“Wh — wh-what?! This is way too ‘much!'”
‘How many zeroes is that?’
My heart was hammering. I’d expected a modest, token amount — something nominal. But this was overwhelming. I had never, in my entire life, held a sum this large in my hands. Even the thought of it being in my possession made my chest feel tight with anxiety.
“Is it insufficient? Oh dear — I was the one who lowered it a bit, actually. I was afraid the amount His Grace originally set might frighten you off.”
“N-no! It’s not insufficient at all. I — I’ll just take this amount. I get uncomfortable with too much money.”
I drew two lines through the figure written on the document for the future Duchess of Hardeion’s personal allowance, then corrected it to one-tenth of the original.
“Isn’t that a bit too little?”
Kael had been watching me revise the number with my own hand, and added this quietly.
“They told me you never received so much as a coin at the Florence estate. Said your pocket money was confiscated too.”
“Th-that’s true.”
“Then just use it. I have more money than I could spend in a lifetime.”
Even so, the original figure was too large. It would make me anxious long before I ever touched a coin of it.
“I — I’ll try spending what I’ve settled on and ask for more if it’s not enough.”
Hugo stepped in then, mediating with a warm, easy smile, and deferred gracefully to my choice.
“As you wish, my lady. We can arrange it by bank account, cash, cheque — whatever is most convenient for you. Please use it freely.”
“Y-yes. Thank you.”
* * *
Back in the annex.
“…You should have just taken the full amount.”
“I panicked in the moment. And the number was just so — ‘big.'”
“Hmm.”
“A-anyway. Let’s work with what I’ve accepted and spend it as extravagantly as we can. Everyone will think badly of me and that’s exactly what we want.”
“Alright. First things first — we need to spend it like water. That’s the only way the servants will start to form a poor opinion of you.”
“Yes! I’ll throw it around without a second thought!”
Right. The priority now was to spend what I’d accepted in the most ostentatiously lavish way possible.
But how, exactly, did one go about being lavish?
“I suppose — dresses? Jewelry? Those sorts of things? Kael did say I could go out whenever I liked!”
“That’s certainly the most natural way to make extravagance visible. We should visit a dressmaker first. Spending money on the very day it’s given to you isn’t a bad look at all.”
“Let’s do it! I’ll get ready to go out right now.”
I jumped to my feet. Emily sprang into motion beside me.
“Let me fix you up quickly—”
‘Knock, knock.’
An unexpected knock cut Emily off mid-sentence.
The door opened to reveal Hugo — and a woman standing beside him.
“Oh my. Oh ‘wow!’ This is absolutely ‘wonderful!'”
I blinked. This woman had clapped eyes on me and immediately burst into exclamations. She had even brought both hands up to cover her mouth. She appeared to be experiencing some form of overwhelming emotion.
“Ha — I’m sorry, I got carried away without thinking. Whenever I see something adorable and beautiful, I simply lose my composure. Forgive me.”
“N-no, it’s quite alright.”
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Madame Antroi, proprietress of the Antroi Atelier.”
“Oh! Hello. I’m Ivelina Florence.”
I returned the greeting somewhat awkwardly. The woman was dressed with effortless elegance from head to toe — refined to the last detail.
It suited her.
This woman was one of the capital’s rising designers — newer to the scene than many of the established names, yet already more sought-after than most of them. She was also exceptionally rare in her field: a woman designer who had trained abroad.
‘And in a few months’ time, she’ll be even more famous.’
Madame Antroi would catch sight of the female lead and immediately claim her as her muse. Pouring every ounce of her artistic soul into the work, she would go on to become the most celebrated designer in the capital.
‘By the end, she’d be called “the hand of a goddess, gift-given.”‘
But what on earth was she doing here?
“Truly wonderful. I can already feel the creative fire stirring in me.”
Perhaps owing to her years abroad, Madame Antroi’s speech was lightly salted with phrases from a foreign tongue. Fortunately, I’d studied a second language during my academy years and could follow her without difficulty.
“I’ve had the honor of being commissioned by His Grace, Duke Hardeion, to create gowns for you, my lady. I look forward to working together.”
