I ignored the curious gazes and headed to the carriage with Rain.

Carl, who had been waiting inside, raised one eyebrow as if asking what this was about when he saw Rain.

“I didn’t know you would have a companion.”

“Ah, there were circumstances.”

I gestured to Carl to just start the carriage and looked at Rain.

“Are you okay?”

“……I’m fine, but I don’t know if you’ll be okay, Miss.”

Rain, who had swept back her wet bangs and taken off her glasses to wipe them with her clothes, let out a deep sigh.

“I’m not a person worth 80 million gold. Please go back tomorrow and cancel it.”

“Why do you think that? How did you end up with such a huge debt in the first place?”

It was too large an amount for an ordinary boutique employee to owe.

It wasn’t like she had failed in business or anything.

Rain looked into the distance with wistful eyes and revealed her past.

“I’m actually not an imperial citizen. I’m from a small kingdom, and I came here alone five years ago because I wanted to become a designer.”

At that time, all Rain had was a sketchbook filled with designs she had drawn while dreaming of becoming a designer, a small amount of money, and a small travel bag.

She went around to various boutiques and worked hard to find employment, but no place would hire a young foreigner.

Then she was pickpocketed, lost her money and bag, and was sitting on the street when Rona approached and extended her hand.

“At first, I thought she was a really good person. She provided me with food and lodging when I had nowhere to go, and even hired me at the boutique.”

Rona started to change after Rain gathered courage to show her sketchbook.

Inside were various dresses that Rain had conceived on her own.

Rona stole those designs and released them to the world under her own name, and they became hugely popular, causing the boutique to flourish.

“Wait! Then…… you’re the one who made all the Cream Rose boutique clothes until now……?”

“Yes, I designed and made them behind the owner.”

“Wow, you were completely exploited……”

Rain nodded gloomily.

When she felt this situation was unfair and protested to Rona, what came back was a massive debt.

All the costs of eating, sleeping, and living at the boutique were turned into debt, with enormous interest added.

When she tried to leave later, the contract she had signed unknowingly in the early days when she didn’t know imperial language well held her back.

‘So that’s why her way of talking was peculiar because she’s from another country.’

After learning Rain’s full story, I couldn’t hide my sympathetic feelings and patted her shoulder.

“If it was five years ago, how young were you when you started suffering……”

“I wasn’t that young. I was eighteen.”

“……?”

I stared blankly at her, who looked like she was in her late teens with her small build and round glasses.

“Then your age is……”

“Twenty-three.”

Wow, she’s older than me.

While I was shocked by this unexpected fact, Rain spoke cautiously.

“As Cream Rose succeeded, the owner gained influence in the industry. I can’t get employed at other boutiques now. I won’t be able to pay you back either. So please just cancel it……”

Who would readily agree to cancel when she speaks so sadly?

‘Isn’t there some way?’

Rain’s pitiful situation and my need to create a regular boutique.

Considering both of these, I racked my brains intensely…… and one good idea came to mind.

“Rain, what would you think if you had a boutique where you were the owner?”

“I would be really happy…… But such luck couldn’t exist in my life.”

“No, it could.”

I firmly refuted.

“Because I’ll set it up for you.”

“Wha…… What?!”

Rain’s eyes behind her drooping glasses widened enormously.

“I’ll invest in setting up a boutique under your name.”

“Bu, but the owner won’t stay still. She’ll use every means and method to try to ruin the shop……”

“Then we just have to prevent that.”

I gave a meaningful smile to Rain, who was blinking in bewilderment.

“Just trust me. I have a way.”

To create my regular boutique, handle the false rumors, and solve Rain’s problem.

***

A few days later.

I sent money to Cream Rose to officially pay off Rain’s debt.

It seemed Rona’s fury at losing Rain, who had been acting as her shadow designer all this time, was no joke.

But since I didn’t go myself and sent Carl to deliver it, I don’t know the details.

However,

‘There’s no one more completely crazy than her.’

Carl did leave this impression.

Next, I bought land and a building in a suitable location and set up Rain’s boutique.

The name was Blue Moon.

Despite the tight preparation period, Rain worked through the night to finish everything.

“Since you gave me this opportunity, Miss, I must give it my all.”

Even with her haggard face from accumulated fatigue, she showed determination and motivation.

Thanks to that, I could also gather strength and take the first step of my plan for the boutique about to open.

That was—

〈Exclusive) Tears from *buse of power… The desperate plea of a boutique employee whose designs were stolen!〉

Publishing an exposé article on the front page of ‘Morning Hersen,’ called the Empire’s largest gossip magazine.

When I submitted an anonymous tip along with a large sum of money, the gossip magazine came up with the most sensational headline.

‘This is why spending money is worthwhile. The first strike always wins.’

This was something I did to create public opinion favorable to us before Cream Rose could take action.

It was an idea I came up with after seeing gossip magazines displayed in every shop during my boutique tour and watching customers read them.

I pulled up the corners of my mouth while reading the detailed article content.

(Omitted)

Meanwhile, noble Lady A, a regular customer of boutique C, abused Ms. R with unfair treatment and unreasonable demands.

(Continued)〉

I was satisfied that the focus was properly balanced between the owner’s *buse of power as well as the customer’s.

‘Now shall I add more fuel to this fire?’

Since this was something I couldn’t do myself, I decided to ask special people for help.

From now on, Cream Rose would suffer tremendous damage while Blue Moon would be spotlighted.

And noble Lady A would…….

***

The social circles buzzed hotly over the controversy surrounding the boutique that had been attracting attention among young nobles.

In some ways, there might not have been much interest since the victim was an ordinary commoner—

“Surely no one would use that boutique after such incidents occurred? I wouldn’t want to associate with people of such narrow perspective.”

Deborah, who had been staying home busy since joining the magic tower, appeared after a long time to fan the flames.

Naturally, this was at Shailyn’s request.

Until now, she couldn’t ask for help because it might interfere with the system’s quest to solve rumors by creating a regular boutique.

But now that she had created a boutique, she judged that this kind of indirect help would be okay.

When the daughter of the Diart ducal family, one of the Empire’s most prestigious families, stepped forward, people were shaken.

Even though Deborah wasn’t active in social activities, no one wanted to get on her bad side.

Moreover,

“And how lacking in discernment must one be to buy clothes from a plagiarizing designer who exploits people. How vulgar.”

This comment became the final nail in the coffin, completely cutting off the visits of young ladies to Cream Rose.

In noble society, dignity and honor were as important as life itself.

When everyone thought Rona’s dresses were original, they all wanted to own her clothes, but when the opposite truth was revealed, they felt embarrassed and ashamed.

That they had bought and praised clothes without knowing they were stolen designs from someone else.

Rona, who lost customers and reputation without a chance to do anything, was devastated.

“Aaah! How did I get this far! The building loan still has a long way to go!”

She hastily published a rebuttal article, but the interest was significantly lower.

It was full of inconsistent self-excuses and rambling explanations, and as soon as the article came out, Rain’s side immediately counterattacked by publicly releasing her sketchbook as evidence.

On the other hand, Rona couldn’t present any substantial evidence and just insisted she was wronged, so people didn’t listen to her words.

While Cream Rose boutique was falling among the young ladies, a different issue was the hot topic among the young lords.