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Episode 63

Looking at the items laid out before me, I spoke in a picky, dissatisfied tone.

"Hmm, is this all there is?"

"Oh, no. More is coming shortly. Please forgive us for not being fully prepared, as we came in a hurry."

The shoe designer hurriedly began flipping through the design book beside him.

I glanced at the tense person beside me, then pointed at the jeweled necklace inside the box he was holding and frowned.

"Oh my, the color is a bit... tacky..."

"We can remake it with the gemstone color of your choice..."

The jeweler, sweating profusely, rubbed his hands together and explained as if something terrible had happened.

"Please take out the designs that Grand Duchess wore. The style wouldn't suit me, and wearing the same thing would make both of us uncomfortable anyway."

"Th, that's right. A wise decision."

I deliberately mentioned the Grand Duchess to imply a rivalry.

At first, I worried my acting might be clumsy, but once I started, it flowed naturally.

I felt like I was actually quite good at playing a villainess.

It was a first for me in this world.

Even though it was acting, I didn't have to worry about others' opinions or any danger.

The merchants were bowing and scraping, treating me as if I were at the top of the social hierarchy—it felt refreshingly new.

Pretending to be disappointed, I propped my chin on my hand and turned my head away. The merchants exchanged glances.

Then, as if competing, they eagerly vied for my attention.

The items they brought out this time were truly different from before, and my gaze naturally followed.

From then on, I began pointing and selecting items nonstop.

As Leonid had said, I chose and chose without restraint.

At first, I kept an eye on the maids, wondering when they'd say "enough," as Oren had advised. But even when I'd selected more than I expected, they didn't budge.

Just as I was starting to tire from thinking, Can I still buy more? What about this? And this? one of the maids came up behind me and spoke in a voice loud enough for the merchants to hear.

"Lady Jamila, how about stopping here?"

"Then, just one more thing."

"...Yes, understood."

Acting as Oren had suggested, the maid bowed and stepped back.

After that, until the maid intervened again, I felt free to choose without worrying.

Truly without restraint!

"Wow! All done."

After sending off the last merchant, I finally shed Jamila's expression and collapsed onto the sofa.

It felt like I'd done several years' worth of shopping at once.

A maid handed me a glass of cool water and smiled.

"You've worked hard."

"Wow... this really takes it out of you. By the way, was my acting okay?"

"Hehe. It was perfect."

"But I feel like I ordered quite a lot... Is that really alright?"

At my worried question, the maid shook her head.

"Of course not. This much is perfectly reasonable. To the designers who came today, it might seem like a huge sum, but this is the royal palace."

But your king was just shouting about saving money...

I couldn't bring myself to mention what had happened in the study, so I just cleared my throat.

But the maid, like the Chancellor, instead blamed Leonid.

"Hehe. Someone should give Lord Leonid a piece of his own medicine. No matter if it's a contract, she's his lover—to show such an unseemly side and make her worry..."

The maid, who had served Leonid since childhood, spoke with a smile.

I could only laugh in response.

"So, is everything done now?"

"Yes, I'll take care of the rest."

With today's tasks complete, I removed my transformation and returned to my original appearance.

As the maid turned to finish tidying up, I called her back.

"Excuse me..."

"?"

"Could you help me?"

I pointed to the box I'd brought and cautiously asked the maid.

"I need to put this on, but it's hard to do alone."

Hesitating, I spoke. The maid tilted her head for a moment, then caught on and covered her mouth with one hand.

She knew about my relationship with Cael, after all.

"Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my. Of course I'll help."

"Thank you."

I pulled out the dress, parasol, shoes, hat, and accessories that Angel had carefully packed for me.

With the maid's help, I dressed, feeling my cheeks flush a little.

It was clearly an outfit that said I was going on a date.

After smoothing out the final touches, the maid quietly asked me.

"Shall I do a light makeup for you as well?"

"Ah! That would be wonderful, thank you."

I'd been wondering if bare-faced would be okay with this outfit.

Gratefully, I nodded at the maid's offer.

"This way, please."

"Yes."

Sitting me at the vanity, the maid fixed my face.

"Are you going on a date with His Grace?"

Though she already knew everything, she asked as if to confirm. Feeling shy, I nodded.

"Ah, yes. He's taking me to the lake."

"Oh my, even His Grace can become romantic."

The maid sighed in admiration.

Then, she muttered something incomprehensible about how the competition was doing too well. I looked at her, curious.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, just talking to myself. About my son."

"Ah..."

"There, all done. It looks wonderful on you. Beautiful."

"Thank you."

After doing my makeup and hair beautifully, the maid showed me how to put on the hat and tie the ribbon.

"Then I'll see you next time."

"Have a wonderful time."

"Yes."

As I was about to enter Leonid's study after saying goodbye to the maid—

"I've been waiting."

"Huh? Cael?"

Cael, who had been leaning against the wall by the door, approached me as I came out.

There was a narrow corridor between the study and the room I was in.

Seeing him there, I asked in surprise.

"Why aren't you in the study?"

"Because I didn't want to show you off."

"...Pardon?"

"You really have changed, Your Grace."

The maid, who had followed me out, looked at the Duke with an impassive face and spoke.

The Duke glanced at her, shrugged, and turned back to me.

"Let's go. It's a bit of a distance, so we need to move quickly."

"Ah, yes. But I should at least say hello—"

"Esther will do it for us. Right, Esther?"

At Cael's words, the maid shot him a disapproving look, as if having a staring contest, then closed her eyes and nodded.

"...Yes, I will. Lady Rielle, have a wonderful time."

"Thank you."

"Now, here."

Cael, having prepared it in advance, handed me a cloak and explained.

"There will be many eyes on us."

"True. Should I use the transformation ring?"

"No, this will be fine."

"Okay."

I draped the cloak he gave me over my shoulders.

It was made of a light material, so it didn't press down on my clothes or hat uncomfortably.

Cael secured the hood over my head, then guided me with a hand on my back.

"Let's go."

His simple words made my heart flutter again.

---

As Angel had said, the area around the lake was breathtakingly beautiful.

After about an hour's ride in the carriage with Cael, the place we arrived at looked like something out of a fairy tale.

The lake was vast, and its emerald-green hue was unlike any lake color I'd ever seen.

When light reflected off the surface, it shifted from a transparent color to emerald-green, mesmerizingly.

And around the lake, beautiful flowering trees and flowers were in full bloom, releasing a fragrant scent with every gentle breeze.

As Angel had said—famous among lovers—the area was full of couples.

I could see pairs rowing boats on the lake, facing each other, or sitting on blankets on the grass, chatting.

But interestingly, there were also servants and knights waiting at a distance from the couples.

Well, Cael had brought his knights too.

And as expected, the moment Cael and I arrived, all eyes were on us.

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