‘How cute–is it because she’s still in her teens?’
The long letter could be summed up as follows:
.•° ✿ °•.
<Dear Lady Floyen,
It is quite a warm and sunny day today. To hear that the beautiful and elegant Lady Floyen accepted my invitation, I’ve been in a good mood ever since.
I was also delighted to receive such a beautiful and carefully decorated letter.
I am eagerly waiting for my birthday to see you, milady!
Oh, and if Lady Floyen is alright with it, I would love for you to address me as simply “Rose” when we meet. However, if my words have made you uncomfortable, please forgive me with your gracious heart.
I am looking forward to the day we meet.
Sincerely,
Rose>
°•. ✿ .•°
Rose had written me almost 3 pages worth of compliments and described, in great detail, how magnificent her upcoming party was going to be.
‘Seeing how she wrote about her expectations so candidly, there’s no doubt she’s expecting something from me.’
Letting out a sigh, I carefully put away the letter before turning to Marilyn.
“Please prepare for an outing, I need to go downtown.”
“Pardon? Was there something you needed? If you just give us the word, we can call and bring in a merchant here, milady.”
“No, it’s because I want to go and pick out something in person.”
Although Marilyn continued to give me a curious look, I remained stubborn.
‘Rose will surely be disappointed if I get her something without much thought, so even if it’s bothersome, I’ll have to go pick something out myself.
We weren’t even very close so the intent behind her excessive flattery was clear.
‘She most likely wants me to bring a special gift.’
Due to my status as a duke’s daughter, it wasn’t strange for people to have certain expectations of me. It’s just that those expectations were a bit burdensome.
I left the house while pondering over what kind of gift would be appropriate.
* * *
High society was noisy once again with the latest gossip on Juvellian.
“Oh my, isn’t it shocking news that that arrogant Lady Floyen didn’t ignore an invitation for once?”
“Yes, it’s quite fascinating…With the exception of the Imperial family, she has never accepted an invitation from anyone before”
“The daughter of Count Arlo seemed pretty ordinary to me, I wonder what kind of charm she holds that made Lady Floyen act like that?”
“Not to mention, many ladies have started decorating their letters with pressed flowers and ribbons.”
“I wonder if Lady Floyen knows she’s the one who started that trend?”
A young man, who was quietly listening in to the conversations between the ladies, turned around and walked away.
‘Count Arlo, was it?’
Exiting the banquet hall, he quickly stepped into a waiting carriage.
“Head for home.”
The place the carriage arrived at was none other than the estate of Marquess Hessen.
“You’ve arrived, milord?”
Instead of an answer, the young man took off his coat and held it out to the servant. The servant quickly lowered his head, taking the coat.
“Let the butler know.”
There was a moment of silence, perhaps in hesitation, but a firm voice continued to speak over the servant’s lowered head.
“That I’ll be attending Count Arlo’s party.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Before his servant could leave the room, the young man swiftly added,
“Ah, also….Were there any letters that came for me?”
The servant shook his head.
“I’m afraid not, milord. Was there a letter you were waiting for?”
The young man ignored his servants question, choosing to send him out instead.
“Nevermind. You may leave.”
The moment the servant left the room, the man gritted his teeth, holding a piercing glint in his eyes.
‘So this is how you’re going to be–Juvellian!’
No matter how much he thought about it, his only conclusion was that this was all an act. He sent a letter with the affection of a former fiance, but till the end, the woman, who had always been like an annoying puppy, never gave a reply.
He couldn’t accept that the woman was ignoring him like this.
‘Don’t tell me…Are you dissatisfied with the amount of attention I’m giving you right now? You want more?’
He tried to rationalize her actions, but it seemed to burn his insides even more.
‘Juvellian, just what are you scheming?’
* * *
‘Ah, all I wanted was to live and go about my day quietly– but it seems that will be quite hard to accomplish.’
Rolling my eyes, I glanced at the people who were following me.
‘Geraldine, Owen, Castro, Todd…’
Ten of my family’s knights, who were all top-tier in terms of their skill, were surrounding me in a guard formation.
‘To think I would have this many stuck to me for a simple shopping trip’
It was a bit burdensome, but there was nothing I could do about it. It was the condition I had to accept in order to receive my father’s permission to go out today.
‘Just one or two guards would have been more than enough….’
I thought I would’ve had a quiet shopping trip as long as I didn’t create some kind of disturbance. I didn’t think there would be anything that would make me stand out, but to think a variable like this would come up.
‘Well, at least there’s not that many people right now. Now..Where is the workshop?’
While being accompanied by my guards, I looked around and took in my surroundings. There were three workshops in the near vicinity which handled handicrafts for women. The most famous of the three was Kerrin’s Workshop, but that was not the place I had chosen.
