~Chapter 34~
The Count’s dress shop was nearly identical to the Laria costume shop in terms of both the clothing and the interior design.
The front of the shop was made entirely of glass, with clothes proudly displayed in front of it.
In other words, the clothes hanging there were the shop’s signature products, meant to attract the attention of passersby.
“Wow… it’s a miracle that this place is still in business.”
Riden sensed this before even stepping inside the shop.
‘This place definitely needs to close down. Right now.’
Staring blankly at the large windows, Riden turned to Glen who was standing next to her.
“Isn’t this supposed to be a mourning attire specialty store? Did you get something wrong, Glen?”
If not, then why are all the clothes hanging there black?
It was a bright, sunny day, but compared to the shops next door, the Count’s dress shop looked unusually dreary.
The three black dresses hanging in front of the large window absorbed every bit of sunlight that came their way.
“Actually, there’s one positive point. The clothes absorb the sunlight, so it’s not blinding to look at from the outside. Impressive, Glen!”
Glen’s face had turned as pale as a corpse.
“To explain, the Countess preferred dark-colored clothing like those. And she had a dedicated tailor who handled her outfits…”
According to Glen, the Countess usually wore black or gray clothing.
She only occasionally wore bright clothes on special occasions, and only then did she visit the Laria costume shop.
When the idea of starting a dress shop came up, the tailor who regularly made her clothes actively presented himself, and the Countess entrusted him with the store.
“Wasn’t there anyone else who could’ve been a candidate? Surely there was someone who made colorful clothes or something.”
When the tailor, an experienced craftsman, expressed his confidence, the Countess didn’t bother looking for other candidates and handed him the business.
She valued his persistence and enthusiasm.
“Oh, so your mother got him into the business through connections?”
Glen corrected her.
“The Countess was someone who highly valued relationships with people.”
“Hm, I see.”
So now, I’m watching what happens when relationships are dragged into business decisions.
The issue wasn’t just the color.
Though the interior of the shop resembled the Laria costume shop, the clothes on display were outdated and dreadful.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s pretty funny.’
Riden turned her head and gave Glen, who had been defending the Countess, a pointed look.
Despite running her own costume shop under the Count’s name, didn’t Glen also make reservations for his dress at Laria?
Looking at the clothes hanging there, she now understood why.
As she peered through the large window, she saw an employee slouched over at the counter, apparently asleep.
The worst part was that the clothes hanging inside were even more horrifying than the ones displayed.
‘Should I go in?’
After a brief moment of hesitation, Riden decided to step inside.
Ding!
“Ugh! Oh, welcome!”
The sharp sound of the doorbell startled the employee, who had been sleeping, causing him to jump up and look around groggily before narrowing his eyes as he spotted Glen.
“Ah? M-Master, welcome. What brings you here?”
Riden could tell from Glen’s back that he had become hyper-aware of her presence and was doing his best to gauge her mood.
“Is Dalsy inside?”
“Yes, the tailor is in the back.”
Now, Riden was about to face the person responsible for creating only black clothing for the shop and paying him with a steady salary.
Sure enough, after feeling the presence of a visitor, Dalsy the tailor walked out on his own.
“Master, what brings you here today?”
Dalsy greeted Glen with visible excitement, but when he saw Riden, he tilted his head in confusion.
“And who is this?”
“She’s the Baron’s daughter, Miss Herron. The Count, before his passing, had promised to be responsible for her debutante. She’s here for a wonderful debutante dress.”
Before entering the shop, Riden had given Glen one instruction.
She had asked him to introduce her as a normal noblewoman, not as the daughter of Count McCurry, the new owner of the shop.
If she revealed herself as the new owner, the employees, especially Dalsy, would try too hard to please her, making it harder to judge how they truly worked.
Riden was curious about how Dalsy worked. How did he treat customers? What attitude did he show when creating clothing?
‘Just for a bit, let me borrow the identity.’
Riden gave Glen a subtle signal to leave.
