Radis, a temporary guest of the Russell Marquisate, had nothing to do even when she was going to be given a staggering total of 100 million rupens per year as her salary. So she had no choice but to feel guilty.
She took her coat off slowly.
As if waiting for this moment, a delicate touch wrapped around her waist.
The seamstress spoke.
âThen, Iâll measure the Miss.â
âPlease do as you wish. HaaâŠâ
Behind the screen, Radis could hear Yves Russel grumbling.
ââHaaâ? Iâm the one who should be sighing here. Iâm such a busy person, but do I have to be here just to tell you to get measured for your clothes?â
In response to his pointed complaints, Radis looked at the screen with a troubled expression.
It had been a while since she first met him, so the overwhelming first impression and the vicious rumors surrounding him had already been forgotten.
âMarquis, you nag too muchâŠâ
In a gloomy voice, Radis replied.
âIf youâre so busy, please donât come here.â
âAnd if I donât! Youâll run away! And when anyone tries to pin you down, you disappear!â
ââŠBecause thereâs nothing for me to do.â
Whether he was really angry or not, Yves Russell replied in a sarcastic tone.
âYou have nothing to do? I donât even think twenty-four hours is enough for your skin care, to do your hair, your nails.â
Those âto dosâ were only fun in the beginning.
She had a facial with honey mixed with a bit of salt, she was bathed in goat milk, and she had plenty of clay mixed with herbs applied to her hair so that it could grow quickly. They even put fake nails on her.
But it was fun thenâonly at first.
She couldnât wash her face with anything but milk, and she was trapped inside the house so that her skin wouldnât be so tan.
Her hair was like any other hair that would just grow at the same rate over time, but because she had to sit there with mud on her head for it to âgrow quickerâ, she couldnât endure how itchy it was.
And the nails. Those were the worst.
Whenever she wore those long, fake nails, she couldnât hold anything except thin utensils.
âI hate them. Do I really need them?â
âOliâŠ!â
Suddenly conscious of his surroundings, Yves Russel dropped the volume of his voice to a whisper.
ââŠDo you not want to meet Prince Olivier?â
Tempered at the mention of Olivierâs name, Radis quieted down and bowed her head.
Finally trumping over Radisâ stubbornness, Yves Russell patted her shoulders with a satisfied face.
âAlright, Radis. I have a plan, so just trust and follow me. First of all, weâre going to get you measured for a dress today. Okay?â
ââŠOkay.â
Inwardly, Radis could only say âIâm deadâ as she surrendered to the seamstressâ hands, her own arms stretched wide.
âMilady, you donât have to worry!â
Coming from the most famous boutique in the south called ă Saffron ă, a seamstress named Celia personally came to the mansion for a fitting. She pulled the tape measure tightly and spoke.
âThis Celia will measure the Lady perfectly!â
âItâs fine if itâs not perfectâŠâ
âNo no, it will be the basic foundation of the dressâ production, so the Ladyâs body must be measured perfectly to understand your strengths and weaknesses! I wonât allow any errors, even a hairsbreadth of it!â
Celia swung the tape measure like a whip and flitted around Radis with it, on her neck, her shoulder width, her forearm length, bust, waist, buttocks, legs and feet.
Changing her posture as Celia would instruct her to, Radis thought that it would be more efficient if they made her float or something.
After a while, the measurements were finally done and Celia took out a catalogue with fabric samples.
âIs there any color that youâd prefer for your dress?â
ââŠAs long as itâs not pinkâŠâ
Then from behind the screen as though waiting impatiently for that moment, Yves Russell jumped to his feet and shouted.
âSilver, purple!â
âI understand, Your Excellency!â
Celia turned the thick pages of the catalogue.
Then, she stopped at a page where silver and purple fabric samples could be seen.
âThe Ladyâs skin tone is a little on the tan side, so I think itâs better to avoid too bright of a shade of silver.â
âIt depends on the color.â
Marquis Russell walked over and took a closer look at the page where the samples were attached.
Then, he took out a patch of silver, which looked just like the color of Prince Olivierâs hair, and a patch of purple, which was the same color as the princeâs eyes.
Yves Russell asked Celia in a challenging tone.
âCan you do this? It doesnât matter how much itâll cost.â
âOf course!â
Radis was just dumbfounded by the color selection.
âYouâre the one who only wears black clothesâŠâ
Then, the marquis approached her, then placed the fabric sample over her nape.
She could feel the gentle touch of the back of his hand grazing atop the hair on her neck.
âIt tickles.â
Not used to being in contact with another person, Radis flinched and shuddered.
She fixed her gaze at a faraway spot and tried to think of other things.
âWhen I leave the marquisate, Iâll definitely buy wool mattresses and feathered duvets. I want to take Brendon, too, but maybe thatâs not possible? If itâs the marquisateâs chef, who has a lot of pride in having been employed by the Russellâs for generationsâŠ! T-Then I can eat as much as I can before I leaveâŠ!â