WAYSOWD 40 🌻

~Chapter 40~

“So what?”

“Do you know who the Duchess of Benjo is? She started coming here when she was still Lady Maximilian!”

“Do you really need to mention someone who’s missing? Is that how you show off Iris Dress Shop’s class?”

The skinny man hesitated and glanced away, embarrassed by my words.

“Peng.”

A voice called out from behind me.

“I never told you to act like a rabid dog.”

I instinctively turned around.

There stood someone in a white robe—tall and well-built, but slender enough that it was hard to tell if they were a man or a woman. Their voice was strangely deep and neutral.

‘…Who is this? They have an overwhelming presence.’

When the wind blew, I thought I glimpsed a black half-mask.

“Don’t bark like a stray dog with no owner.”

This person walked past me and went up to the man called Peng.

Peng started trembling, bowing his head.

The big man, who’d been quiet all along, grabbed Peng by the collar and lifted him.

“You heard them. Stop barking.”

Peng’s body went limp from fear, even drooling a little.

“Hey! Hey!”

“Did he faint again?”

The person in the robe clicked their tongue in disbelief, while the big man kept slapping Peng’s cheeks.

“Hmm… Looks like he’s really out cold. I’ll wake him up later.”

Honestly, it looked like he’d knocked him out by force.

By now, Peng’s cheeks were so swollen, it looked like he’d been stung by bees.

Buddy let out a “Yikes!” and even I was a bit shocked.

The person in the robe just clicked their tongue, not even surprised.

“That’s enough. There are too many eyes watching.”

While I was staring at the robed person, they came over to me and handed me a hairpin decorated with an iris flower.

“…Why are you giving me this hairpin?”

It looked more like a traditional hair stick than a regular pin. Did they even use these here? I’d never seen anyone with one.

“It’s called a binyeo… You really don’t know?”

They actually questioned me. Even so, why give it to me?

The binyeo was unique, not in the Bastian Empire’s style. It mixed Western and Eastern designs.

Standing quite close, the robed person leaned in and whispered,

“It’s what lets you enter the Iris Dress Shop.”

“Just this is enough?”

Do they know me? Why are they helping? Maybe a scammer?

“The owner made this herself. Only a few close friends get one.”

So it was basically a pass. They gestured for me to take it.

“Take it.”

I hesitated, then tightly gripped the binyeo.

‘I didn’t come all this way just to be turned away.’

There was no other way in, so even though I felt uneasy, I took the pin.

“Thank you. I don’t know who you are or why you’re helping me, but I’ll use it well.”

Buddy, following me, stared warily at the robed person.

“Macmillan.”

Even though I didn’t ask, the person introduced themself and shrugged.

“We’ll see each other again, so I should tell you my name.”

Before I could say mine, they left.

After Macmillan left, Buddy mumbled in awe,

“Wow, that was intense.”

“Yeah… I got nervous without even realizing it.”

I kept staring after them, touching my earlobe.

Buddy covered her face with her hands and whispered,

“They seemed kind of cool… Where do you think Macmillan lives?”

“Oh, you must have met that person too.”

I got into the Iris Dress Shop thanks to the binyeo, but a new designer clung to me and wouldn’t let go.

The shop was as big as a department store, with large rooms for each important guest. Since maids weren’t allowed in, I’d sent Buddy to the waiting room.

I sat on a red couch and sipped tea, tired but politely flipping through the fabric catalog the designer handed me.

“You said you’ve met Macmillan a few times, right? Do you know where they live?”

The designer smiled and replied,

“Everyone calls them Macmillan, but that’s not their real name.”

She added,

“I don’t know much, but I heard they grew up in the slums and are a top sniper—one of the best in the empire! Very brave and popular, too.”

“Really?”

“They can use any weapon. Their swordsmanship is perfect. A genius!”

Guns had been in the Bastian Empire for a while, but few handled them well.

But since this was the person who’d given me the binyeo, I was even more curious about Macmillan.

The designer clapped her hands, eager to gossip.

“They use a sniper rifle named Macmillan, so everyone calls them that.”

“You don’t know their real name?”

Was it for mystery? Or maybe Macmillan was a notorious criminal?

She shook her head.

“Everything about Macmillan is a secret. No one knows if they’re a man or a woman. No one’s even seen their face.”

“How do they work for the Imperial Army then?”

She waved her hands.

“I don’t know all the details, but I heard they’re not officially in the army. More like a mercenary. They take jobs when called.”

That made sense. But how did they get the Iris Shop pass?

“Maybe they have a noble lover who comes here?”

Maybe a lover gave them the pass?

But the designer said,

“No way. Even if they did, no one would ever know. They’d never let it show.”

She seemed to enjoy talking about Macmillan with me.

‘Why did they give me the binyeo?’

I couldn’t help but wonder about the strange kindness.

Not knowing their real identity or motive made me more nervous.

A bit later, the designer suddenly got serious and chased after me.

“Oh, sorry. I mistook you for someone else. I thought you were a VIP.”

She looked around awkwardly. The catalog was already taken back.

Instead of arguing, I just stood outside the room, a bit disappointed.

“But my father, Baron Roten, runs a big arboretum business.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s nowhere near enough!”

“What about Countess Lenister?”

The designer laughed, “That broke count? Even if you married him, you’d be laughed at! You, the baron’s daughter, can’t even compare. And the Lenister count is just a ruined noble. If you bring her here, people would only make fun of both of you~”

She looked at me with pity.