Chapter 98

"Lady Eli?"

Adele came back in, her face filled with worry. She seemed concerned that I hadn't come out.

"Ah, I'm coming out now!"

I quickly came out of the private room.

The coffee house was still packed with people.

"Um, have you decided on a tailor, Lady Eli?"

While I was estimating today's sales by looking around, Adele asked cautiously.

"Hmm, I haven't decided yet. Have you, Lady Adele?"

"I haven't either... The tailors are all so busy."

Adele smiled faintly.

Most tailors had regular noble clients, so she must have heard a lot of complaints about them.

Among them, there were probably complaints about Adele too. Even if her kingdom had fallen, she was once a princess.

"I need to decide soon."

Adele forced a smile. I could see a shadow of darkness in her smile.

I looked at her intently and said,

"If you'd like, I can introduce you to a tailor I know."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's not very famous, so I'm not sure if it will suit Lady Adele's taste."

"That's fine! If it's a place Lady Eli recommends, I'll gladly..."

Adele's cheeks turned red.

"When would be a good time? If you tell me a convenient time, I'll adjust to it."

"Hmm, how about now?"

"Wh-what? Now... now?"

"Yes. Of course, there might be a bit of a wait since they're busy."

I smiled.

"It's very close from here."

I pointed to the floor above with my index finger, and Adele's mouth opened in surprise.

* * *

"Welcome, Lady Eli."

Charlotte greeted me as I entered with Adele.

Despite the late hour and the many customers she had served, her face was full of excitement.

"I'm sorry for coming so late."

"Don't mention it. I'd run to you even at dawn if you asked, Lady Eli."

She winked and smiled.

"You're practically family to our employer."

She was the epitome of a capitalist socialite. I chuckled.

"Is this a friend of yours?"

"Yes. She asked for a good tailor, so I brought her right away!"

"Since Lady Eli recommended her, I'll have to do my best."

Charlotte smiled warmly, and Adele seemed taken aback, fidgeting as if she had just heard something surprising.

"Y-You mean... this place is Lady Eli's..."

"Hmm, it's not mine, but..."

I slowly glanced around.

Jerrit, who had spotted me, was running over, calling, "Lady Eli!"

"It's my brother's."

"Oh!"

Jerrit clutched his chest as he approached.

The word "brother" seemed to make his heart skip a beat.

"Lady Eli. You've come."

Jerrit, who had finally calmed down, greeted me warmly.

"Brother. Lady Adele wants to choose a dress for her debut ball. Can you help her?"

"Lady Adele...?"

Jerrit, who had been pondering, paused.

But he soon smiled and nodded.

"It's an honor to serve you."

Jerrit bowed politely. Adele hesitated, and I nodded to reassure her.

"Please, take good care of her..."

Her expression as she closed her eyes and bowed was endearing.

I called out to Charlotte and Flint, who were waiting for us from a distance, in a loud voice.

"Take good care of her!"

She might be timid now, but she will be a great actress who will make our salon famous in the future!

* * *

While Adele was being fitted for her dress, I sat on the side, sipping cocoa and chatting with Jerrit.

"Lady Eli, you're also attending the debut ball at the palace, right?"

"Yes. It just happened that way."

I laughed awkwardly, and Jerrit's face darkened.

"I hope nothing happens..."

"But the Duke will be there, so it should be fine."

"That's true, but..."

Jerrit started to say something but then closed his mouth.

What was he going to say? I tilted my head, but Jerrit only smiled faintly and drank his tea.

"Actually, Lady Chloé Welsh also visited our salon. She wanted to have a dress made for the debut ball."

While we were waiting for Adele, it seemed Chloé had been there.

As expected, Chloé was not an ordinary customer.

"Did something happen?"

I asked, pretending to know nothing.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you this, but..."

Jerrit sighed.

"She wanted to buy our salon. She said she would pay any amount of money and that we should sell this place..."

Jerrit was keeping his ownership of the salon a secret.

It was because people found it shameful for a man to be involved in a salon business.

So Chloé, not knowing the owner was a noble like herself, had acted even more rudely.

"Since our salon hasn't established itself yet, I politely declined, but..."

"Hmm... Given her personality, she won't back down easily."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

Jerrit looked troubled.

"Besides, the Violet Diamond... If we mess with it, we might all be in trouble."

Just thinking about it made Jerrit shudder.

The Violet Diamond was a new gemstone discovered by Baron Welsh.

He boasted so much about it that its value skyrocketed even before it was officially revealed.

