After finishing the meal, I headed to the main reception room of the Berzel mansion, following Alex’s guidance.

While we were waiting, sipping tea lightly, the people Alex had called arrived one by one at the reception room.

“Hello, Miss? I am Baron Roaman. Please leave your attire to me.”

“I am Noah Trintz, running the Trintz Atelier. I will do my best.”

“I am Polvrin. I will design dresses that will highlight your beauty, Miss.”

Three designers from different ateliers spoke to me.

They seemed to think of me as a young lady from a noble family.

Alex, the Duke of Berzel, was unmarried, so they probably thought I was a noble lady related to him.

“Yes, I look forward to working with you.”

“No, please speak comfortably.”

“That’s right. Please feel free to speak casually.”

“It’s an honor, Miss. Please speak comfortably.”

All three designers maintained a consistently enthusiastic attitude.

“First, we need to take your measurements, so would you come this way?”

“Y-Yes.”

Baron Roaman suggested.

I stood up as she proposed and stopped in a wide space.

“Then, excuse me.”

Baron Roaman started measuring my body first.

Fortunately, since all three being women, the contact wasn’t uncomfortable.

Baron Roaman measured my body at an incredibly fast pace.

It seemed to take less than three minutes to measure everything. I felt like my soul was leaving my body under her skilled hands.

Next were Mrs. Trintz and Mrs. Polvrin.

They were slower than Baron Roaman, but they still checked thoroughly and took notes in their notebooks.

“We’ve confirmed all measurements. Next, do you have any preferred designs or colors? Feel free to mention if you have any preferred fabrics.”

Baron Roaman asked, representing the designers.

Since I had never thought I would have occasion to wear dresses, I knew nothing about dress designs.

“Um… I’m not sure about the design. I’m a complete novice in this area… I’ll leave the design up to you. As for colors, I tend to like sky blue, yellow, and pink. I don’t know much about fabrics either.”

“I see. Then we’ll design clothes that suit your ambience, Miss.”

I felt a bit uneasy about not being able to give a clear answer, but they were professionals, so I thought they could match it much better than I could.

That’s when it happened.

“While design is important, could you focus a bit more on mobility?”

Miss Veronica, who had been silently watching from the side, suggested.

“Yes, we’ll do that.”

“And try to avoid corsets if possible.”

“Yes.”

When Miss Veronica finished speaking, the designers started taking notes in their notebooks.

“We’ll deliver the dress drafts within two days. Once you check and send back the designs you like, we’ll start production right away.”

“Then we’ll see you in two days.”

“Yes, then we’ll take our leave now.”

The three designers bowed politely and carefully left the reception room.

And without a moment to catch my breath, a jeweler came in.

“Hello…”

After determining my preferred gems, confirming colors that would suit me, and deciding on shapes, the jeweler finally left.

And next was the shoe designer.

Alex had suggested postponing if I was tired… He must have anticipated all this when he said that. I only now realized it was a thoughtful consideration.

Meeting so many people in succession and exchanging opinions made me feel dizzy.

Even though I wasn’t running around or moving here and there, I felt like all my energy was being drained.

Miss also used to call seamstresses and designers to the mansion to fit things one by one, but I never dreamed it would be this tiring.

Back then, I was just blinking my eyes on the side, so it was natural.

After the shoe designer left, I turned to Alex, wondering.

“Are there more people I need to meet?”

“If that’s what you want, I can call as many as you like.”

“No! It’s okay! This is more than enough, isn’t it?”

I waved my hands in surprise at Alex’s playful words.

Alex let out a small laugh seeing my reaction.

Even in my tired state, his laughter sounded pleasant.

“Thank you for taking care of everything.”

“Not at all. Since I brought you here, I should show my sincerity in everything you do. Rather, I’m sorry that you seem tired from meeting so many people today.”

Alex’s expression seemed to convey his sincerity.

“Oh, but we got it all done at once, so we won’t have to repeat it again, right?”

“……”

Alex didn’t respond to my words, which I said with a smile.

Worried, I looked at Alex, and he spoke self-deprecatingly.

“There will always be a shortage of clothes. The same goes for accessories.”

“I don’t think that will be the case for me. And if there is a next time, I’d like to meet them separately.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Alex finished speaking and stood up.

