Episode 12
After escaping the mansion and running for about 10 minutes, I arrived at the bustling district and got off the carriage with the knight’s escort. Around me, young ladies dressed up like me were out with the help of knights or young gentlemen.
I led Marie to the most prosperous general store in the capital. This shop, named ‘Angel’s Breath,’ was a place where you could see the latest works of the empire’s top tepormatio (designer), and it was the best spot to know at a glance what patterns were trending these days.
I avoided a group of people crowding the entrance causing chaos and squeezed into the shop through the gap. On the ceiling, small birds from Turdarium and stuffed animals were hanging, and below, popular patterns, bundles of paper, and engravings of trending dresses were displayed.
In one corner, various items like quill pens made from duke’s feathers and ink made with musk were neatly organized, drawing people’s attention.
Especially, carpets and rugs with strange patterns brought from the Eastern Continent, and a beautiful painting depicting their women, had many people gathered around them.
I called an employee who was running around with a bundle of paper in his arms and asked to see the letter paper. While doing so, I emphasized that regardless of the price, it had to be a ‘luxury item’ that wasn’t commonly seen.
Then the employee guided me to a middle-aged man with a dark complexion. He seemed to be the owner of this shop, and with eyes barely visible buried in flesh, he sparkled them and gave a soft smile.
“Welcome. What pattern of letter paper are you looking for?”
I replied with a prim expression.
“Show me the designs from the depormatio first. I’ll decide after seeing them. Oh, of course, you know that the depormatio I’m talking about is ‘Baltan Etoile’?”
“Of course. There’s no one like him in this field.”
The owner laid out several sheets of paper with designs in front of me and began a lengthy explanation.
These days, repeating small flowers is in vogue, and on the paper, wildflowers were depicted with astonishing delicacy. It was a design that was flashy yet elegant, refined yet beautiful.
After selecting letter paper that would suit Marianne de Châteauroux, I said to the owner who was wearing a satisfied expression with my choice.
“Soak this in rose water and dry it. Can you do that?”
“Soaking already made letter paper in rose water is very difficult.”
“That’s why I’m ordering my own special item.”
“A special item, you say?”
The owner’s eyes sparkle. Right now, in his mind, piles of gold made of money must be glittering brightly.
I nodded elegantly and whispered toward him. Pronunciation clear, yet in a light tone like a bird singing a song. While showing an extremely noble young lady-like attitude.
“I’ve heard that there’s no place that produces paper as beautiful and elegant as this shop. That’s why I’m saying I’ll entrust my lifelong paper here. Can you do it?”
“Of course. But the price will be a bit high, is that okay?”
“I don’t care about the price. What’s the use of money if it’s made properly? Of course, I have no intention of using letter paper of the same design. So, I’ll come to the shop once a month and select the latest trending designs. You just need to transfer them onto paper soaked in rose water. I won’t demand a large quantity. It’ll be just thirty sets at most. Can you do it?”
“It’s a demanding order. Whether it will work out well….”
To the hesitating owner, I said as if driving in a wedge.
“This letter is going to Madame Marianne de Châteauroux. If it goes well, your shop might prosper even more. How about it? Are you still hesitating?”
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
Madame de Châteauroux is a woman who leads the latest trends. If this letter paper catches her fancy, it’s obvious that all noble women, starting with her, will rush to this shop to have paper of this kind.
The owner wipes his face glistening with grease using a handkerchief and gives me a sly smile.
“If contact comes from the palace, I’ll give you half price on future orders.”
“That’s a wise choice.”
“Then where should I send it?”
“Send it to the Viscount Wischwaltz household. I’m Sisse de Wischwaltz.”
At my words, the owner’s pupils widen greatly. It seems unbelievable that the ‘young lady’ from the gossip that stirred the social circles for a while is standing right in front of him.
And understandably so, because the rumors that had been spreading secretly said that I resembled my mother and was utterly vulgar, and a fool who knew nothing of etiquette.
Therefore, upon facing me in person, he must have been very surprised to see an elegant girl completely different from that.
More than anything, he might have been shocked that a young lady not even of age is sending a letter to Madame de Châteauroux. This is essentially subtly boasting that I have extraordinary connections.
“It’s a great honor to meet the young lady of the Wischwaltz family.”
I looked at him kissing the back of my hand as if it were amusing and laughed lowly. The fact that the owner’s lips smeared with grease touched my glove was extremely disgusting, but I couldn’t show it, so I suppressed my troubled feelings.
Because this person will become a cuckoo that will spread my ‘rumors’ to the many ladies who will visit the shop in the future.
Surely, he will show the design I chose to other young ladies and explain that it’s going to ‘Madame de Châteauroux.’
Then, the young ladies who hear that will mock my lowly origins but won’t dare show it in front of me. Unlike in the past. This was a phenomenon I very much desired.
“I’ll be eagerly awaiting the finished product. I hope you do your best.”
“Of course.”
Although it wasn’t the design I wanted, since I needed letter paper to use right away, I racked my memory to the fullest and chose one that matched Madame de Châteauroux’s taste. Then I signaled Marie with my eyes to pay the bill. And I twisted my body to exit the shop.
