When Evelyn turned around, Madame Charlotte unfolded the shawl she was holding.

“The weather has been rather unpredictable today. It was hot during the day, but it suddenly turned chilly this evening.”

“……”

“I heard you recently suffered from a rather severe cold. I thought this shawl might look lovely with the dress you’re wearing…”

Madame Charlotte’s gaze briefly fell to the hem of Evelyn’s unusually short sleeves.

Although the Schneider mother and daughter had changed dress shops once along the way, they had been having their dresses made at Madame Charlotte’s shop around this time of year for several years now.

After witnessing it year after year, Madame Charlotte knew perfectly well that Evelyn had not been treated particularly well during her stay at the Schneider residence.

But there was little she could do.

Though highly regarded among the noblewomen, Madame Charlotte was ultimately a businesswoman. She made and sold dresses according to the orders her customers paid for.

She knew very well that Viscountess Schneider was the one holding the purse strings.

And she also knew that there was nothing to be gained from offending her.

So, whenever the seasons changed, Viscountess Schneider could spend a fortune on dresses for herself and her daughter while refusing to purchase even one proper dress for Evelyn, and Madame Charlotte had simply turned a blind eye.

“…It’s a complimentary gift. It’s also a sample that hasn’t been put up for sale yet, so please don’t feel obligated. I hope you’ll accept it.”

When Evelyn merely stared at her, Madame Charlotte quickly added,

“Like everyone in the Alyssium Empire, I deeply respect Marquis Ceres and the Young Marquis. In fact, the reason I’m able to continue running my business safely is thanks to the two of them.”

Evelyn understood.

Madame Charlotte was expressing her respect for House Ceres, which had spent nearly a decade defending the empire on the battlefield.

For once, Evelyn decided not to refuse a kindness freely offered to her.

“Thank you, Madame Charlotte.”

With Evelyn’s permission, Madame Charlotte draped the shawl over her shoulders.

“Hmm, just as I expected… I thought it would suit you, but seeing it on you now, I’m certain my judgment was right.”

After straightening Evelyn’s clothes, Madame Charlotte nodded with satisfaction.

Then she leaned closer and whispered so quietly that only Evelyn could hear.

“To be honest, I’ve wanted to make a dress for you with my own hands for quite some time. And being able to meet someone from House Ceres in person has always been an honor to me.”

Her words didn’t sound like empty flattery meant simply to please Evelyn.

Among the owners of the most popular dress shops, Madame Charlotte was famous for being straightforward and unpretentious.

Creating beautiful dresses that suited their owners had certainly contributed to her reputation.

But her practical, honest advice, rather than excessive praise, had played an equally important role in maintaining her popularity.

“Unfortunately, I never seemed to have the opportunity.”

As she said this, Madame Charlotte gave Evelyn a playful wink.

Evelyn studied her face for a moment before quietly replying,

“Then I suppose things worked out rather well.”

“You can look forward to it. I’m confident I can make you so beautiful that everyone at the imperial palace ball will have their eyes on you.”

From those words, Evelyn knew for certain that the parchment she had handed over had safely reached Madame Charlotte.

After exchanging a brief farewell with her, Evelyn left the dress shop.

She then approached Viscountess Schneider and Beatrice, who were waiting for their carriage.

“Since we’re already in the shopping district, perhaps we should stop by a jeweler as well. What do you think?”

Perhaps caught off guard by Evelyn’s suggestion, the Schneider mother and daughter, who were usually so talkative. were unable to respond for a moment.

They simply exchanged glances.

But soon, Viscountess Schneider nodded.

“…Yes. Let’s do that.”

***

“…Huh? Your Highness, look over there.”

Jason suddenly stopped walking and pointed toward the middle of the bustling shopping district.

Kassian slowly followed the direction of his finger.

Derek took a crunchy bite of the apple in his hand before speaking.

“That’s Lady Ceres and the Schneider mother and daughter. Looks like they’ve come out to enjoy some leisurely shopping.”

