Chapter 31
Pamela, once a maid in the duchess’s maiden household, had a fairly good eye, as expected. But no one dared to say that aloud. If the young lady said something was terrible, then it was terrible—no questions asked. The other maids would gossip behind Pamela’s back, saying it was just because she was old, trying to soothe the irritated young lady.
“I’ll make a reservation at Brillante Boutique then, my lady. It should be ready by tomorrow.”
“Did you forget I’m going to the social club today? Tell them to come right now!”
Eliano gave an impossible order. Brillante was a boutique favored by high-ranking nobles, and top designers from the capital worked there. That meant they were always full of orders, and reservations were a must. Thanks to the Rosana Ducal House’s power, they could sometimes get things urgently by the next day. Normally, people had to wait their turn.
“But even if we make a reservation today, the dress won’t be ready until later…”
Jane was right, but Lavender pinched her in the side. Watch it, or she’ll hit you! Thankfully, Eliano didn’t raise her hand. She just put her hands on her waist and got even more frustrated.
“That’s why we need to make the reservation today! If we book for tomorrow, it’ll be even later! I need to meet with the tailor right now!”
“But my lady… meeting a tailor today is impossible. Unless you go there yourself…”
Lavender looked close to tears as she spoke, but Eliano suddenly smiled brightly. Finally, that was exactly what she wanted to hear.
“Then get my things ready. I’ll just go meet them myself!”
Why didn’t I think of that before? With a theatrical air, Eliano left the messy dressing room.
How can going out be this exhausting? Eliano grumbled to herself.
She had asked Miller to help her slip out at night, but she realized going out at night without a bodyguard could be dangerous. And going out during the day meant her movements would be reported straight to her father. If she suddenly started going out without reason, even if it was just for a dress, it could raise suspicion.
She had to stay within her usual schedule. If she didn’t, there had to be a good reason. Fortunately, the recent mood swings of the eldest daughter were seen as a valid enough excuse.
Even Isabella, who was more active, would sometimes throw tantrums about the jewels brought to the mansion and go pick them out herself. She didn’t mind going to the shops.
Unlike Isabella, Eliano had never gone out to buy anything herself. Pamela always brought things to her. She was told there was no need for a noble lady to bother going out—“It’s dangerous outside. You could get kidnapped!” Eliano had believed that without question.
What danger is there when a noble lady has guards with her? And who in their right mind would try to kidnap a lady of the Rosana family?
Eliano rode in a carriage marked with the Rosana crest, looking out the window. Lavender and Jane, exhausted from the sudden outing, were resting at her side. Suddenly, Eliano told the coachman to stop.
“But Brillante is still further ahead, my lady.”
“There’s somewhere I want to stop first. I heard there’s a lovely flower shop here.”
“Really? I want to see it too!” Jane said excitedly.
Eliano smiled. “Right? I’ll get you each a flower too.”
Lavender and Jane eagerly hopped down from the carriage to help Eliano down. The wind was chilly, so Eliano stepped down lightly, her veil pulled down over her face.
“Asta”
Lavender and Jane tilted their heads as they looked at the sign and the shop’s plain appearance. It was cute and modest—too simple for nobles to visit, they thought. Nobles usually preferred flower shops with grand or elegant exteriors.
Inside, the smell of flowers filled the air. Like its outside, the inside of Asta was also simple. Lavender thought it might actually be popular among commoners, since it was elegant but not overwhelming. Jane’s eyes sparkled as she looked around at all the beautiful blooms.
“Welcome, noble lady. Are you looking for anything special?”
The shop worker greeted her kindly. Eliano said, “You girls can go look around,” and stepped a bit further inside. Jane, absorbed by the flowers, shouted back happily and pulled Lavender with her. As Lavender watched Eliano, a handsome male worker appeared and offered her a flower, making her blush. Meanwhile, Eliano had moved farther away.
“Would you like to see the greenhouse? We have lots of fresh flowers there.”
The worker handed Eliano a pair of garden shears. Customers who arranged their own bouquets often preferred picking their flowers fresh. The worker, used to serving barons or viscounts, was excited to have such a prestigious guest.
But Eliano wasn’t here to buy flowers. The shop sold flowers like any other, but it secretly belonged to the Asta Guild, which took on discreet requests.
“I’m here for the Blue Asta.”
The worker’s cheerful face froze instantly. She really said it. Her veil made it hard to read her expression.
“I saw the deep blue Asta on the sign. Or did I come to the wrong place?”
Now that she said this much, there was no mistaking it.
