“Pardon?”

“The designer and tailor have arrived, Your Highness.”

Lacy couldn’t make sense of what she had just heard. It wasn’t as though Mollys had said anything complicated.

If a designer and tailor had come to the estate, then they had come — but why was he reporting it to her?

“Why?”

“Because His Highness the Grand Duke ordered a dress to be made for Your Highness the Grand Duchess.”

Siz’s answer from beside her made even less sense. A dress being made out of nowhere — and Rafez had ordered it, specifically for Lacy?

“Why a dress——”

While Lacy was still reeling, Rafez entered the room, followed by the designer and tailor. At his appearance, the servants in the room bowed their heads in greeting.

“Your Highness.”

Lacy couldn’t hide her bewilderment at the unexpected turn of events — but Rafez, who had ordered the whole thing, seemed entirely unbothered.

He settled naturally onto the sofa and crossed his legs as though it were his rightful place. The designer hurried to bring a book of designs to him, and Rafez opened it and studied it with genuine attention.

Still with his eyes fixed on the book, he spoke to Siz.

“Siz, bring some tea.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Siz appeared flustered too — but she moved swiftly all the same.

Anyone who didn’t know Siz well wouldn’t have caught the flicker of surprise. Living in this estate, what Lacy had come to notice was that most of its servants were blunt and seemingly without warmth — their true feelings impossible to read, always mechanical.

But in situations like this, there were subtle differences to be felt.

And it struck her that they resembled their master, Rafez, in exactly that way.

“What are you doing, Grand Duchess?”

Having set all of this in motion and appearing to enjoy it thoroughly, Rafez at last lifted his eyes from the book and looked at Lacy, who had been standing rigid and motionless this whole time.

“Pardon?”

“Why are you just standing there.”

“……I’m not quite sure what’s happening.”

Well then — what was she supposed to do?

“Is that so? Were you not a duke’s daughter? Having people come to the house to have a dress made must have been commonplace for you.”

Rafez’s words, if anything, were more bewildering — as though he genuinely couldn’t understand her confusion.

Of course it had been commonplace at the ducal house. But still——

“Don’t just stand there — go ahead and have your measurements taken. Tailor?”

“Pardon? Ah — yes, Your Highness.”

It wasn’t clear whether Rafez was speaking to Lacy or to the tailor, but the tailor, having received his instructions clearly enough, snapped to attention and got to work.

Lacy was flustered — but found herself going along with what the tailor directed, almost without realizing it.

The skilled tailor worked at the fastest pace he could manage. Even he could sense that this was not simply a husband having a dress made for his wife.

As Rafez glanced up from the book and over at her, what caught his eye was the particular slenderness of Lacy’s waist. She had never seemed to eat well — and indeed, she looked far too thin.

And beyond simply being thin — even in this unremarkable moment of having her measurements taken, she was a beautiful woman. If anything, her dark hair — understated, without any artificial lustre — only made her stand out more.

The kind of person who could steal your attention entirely, if you weren’t careful.

There had been a time, once, when even a glimpse of her from a distance had caught his eye.

“Is there a design that catches your eye, Your Highness?”

“Ah.”

At the designer’s words, Rafez pulled himself back and fixed his gaze on the book again.

If he had kept staring at Lacy and their eyes had met — that would have been genuinely embarrassing.

“Well — they all look lovely to me. The one wearing it should be the one to choose.”

“Are you looking for a dress for the party, Your Highness?”

“Yes. And something for outings as well, if possible. Something comfortable enough for a carriage ride. Grand Duchess, come over and have a look once your measurements are done.”

At Rafez’s words, Lacy came to the sofa and sat down at a distance from him. Rafez passed the book over to her.

“Pick whichever one you like.”

Her eyes were on the book — but the dress designs weren’t registering at all. She’d had no interest in dresses to begin with, and being told to suddenly choose one out of nowhere meant nothing was going in.

She simply found herself wondering what was going on in Rafez’s head, to have created a situation like this.

“……I’m not sure, myself.”

“Do you not like the designs? I can call for a different designer.”

The designer swallowed hard at Rafez’s words.

Being commissioned to make a dress for the Grand Ducal house of House Felista was no small honor. The position of the house itself was reason enough — but beyond that, ever since Rafez had become Grand Duke, Lacy had barely participated in social life, and accordingly had never had a new dress made. Not once.

If she were to appear in a newly made dress, all eyes would be on her. And naturally, everyone would want to know who had made it.

“No. It’s not that — they’re all so lovely I can’t choose.”

At Lacy’s answer, the designer finally let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Then this one looks good to me.”

Rafez took the book back from Lacy and began selecting at once. For someone who had just said they were all too lovely to choose from, he seemed to have had something in mind already.

“Blue for the color, I think.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

Once the business was concluded, Rafez gestured and everyone filed out of the room. The door closed behind them.

And then Rafez turned to look at Lacy at last.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

Lacy was past bewildered and edging toward speechless. He had gone ahead and done as he pleased, and now he was telling her to speak her mind?

“……I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

“About having a dress made? Does having a single dress made require some deeper motive?”

He had changed too much.

There was no other way to interpret it. Was he truly, at this late stage, going to start treating her as the Grand Duchess?

“There’s no hidden meaning. This is the first tea party you’ll be hosting as Grand Duchess of our house — of course some care should be given to it. And since it will take several days by carriage to reach the Grand Duchy, having comfortable clothes prepared at the same time only makes sense.”

“I wasn’t planning anything so grand. I only wanted——”

“Yes — when you said you wanted to hold a tea party, I didn’t ask why. Didn’t I? A sudden idea, out of nowhere.”

“……You didn’t.”

Lacy found herself with nothing left to say.

“Then I’d appreciate it if you extended me the same courtesy. As for why I’m doing this.”

When she couldn’t find a response, Rafez finished what he had to say and turned, walking out of the room.

* * *

And so time passed, and today arrived.

The dress was beautiful.

The blue dress suited Lacy’s dark hair far better than she could have imagined.

And yet looking at her reflection in the mirror, she felt more uncomfortable than she had in any dress before it. The blue in particular — every time she caught sight of it, she was reminded of his eyes, and it gave her the strange sensation of meeting his gaze.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Rafez walked in.

“Good morning, Grand Duchess. A perfect day for a tea party. The garden looks lovely.”

Rafez looked at Lacy in the dress and smiled, visibly satisfied.

He had chosen blue after hearing from Siz that Lacy owned nothing in that color — and seeing how well it suited her, he felt something almost like pride. The brilliance of the jeweled dress was captivating.

“……You look lovely too.”

The words were out before he even realized he had said them.

“Pardon?”

“Ah — the dress, I mean. It’s quite beautiful. The design was well chosen. Isn’t that right, Siz?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“So — what brings you here first thing in the morning?”

Rafez had redirected to the dress a beat too late, and Lacy’s cool gaze seemed to finally bring him back to his senses.

“I have to go to the Imperial Palace today…… I’ll likely be back quite late in the evening. Ah — Mollys.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At Rafez’s call, Mollys stepped forward and presented Lacy with a box.

“……What is this?”

“After having the dress made, I thought something felt missing. Well then.”

Rafez left the room with brisk efficiency, as though his business was concluded.

Mollys, too, quickly handed the box to Siz and followed after Rafez — the whole picture rather resembling a retreat. Not that such a thing was possible, of course.

Click.

Siz opened the box she had received from Mollys and held it out for Lacy to see.

“This is……”

Inside the box was a necklace — ornately adorned with the same shade of blue jewels as the dress.