Chapter 9
Riding a carriage toward Rodance, Iris looked outside.
The sunlight was pleasant, and many people were walking about the streets.
‘Most of them are errand runners for noble ladies.’
Noble ladies do not casually walk the streets. They believe it is a matter of dignity.
How ridiculous.
While she was lost in such thoughts, the carriage arrived in front of a dress shop run by the most famous madam in the social circle for her dresses.
She waited for the maid to open the door.
*Click.*
But as the door opened, a dark-colored male hand suddenly reached out. Holding the door, she glanced to the side with wide eyes and saw Jack, dressed in a servant’s uniform.
“Jack?”
When she quietly asked, Jack gave a slight nod as if to say, “Don’t acknowledge me.”
She had much to say, but knowing there were many watchful eyes here, she quietly took his hand and stepped down.
‘When did he follow me?’
Jack, who always appeared like the wind and vanished just as quickly, would sometimes show up unexpectedly like this.
“Who is this?”
“Oh, he’s one of the servants I hired.”
“I see.”
Having given a vague excuse to the maid, she knew this conversation would reach the Crown Prince’s ears in its entirety.
She smiled outwardly, but her inner thoughts were different.
‘I need to be careful not to let Jack’s identity be exposed.’
Escorted in this manner, she entered the dress shop, and the gazes of the noble ladies, gathered like delicate doves, turned toward Iris all at once.
The reason was that, no matter how beautiful she was, this was her first time visiting this dress shop due to her ‘background.’
The dress shop also judged the ‘rank’ of the women who wore its dresses.
Even if she was praised as the empire’s greatest beauty, her origins could not be changed.
Madam Rose approached Iris with a slightly flustered expression. Before Iris could say anything, the maid cautiously stepped forward and showed the imperial seal.
“We are here today to have a dress made for Lady Iris, Madam Rose.”
“Good heavens, the imperial…”
At Madam Rose’s words, a flicker of surprise passed through the eyes of the noble ladies gathered like doves behind her.
They began whispering among themselves, covering their mouths with fans, but the content of their conversation was obvious without even hearing it.
‘They’re probably saying some commoner girl caught a big fish.’
Her life in high society was far from easy.
Noble men only thought about how to take advantage of her, and noble women believed she wasn’t on their level.
As someone who was originally a commoner, Iris didn’t have a single noble lady as a close friend.
Having married early, it was also awkward to build friendships with young noblewomen.
“Hello. The weather is nice, isn’t it?”
Even though she now had the Crown Prince’s backing, Iris, aware that her origins were the humblest, greeted them first with a mindset of yielding.
“Indeed. Are you out for a stroll?”
The noble lady sitting closest responded to her words. No matter her origins, it wouldn’t be easy to ignore someone who came bearing the imperial crest.
“It’s nice to see Lady Iris here.”
“Come join us. We were just gathering.”
The noble ladies each added a word, but the woman sitting in the center quietly sipped her tea. She was likely the central figure of this gathering.
‘The Countess of Mormos.’
Born under a border count and married to the Count of Mormos, she was a noble through and through. She was probably too proud to engage in conversation with Iris.
‘She’s likely planning to let her followers handle the conversation and brush it off appropriately.’
That way, she wouldn’t be ignoring the imperial crest, so there wouldn’t be any trouble.
If it were the usual Iris, she might have let it slide, thinking, “Am I avoiding this because I’m scared or because it’s bothersome?”
But today, she didn’t feel like doing that.
When would she ever get the chance to have the Crown Prince’s backing again?
“Oh my, it seems the Countess of Mormos is here to have a dress made as well.”
*Flinch.*
At her words, the Countess of Mormos’s eyebrows twitched upward. It seemed to have irritated her.
Iris smiled with an innocent face, as if she meant no harm, and continued.
“Oh, please take your time responding. The scent of your tea smells like ginger. It seems your throat isn’t feeling well.”
Iris kindly provided her an excuse to slip out of the conversation. Let’s see if she keeps her mouth shut even after this.
As Iris stared with a smile, the Countess of Mormos finally set down her teacup.
“…That’s right. There’s a ball coming up soon.”
“Oh, I came here for the ball as well. Have you found a dress to your liking?”
A brief battle of nerves passed between the two.
Honestly, these refined noble ladies were always the problem. They thought they could achieve something with just a glance.
“May I sit down?”
“Oh, it’s not polite to keep you standing. Please, take a seat here.”
A noble lady on the left offered her a seat. It was the farthest from the center, but it was probably the best they could do.
Iris looked at the lady who had given up her seat.
With soft brown hair and scarlet eyes, she was the wife of Viscount Bollère.
Iris remembered her as someone who often stuck close to the Countess of Mormos.
‘Among them, she’s probably the kindest.’
Smiling softly, Iris expressed her gratitude and sat down. Thus, an uncomfortable seat was prepared.
Madam Rose, with an awkward smile, excused herself to select fabrics for the noble ladies whose measurements had already been taken, leaving Iris alone with the noblewomen for a moment.
“By the way, Lady Iris, who is your partner for this ball?”
Since they couldn’t directly ask if she was romantically involved with the Crown Prince, they asked in a refined, roundabout way.
It would be nice if they just asked outright.
“I haven’t decided yet. I do have someone in mind, though.”
So Iris responded vaguely, giving as good as she got.
The Countess of Mormos picked up her teacup again, sipping the fragrant ginger tea.
“I heard you haven’t been divorced for long.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It must have been a great shock, but I’m glad to see you’ve recovered so quickly.”
The implication was clear: *We all know you got divorced because of an affair, and now you’ve already found another man.*
These noble ladies, who despised vulgar language above all, always spoke in such ways.
“Doesn’t everyone need a place to open their heart? I simply found mine.”
Iris countered just as sharply. The implication was that she was never short of men around her.
She also subtly hinted that she had known the Crown Prince for a while.
“…You must have a very kind friend.”
“Sometimes, they’re so kind it’s almost frightening.”
The Crown Prince had acted as if he desired her. She could play along with that act as much as needed.
Pretending to be a foolish, lovestruck flower was something she had always done.
While the two engaged in this verbal sparring, the surrounding noblewomen remained silent, lips sealed. The same went for Vivi, the maid standing behind Iris, and Jack, disguised as a servant.
No blood was spilled, but it was no less brutal than a battlefield.
No one would want to get involved in this fight.
The tense atmosphere was broken by Madame Rose’s voice coming from the inner room.
“Lady Iris, please come this way. We need to take your measurements.”
“Oh, I’ll be right there.”
As Iris smiled and excused herself to leave, a faint *tinkle* sounded behind her.
“Gasp…”
The noblewomen collectively inhaled sharply.
The moment Iris turned around, puzzled by what had happened, a sweet fragrance wafted toward her.
It was the scent of perfume.
“Lady Iris.”
“Y-Your Highness, the Crown Prince?”
‘Why are you here already?’
“I’m here.”
‘We didn’t even make any plans.’
Flustered, Iris quickly composed her expression and looked at him.
“What brings you to the dressmaker’s…?”
As Iris responded with a subtle smile, the Crown Prince’s smile deepened. Truly, he had the appearance of an angel.
“Though there’s still time before our appointment, I came early because I missed you. Please indulge this foolish man.”
She could feel the noblewomen staring in shock.
‘What’s this guy up to?’
What scheme brought him all the way here?
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By Anna 💓
