As the two entered, the dressmaker’s owner and staff all came to the entrance. There was one older man who appeared to be the owner, and two young men and two young women who seemed to be employees.

Whether they had been strictly instructed beforehand or not, they showed no surprise at seeing Violetta. This must be an essential virtue for serving high nobility as clients.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Duke Frost. And Miss Violetta Phantomwood.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

When the much older man bowed deeply to her in greeting, Violetta, born and raised in a country of etiquette, reflexively bowed in return. Her body tilted awkwardly due to her flustered state, but none of the staff burst into laughter. Only Cayel slightly raised the corner of his mouth, looking at her like a young niece.

“Gordon, would it be alright to look around the shop before going upstairs? This is Violetta’s first time here.”

“Of course. This way, please.”

Listening to the conversation between Cayel and the shop owner, Mr. Gordon, Violetta instinctively looked down at her forearms. Her white skin had broken out in goosebumps. This happened the moment she heard Cayel refer to her as “Violetta.”

‘Ugh, he called me Violetta……Is that how he’ll address me in public? Should I call him Duke then? Since he’s nobility and I’m not……’

Violetta recalled a certain late winter when she spent several minutes going around in circles just to figure out proper forms of address. While they might speak comfortably in private as decided then, they couldn’t behave conspicuously in public.

“Miss Violetta, come here.”

Just as Violetta was pondering this, Cayel called her with formal politeness.

“Ah, yes!”

Violetta hastily responded and approached Cayel’s side. Though it was certainly her name, it felt like someone else was being called, causing her responses to be consistently half a beat late.

The two toured the dressmaker’s shop under Mr. Gordon’s guidance.

The walls were almost entirely shelving, with various fabrics and decorative materials—whose purpose she couldn’t quite determine—neatly displayed. There must have been some organizational secret, for despite the materials differing in color, texture, and shape, the collection didn’t look messy at all.

In the glass display cases at the back of the store, there were more than dozens of gemstone-crafted buttons on display, not a single one sharing the same design.

‘These must be quite expensive……I wonder if this feels like a neighborhood convenience store to Mr. Frost.’

Violetta moved forward, reaffirming her determination to break the curse.

The final place Mr. Gordon guided them to was the space right next to the second-floor stairs, where newly completed clothes were kept. A black custom-made suit hung under soft lighting. It seemed the owner was fairly young, as the suit was rather petite for men’s clothing.

‘Oh? There’s a pattern?’

The outfit appeared to be a solid color at first glance, but looking at the parts touched by the light, curved patterns had been embroidered stitch by stitch with matte black thread. On the front collar was an amethyst dahlia-shaped brooch, so intricate it looked like a real dahlia had been plucked and placed there.

“Did you make this brooch as well?”

“Of course. We have an employee with exceptional craftsmanship.”

Mr. Gordon answered with a voice full of pride. As the conversation turned to the unknown owner’s clothes, Cayel, who had been looking elsewhere, shifted his gaze in that direction.

“The embroidery on the clothes is also a dahlia pattern.”

While Violetta was admiring the craftsmanship of the shop’s employee, Cayel spoke while closely examining the outer fabric of the top. A dahlia brooch on a top entirely embroidered with dahlias—what a unique taste, she thought.

“This is Sir Edgar Cadlan’s attire for the ball, as you well know, Duke. It was specially commissioned.”

“Sir Edgar Cadlan?!”

Violetta’s eyes widened. She never dreamed she would hear his name at a dressmaker’s shop, rather than at a reading group or the Royal Library.

‘Edgar Cadlan is going to wear this?’

She felt a thrilling sense of connection knowing that Edgar Cadlan, whom she admired, had also ordered his ball attire here. On the other hand, she was curious about his identity. If he had the wealth to have clothes made here, he must surely be either a noble or someone with connections to influential nobility.

“What kind of person is Sir Cadlan, I wonder? You haven’t heard anything either, Mr. Fro…Duke?”

When Violetta addressed Cayel with the somewhat awkward title, his shoulders shook slightly. His lips tightened as if suppressing laughter. Violetta glared at him as discreetly as possible and jabbed his side with her elbow.

“Duke, a moment please.”

“Hmm?”

