~Chapter 12~
“Anna, I specifically told you to focus solely on work at the dress shop, not some side jobs, didn’t I?”
Anna lowered her head.
“…I’m sorry, but I didn’t have enough money for living expenses this month. I had no choice.”
“If this keeps happening, eventually, I’ll have no choice but to let you go.”
It was a rather ordinary conversation, albeit a bit regretful, yet I found myself unable to look away.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
Alice, returning from a brief chat with another designer, followed my gaze.
“Oh, you mean Anna Merrill.”
“…Anna Merrill?”
“That girl with the bob cut over there. Well, she’s no longer exactly a girl, but still.”
Alice continued explaining about Anna Merrill, but none of it registered in my mind.
‘So that’s Anna Merrill.’
She was the rookie artist I had been planning to hire to paint my wedding portrait.
“She’s well known for her skill with making quality jewelry, but nothing much is known about her painting, so don’t even think about hiring her as an artist.”
It was ironic, considering that in the original story, Anna would become famous under Alice’s patronage.
“Shouldn’t you judge that after seeing her paintings first?”
“You don’t have time for that,” Alice said with a pointed glance.
Apparently, she was trying to intimidate me, fearing I might hire Anna for the wedding portrait.
“Besides, she’s a staff member here. If you try to poach her openly, it won’t end well.”
That much was true.
“Perhaps it’s better to look for an already established artist instead…”
Alice didn’t finish her sentence—an unexpected visitor had barged in.
“What’s going on? I thought you weren’t running the shop, so why are there so many employees here? That was a lie, wasn’t it?”
A young man with an exotic look was causing a scene.
Judging by his accent and the way he sprinkled in foreign words, he seemed to be from the Kingdom of Valentin.
“Oh, so that’s the druggie,” Alice muttered, annoyed, and I couldn’t help but ask.
“Druggie?”
“…Never mind. Just pretend you didn’t hear that and don’t deal with him.”
Alice urged me to quickly choose a dress and leave. This guy seemed not just unpleasant, but embroiled in some complicated matters.
“Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you?”
The man shouted, tossing catalogs in every direction. He clearly wasn’t in his right mind.
“Who exactly is that man?” I asked.
“…He’s the aide to the second prince of the Kingdom of Valentin, who’s considered a likely heir.”
That was enough to put him out of reach of the shop staff—or even the manager. A diplomatic incident could arise if anyone interfered.
I understood why Alice, with her heroic streak, hesitated to step in. If a fight broke out here, a lot of people could end up getting hurt.
“Could I see the oldest catalog you have here?”
I asked one of the flustered employees nearby. Despite her anxiety, she handed it to me without resistance.
“Here it is.”
Just as I went to check the catalog, Anna sprang forward to stop the man.
“Stop it already!”
“Stop what? Who do you think you are, little girl, causing a scene?”
When the man grabbed Anna by her hair,
BAM!
The catalog the employee had brought flew from my hands and hit the man square on the back of his head.
The ruckus instantly ceased, and the entire shop was plunged into silence.
Alice looked horrified.
“Well…”
I added shamelessly, “I guess he just misjudged his aim when throwing the catalog he didn’t like.”
Ruffians weren’t the only ones allowed to make a scene.
“What on earth were you thinking…?”
Alice started, but her words were cut off. The enraged man was scowling and advancing.
“Who are you? Don’t you know who I am?”
The man approached threateningly, speaking fluent Imperial, but I didn’t even look at him.
From what I had heard, his name was Ren Leisten.
“Do I need to know you?” I asked.
“…What?”
“Do I need to know you?”
It didn’t seem worth my attention. I added the words almost to mock him, then continued sipping my tea and asked a staff member to fetch a new catalog.
BANG!
“You dare act arrogantly just because you’re a woman!”
Even though he said that, he didn’t dare lay a hand on me. If he did, the diplomatic fallout would fall on the second prince.
“…Since you don’t know who I am, I won’t hold you fully accountable. But…”
Ren Leisten, clearly forced to compromise, pointed toward someone.
“I need an apology from that girl. Right here, right now!”
