“Torn… you said?”

I stared at Medlin in disbelief, wondering what this sudden calamity was about.

“All the dresses are torn, and it seems they weren’t cut with tools or ripped by hands…”

“……”

“They appear to have been shredded by something sharp like claws or talons…”

As I listened to Medlin’s worried explanation, the sudden mention of “claws” or “talons” immediately made me suspect who might have done it.

The other maids were also quietly looking down at Odin.

“…No way.”

“I did it. How was I supposed to know you had no money?”

Odin growled, puffing up the fur on his tail in indignation.

“Besides, those things you call clothes were unworthy of the name. The Hedegen family has always been known for its excellent aesthetic sense, and your clothes nearly tarnished my family’s reputation! It’s fortunate you haven’t been going out in public, hmph!”

The fluffy baby lion Odin gave off the distinct air of a father-in-law criticizing his unsatisfactory daughter-in-law.

“Your garments were all terrible. They were so worn out that even beggars wouldn’t pick them up if thrown on the street. I only spared three outfits that were barely acceptable.”

“It wasn’t that bad! What am I supposed to do now?!”

I whispered through gritted teeth, and Odin exhaled haughtily through his nose while tapping my arm with his tail.

“Don’t worry. I always take responsibility for my actions. That’s the Hedegen family spirit.”

“So… what now…?”

“…Now you have to beg that fellow.”

Was “that fellow” Odin just mentioned referring to the Grand Duke?

I looked at the Grand Duke, whom Odin was pointing at.

Sigh… as if that man would give me money.

If he found out I’d spent everything, he’d probably want to take away what little I had left.

“My goodness, how could you do such a thing? Odin, that’s not acceptable! But isn’t Odin’s cry adorable? That little growling sound he just made.”

Mariette examined Odin with a sympathetic face. She seemed to want to stroke his head and kept trying despite Odin’s repeated refusals, only withdrawing her hand when Odin finally snarled fiercely.

I desperately wanted to hand Odin over to Mariette, but I couldn’t do that to him when he so clearly disliked everyone else.

I had no choice but to look at Medlin.

“Um… is there any way to repair them?”

“The claws scratched all the fabric so thoroughly that there’s no way to salvage them, my lady… Not even the lace can be saved.”

Sigh. How thoroughly he had scratched everything. Even as a baby, a lion was still a predator.

“What’s going on?”

As I stared at Odin in despair, the Grand Duke, who had finished his conversation with Randolph, seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere and asked with furrowed brows.

Everyone stood silent, hesitant to speak while watching my reaction, and I could feel the Grand Duke’s gaze on my face.

“…Well, you see.”

After swallowing hard, I reluctantly looked up at him.

With the neatly maintained vast garden as his backdrop, the young master of the castle waited patiently for my explanation with a composed face.

“Actually, Odin…”

I explained everything while hugging Odin tightly, afraid that the Grand Duke, who already disliked Odin, might order him thrown out. Surprisingly, he listened quietly.

Eventually, his gaze briefly scanned Odin.

Odin, who had been staring blankly at the Grand Duke with his blue eyes, responded by flapping his ears.

“This little beast did that.”

His static voice made me unconsciously hug Odin protectively.

“Odin didn’t do it on purpose. He must have wandered into the dressing room while exploring the bedroom. As a lion, he probably found it entertaining. So…”

Before I could finish, the Grand Duke grabbed Odin by the scruff of his neck and lifted him from my arms.

Suddenly removed from me, Odin shrieked in alarm, “Gyaaaak!”

“He’s trying to kill me! Lea! Protect me now!”

“Buy.”

While Odin was stretching out all four legs in the air and sharply commanding me, the Grand Duke calmly spoke.

“What…?”

“I said buy. If all your clothes are ruined, you need to replace them with new ones. What else can you do?”

“…Buy?”

“Or would you prefer to walk around n*ked?”

His expression, asking without batting an eye, was as businesslike as approving a draft proposal.

“Ah, no. I couldn’t do that.”

“I understand Mariette has called a tailor here.”

As the Grand Duke’s indifferent gaze turned to Mariette, she hurriedly exchanged glances with Randolph and nodded.

“Yes, I happened to invite a famous tailor. The grand duchess kindly gave permission, and what a coincidence this turned out to be. Isn’t that fortunate, Your Highness?”

Mariette smiled brightly and sought my agreement.

“Ah… yes, it is.”

As I nodded reflexively, the Grand Duke dropped Odin back into my hands.

“Do well.”

He looked down at my bewildered face and spoke in an odd tone.

“If I don’t like what I see, I’ll tear them myself, not this beast.”

“Apparently tearing clothes when displeased runs in this family.”

How could the founder of the family and its current head say such similar things? Is this what people mean when they say bloodlines are frightening?

“How about this?”

Mariette displayed a mikado silk fabric with beautiful flower embroidery alongside the tailor.

Every fiber was soft as a feather, and they were all visibly expensive.

I slowly examined the items the tailor and his assistants had brought.

I had no money to buy anything, but the Grand Duke was wealthy.

All of this would be purchased with the Grand Duke’s money.

Therefore, I needed to take advantage now.

“I want everything.”

“Pardon…?”

“I’ll take everything!”

No sooner had I finished speaking than the tailor clapped his hands with an ecstatic expression.

Immediately, delicate silks, subtle laces, dazzling embroidery I’d never seen before, and even jewels filled the reception room with splendor.

As Mariette had said, the skilled tailor presented only precious fabrics, and he had prepared such magnificent jewels that my mouth couldn’t close, covering every table and console.

“Your Highness would look better with subtle, natural makeup rather than heavy colors. How about designing with several layers of this flesh-colored tulle material?”

Mariette smiled broadly at the tailor’s idea and nodded with satisfaction.

“That’s good. Her Highness has fair skin, so this flesh color would suit her well, and yes! How about embroidering it with crystals?”

“An excellent suggestion, Lady Mariette. As expected of the most sought-after chaperone in the Empire, you have outstanding taste. With crystals of this size, Your Highness will look even more angelic!”

As the tailor and Mariette enthusiastically selected fabrics and discussed designs that would suit me, the assistants immediately sketched in their notebooks and wrote down the details.

“Now I’ll show you the accessories.”

As the tailor introduced the next items, Medlin, who had been entranced by the rare sight, suddenly spoke as if coming to her senses.

“But my lady? The Grand Duke specified no hair accessories.”

Huh? What does that mean?

Everyone looked at Medlin in confusion.

“Apparently… they’re dangerous items.”

As I puzzled over this cryptic answer, the memory of the day I claimed to have pricked my finger on a hairpin flashed through my mind.

“Ah! Could it be because of when I hurt my hand that time?”

“Yes. Since you bled quite a lot that day…”

“……”

“His Highness must have thought it would be better for you to be careful…”

As Medlin nodded solemnly while explaining, Mariette looked at the hair accessories with regretful eyes.

What’s this? The designs are so elegant and pretty that I’m disappointed too…

Is he really this concerned just because I got a small injury that day?

Being so caring while speaking harshly—is he actually a tsundere?

“Why are you suddenly twisting your body like that?”

Odin, who had been playing with a ball of yarn on the sofa, looked at me with a distinctly displeased expression.

Hurriedly fixing my posture, I smiled at everyone and then leaned in to whisper softly.

“No… did you not hear just now? He’s worried I might get hurt, so everything else is fine except those accessories.”

“So?”

“That means… he dislikes the idea of me getting hurt that much.”

“Tsk tsk, so naive.”

Odin clicked his tongue and crawled to the edge of the sofa. Then he poked his head out and scanned the table.