An urgent voice called from outside. Marian and Helena’s eyes met. They could hear footsteps approaching. Based on the violent and impatient manner, it was definitely Benjamin. Marian snapped her fingers. The moment her hair changed to light brown, the door swung open without permission.

“Helena.”

Marian bowed her head.

Helena covered her mouth with a surprised face.

“Hic.”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes.

“What were you doing to be so startled……”

Benjamin’s gaze turned to Marian. The bowing maid’s hair was light brown. Though her face wasn’t clearly visible, she looked no different from other maids in the imperial palace.

Benjamin approached Marian. While looking at Benjamin’s shoe tips, Marian bit her lip. Was she discovered? That couldn’t be. Benjamin’s magical ability was practically zero.

‘He couldn’t have recognized me.’

Benjamin muttered.

“Is it trendy these days? Wearing cloth around the neck. The maid Cesare was looking for also had cloth around her neck.”

A chill ran through her. Marian gulped. She had missed that detail. Marian’s lips trembled.

Benjamin turned his attention to Helena. By then, Helena was drinking water. She smiled with a pale face.

“What brings you here in such a hurry?”

“I heard the princess was keeping to herself. I sent people several times but got no response. I came urgently wondering if something had happened to my fiancée.”

Benjamin spoke pretending to be gentlemanly.

The truth was different. You see what you want to see. Benjamin thought Helena was hiding a man in her quarters. But there was only a maid in the room. Benjamin pressed his brow.

There were many headaches these days. The imperial treasury was shrinking due to the incident in the fighting arena fire. War preparations were also disrupted. At least Cesare had recently donated a large sum after Marian’s visit.

‘The girl did something useful.’

But that wasn’t enough. He was preparing to move up both the marriage with Princess Jains and the fighting tournament. The Emperor put Benjamin in charge of all these matters.

‘Father dumps all the troublesome work on me.’

Benjamin sat heavily on the sofa without permission.

“But you seem fine.”

Benjamin stared at Helena with eyes demanding an explanation.

“……I was homesick. I missed Father, missed Jains…… I was scared, so scared of having to live here forever.”

Benjamin sighed. There was no reason not to believe those words. He hadn’t found any evidence after all. Benjamin gestured to Marian.

“You may leave. I have things to discuss with your mistress.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Marian glanced at Helena before leaving the room. Helena would seek out Marian again. Because she had seen hope.

**

It had been a tiring day.

Though it was only lunchtime, she felt like all the energy had been drained from her body. Marian checked one final time that no one was following before entering the palace.

As soon as she fully entered the palace, the magic fell away.

Hair black as night, clear eyes, Marian’s natural nobility.

Having regained her true appearance, Marian sighed. She waved to Rosette.

“Rosette.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Has Liebe arrived?”

“Ah, yes. She came shortly after Your Highness left.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s waiting in the reception room!”

Marian moved quickly. The dull-witted Benjamin had noticed. Of course, thanks to Cesare planting the idea, she needed to take action before he connected the cloth necklace to Marian.

Marian flung open the reception room door.

Liebe was looking at some ledger. She turned to look at Marian.

“You’re back, Your Highness? Did everything go well……”

“Liebe. There’s something urgent I need you to do.”

“Please tell me.”

“This.”

Marian pointed to the cloth around her neck.

“We need to make this trendy. Make everyone who cares about fashion wear this, regardless of their social status.”

“Ah……”

Liebe stood up with a surprised face.

“The cloth necklace?”

“I-I have a way! I’ve been making some things to give to Your Highness, just a moment!”

Rosette interjected. She hurriedly went to Marian’s dressing room and returned. Rosette set down the box she had been carrying on the table. She had made them whenever she had spare time.

The box contained ribbons of various colors. Some ribbons had embroidery, while others had jewels attached. Rosette’s cheeks flushed.

“Though my skills are lacking…… I think this style could become trendy among noble ladies!”

Liebe nodded.

“This style seems possible, Your Highness. Is it urgent?”

“Benjamin and Cesare are looking for a maid wearing cloth around her neck. A maid named Ellie.”

“……Your Highness’s disguise identity.”

“Exactly.”

