Chapter 33
“Excuse me. How long does it take to make an outfit?”
“Huh? Ah… If it’s just a top and bottom, it takes three days. A dress takes about a week. But that’s without any decorations or embroidery.”
“I see.”
“Y-Yes…”
Daphne’s question made the woman frown slightly again.
She looked like she was wondering why Daphne asked something like that. Her expressions were easy to read.
Jacquette had said she wanted to go out and enjoy the festival, but Daphne had another reason too market research.
She needed her own personal funds. Her dowry was mostly for show and didn’t amount to much. The budget she received as a duchess had to be carefully recorded, so she didn’t have money to spend freely.
If she had personal savings, it would be much easier to live after getting divorced.
Technically, Theo had agreed to support Jacquette after a divorce—but only Jacquette.
So Daphne wanted to make sure Jacquette would have no difficulties later.
There were many ways to build up personal savings. Daphne had decided to try starting a business.
She chose clothing.
Running a dress shop was one idea, but Daphne had something else in mind:
A highly detailed, skillful craft that required focus and neat hands.
“What’s your name?”
“Ah, I’m Linda.”
The shop was called Matilda’s Boutique, so Daphne asked,
“Then who is Matilda?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“Your great-grandmother, right?”
The one who had been silently trying on clothes, Theophanes, suddenly spoke, and everyone turned to look at him.
Linda looked quite surprised.
“Ah… Yes, that’s right.”
She looked a little flustered—and also slightly suspicious.
“Did you know my great-grandmother? She passed away before I was born.”
Linda was a middle-aged woman, and Theophanes looked younger, so of course she found it strange.
But Daphne wasn’t worried. She knew how good he was at hiding who he really was.
“I heard about her from my father. He used to come here often.”
Just as she expected, Theo played it off smoothly.
“Oh! I think I heard about that. It’s just… it’s been a while, so I didn’t know. I guess I saw you before I planned to quit this shop.”
“Quit?”
“Yes… It’s hard to keep the shop going. I was planning to sell it and work at another boutique.”
Theo’s face changed subtly when he heard that.
He looked calm on the outside, but something sad lingered in his expression.
Daphne didn’t fully understand what he was feeling.
“Then…”
Daphne looked at him carefully, then spoke.
Both Linda and Theo turned to her.
“Would you like to try making lace?”
“Sorry lace?”
“Come learn from me. If you do, maybe you won’t have to give up the shop.”
She hadn’t planned to say it so suddenly—but she couldn’t stop thinking about Theo’s face just now.
The silence in the shop was broken by Linda’s question.
“What’s lace…?”
Daphne suddenly remembered—
In the original story, lace only became popular after the female lead became an adult.
It was invented in the Himonas territory, and the design was found in the Marchioness’s diary.
So, at this point in time, lace didn’t even exist yet.
After regaining her past memories, Daphne had found that diary. It had detailed instructions on how to make lace and lots of design patterns.
She had tried making some herself, and it brought back memories of the Marchioness—sitting on her bed, weak but still working on lace.
“It’s a kind of fabric made with thread… I’ll explain more if you come find me.”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Daphne answered Linda’s question.
She looked around for a pen and paper. Linda quickly brought them to her.
“Come to this place.”
Daphne wrote something down and handed the paper to Linda.
“Then we’ll get going.”
Theo looked at what she wrote, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin.
“This is too much…!”
Linda tried to refuse, but Theo simply placed the coin on the counter.
“Think about my wife’s offer.”
With that, he opened the door and left first. Daphne and Jacquette followed.
Jacquette cheerfully skipped ahead, while Daphne and Theo walked in silence behind her. The mood had shifted since they entered the boutique.
“Jacquette, don’t run. You’ll get hurt.”
“Okaaay—!”
Jacquette ran forward, leaving a bit of distance between herself and the two adults. Just enough space for one small child.
“Why did you say all that just now?”
Theo spoke first, sounding like he had thought about it for a while.
“Oh, well…”
Daphne glanced at Jacquette, then quickly closed the gap and gestured for Theo to lean down.
He did so without hesitation, and Daphne whispered in his ear—quietly, only for him to hear.
“If we get divorced, I’ll need a way to live on my own too.”
Theo froze. He hadn’t expected that.
“Divorce.”
“Yes. Divorce.”
She felt like she had to remind him sometimes. He was getting older, and maybe a bit forgetful.
Worried that Jacquette might hear, Daphne had spoken in the faintest whisper, barely moving her lips. Then she stepped back.
“Have you ever run a business before?”
“No. I was taught a little, but only the basics… I never learned about economics or anything like that.”
“Would you like to learn?”
“What?”
“If you want to learn, I’ll find you a teacher. If you don’t, I’ll hire someone skilled to help you.”
Daphne blinked in surprise. Theo was offering real support—to her, not just Jacquette.
She wondered what it meant, then thought maybe he figured if she did well, Jacquette would benefit too. That made sense.
“I’ll think about it. Maybe Linda will agree to it anyway.”
As she answered, she watched Jacquette ahead. They were almost out of the alley now. Daphne reached for Jacquette’s hand.
“Let’s finish this talk when we get home.”
“Sure.”
They stepped out into the busy street filled with people.
“Oh, Theo.”
“Yes, my lady?”
Theo was holding Jacquette’s other hand when Daphne called out.
“What happened to the clothes we were wearing before?”
Theo smiled a little.
“Someone will bring them back.”
“Someone? Who?”
“You didn’t think I’d come out without a guard, did you?”
Daphne nodded. Of course, he was a duke—he’d have guards.
“Is your curiosity satisfied now?”
“Yeah… I guess.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Daphne looked over at Jacquette.
“Is there anywhere you want to go, Jacquette?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. But that looks yummy!”
She pointed at something. Daphne followed her gaze—it was a food stall selling delicious-looking skewers.
“Do you want to eat that?”
“Yes!”
“Then let’s get some.”
The two adults didn’t mind, but Jacquette might get pushed around in the crowd. Theo gently picked her up again.
Then, naturally, he took Daphne’s hand Jacquette had been holding before and walked toward the stall.
It felt so natural that Daphne didn’t even notice until they were already in line.
There were quite a few people ahead of them.
She thought it looked strange to see Theo someone who’d lived his life as a powerful noble standing in line. But he didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Dad, have you ever eaten this before?”
Jacquette stretched her neck, watching the skewers being grilled.
“Yes. A long time ago.”
“What about Mom?”
“Mom hasn’t tried it yet.”
“Then let’s eat it together for the first time!”
“Alright.”
“Yay!”
As they talked, the line slowly moved forward.
Now there was just one person left ahead of them—and Jacquette was filled with excitement.