‘I’ll be cursed at later if I get someone a gift from there.’
Kerrin’s Workshop would later receive backlash from the public for hiding the fact the material used for their goods were harmful to the body.
If Rose were to become ill due to a gift she received from me, I would become Count Arlo’s public enemy. I didn’t even know if my relationship with Rose would turn bad like it did in the past or not, therefore it’d be best if I avoided that route.
Wrapping my thoughts, I began walking around again.
‘Oh, I see the sign.’
Two workshops came into view.
Fyodor’s Workshop, which boasted a long tradition but was now on the verge of going out of business, and Grada’s Workshop, which had multiple artisans gathered together to systematically produce goods.
I took a step towards my first destination.
When I finally came to a stop, the leader of my guards, Geraldine, let out a sigh.
“Milady, are you trying to go in here?”
It was only natural that his voice held doubt. The place my feet had carried me to was none other than the shabby building of Fyodor’s Workshop.
‘It’s definitely this place.’
A normal person, if they kept up with the floating rumors, would avoid a place like Fyodor’s, which was just about to go under. But I, Juvellian, chose to come here despite being fully aware of those rumors.
“Yes, I am.”
After answering Geraldine, I stepped into the store. I took in my surroundings, noticing the undesirable goods around the shop and the figure of a man sitting so lackadaisically.
A normal person would’ve backed away at the sight, but I did the opposite and approached the man instead.
The man’s bangs were long and disheveled, enough that it was hard to make out his face. He looked young in his shabby clothes, yet his sunken eyes made him look lifeless.
“I apologize, but I’m currently not in a state where I can make anything right now. I don’t know whose precious lady you may be, but I ask that you find another workshop.”
His words were not even enough to be a greeting. Instead, it was clearly a refusal.
Despite his refusal, I laughed with conviction.
‘Indeed, I came to the right place.’
Other people would’ve left while throwing a fit, but I knew exactly why this man before me was being like this.
‘He’s facing a slump from the pressure he received after inheriting the family business.’
The owner of Fyodor’s Workshop, Ian Fyodor. He was under tremendous pressure to do as well as his father and grandfather, both of whom were renowned artisans. From some point on, Fyordor was unable to make anything, causing his workshop to be on the verge of collapse.
“I’d like you to make something for me, Ian Fyodor.”
“Why me?
Ian’s powerless voice held a strong sense of distrust.
Well, I understand. A normal person definitely wouldn’t see me as normal, but I had a reason for being so adamant.
‘That’s because you, Ian Fyodor, are going to become a distinguished artisan!’
In six months, the princess was going to wear a one of a kind necklace at her birthday party, which would then shake high society and be highly talked about. The man behind the necklace, Ian Fyodor, would then be praised as the empire’s greatest artisan.
‘His works will become more expensive then, so it’ll be good if I buy a lot of his goods now and form a connection early.’
And so, I came to do some investing for my lavish future. My eyes sparkled when I looked at my lottery ticket, I mean Ian.
“You are the only one who can make what I want.”
“So are you threatening me now?”
“Huh? What do you mean ‘threatening’?”
“I mean, just now…”
Seeing as how he never finished his words, I turned around and narrowed my eyes at my knights, thinking they were the cause behind Ian’s hesitation. However, the knights looked preoccupied, each doing their own thing.
‘There’s no way those salary thieves would do such a thing.’
“Is there some kind of problem?”
I asked him a question, but Ian only answered me back coldly.
“Why are you being so persistent?”
“Well, it’s because I believe that you’ll be able to make something way better than anyone else.”
Hearing the sincerity in my words, Ian’s lips twitched.
“You….Believe in me?”
“Yes.”
I was imagining how much I could make by selling his goods in the future when a low voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Could you tell me what kind of work you wanted me to make?”
It was a rigid voice, but permission nonetheless.
‘Did I finally succeed in being able to obtain the artisan’s goods?’
Putting my excitement on hold, I gave him ideas of what I wanted him to make.
‘All that should be simple enough for him, right?’
* * *
“Your Grace, here is the finalized list of potential marriage candidates.”
Taking the document from Derrick, Regis scanned and confirmed the contents, letting out a small frown in the process.
‘Why is this brat’s name on here….’
The Duke clenched his teeth, drawing a circle around the name, and called out to Derrick.
“Derrick, take this name out and–”
At that moment, the door to his office opened. It was his aide, Roy Hamilton.
“What is it?”
It had to be something of great concern if it was enough to cause Roy to barge in without notice.
His aide gulped nervously before answering,
“The Emperor sent a messenger. He wants you to come to the palace immediately. ”