When Violetta gestured for him to come closer, Cayel slightly bent his upper body. Thinking she was about to say something not meant for others’ ears, the dressmaker’s staff tactfully stepped back.

Violetta moved close to Cayel’s ear and created a barrier with her hand.

“Why are you laughing? Isn’t this right? I can’t call you Mr. Frost when we’re outside.”

As Violetta fired off a series of questions, Cayel finally let out a low laugh. What was so amusing? Since when had Cayel Frost become a person who laughed so much? Feeling annoyed that he was enjoying himself without giving her an answer, she was about to pout when Cayel leaned toward her ear.

“It’s unexpectedly nice to hear.”

As the low, soft whisper penetrated her ear, Violetta looked up at Cayel with a start. His lips formed a shallow arc that only she could recognize.

‘What’s this? Why is he acting like this?’

The Cayel before her seemed like a completely different person from the man who used to jump in alarm saying he got goosebumps whenever someone called him “Duke.”

“……You’re being strange.”

“It seems I’ve perfectly adapted to you.”

Cayel straightened his posture immediately after answering. As if nothing had happened, his expression had returned to its cool demeanor.

“I know nothing about Edgar Cadlan’s identity either. My father never saw his face until the end, and neither have I.”

“It’s somehow fascinating to encounter traces of such a shadow-like person. I had prejudices because his writing style is so weighty, but it seems he’s actually a petite person.”

Violetta muttered, looking at the modest formal wear that would roughly fit her if she wore it. It seemed that even if Cayel returned to his younger days at the Academy, this outfit would be too small for him. Is this what they call a small giant? she wondered, genuinely impressed.

“Edgar Cadlan and dahlias—somehow it suits him well. Could it be the theme of his new work?”

“That’s possible. He’s a writer who always includes a symbol in each work.”

“Oh? Have you…no, Duke, have you read his works too?”

“Since you like them, I read them thinking it might help win your favor.”

Cayel’s purpose was utterly transparent and well-suited to his circumstances. Therefore, it couldn’t help but leave a great impression on Violetta.

“I think I just felt a flutter in my heart.”

“To feel that way while talking about Sir Edgar Cadlan, of all people……”

When Cayel responded indifferently, Violetta chuckled. The emotion in his voice was unmistakably “wariness.” It was an emotion he had shown before when she first mentioned liking Edgar Cadlan. Back then, he had directly questioned if she was interested in another man.

‘He really seems jealous. How cute.’

Since this was a fake relationship and Cayel didn’t seem particularly smitten with her, his wariness couldn’t possibly be due to jealousy. However, to anyone unaware of the circumstances, his behavior would definitely be perceived as jealousy.

Perhaps she had grown attached to him, as she found it quite endearing when Cayel occasionally acted uncharacteristically disappointed.

“Shall we head upstairs now, Miss Violetta?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

The two climbed the spiral staircase under Mr. Gordon’s guidance. The second floor was a space exclusively for women’s clothing, filled with far more colorful and vibrant materials than the first floor. The area was densely packed with dress designs of all colors, fabrics, and sparkling decorative materials.

‘This is like something out of a fairy tale.’

She couldn’t close her mouth. How could there be such a variety of fabrics, and so many small, sparkling stones? She worried that she might not be able to choose even if she spent all day selecting. If that happened, she thought she should actively seek help from the skilled staff or the discerning Cayel.

“You mentioned selecting two dresses for Miss Violetta Phantomwood, correct? One for the upcoming masquerade ball and one for the Frost family gathering—is that still the plan?”

“That’s the initial plan. Depending on Violetta’s choices, it could become several dresses.”

That absolutely must not happen. Violetta mentally calculated several times. She didn’t yet feel the need to own many formal dresses, and it felt rather awkward to receive too much from Cayel.

‘Surely dresses aren’t single-use in this world.’

Being criticized for wearing the same outfit to social gatherings more than twice a month, or having it considered an insult to the host of the later event……It was dizzying just to imagine.

“Miss Phantomwood, would you look at these? I’ve selected some designs that are currently popular among young nobility.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

With this, she could avoid the crisis of being unable to choose even after spending all day. She would definitely use judgment surpassing Solomon’s and select just one dress of each kind. Violetta examined the dress designs with determination.