Tension settled on Liebe’s face. This was definitely something that needed to be done through the merchant guild. Liebe bit her lip hard. To lead a trend, they needed someone influential who could create ripples in high society.

Liebe paced around.

“It will be too late if we go through the current social leaders, Your Highness.”

Approaching and persuading those with power was certainly a difficult task.

“If we supply the items to dress shops through the merchant guild……”

“I can help with that.”

Abel appeared like a ghost and volunteered. Abel smiled brightly.

“I’ll send word to Giverny’s dress shops.”

“Th-then…… spreading it will be easy. For an influential person…… Princess Helena Jains would be most suitable right now.”

Liebe spoke quickly.

“Isn’t Princess Helena Jains the person drawing the most attention in society right now? Since she’s going to be the future Crown Princess. Young ladies will copy anything Princess Jains does. That’s where the trend will start.”

“As for spreading it among the maids……”

Rosette raised her hand with a tense face.

“I think I can give them as gifts to the maids I’m close with.”

“That should happen after the trend catches on.”

“I can ask Helena.”

The current Helena would do anything Marian wanted. Everything seemed to be falling perfectly into place. As if God himself was helping them.

**

Liebe, Rosette, and Abel.

In truth, they were like oil and water that could never mix. Yet Marian was the one who brought them together and mixed them.

They joined forces for Marian.

Once the plan was set, things moved quickly.

Abel sent Liebe to Giverny in his place. Giverny welcomed Liebe with open arms as she carried Abel’s mark. With Giverny’s technical skills, information network, and financial power combined, mass-producing the so-called ‘chokers’ was an easy task.

It took only three days to prepare enough stock for retail sales and supply to dress shops.

That was barely enough time for Cesare’s week-long drinking binge to wear off, and the same time during which Benjamin had failed to make any progress chasing after Helena.

That’s how short it was.

“Now I understand why Giverny is so impressive.”

Liebe muttered with an exhausted face. These were chokers created based on Rosette’s ideas. No one asked why Marian absolutely needed the chokers. They moved simply because Marian needed it. Liebe ran her fingers over the silver thread embroidered on luxurious velvet cloth.

It was enough to captivate the nobles’ eyes.

“These are gifts for the future Crown Princess of Federico. Please select the finest ones.”

“Yes, Miss Liebe. And this. Would you deliver this to the Master?”

Liebe stared at the parchment with curious eyes. The parchment was tightly sealed inside a round container, impossible to open.

However, she refused to repeat that terrible experience from wrongly touching Abel’s belongings. Abel was, as he himself had said, someone who could kill Liebe at any time.

Liebe packed the parchment container in her bag as well.

“I hope we can work together again, Miss Liebe.”

“Me too.”

Liebe smiled brightly.

These three days had made her acutely realize why Giverny ranked above Lucerta. They moved systematically under perfect control. A single machine requires dozens of parts to move. If even one part fails, the machine stops working.

Giverny was no different from a perfect machine.

Liebe left Giverny with a refreshed expression.

A new wind was blowing.

**

Princess Helena, who had been shutting herself in and refusing to do anything, expressed her intention to attend a social gathering for the first time. As her companion, Princess Helena chose Imperial Princess Marian instead of Crown Prince Benjamin. This made sense since the first social gathering Helena wanted to attend was none other than a concert ‘exclusively for noble ladies.’

It was a refined and proper gathering.

Many people lingered around wanting to join, as it was attended primarily by members of high society’s upper echelons.

Those invited here represented the mainstream of society and could be said to represent the noble ladies of Federico. A good gathering had opened at just the right time.

Though Marian, with her well-maintained exterior, often received invitations, this was her first time actually attending.

The palace was also excited about Marian’s outing.

Abel asked with narrowed eyes.

“A social gathering just for noble ladies?”

“Yes. I’m a bit nervous.”

Marian answered with slightly furrowed brows. She could barely tell if Abel’s delicious breakfast was going in through her nose or mouth. Rosette was at the Empress’s palace since it was the day to receive food supplies. When she returned, she would be with other maids.

In any case, it was a gathering of only noble ladies together. That place would surely be a battlefield without swords.