Chapter 41
Normally, when one extended a gesture of reconciliation like this, accepting it was the sibling rule.
Adrian hugged me tightly and said,
“If that guy makes you cry, tell your brother.”
“Got it. I’ll definitely tell!”
“Even if that guy acts boring, tell me.”
“Ren brother is fun just to look at… Ugh. Okay.”
I couldn’t continue because Adrian squeezed his arms tight, giving me a warning look.
We were in the midst of this tearful sibling reconciliation hug for quite a while.
That’s when I spotted Mei far off behind a pillar, cradling her ruby ring preciously while sneaking glances at me.
‘Mei didn’t say anything!’
It was as if she was saying that, which left me dumbfounded.
* * *
After Rodellia Peris joined Magia.
The security was a mess.
The cleanliness was a mess.
Without even an elevator, the hideout had the highest climbing difficulty, so to escape it, we scoured real estate.
But most clubhouses in the central district were already sold out, with no properties available.
I thought money would be enough, but reality was cold.
Especially the houses where renowned clubs gathered had no vacancies at all.
In the end, while searching for properties, we decided to renovate the existing hideout.
We couldn’t keep going to a place where rats might pop out at any moment.
We assigned a separate manager and cleaner to the fifth floor, completely overhauling not just the hallways but the interior too, and brought in new furniture.
Even if we couldn’t install an elevator, it at least needed to be a temporary place worth staying in.
Rodellia sat on the luxurious sofa she’d chosen to her taste and asked again.
“You really don’t need to move?”
“Yes. This is more than enough for us, miss.”
Sierra said with a gentle smile. I was startled by the natural slip of the term “miss.”
“No, why did the address suddenly become ‘miss’?”
“You’re the one receiving the affection of the Magic Tower Lord, so to us, you’re no different from a lady we must serve.”
“Just call me Rodellia.”
“We can’t do that…”
“If you keep it up, I’ll quit?”
“You’re so impatient. I was just about to say we could, Rodellia.”
As Sierra quickly backpedaled, Glaster sidled over and started fanning me.
Amid the sudden shift in attitude, I was flustered when Edwin caught my eye, sulking by the window.
He sat there like a lone male lion, looking very much like he had eighth-grader syndrome.
It also seemed like he was crying out for attention, so I spoke up.
“Edwin.”
“What?”
“You’re blocking the view, could you move?”
“…This is my fixed seat.”
Edwin scowled deeply and jerked his head away.
But the way he subtly twisted his body suggested he wasn’t a bad kid after all.
Was it just my imagination that he seemed oddly full of wariness toward me?
As someone who had come with a purpose, this was quite an inconvenient situation.
“Still, it would be better to move if a property comes up. We’re supposed to be a magic botany club, so how can we stay in such a remote spot? Let’s dream big, big!”
Glaster responded to my ambition with seal-like applause, and Sierra muttered, ‘Well, if you want it that much,’ covering her mouth with her hand and giggling.
Edwin grumbled sulkily, ‘Money wasting…,’ but no one paid attention.
That’s when Lottie caught my eye, sitting demurely beside me, sketching something.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
She hid the sketch, still too shy to show it.
Of course, with my eagle eyes, I didn’t miss it.
‘No way, that’s…!’
It was a sketch of a one-piece dress that would soon lead the fashion trends.
The Barnard social scene was extremely sensitive to trends. Especially, there was a pervasive atmosphere pressuring ladies into diets.
From corsets that cinched to maintain a mannequin-like pretty fit, to designs that accentuated the figure.
Tops that clung tightly, with skirts layered in voluminous hems—these dresses were incredibly uncomfortable to wear in summer.
There was a reason so many fainted from their clothes around this time.
What saved them was the signature one-piece from Rosie’s boutique.
Rosie’s boutique. As you can see, the name came from the first and last letters of Lottie Beige.
At first, the one-piece spread quietly among pregnant noblewomen, but when Summer wore it, its popularity exploded among the younger crowd.
‘I knew the Summer dress was Lottie’s design, but…’
How had she already conceived that design?
To me, who had lived in South Korea, it was a familiar one-piece.
The formal tweed one-piece was a practical design that replaced dresses.
It might fall short for banquets, but as an outfit for external activities? Perfect.
Especially that A-line—it really lets you breathe!
Sensing my intense gaze, Lottie explained defensively.
“I’m actually designing a dress.”
“You’re interested in clothing?”
“My mom works in that field. She’s planning to open her own boutique soon.”
“I see.”
As I pretended to know nothing and nodded along, Lottie chattered on.
“Actually, it’s a design inspired by what you said, Delly. Last time, you mentioned how clothes are made too small and it’s hard. So I thought, instead of standard-sized dresses, what about something more comfortable yet pretty?”
Because of me?
Come to think of it, I might have said something like that. It was an off-the-cuff remark when Nanael was feeding me desserts and calling me a pig.
To think she’d already created that from a passing comment.
As expected from the daughter of Rosie’s chief designer. An incredible talent.
“Lottie, you’re amazing! Don’t tell me you came up with this design from just one thing I said?”
“Oh, it’s still too rough…”
Lottie’s face turned bright red at the sudden attention.
I grabbed both her hands and said,
“Why don’t you show it to your mother?”
In my eyes, this was a jackpot item.
“W-well, I don’t know. Mom’s strict about these things. She’d definitely say it’s no good.”
Lottie hesitated, her expression lacking confidence.
As someone who knew the outcome clearly, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.
“Come on. You never know until you try. Who knows? It might become the signature dress of the countess’s boutique?”
This is a winning stock! All in!
At my repeated encouragement, Lottie’s cheeks flushed red.
A moment later, a flame of determination ignited in her eyes.
“Then, will you be the first to wear it, Delly?”
“Huh?”
“I actually designed it with you in mind.”
Somehow, I’d become the muse of a budding genius fashion designer.
It felt like I’d stolen Summer’s spot again, but there was no reason to refuse.
“Sure! I’ll wear it, so make it pretty, okay?”
Lottie’s face visibly brightened as she grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically.
“Yep! I’ll do my best!”
* * *
The social scene was abuzz daily with news of Rodellia and Alferen’s romance.
Wherever you went, talk of the two never ceased, and Nanael’s mood grew increasingly irritable.
Just then, Cesare, fresh from his studies abroad, provoked her.
“I heard you got dumped. You should’ve lived more modestly. From what I see, Duke Ainluk seems like a goody-two-shoes. Can’t even seduce one guy like that?”
“He’s in a different league from you, brother.”
“Pfft.”
Responding to his sarcasm with sarcasm, Cesare burst into laughter and propped his chin.
His fiery red hair and golden eyes burned like flames.
Her twin brother, born just one minute before her, was her lifelong rival and the source of her inferiority complex.
As a prince who’d lived freely as he pleased under their mother’s shadow, his expression naturally melted with a characteristic boredom.
He wandered foreign lands pretending to have no interest in the throne, but like their mother, he was eyeing the crown.
For now, the crown prince was holding firm, so he hid his true intentions.
He was probably steadily expanding his influence in other countries.
“Didn’t you say you’d stay longer before returning?”
“That was the plan, but I heard such an entertaining story.”
From his expression, it was clear what that entertaining matter was, without even asking.
