The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 55

#55

It was well past noon when I woke up, perhaps due to the long walk at the festival and the unexpected incident that left me with emotional shock and worries. Lily brought a basin filled with water as if she had been waiting for me, her face more excited than usual.

“What good news do you have?”

As I dipped my hands into the basin with rose petals, Lily scratched her nose and then nodded.

“It’s better if you see it for yourself.”

I wondered what I should see as soon as I got up, but Lily only helped me wash up with a delighted face. I quickly put on a simple dress and combed my hair.

“Madam, would you come to the reception room for a moment?”

“Why? Is there a guest?”

“Yes!”

Lily smiled broadly. It was improper for a guest to come without prior notice. So it couldn’t be Leticia.

‘Who could it be?’

I wasn’t expecting any guest. Puzzled by Lily’s excitement, I hurriedly went to the reception room and was left speechless by the sight before me. Rows of clothing hung on hangers behind unfamiliar women. There must have been dozens of them.

“It’s an honor to meet you, madam.”

A middle-aged woman in a glamorous dress approached me with a humble smile.

“I am Madam Veronica.”

“Veronica… “

I had read about her in the original work. She was the renowned owner of a famous fashion house known not only in the Empire but also in other countries. Her dresses were so popular that ladies had to wait at least a year to purchase one. It was said that any lady who appeared at a ball or tea party wearing her dress would attract all attention.

Roeni had tried to acquire one of Veronica’s dresses but failed. Later, when Adelia was mocked by the noblewomen for wearing outdated and shabby dresses, Diart gave her dozens of Veronica’s dresses.

Why would such a person be here? Unable to grasp the situation, Lily guided me to the sofa.

“Please have a seat and enjoy the view comfortably. Shall I serve you some sweet milk tea?”

“Uh, yeah.”

I answered absentmindedly, and Lily began to brew black tea. At the same time, Veronica snapped her fingers. Then, the unfamiliar women, presumably Veronica’s assistants, approached carrying boxes. When the assistants opened the boxes, I could see luxurious fabrics at a glance. Veronica began her explanation.

“These are made from threads spun by chitranuae, which only inhabit high altitudes. Each thread is carefully woven together to create these garments. They are incredibly lightweight and sway delicately with every movement. When worn, they give off a subtle sheen that beautifully accentuates the figure.”

Is that so? I narrowed my eyes, which Veronica misinterpreted to mean I didn’t like it, so she took out another fabric from the box and explained.

I nodded my head and smiled as if I was listening attentively to her words. But in reality, I was giving subtle hints to Lily, who was placing the milk tea in front of me.

‘Explain how this happened.’

Why are we doing this as soon as I open my eyes? Understanding my unspoken gesture perfectly, Lily smiled brightly and said,

“It’s what the master instructed.”

“Diart?”

Why would Diart… It’s not like I don’t have any dresses like Adelia. As I tilted my head in confusion, Lily spoke up.

“The master has hired Madam Veronica as your exclusive designer for a year.”

“What?!”

To think that it’s said to be as difficult as plucking a star from the sky to get just one dress. No, why? Lily’s eyes flashed for a moment when she saw me looking like I didn’t understand anything at all.

“Madam, you know that Madam Veronica’s dresses are priceless, right? They can’t be compared to those ordinary perfumes or trinkets!”

“Ah.”

I could vaguely infer from Lily’s words. So Lily must have told Diart about Jarvis giving me perfume as a gift yesterday. Upon hearing that he gave me perfume worth a thousand gold coins, Diart hired Madam Veronica.

But still, when did this happen? We came back to the mansion late last night, and yet he managed to bring that famous person overnight. It showed his abilities.

‘Well, there’s no need to be modest when it’s a gift.’

He has multiple diamond mines, so this level of extravagance won’t make a difference. I comfortably leaned back on the sofa and raised my hand to Madam Veronica, who was explaining one after another, in order to find the fabric that I liked.

I smiled back at Veronica, who had a face that asked if I’d finally made a choice.

“Just give me everything.”

* * *

“I heard you decided to call off the divorce.”

I almost choked on the black tea I was about to drink at Leticia’s words. Quickly covering my mouth with a handkerchief, I looked at her with a dismayed expression.

“Is it true that the Duke confessed?”

He did something like a confession, but how… No, before that, what is that rumor?

“Where did you hear that rumor?”

“It’s spreading in society. They say that Duke Wheaton went to the temple himself.”

“No way. I haven’t heard such a thing.”

This bastard, is he trying to unilaterally withdraw the divorce without even telling me?

“He didn’t tell you, Roeni? I thought the Duke confessed to you and you two reconciled.”

“Why do you think that?”

It was a well-known fact in society that Roeni Wheaton was being ignored by her husband. Even Leticia couldn’t have missed that fact, so I was curious why they thought Diart confessed to me. If he heard such rumors, wouldn’t he think that I was clinging to him?

“Oh, isn’t it obvious?”

Leticia’s expression was more curious than mine.

“To be honest, I also thought Duke Wheaton was a cold person. But the expression he had when he carried Roeni out of the banquet hall was more desperate than I’ve ever seen before.”

I heard this story before, but I couldn’t imagine the expression on Diart’s face being desperate.

“And have you heard about Count Linden and Viscount Weston?”

The noblewomen who had mocked me at the last royal banquet were from the Count Linden and Viscount Weston household.

“What happened?”

“Count Linden is being audited by the government for his business. It was a pretty high-intensity investigation that looked into every single coin. In the process, not only tax evasion but also illegal arms trafficking to other countries was revealed, and all his territories were returned. The count and his wife are now detained and waiting for trial.”

“Oh my.”

“Viscount Weston was also found to be managing an illegal gambling den and had all his property confiscated and was chased away to a remote area.”

I wanted to sue those faces that had mocked me. They acted so arrogant but ended up like this.

“In addition, in the past few days, some nobles have been suffering from big and small troubles. Do you know what they have in common?”

“I don’t know. Did they offend someone?”

“That’s right. They offended someone.”

“Oh my, who is it?”

That kind of person.

“Ah, she’s in front of me.”

“What? Are you talking about me?”

Leticia nodded with a sweet smile.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“It must have been Duke Wheaton. Only he can sweep away the nobles in the Empire like that.”

Indeed, it was Diart who had swept away those who had been tormenting Adelia in the original work. But how could he have known that I had friction with them? I thought of Milto, who had been watching over me anxiously at the banquet hall.

‘He’s like a CCTV camera, watching from all directions.’

As I nodded, Leticia looked at my dress and spoke.

“And that dress, it’s Madame Veronica’s creation, right?”

“Yes, you’re right. You recognize it.”

“Of course. Roeni, you are now the envy of all the women in the Empire. To think you monopolized Madame Veronica’s dresses. And I heard you bought all the costumes that were supposed to be showcased as well.”

On the day Veronica visited, I imitated a chaebol¹ while running my finger along the dresses hanging on the rack.

‘Buy everything from here to here.’

But I had already heard that Diart had purchased them. Apparently, those were the dresses intended for the show.

Leticia spoke with a reminiscent expression as if she were teasing the protagonists of a romance novel.

“That’s why rumors are spreading. They say Duke Diart Wheaton has fallen head over heels for his wife.”