses in her size in the store right now…”
“Then we’ll get one custom-made.”
Wait—getting a custom dress just to look nice in front of Raphaella?
That felt a bit much.
But the madam didn’t give her time to protest and led her back behind the curtain to take her measurements.
She paused in front of the curtain, unsure if this was really okay.
“You might need something nice to wear for special occasions too, so don’t feel too burdened.”
“Still, custom-made is a bit…”
“It’s just one dress, isn’t it?”
Just one?
To a commoner, a custom dress was something they might get once in a lifetime.
‘Well… since he’s offering, might as well try one before I die.’
She couldn’t keep refusing, so she finally accepted his kindness.
They decided on a light ivory-colored fabric based on the madam’s recommendation.
“Your Grace, I promise you won’t regret trusting me.”
The madam said with sparkling eyes.
Leah also tried on several pairs of flats the staff brought.
Johann told them to buy every pair that felt comfortable to her, shocking Leah once again.
‘Is it really that easy for the Duke of Blumhardt to buy this much stuff?’
He was so casual about it that she started wondering if maybe she was just overreacting.
‘Should I just stop overthinking and accept it all?’
Finally, he bought three hats that matched the outfits.
While Leah was changing into the soft leather flats that matched the green dress, Johann n told the staff to send everything else to the mansion—and stamped the bill with the Blumhardt family crest.
She stared in awe at the small signet ring on his pinky.
‘So all it takes is that tiny ring to pay for everything?’
Wearing the green dress, matching shoes, and a bonnet, Leah left the Evelyn boutique with Johann and Raphaella.
All the staff came out to bow respectfully.
“Your Grace, please invite us to your estate next time.
We’ll come with the finest fabrics from across the continent.”
The madam even took the chance to promote herself again.
After all, she had recently lost a major client when Carolina changed suppliers, and this visit from Duke Blumhardt was a big opportunity to win him back.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
By the time they left the boutique, it was already early evening.
‘I can’t believe we spent all this time just picking out clothes.’
Johann then took them to a quiet nearby restaurant for dinner.
After finishing a simple meal, they were walking back toward where the carriage was waiting when Raphaella suddenly stopped walking.
Curious, Johann and Leah followed her gaze to see what she was looking at.
In the central plaza, a small stage had been set up for a play.
It looked like it was about to begin, and a crowd had already gathered.
“Raphaella, do you want to watch the play?”
“Yeah! Mom, can we watch it before we go?”
Raphaella nodded excitedly and turned her sparkly eyes toward Johann.
He flinched under her hopeful gaze.
“If you’re not too tired…”
