Ersia sensed things were going according to her plan.

“I know it’s hard to believe, but……”

Just as she began speaking with newfound composure,

“Is there even a superior worthy of being disrespected in this room?”

What was this about?

❀❀❀

I reflexively grabbed the Duke’s wrist. The thought occurred to me that he might reveal my identity.

One fortunate thing was that when I pulled his wrist, he followed along easily.

I whispered in his ear.

“Don’t.”

His response came immediately.

“Are you saying I should just watch that woman behave this way?”

The Duke also asked in a lowered voice, and I carefully chose my words.

“This is my business. You don’t need to step in.”

“We’re to be married.”

At that moment, I pulled him closer without thinking. The words might leak to others.

“Married couples should help each other.”

As he spoke, the Duke tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear.

My body trembled involuntarily at his touch against my sensitive skin.

But outwardly, I continued speaking as if nothing happened.

“I’m not proud of myself. I’m afraid.”

This was the real reason. The true reason I was reluctant to reveal my identity.

It was also why I had considered and reconsidered stepping onto the fashion show’s stage countless times.

Hearing my answer, the Duke remained silent for a moment as if lost in thought, then spoke.

“……I understand.”

“……Yes.”

“But I cannot tolerate someone daring to slap the face of my future wife.”

“……!”

“I’ll handle this part, so please don’t say anything.”

“……What?”

“And you’re coming with me somewhere.”

After whispering this, he grabbed my wrist before I could respond and led me toward the door.

“……?”

Everyone in the room, including myself, widened their eyes at his sudden action.

Especially Ersia. But her expression wasn’t just surprise—it was something more complex and subtle.

However, before I could discern what her expression meant, the Duke pulled me outside and began leading me somewhere.

❀❀❀

The place the Duke took me was his carriage.

And there was an unexpected guest waiting.

“Gasp, Mommy!”

Upon seeing me, Elysion rushed into my arms, and I patted his soft back.

“Sion, have you been well?”

“Uh-huh, I’ve been good! What about you, Mommy?”

Had the Duke brought me here to let me meet Elysion?

“I haven’t been well because I missed you, Sion.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, you cutie.”

I held Sion in my arms and patted him for quite some time. It was a moment to release pent-up emotions after a long time.

After all, unlike our usual arrangement, I couldn’t meet Sion last week because I was preparing for the fashion show.

But that didn’t last long. Soon after I put Sion down, the Duke handed me something.

“I called you to give you this.”

“……?”

“You looked beautiful.”

As he spoke and handed me the item, my eyes widened in surprise.

“……What is this?”

What the Duke gave me was some kind of paper. But not just any paper—the white sheet contained an image of me on stage earlier.

Unlike an ordinary drawing, it was remarkably realistic.

“It’s a camera being secretly developed at Diamond Trading Company. This is the first time I’ve actually used it, so I’m quite amazed too.”

“A camera……?”

Just as I opened my eyes wide,

Click!

A strange sound echoed from nearby.

“Hehe, Mommy looks pretty in the picture!”

In Elysion’s hands was an unidentifiable object—a black rectangular box with a circular protrusion in the middle.

“Is that… the camera?”

The Duke nodded at my question.

“So you knew about it.”

“I read about it in a magazine a few months ago. They said this machine can capture any object or form and print it exactly as an image?”

“So this is your first time seeing one in person.”

The corners of the Duke’s mouth curved upward.

“And?”

“Would you like to try using it?”

At this unexpected offer, I thought for a moment with wide eyes before nodding.

“Oh, I’d love to.”

I figured when would I ever get to handle this again if the product wasn’t officially released?

When I extended my hand to the Duke, he took the camera from Elysion and handed it to me.

“Is there anything you’d like to photograph?”

Just as I was surprised by the unexpectedly heavy feel of the camera, I shook my head at his question.

“Not particularly. May I take a picture of Your Grace?”

“……And in exchange, you will keep that picture?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because people typically photograph what they want to keep.”

A strange playfulness lingered at the corners of his mouth as he said this. But his eyes were serious, making it an odd statement to dismiss as mere teasing.

“Then I hope you keep it and never look at it.”

Come to think of it, wasn’t he the one who had stood up for me earlier? My heart felt confused. I couldn’t tell what this man’s true feelings were.

Did he really like me?

When our lips met, I had felt a strange certainty, but it was fleeting. Returning to everyday life made it fade. There was such a high and solid wall between us.

Realistically, how likely was it that such an extraordinary man would like a divorcée like me?

So I unintentionally put up walls. Just like now.

“I know you’ll keep looking at it even as you say that.”

“……?”

“Very well, I’ll make it into a pendant for you.”

I couldn’t tell where sincerity ended and falsehood began. But I hid these complex feelings and managed an awkward smile.