“Probably. This is the busiest time of year with everyone preparing for the imperial palace ball…”

Jason’s voice trailed off.

“Jason, what exactly are you trying to say? Are you planning to bring up what happened at the coffeehouse earlier, like some idle gossipmonger?”

Derek sneered as he noisily chewed the bite of apple in his mouth.

Jason shot him an irritated glare before replying,

“I’m saying it’s a shame.”

“What is?”

“Look at Lady Ceres. Marquis Ceres and the Young Marquis are bringing in enormous amounts of gold, yet she’s dressed so frugally. And then look at the Schneider mother and daughter.”

Only then did Derek look back and forth between Evelyn and the Schneider women.

He let out a low groan.

“Ah…”

“Anyone who didn’t know better would get the wrong idea.”

Kassian’s gaze settled on the hem of Evelyn’s dress.

Every time she took a graceful step, her slender ankles and delicate ankle bones appeared for a brief moment before disappearing beneath the fabric again.

The elaborate shawl draped over her shoulders certainly drew attention.

But the sleeves were still too short.

Even the dress itself was an outdated design that had been fashionable several years ago.

There was no denying that it looked less like something the daughter of the wealthy Marquis Ceres would wear and more like a dress belonging to a maid of House Schneider.

Had it not been for Evelyn’s natural beauty, she could easily have been mistaken for a servant.

“If you gave Princess Camilla a dress like that, she’d throw a fit and cause an absolute scene.”

Jason whispered under his breath.

Derek chuckled.

“……”

Kassian shot them both a sharp look.

Jason and Derek immediately straightened their expressions as though nothing had happened.

Kassian wasn’t the sort of person who placed great expectations on others, nor was he easily disappointed by them.

He wasn’t particularly trusting to begin with.

Even Jason and Derek had only become his people after he had tested them repeatedly.

The belief that people should never be trusted too easily was deeply rooted in him.

And his family was no exception.

He didn’t blindly trust someone simply because they shared his blood.

Nor did he immediately cast someone aside because of a single mistake.

Even for someone like Kassian, who took a long time to observe people and understand their true nature, his half-sister Camilla had left a particularly strong impression.

She was, in a word, a spoiled brat who flaunted her high status and bullied others simply because she could.

The imperial family was generally arrogant by nature, but Camilla took it to an entirely different level.

She had once sent an unmarried maid to a convent simply because the maid had tightened the drawstring of her dress too tightly.

On another occasion, because she complained that the bathwater was too hot, she had forced a maid to stand in a busy corridor all night wearing nothing but a slip.

Of course, there was no great harm in Derek and Jason indulging in a little gossip about Camilla.

But the three of them were standing in the middle of the busiest district in the capital.

Anyone could overhear them.

It was better to be careful with their words, if only to prevent Camilla’s name from causing trouble for the other two.

“Let’s go.”

Kassian finally tore his gaze away from Evelyn and the Schneider mother and daughter as they entered the largest jewellery store in the shopping district.

He turned his head forward again and began walking.

“Yes.”

Jason and Derek answered in unison before following him.

“By the way, do you think Marquis Ceres knows?”

“I wonder… Maybe he’s so busy that he doesn’t even have time to worry about his daughter.”

Jason and Derek continued walking a few paces behind Kassian, speaking in low voices.

Kassian didn’t particularly like people discussing those who weren’t present, whether the conversation involved praise or criticism.

Fortunately, Jason and Derek generally shared that tendency.

But if the family of Marquis Ceres, the man who had thrown himself onto the front lines and served as a shield for the empire, was being treated poorly, that was another matter entirely.

Before Evelyn’s debutante ball, the nobles had been extremely interested in the daughter of Marquis Ceres.

“I wonder how magnificent and extravagant a dress she’ll wear.”

“I’m very curious to see what kind of jewellery she’ll appear in.”

“Perhaps she’ll have so much to decorate herself with that she’ll end up ruining her look with some unnecessary feather ornament.”

But every one of their predictions had been wrong.