Chapter 13

A letter from the Earl of Friesland arrived three days after the night market fire.

The woman who had been crying for her daughter beside Charlotte and Erhen was the Countess of Friesland, and her daughter Emilia had been saved thanks to Erhen.

They learned this fact the day before the letter arrived, when three wagons loaded with lavish gifts appeared in front of Charlotte’s house.

“Madame sends her apologies for not being able to visit in person and has sent these gifts ahead.” 

Said the butler of the Earl’s household, who had overseen the delivery of the wagons.

The Earl of Friesland’s family was the most influential in Degenhof Province, where the city of Heringen was located. Since the founding of the Rohadin Empire, they had served as border guards protecting the eastern coast. With private armies now abolished, the Earl of Friesland and his heir personally served as soldiers to fulfill their duties.

Charlotte, standing next to Erhen, looked at the enormous pile of gifts and remarked, 

“It seems they’ve realized you are here, Duke.”

“Is that a problem?” 

“Of course, it’s a problem. It means the Earl, who represents Degenhof, didn’t know you were visiting, Your Grace.” 

Charlotte explained patiently, though Erhen merely shrugged.

The following day, the Earl’s letter arrived, accompanied by an invitation to a banquet. The letter expressed apologies for not being able to visit personally due to military obligations, gratitude for saving his daughter, and a request for their attendance at the Countess’s birthday banquet two weeks later.

After reading the letter together, Charlotte was the first to speak. 

“It’s fortunate, but it’s strange that things are still so quiet despite this much attention.”

The organization with the Snowflower emblem, which had previously threatened Erhen’s life, had been suspiciously silent. While their layered defensive strategies likely played a role, the complete lack of activity was still odd.

Erhen nodded in agreement. 

“I’m investigating that emblem in connection with Singred—specifically, their political system.”

“You mean the one where they elect their monarchs?” 

“Yes. If they’re connected to that faction, it’s strange they haven’t acted sooner.”

His response, closely aligned with the original plot, made Charlotte’s eyes widen. It also somewhat explained why the group had gone into hiding after their failed attack on Erhen. If they had succeeded in assassinating him, they could have used it as propaganda. But having failed, any hasty moves would only backfire.

While Charlotte was lost in thought, Erhen skimmed through the Earl’s letter again and muttered, 

“A party, under these circumstances.”

Charlotte had not made an appearance in Degenhof’s social circles. However, as the owner of a popular café chain, Viscountess Charlotte Lintz was not unknown. Still, few knew much about her life before she arrived in the region, thanks to her mother Sonne’s efforts to keep her out of unnecessary gossip.

Moreover, Charlotte disliked drawing attention to her background as a member of the Rothschild family and a former Duchess of Rosenheim. With the position of Duchess of Rosenheim currently vacant, revealing her past would only place her at the center of social gossip.

Yet, after the night market fire, it was likely that most of Degenhof’s nobility, including the Earl of Friesland, had learned the truth—that the Duke of Rosenheim was staying in Heringen.

This revelation alone would shake Degenhof’s social circles. And if word spread that he was staying at Viscountess Lintz’s estate, rumors about Charlotte were inevitable.

The Duke of Rosenheim’s mistress.

But this was not the time to worry about such things.

“If we’re going to attend the party anyway, we might as well make a grand entrance.”

Erhen frowned slightly at her words. He was already uneasy about the current situation, where Charlotte was sharing in the risks caused by the attacks on him. Attending a party under these circumstances was not something he was thrilled about.

“No. I don’t mind, but it’s too dangerous for you.”

“I have a plan.”

Charlotte replied with a confident smile.

“Have you ever seen one of my plans fail?” 

She added mischievously.

A short while later, they decided to attend the Countess’s birthday banquet. Though Erhen still wore a sullen expression, he couldn’t deny the merit of Charlotte’s plan. Watching him, Charlotte remarked, 

“In any case, we’ll need proper attire for the occasion.”

When Erhen moved into Charlotte’s house, Philip had brought only the bare essentials. Since they hadn’t anticipated attending any parties in Heringen, he didn’t have suitable clothing.

Charlotte smiled and added, 

“Let’s get up. We need to go shopping.”