Still, it wasn’t all bad.

“So you can keep me with you every day.”

“Your self-consciousness has grown since then, I see.”

“How peculiar that you call this self-consciousness.”

“……In what way?”

This kind of everyday bickering seemed far from my life, but now I could experience it, even if it was fake.

“According to a romance novel that once used me as a model, my face has a sharp jawline, a high nose, and eyes as beautiful as embedded rubies.”

“Well, I won’t deny that.”

The Duke was indeed beautiful.

At my words, the corners of the Duke’s mouth curved upward, and I pressed the button on top of the camera, just as Elysion had done.

Soon, a black paper printed out from the bottom of the camera. It contained an exact image of the Duke’s face.

Although the composition was somewhat clumsy, his sculpted beauty remained intact—the Duke in the photo shone just like in real life.

“The picture came out.”

When I handed it to him, a satisfied smile appeared on the Duke’s face.

“You take good photos for a beginner.”

“But how does this work?”

When I asked out of genuine curiosity, the Duke gave me a strange smile.

“I can’t easily tell you that.”

“……Why not?”

“It’s an invention our trading company will release soon. I can’t reveal it to the head of a competing company.”

“Ah.”

At that moment, I realized. That he and I were competitors. Perhaps I’d lost touch with reality after being buried in work for the fashion show for so long.

“But who knows.”

“……?”

“If you become the true mistress of Diamond Trading Company, I might tell you.”

After that, I exchanged various trivial stories with the Duke.

Normally, Elysion should have been the focus, but he seemed uninterested in me, busy playing with the camera.

Eventually, after about 30 minutes, I looked at the clock and realized:

“Oh my, I didn’t notice the time passing while we were talking. I need to go.”

“Already?”

“Yes, it’s time for me to handle the cleanup. And thank you for today.”

“For what?”

The Duke asked with a puzzled look, as if he had already forgotten, and I answered with a smile.

“For getting angry on my behalf earlier. I was feeling frustrated too. Though thinking about it now, enduring such things is probably just business.”

At my words, the Duke’s face seemed to redden slightly. What was this? Was he embarrassed by the compliment?

For someone who knew him to be shameless and even slick, this was an unfamiliar sight.

Just as I finished saying goodbye to him and Elysion and was about to leave,

“……You were beautiful.”

At the Duke’s sudden words, I looked at him with wide eyes, and he whispered in a low voice only I could hear.

“Today, you were beautiful.”

Perhaps it was the gentleness in his eyes as he looked at me?

Or was it the spring fragrance carrying the scent of flowers that brushed past my cheek?

Thump, thump.

My heart beat foolishly.

But afraid of revealing these feelings, I had to turn my flushed face away.

❀❀❀

After parting with the Duke, I returned to the waiting room, changed clothes, and went out to find the fashion show venue nearly finished with cleanup.

Contrary to my concerns, there was almost nothing left for me to do.

As I stood blankly watching the scene for several minutes.

Seeing the carefully crafted set being dismantled gave me mixed feelings of bittersweet relief.

The emptiness of ending something I’d worked on for months.

The relief that it was finally over.

Just as I was about to be engulfed by these contradictory emotions, a woman approached me.

“Madam Rose, Madam Rose!”

Turning my head at the familiar voice, I saw Ilina standing there.

“What is it?”

“Well, I thought I should mention……”

Sensing she had something to say, I raised my chin as if telling her to speak, and she clasped her hands together and said:

“Earlier, I saw Ersia coming out of the waiting room over there.”

“Ah.”

I had a general idea of what she wanted to say. It was also why I hadn’t punished Ersia with the Duke’s help and had simply left with him.

“But after that……the designers came out too? The head designers from three brands.”

I nodded at her words, and surprise spread across Ilina’s face.

“Did you invite them on purpose?”

“Half-intentionally.”

At my answer, Ilina’s mouth fell open. Seeing her quite surprised reaction, I smiled slightly.

In truth, those three women from earlier were the capital’s finest designers invited to this fashion show.

More precisely, they were the head designers of three of the capital’s top five brands, excluding La Fleur under Diamond Trading Company and our Black Rose.

They had all been shocked by Ersia’s behavior earlier. I suspected that from now on, Ersia would struggle to work as a model in this industry. No one would hire someone blacklisted by designers from four famous brands.

“……My goodness. I never imagined.”

“……”

“Wow, you’re really clever.”

Looking at me with eyes full of admiration at my answer, Ilina soon curved the corners of her mouth.

“Anyway, that’s satisfying. I didn’t say anything that day at the café, but I wanted to give her a good smack.”

Ilina seemed quite pleased with how things turned out. I felt proud.

After all, I had planned this safety measure because of the trouble Ersia had caused Ilina and Baroness Dupont.