I couldn’t help but laugh, realizing he was targeting Anna because he couldn’t retaliate against me directly. A quick apology would save his pride and allow the matter to end.
But Alice wasn’t about to let him off. She tried to intervene in the kingdom’s language.
[Your Highness, the Second Prince, wouldn’t want this to escalate.]
Ren flinched slightly at the mention of his lord, then immediately flicked his eyes sharply.
[You know who I am, don’t you?]
[…Yes, I do.]
Regaining confidence in an instant, he smirked.
[Is that girl your lady?]
[Yes? Ah… well…]
Alice answered awkwardly, confirming in the affirmative. She probably didn’t want to expose my identity and complicate matters.
[Make sure your lady knows who I am. And have that girl apologize to me.]
Ren’s judgment was correct. Alice, about to study in Valentin, had no choice but to yield.
“Why are you letting her dictate things so easily?”
Of course, that was only Alice’s position.
“Don’t waste time.”
Having already sorted the situation in my head, I nudged Alice.
“Choose a dress for the banquet while you’re at it.”
Of course, I didn’t literally mean it—I signaled the instruction with my lips. After Alice left, I called the general manager over.
“Who reserved this place entirely today?”
“That… uh…” She hesitated, looking troubled, then spoke.
“…It’s Duke Louis Arban.”
“…What?”
Hearing the name, Ren’s face went completely pale.
“And who am I?” I asked.
“You are the Duke Arban’s fiancée.”
Seeing his color drain entirely, I couldn’t help but smile.
“If you understand, leave now. You’ve already caused enough delay, but I’ll grant you mercy.”
I finished speaking, opened the new catalog, and called Anna over.
I intended to discuss the dresses she would wear for her portrait.
Thunk—
“Ugh!”
Ren snatched Anna’s wrist in an instant.
“…Excuse me. However, this girl’s disrespectful actions toward me remain unchanged.”
He forced a strained expression, insisting she must apologize.
Louis may be frightening, but I didn’t want to bow to him.
“Leave the girl here.”
I gave one final warning.
“That won’t be possible,” Ren Leisten ignored it and tried to drag Anna away.
Snap!
“Aaaah!”
He was swiftly restrained by my bodyguards who had been hiding among the staff. I hadn’t understood why I needed guards at a dress shop—but Louis had been right this time.
[You crazy fools! Let go of me!]
I was about to order someone to silence the struggling Ren when…
[Enough.]
Exotic-looking knights appeared and surrounded the area.
Among them, one stood out—snow-white hair and striking blue eyes.
‘That must be the second prince.’
His air of dignity was unmistakable, impossible if he were not royalty. The silver hair and blue eyes were characteristic of the Valentin royal family—Alice had emphasized that several times.
“This is my aide,” the second prince spoke in Imperial.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but if you don’t want a diplomatic incident, stop here.”
Apparently, Alice had contacted Louis, and he had summoned the second prince here.
‘Why is he so calm?’
Even as his aide was being restrained by foreign knights, the prince remained unshaken.
‘…Now that I think about it.’
I started to act based on a hypothesis, while Ren, looking utterly wronged, pointed at me.
[Prince, I swear it’s unfair! That girl hit my head with a book first, and I was just protesting!]
Ren’s version was clearly self-serving.
[She treated me with disrespect because I’m from the kingdom!]
[…Is that true?]
[No, that’s a lie.]
I intervened, and both looked at me in surprise. Few nobles in the Empire could even speak the kingdom’s language.
[I was just upset at the employee for bringing me an outdated catalog, so I threw it.]
[And, of course, it hit my aide?]
The prince looked skeptical, so I quickly produced the evidence.
[Here’s the catalog.]
He remained silent for a moment—probably because even for a foreign prince, the designs were clearly outdated.
[If you don’t believe me, I can call a witness.]
I pressed the point, leaving him no time to hesitate.
[The sister who came to the dress shop with me should still be upstairs choosing a dress.]
Even if Alice wasn’t upstairs, by now she would have returned to me after contacting Louis. That was why I said it.
[No need.]
He sighed, glanced briefly at his aide, then turned his attention to me.