***

The renowned boutique “Bellacie” in Heringen was owned by Gode Bert, who also worked as its designer.

Gode was stunned to learn that the person who had rented out the entire shopping district for the afternoon was none other than Charlotte. It was surprising enough that she was visiting again so soon after ordering clothes just two weeks earlier. But this time, she had monopolized the entire district through her assistant, paying five times the daily revenue to do so—and she had brought along a man so noble-looking it was blinding.

Clearing his throat, Gode greeted them, 

“Welcome, Viscountess Lintz. And this gentleman is…?”

Gode trailed off, bowing his head slightly.

“This is Erhen, the Duke of Rosenheim.” 

Charlotte introduced casually.

Gode’s jaw dropped. It felt as though he had been struck over the head with a hammer.

While someone from the capital, Hamern, might recognize Erhen’s face, it was natural for someone in the southeastern port city of Heringen not to. However, no one in the empire could be unaware of the Duke of Rosenheim’s name. As the last mage born in the empire and the so-called Greatest Mage of Rohadin, his reputation was unparalleled.

Quickly regaining his composure, Gode bowed deeply to Erhen. 

“Your Grace! It is an honor to have you here!”

“Likewise.” 

Erhen replied awkwardly, startled by Gode’s enthusiastic greeting.

Charlotte chuckled at his reaction. It was amusing to see Erhen, who had never visited a boutique before, so out of his element.

Drawing on ten years of experience in the service industry, Gode managed to hide his trembling as he guided Charlotte and Erhen to their seats. Charlotte was prepared to spend a lot—an extraordinary amount—of money today.

After all, even though Erhen was her ex-husband, she couldn’t send him to a party hosted by the most influential family in Degenhof without ensuring he was impeccably dressed. Besides, if they were going to attend, it was better to have rumors about “the Mage Duke” spreading far and wide.

“Today, I’m here to order clothes for His Grace.”

“For the Duke, I am prepared to use every fabric in this boutique.” 

Gode replied smoothly, despite his trembling hands. His eloquence was a testament to why Bellacie was considered a premier designer boutique in Heringen. Charlotte smiled.

“Your Grace, please come this way.” 

Gode said, once preparations were complete.

While Erhen’s measurements were being taken, Charlotte wandered around the boutique, browsing accessories for him.

The key to a cravat is the tie pin.

Erhen, with his handsome face and well-proportioned body, looked good in anything. But when he wore a cravat, his aristocratic intellect stood out even more.

Charlotte stopped in front of a display of tie pins. 

Which one would suit him best? 

She pondered briefly before laughing at herself.

What am I even worrying about?

No matter what she chose, there wasn’t a single tie pin here that wouldn’t suit Erhen.

And so, for the first time in years—since discovering her reincarnation and her first shopping spree three years ago—Charlotte decided to say something thrilling.

It was a phrase that, while exhilarating, didn’t come easily to someone like her, who had grown up with everything as a member of a wealthy family.

“From here to here.”

“……?”

“Wrap them all up by color.”

The assistant following her looked utterly shocked, while the sound of Gode dropping his design book echoed through the room.

***

After visiting several boutiques, Erhen, looking visibly tired, grumbled softly to Charlotte.

“Do we really need to buy this much? There isn’t even a dressing room in the annex.”

During their contract period, Erhen had witnessed servants collapsing from exhaustion after accompanying Charlotte on her shopping trips. He had anticipated that he might end up in the same situation, but experiencing it firsthand was a different matter.

Charlotte hummed thoughtfully before replying with a mischievous smile.

“I’ve been thinking about it anyway. I might buy a house nearby. For the garden ornaments we can’t store properly and to use it as a dressing room and for other purposes.”

Erhen let out a helpless laugh.

“Aren’t you tired?”

“Hmm, not yet. Besides, we still have a lot more to buy.”

Understanding the meaning behind Erhen’s words, Charlotte giggled but pretended not to notice. However, even she was starting to grow weary—not of shopping itself, but of the inconvenience. Although this street was supposedly a boutique district, the buildings were spaced far apart, making it necessary to travel by carriage.

Spending an entire day riding in a carriage was tiresome. Maybe I should just build a department store or something.

Charlotte’s thoughts trailed off as she suddenly paused.

A department store?