Was it because I turned without checking around? I failed to avoid a person approaching me closely, and ended up colliding strongly.
The one who saved me from falling over and making a fool of myself wasn’t Marie standing behind me. Nor was it the knight escorting me.
Ironically, it was the person I collided with. He rudely embraced my waist and pulled me deep into his arms.
Before I could even collect my thoughts, the stranger’s firm yet attractive scent pierced my nose, making me dizzy.
I barely suppressed my wildly pounding heart and let out a rough sigh. My shoulders heaved strongly, and without realizing, I grabbed the man’s forearm.
“Oh dear, I’ve committed a rudeness. Are you alright?”
A strangely low voice tickles my ear like a feather. His voice was polite yet heavy. At the same time, very sweet. It was the first time hearing such an attractive voice.
***
Would the siren who sang on the dark beach where black waves surged, luring people, be like this?
The man’s voice had a strange magic that bewitched people to that extent. So, if Marie hadn’t called me right away, I would have forgotten my dignity and stayed in his arms.
“I’m fine. So please let me go now.”
I barely said in a whisper while breathing rapidly. The fact that I was almost embraced tightly against the stranger’s chest gave me a strange excitement.
Especially, I couldn’t even breathe properly due to his firm chest clearly felt beyond the fabric.
But the man didn’t properly comply with my request. Instead, he tightened his hand around my waist and grabbed my forearm with the other hand.
And he whispers in my ear with that polite voice, the smooth tone like velvet tickling my nape was astonishingly courteous and exuded an aristocratic tone.
“If you’re going outside, I’ll escort you. I think it would be very difficult to go out like this.”
It was somewhat rude, but the man’s judgment was extremely correct. The inside of the shop was chaos itself. If I moved alone through the bustling crowd, my slender body would surely be crushed miserably.
The hem of the dress flowing down like waves under the shoe heels had already been ruined by others’ footprints, and the hat that fell to the floor due to colliding with the man had long turned into rags.
I had no choice but to nod and accept his request. My cheeks were flushed red from embarrassment and shyness.
But don’t misunderstand. This doesn’t contain any flutter like spring fragrance, or it’s far from being a subtle emotion like a sign of first love.
It’s merely an instinctive sensation toward a male, as a girl who has just begun to bloom, and as a maiden who welcomed her ‘moon guest ‘ last month.
I swear to God, no one has ever touched my pure body so directly until now. I was flustered, not knowing how to explain this sensual situation where his pelvis and my belly were touching.
As soon as my acceptance came, he started pushing through the crowd very aggressively, like a beast tearing into prey. He paid no attention even when people around screamed in protest.
Meanwhile, he didn’t forget to move his body diagonally like a shield to protect me firmly, and his manner of escorting a lady seemed quite skilled, as if he was used to it.
He exited the shop so quickly that Marie’s voice calling ‘Miss’ from behind grew fainter and fainter.
Only when he reached the shop entrance did the man reluctantly release his arm that was gripping my waist. He patiently waited until I adjusted my clothes.
Even though I must have pinched his forearm hard enough to hurt during the strange tension and excitement while escaping the crowd, he showed such kindness without showing any sign.
After some time, thinking my wrinkled clothes were somewhat straightened, I politely bowed my head to him and offered words of thanks.
It was only brief to feel embarrassment from the overly close contact, but knowing I couldn’t have escaped so easily without him, I expressed courtesy properly.
For example, aren’t my knight and maid still unable to come out of the shop?
“I don’t know which family’s young gentleman you are, but I’ve received a great favor. How should I repay this?”
“The one who committed rudeness first was me. So you don’t need to mind it.”
The man said. His voice was still captivating. Suddenly, I became curious about the man’s face. So, without even thinking of opening my fan, I wanted to capture him fully with my eyes.
Since there was a considerable height difference between him and me, I had to tilt my head up slightly, but I gladly did so. It was a bold action that a proper young lady shouldn’t do, but I confidently met his gaze.
He was quite a handsome man. With fine blue hair and eyes shining blue like sapphires, his firmly set jaw exuding masculinity, there was no flaw anywhere.
His exposed forehead was smooth like white snow. His beauty was such that women passing by would look at him with sparkling eyes, emanating the inherent strong scent of a male.
He was only wearing a light shirt and pants, but even that exuded an aristocratic style.
Elegance and grace seeped from every movement. The courtesy he showed toward me was as graceful as if innate. So I concluded he was a young gentleman from some great family.
At the same time, I thought, ‘If this person had appeared in social circles in the past, he would have been on everyone’s lips, so why isn’t he in my memory?’
Not just the face, but the man’s voice is captivating enough that anyone who hears it once can’t easily forget it.
“If you think so, I’ll be grateful.”
Anyway, since he said he won’t accept compensation, there was no reason to insist. So I stepped back slightly and directed my gaze to the shop entrance, waiting for the knight and Marie to come out.
If he hadn’t spoken to me again, I probably would have continued to ignore him like this, pretending not to know.