As he stood up suddenly with his long legs, it felt like a tree had grown beside me.

“Then I’ll be away for a while as work has piled up.”

“Okay. Good luck!”

I raised both hands and clenched my fists as if to cheer him on, and Alex let out a chuckle.

He briefly bowed his head to Miss Veronica and then left the reception room.

When the door closed, only Miss Veronica and I were left in the reception room.

“It’s strange…”

Miss Veronica muttered in a small voice.

“What’s strange?”

I tilted my head and asked her, and she looked at me with a complex gaze.

“Although it hasn’t been long since I met Duke Berzel, it seems like he really likes you.”

“……”

“Ah! I don’t mean that you’re not charming, Claire. I’m sorry if it sounded that way.”

Miss apologized to me, startled that I might have misunderstood.

“How should I put it… I’m surprised by the change in Duke Berzel, who’s known as cold-blooded in social circles. To be honest, it’s hard to believe that he could love someone.”

I nodded at her soft voice.

Certainly, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to be surprised.

In fact, I’m also inwardly perplexed by the behavior he’s showing.

Sometimes I even doubt if he’s really the villain I know from the novel.

“Anyway, it’s surprising.”

Miss, who had muttered briefly, soon took her gaze from the door and looked at me.

“Are you very tired today?”

I nodded honestly to her concerned question.

“Yes.”

“Then let’s rest today. I think it’s okay to start etiquette lessons from tomorrow. You came here to rest, so don’t overdo it.”

“Okay, I will. Then what are you going to do today, Miss?”

“Well? Since I’ve come back to the capital after a while, I thought I might visit someone I know for a bit.”

“Should I go with you?”

Miss Veronica burst into laughter when I answered as though I was ready to follow her right away.

“No. You’re tired. I’ll be back before dinner. Duke Berzel is also away today, so you should rest too.”

Miss Veronica lightly patted my shoulder.

“Shall we get up then?”

“Yes!”

As we left the reception room, Miss Veronica immediately left the mansion.

In the end, I was left alone in the Berzel residence.

I stood awkwardly in the hallway, checking the direction Miss Veronica had disappeared.

Then I slowly started walking.

I was thinking of touring the mansion since I had time anyway.

“Would you like me to guide you through the mansion?”

While I walked around looking around, Avina quickly approached and asked me.

I shook my head at her question.

“No, thank you. I just want to look around on my own.”

“I see, then shall I step back so as not to disturb you?”

“Can you do that? I’d like to wander around leisurely by myself.”

“Yes, I understand. If you don’t know the way back, you can ask any maid or servant you come across, and they will guide you.”

“Thank you, Avina.”

Leaving Avina bowing her head behind, I slowly started exploring the mansion.

As I had already expected, just looking around the Berzel duchy seemed to make time pass very quickly.

From the armor lined up in the corridors to the beautiful statues decorating the corners, and the paintings hanging on the walls here and there.

The ceiling seemed to be endlessly painted with exquisite ceiling murals.

I dared say that the beauty of the Berzel residence was comparable to the imperial palace.

Moreover, my mouth would open involuntarily when I saw the well-maintained garden.

I went outside through the door connected to the back garden.

Even though it was winter, a faint scent of grass tickled my nose.

I slowly entered the garden, drawn by the scent of grass.

“Miss Claire?”

It was when I had been walking for a while, led by instinct, that I heard someone calling me.

When I came to my senses and turned my head, Sir Kruger was there.

“Sir Kruger? What are you doing here?”

I reflexively checked his hand. In his hand was an empty wine glass. That wasn’t all. On the railing installed for landscaping, there was an opened bottle of wine with its cork removed.

“Were you drinking here?”

“Haha, that’s not it…”

Sir Kruger smiled ambiguously, as if caught in an awkward situation.

“All working people are like that. Don’t worry too much. I’m not a tattletale, you know.”

I mimicked zipping my mouth, and Sir Kruger smiled slightly.

“No, you don’t have to go that far. Today is my day off.”

“Ah… And here I thought… I thought Sir Kruger was drinking while on duty?”

“It seems you misunderstood that way.”

Sir Kruger looked at me as though he found it amusing.

I was embarrassed about my unnecessary comment and thought about running away, but instead, I approached him.

“Aren’t you bored drinking alone?”