“W-Well then, I’ll be going now!”
“Go ahead.”
Ding!
The door closed behind Glen, and as his figure disappeared from view, Dalsy gestured for Riden to enter.
“Shall we go inside?”
Riden sat down in the designated seat and waited.
Dalsy brought out a catalog and spread it in front of her.
“Please choose and let me know.”
Riden flipped through the catalog, inspecting each page.
‘Hmph.’
Could it be because she had just met the genius designer at the Duke’s villa?
Had the brief time she spent with him shifted her perspective?
‘That’s not it! These are just terrible!’
As expected, the catalog Dalsy provided was nothing but a parade of dark, dreary colors.
The first page was black, the second page, the third, and so on… All of it just black!
It wasn’t just the color that was the problem.
Even if you took away the black, the designs were unremarkable—nothing that anyone would pay a high price for.
‘The design is also an issue. If the design were good enough, even black enthusiasts would love it, but this is hardly something to target those people.’
For a moment, Riden wondered if she could work with Dalsy, turning him into a specialist for black clothing enthusiasts. But she quickly dismissed the thought.
With a gentle smile, she spoke to Dalsy.
“Dalsy the tailor?”
He looked up from concentrating on his nails.
“Have you seen everything?”
“Yes, I’ve looked through it all. But I’m in need of a debutante dress, and all of the clothing you showed me is black.”
It wasn’t strictly necessary, but the unspoken rule was that debutante dresses for young ladies were usually bright in color.
Riden had expected that Dalsy would feel bad for showing her a catalog full of black clothes after she told him her purpose.
“Ha…”
However, what came from Dalsy’s mouth was a sigh that seemed to suggest, ‘I knew this already.’
“Did you think I didn’t know? If you choose, we’ll just change the fabric to white. Go ahead and pick.”
Color was a huge factor in design. Even if the design was the same, changing the color could completely change the vibe.
Riden clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘If I got a commission like this, I’d already be starving to death. Good connections really make a difference.’
When she was Daine, she had worked with many different contractors.
Without any connections, she had to rely purely on her skills to get work.
There had been many times she had to revise designs over and over because clients didn’t know exactly what they wanted.
But that was the right way to do things.
“Tailor, the design I need isn’t in this catalog. You say you’ll just change the fabric to white, but I’ve never seen a design where the color was changed to white. Can I really order a dress for my debutante based on a dress I’ve never even seen?”
“Ha… Baroness Herron, I’m the designer, and I designed this. If you don’t know, it’s best to listen to an expert.”
In other words, ‘If you don’t know, just shut up and listen to me.’
‘Incredible.’
She wasn’t just some random person who walked in off the street to get clothes tailored.
Before coming here, Riden had been a bit worried about introducing herself as “the daughter of someone the shop owner knew,” fearing that he might overdo the friendliness and behave differently than usual.
But now, he was acting like this?
‘There’s no more point in watching.’
Riden stood up and called over the employee at the counter.
Dalsy, who had been watching her, now looked at her with a perplexed expression.
“Is there something you need?”
Riden had been wearing the mask of a naïve young noblewoman from the countryside just a moment ago, but now, it was time to step into her position as the person in charge.
‘My money’s paying your salary!’
In a firm and commanding tone, Riden issued her order.
“If you go outside and turn right, you’ll see a carriage with the McCurry family crest on it. Bring Glen to me from there.”
Riden had called him “Glen” rather than “Master” or “Household Manager”, and Dalsy’s eyes widened.
He slowly bowed and spoke.
“Why are you looking for the McCurry household’s butler…?”
Since Dalsy was someone who had connections with Riden’s late mother, he might have thought that he should try his best if he was willing to do so.
However, at this point, that thought disappeared, and his mind became crystal clear.
“Now that the business is finished, I’ll have to call my butler.”
The phrase “my butler” made Dalsy immediately realize something was wrong, and his gloomy face turned even darker.
“Bring my butler here. Immediately.”