‘Wait. Wait, wait, wait.’
I had been about to head out to the capital’s dressmakers to spend money extravagantly. And now this.
“Well then, my lady, I’ll be going now. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call for me.”
“Yes, Hugo. Thank you.”
Once the introductions were done, Hugo tactfully excused himself. Understandable — it wouldn’t do for him to linger while gowns were being tried on.
“Right then! Bring in the rack! Fetch the measuring tape! Quickly, quickly!”
Madame Antroi clapped her hands, and through the open door two more young women entered — her assistants, by the look of them. The garment rack they wheeled in was hung with dozens of test gowns in every color imaginable.
* * *
“Goodness. You wear every color beautifully. And your skin — how is it so pale and flawless? Do you have a special routine?”
“Just basic skincare, honestly…”
“Good heavens. It’s entirely natural, then!”
Starting with my complexion.
“Oh my — look at that waist. Do you follow a strict diet?”
“No, not really. I think I just don’t gain weight easily.”
“How absolutely enviable!”
My apparently effortless figure.
Madame Antroi’s avalanche of compliments left my head spinning. I had already lost count of how many dresses I’d changed into.
“This is quite the dilemma. Everything suits you, truly. Off-shoulder silhouettes, high-necked gowns, halter styles — you carry them all. Girls, what do you think?”
“She’s perfect in everything. There isn’t a single style to eliminate, Madame. Shall we go ahead and make ten of each?”
‘Excuse me. I’m supposed to be spending money extravagantly here.’
“That — that’s far too many. What about just three? We can place additional orders later…”
“No, no. That won’t do.”
“Why not?”
“His Grace made his terms very clear. The order must be no fewer than thirty gowns today — or he’ll terminate his contract with our atelier.”
“What?!”
‘Was that even legal? That was downright unreasonable.’
“I — I could order three now and have the rest made gradually—”
“No! He paid for thirty in advance. I believe in contracts, my lady. A contract is trust. I cannot back down from this. If the Hardeion family were to dissolve our arrangement, it would leave a considerable mark on my career.”
‘This is maddening.’
I looked to Emily. She watched Madame Antroi and her assistants with her characteristic composure, then spoke.
“Contracts are important. As someone who is herself employed under contract, I deeply sympathize. You all work very hard.”
“At least the work is enjoyable. I have never met a young lady quite so charming and delightful as your mistress.”
“Our young lady is someone anyone would be lucky to have.”
“Isn’t she just. I’ve been in this profession for five years — worked my way up from the very bottom even while studying abroad.”
“My, you’ve had quite the journey.”
“I have. And working with so many clients over the years, what I’ve come to realize is that a person who possesses both beauty and grace in equal measure is almost unheard of. If someone has a pretty face, there tends to be something deeply wrong with their character. And if their character is lovely — well, not every person sets my artistic heart racing.”
“My line of work is no easier, but it sounds like you’ve had your share of hardships too, Madame.”
Emily the career professional and Antroi the rising entrepreneur seemed to be getting along splendidly.
“In this line of work, one hears social gossip rather quickly. When His Grace first contacted me, I’ll be honest — I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.”
“Oh? In what way?”
Emily asked, and Madame Antroi — who had been taking my measurements at the waist — answered.
“He’s not known for showing the slightest interest in women. The rumor has been circulating for some time that the previous duke and duchess were beside themselves with worry.”
“Yes, that one made the rounds among the servants in noble households too. Word travels fast.”
“It does, doesn’t it? And then, out of nowhere — a marriage announcement. And not only that, he suddenly reached out to my atelier directly. Said he admired the aesthetic of my designs and wished to commission a large number of gowns for his fiancée.”
“Like winning a lottery, I’d imagine?”
“I’ve already mentally purchased a building. Whether that becomes reality depends on how well this commission goes.”
“Goodness. I’m deeply envious.”
Emily was being entirely sincere about envying Madame Antroi’s impending building ownership.
‘Emily. When exactly are we going to get around to being extravagant?’
* * *