The worker had already seen the Rosana crest on her carriage. The first daughter? No—she never leaves the house. Then the second daughter? But the Rosana duke’s family…
“I didn’t expect this. I thought the Rosana family already had a trusted guild.”
Eliano’s green eyes glinted under her veil. So my father has a trusted guild, and even this guild knows about it? That must mean the deal is big. Still, this guild seems useful—definitely promising enough to become a major guild in the future.
“That may be his trusted guild. Not mine.”
“…This way, please.”
“Keep those two girls distracted so they don’t find out anything.”
Eliano handed the worker a small jewel, and the worker happily took it. The worker tugged a bell rope, and someone emerged from inside—a person wearing a large purple robe that covered their whole body, including a hood pulled low over their face. Their face couldn’t be seen, and even their height was unclear—it was hard to tell if they were male or female.
The worker’s eyes widened when they saw the red belt around the robe. When did they arrive? they almost asked aloud, but the robed figure shook their head, stopping the question.
“…?”
Eliano felt a strange tension and turned around, but the worker had already disappeared. Then the robed person spoke.
“Follow me.”
Their stride was long, and Eliano had to take quick steps to keep up. They entered what looked like a normal greenhouse. We’re passing through this? Eliano was tense and didn’t even notice the flowers around her.
At the far end of the greenhouse, the person opened a door. They walked a little further and stopped in front of a small greenhouse.
“It looks ordinary, but it’s actually a receiving room for those who ask for the Blue Asta. Please come in.”
Before going in, Eliano warned them.
“Just so you know, I’m the lady of Rosana. My family monitors all my movements.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll give you some flowers to carry back—ones that won’t raise any suspicion. What kind do you like?”
The person asked playfully, and Eliano replied in a refined tone.
“I’ll be heading to Brillante with the bouquet. I already sent a message ahead.”
The robed figure chuckled softly.
“You’re quite cautious, my lady. Don’t worry—even if the request fails, you’ll return home safely. I’m a woman. How could I harm a noble lady?”
A woman? Her husky voice did sound like a woman’s. Eliano clicked her tongue.
“What a naive way of thinking. Women can be just as deadly as men—sometimes even sharper. Doesn’t Zacador have female assassins?”
Eliano entered the greenhouse. The soft scent of flowers made her ease up a little. Once the door closed, a barrier went up. Inside, it really was a reception room.
“How did you know I’m from Zacador?” the robed woman asked before Eliano could even sit down.
A small smile curved Eliano’s lips under the veil.
“Your voice gives it away. It’s hard to abandon one’s roots.”
Even though Eliano had spent many years in Zacador in her previous life, she had never completely lost her Biantecan accent. And this woman clearly hadn’t lost her Zacador accent either. Though they spoke the same language, the two nations had different accents because of geography and culture.
“But don’t worry. Normal Biantecans won’t notice it at all.”
Eliano had worked hard to sound like a true Zacadorian when she was empress. Imitating someone all the time was exhausting. And truly sharp ears always saw through it.
“You’re no ordinary person, are you?”
“Asta isn’t just any guild either. It’s going to grow big.”
“Now that you’ve praised us, I feel like giving you a discount.”
“I’ll pay full price. Just find it perfectly.”
A quiet laugh came from inside the hood.
“Alright. I’ll handle it personally. This is my specialty.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Eliano hadn’t found the magic item in Pamela’s room. It was probably sold off already, so she came to a guild. When she told Miller she wanted to attend an auction with rare jewels, Miller had listed several guilds. Asta was one of them.
“It’s a ring-shaped earring with black obsidian. Set in platinum…”
Eliano described the magic item’s appearance in detail. The woman took out paper and pencil, sketching as she asked if the details were correct. She was quite a good artist, and Eliano murmured, impressed.
“It’s a magic item. Its function… it changes hair color.”
The woman’s hand stopped mid-note. Her voice was full of curiosity.
“Really? What color does it change to?”
“Black.”
“And how does it work?”
“You just wear it on your ear.”
The guild member shook her head.
“That doesn’t make sense. Magic doesn’t work like that. You need direct contact or infuse power into it. Just hanging it on your ear wouldn’t change your hair color.”
“But that’s all I did. I didn’t do anything else.”
“There wasn’t a mage nearby casting a spell on you? Sometimes they fool young girls like that.”
“Absolutely not.”
Eliano dismissed the idea. Pamela wasn’t a mage. She even remembered a time she took the earring off at night because her ear hurt, then put it back on. It still worked fine.
“I even wore it alone, with no one around.”
“…Could it be that you have magical talent, my lady?”
“I’m just a very ordinary person.”
“Sometimes, hidden magic awakens in response to deep desires, even if the person doesn’t know it.”