But it seemed the price he wanted hadn't been met yet, so Baron Welsh kept delaying the announcement.

'Of course.'

Because the Violet Diamond was fake.

The Welsh territory, located in the west, had seen a decline in harvests over the years.

But Baron Welsh was a gambling addict and neglected the affairs of his territory.

Only when his territory was on the brink of bankruptcy did he try to borrow money, but no noble would lend to a gambler.

It was then that Baron Latienel, the Queen's father, appeared.

He was the one who had led Baron Welsh into gambling.

Baron Latienel smiled calmly and said,

"I have a good plan for you. Would you like to hear it? It's a surefire way to make a fortune."

The Duke's proposal was truly astonishing.

It was to create and sell a "fake diamond mine."

With his daughter Cartia as the Queen and Porger, a black magician, as a royal dog, it wasn't impossible.

"Y-You mean I can receive help from the Duke and Her Majesty the Queen?"

"The Queen holds you in high regard."

Baron Welsh, completely taken in by this, used Porger's power to create a fake diamond mine and announced it to the world.

The appraisers, who had already been influenced by the Queen, confirmed the diamonds were real.

The indebted territory became the site of a unique diamond discovery.

The value soared, and everyone catered to Baron Welsh.

The Queen, the only one in the empire with a diamond mine, also asked the Baron if he would hand over the mine.

If Baron Welsh handed over the Violet Diamond mine to the Queen, she would become a wealthy noble with two mines, and the Baron would naturally join her faction, solidifying his position in politics.

It seemed like a perfect plan, but...

"What? Why is it breaking?"

One day, everything was revealed by the heroine, Ashabel.

The diamonds, created by black magic, couldn't withstand Ashabel's strong holy power and disappeared.

The empire was thrown into chaos.

But the Queen claimed she knew nothing and protested her innocence, while Baron Welsh was executed for all the crimes.

Somehow, he managed to extricate himself, but if it weren't for Ashabel, he might have gotten away with it.

The angry Queen began to torment Ashabel...

'And Demian suffered along with her.'

Whether the Queen was involved in the scam or not, it was none of my business, but if Demian was also implicated, the story would be different.

'I can't let my child suffer.'

Moreover, since Chloé had spoken rudely and disrespected my people, it was time for me to pay her back.

'The time when Baron Welsh offered the diamond mine to Queen Cartia was right around now, wasn't it?'

Thanks to Baron Welsh, Chloé became the star of the debut ball.

'Then...'

Could I use this situation to my advantage?

After finishing my thoughts, I composed my expression and looked at Jerrit.

"The diamonds are durable, so they should be fine on the dress, right?"

"But she kept badmouthing you the whole time she was being fitted."

Jerrit frowned.

"Her voice was so loud it could be heard in the office. I wanted to confront her, but I just listened to avoid causing trouble for you."

His clenched fists trembled, still upset by the memory.

"But I hope Jerrit's clothes are the best in the world."

"Lady Eli..."

"I'm fine. With Lady Chloé and the Violet Diamond, the salon will surely gain a lot of popularity."

"How can you be so kind-hearted..."

I smiled quietly.

"If Jerrit's salon does well, I'll be very happy."

"Since you put it that way, I have no choice."

Jerrit reluctantly nodded.

"Violet Diamond... Can I really do it..."

He muttered, his timidity returning.

'It's a good thing Jerrit opened a salon.'

Otherwise, I would have missed this great opportunity.

I smiled and sipped my cocoa.

* * *

And on the day of the debut ball.

The ballroom at the palace was bustling with many people, as befitting a ball hosted by the palace.

"Is, is the Duke of Schuetz coming today?"

"I heard he adopted the son of Duke Cleyder. Is it true?"

"I heard he took a commoner girl as his daughter-in-law."

Despite the presence of high-ranking nobles, invited by the Queen herself, the only topic of conversation was the Duke of Schuetz.

Chloé, calculating her entrance in the carriage, bit her lip.

'Why are they only talking about people who haven't even arrived yet?'

I'm the star! My father clearly said so!

As she fumed, a beautifully tailored dress caught her eye.

Seeing the Violet Diamonds attached to various parts of the dress, her heart sank.

'After all, this is just temporary.'

A dress made by the Jemuel salon and adorned with Violet Diamonds.

With such an outfit, that commoner girl would be nothing.

'Then she won't be able to give me that insolent look anymore.'

Perhaps even Prince Demian might take an interest in me.

Just thinking about it was thrilling. Chloé chuckled.