‘Perhaps this could serve as an example to others.’

There shouldn’t be any more models who behave like Ersia.

While I was lost in these thoughts,

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Ilina exclaimed as if remembering something. I looked at her with round, curious eyes, and she handed me a file tucked under her arm and said:

“Right, this is the list of people who expressed interest in purchasing today.”

“Ah.”

Opening the file, I saw names, addresses, and desired products of various people.

After quickly scanning it, I sighed.

“There’s a lot of work to do.”

“Yes……”

Ilina agreed with a somewhat deflated voice. Meanwhile, as if she had something else to say, she looked around and then whispered in my ear.

“By the way, Miss.”

“……?”

“Among today’s customers, Her Highness the Crown Princess was also present.”

At that moment, I had to doubt my ears.

Her Highness the Crown Princess……?

❀❀❀

After the fashion show, I returned to the trading company and immediately collapsed on the makeshift bed in one corner of my office.

The accumulated fatigue from months of regular overtime and all-nighters while preparing for the show had taken its toll.

How long did I sleep like that?

In my increasingly clear consciousness, I saw a woman with a familiar face.

“Mmm, who……”

The woman spoke to me,

“Miss, it’s me, Ilina.”

Surprised, I raised my head to see Ilina holding some work. Not only that, but behind her shoulder, I could see piles of documents stacked on the desk.

“……How long have I been asleep?”

Maybe half a day?

But Ilina’s words completely overturned my expectation.

“You’ve been sleeping for two whole days.”

“Two whole days?”

“……Yes.”

Sleeping for two days was unexpected. Even when tired, I had never slept that long.

As if reading my mind, Ilina said with a worried expression,

“You must have really overexerted yourself this time. Preparing Black Velvet’s new collection and launching White Velvet. You’ve been running non-stop.”

“That may be true, but……”

I felt it was a waste to have spent two days doing nothing but sleeping.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You were sleeping so soundly. You must have been very tired lately.”

“Even with all that work piling up?”

At my words, Ilina silently smiled.

“Still, it’s more efficient for you to handle things with a clear mind than in an exhausted state.”

“I suppose so.”

Ilina knew me too well. Including how I valued efficiency like my life.

Perhaps that’s why, despite clearly understanding the intention behind her words, I was momentarily tempted.

Though what was done was done, since I had already slept.

“By the way, yesterday… no, two days ago, I think you gave me a list of buyers. Where is it?”

At my words, Ilina ran to the desk and brought the list to me.

“Here it is, Miss.”

It contained the names of customers who had decided to purchase dresses after watching the fashion show.

As usual, the list was filled with names of daughters and wives from prominent families in the Empire.

While many familiar names were present, perhaps because White Velvet itself targeted a younger age group, I noticed many new customers on the list as well.

An involuntary sigh of relief escaped me at the thought of successfully concluding the show.

But that was short-lived. As I lowered my gaze down the list, I was startled to see two names written side by side.

Estelia Ricardo

Penelope Ricardo

The day before yesterday, I was too tired to properly check the list, so I hadn’t noticed the princess’s application.

Estelia Ricardo was a name no citizen of the Empire could be unfamiliar with. She was the Crown Princess of the Ricardo Imperial Family, the noble woman who would one day inherit this country.

I remembered what Ilina had briefly told me before I went home two days ago.

“By the way, Miss.”

“……?”

“Among today’s customers, Her Highness the Crown Princess was also present.”

At the time, I was too exhausted to do more than be surprised, but now that I’d slept, I realized this was a bigger deal than I thought.

Even her sister Penelope had placed an order.

The imperial family had always worn clothes made by their exclusive tailors, so there had never been an opportunity to meet them as customers.

‘If I handle this successfully, the value of Black Velvet and White Velvet will rise even further.’

While pressure began to sprout, my gaze moved to the “Desired Product” list.

Perhaps due to her cute and lively appearance, Princess Penelope had ordered new items from White Velvet, not Black Velvet.

But.

“Custom clothing?”

Seeing Estelia’s “Desired Product,” I had to take a sharp breath.

So-called custom clothing.

However, the meaning of this clothing was that the design would be decided after consultation.

Black Velvet’s clothes are expensive. Buying clothes that appeared in the fashion show was already costly, but custom clothing boasted an exorbitantly high price.

But accordingly, it was tailored to the buyer as much as possible, and the final design was determined after going through the design team’s detailed feedback process, so satisfaction was generally very high.

The problem was…….

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Her Highness the Crown Princess wearing a dress.”

The pressure of making clothes for the Crown Princess was one thing, but there was an even bigger issue.

The Crown Princess was known for her very casual personality. She preferred horses to carriages, and her acts of clearing out thugs who bullied the weak on the streets were frequent features in the imperial newspaper.