CH 8

“Oh no! This is too much.”

I got scared and pulled Marianne.

“Oh, my dear. This is your first shopping trip. Don’t worry about anything. I’m rich.”

But I wasn’t rich.

‘I’m not even a real Duke’s daughter!’

However, I hesitated, fearing that if I persisted in saying no, it would embarrass Marianne.

On the other hand, the shop workers scurried here and there with lightning speed. They were eager to sell us these things and instantly took me into the circle.

“I’ll hold it.”

“Uh, my balloon…?”

“I’ll tie it there. Don’t worry, miss.”

I nodded slightly. A worker hung the balloon on a window handle.

Soon, the staff collected and tried on different dresses for me.

Fabric with flowers, fabric with folk painting, fabric of variegated colors, fabric with forest patterns…

“Bring something more expensive. Something worthy of the dignity of a ducal family.”

“This design is out of fashion right now.”

“Do you want such a cute kid to wear this?”

Marianne placed the catalog on her lap and excitedly ordered things. I was quickly exhausted.

“I have a sample of the dress on the page you are looking at, would you like to try it on?”

“Sure. Honey, come here.”

Marianne beckoned me.

“I will take you to a VIP noble dressing room.”

The worker said politely. They opened the door and led me to another room.

In the room with the red carpet, there were several partitioned areas for changing clothes.

Two female workers helped me to change. When I undressed in front of strangers, I felt embrassed.

“The young lady’s dress can be tightened around the waist. Even if it turns out to be large, you can always reshape it and sew on new sleeves.”

They talked while they dressed me.

“The dress you are currently wearing is a party dress. Our princess ordered something similar for herself.”

Dress in pink shiny fabric with over a dozen ribbons.

‘The dress worn by the princess…?’

Excessive luxury. It didn’t make any sense.

Then the door creaked. Someone entered the dressing room next door.

“I’ll take this room.”

“Yes. Yes, of course, Lady Rose.”

“Hey! Don’t touch me with your hands. My maid will help me. I was already sick of all this. I’m on the verge of dating the Duke. I want to see what kind of adopted daughter appeared there. She’s not from a noble family, is she? Why on earth did she need to him at all?”

“There is a lot of talk in the social world.”

“If I became the Duchess, I would do an excellent educational work with her.”

“How about marrying her off and sending her off to the outskirts.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. But if she is ugly, she might have to live alone for the rest of her life. What kind of man would take an ugly girl?”

“I haven’t heard that the girl was ugly.”

“…Duke is a weird guy, so maybe he took a weird child for himself. Everything except for his taste in women is strange. If he looks like a monster, he should sell it to the circus.”

My blood froze in my veins.

All the female workers who served me also froze and turned blue.

One whispered to me very softly.

“Shh! Lady, don’t listen to her.”

There were no tears.

Rather, it was nothing. I’ve seen a lot of people like that. People who looked at me as a beggar with disgust. It’s not that it doesn’t hurt, but it’s something worth experiencing.

I bit my lips tightly.

“Leave right now so we don’t run into each other..”

The worker whispered.

I nodded.

Fortunately, Lady Rose was not in the hallway when I came out. I didn’t know her face, but her voice was now unforgettable for me.

“Oh, how cute!”

Mariane made a fuss when she saw me. Strange to say, but she looked really happy.

‘Thank God.’

I laughed. I had just heard that, and it was fortunate that I could see Marianne’s smile.

” How about matching the dress with me?”

“That’s nice. Would you like to try on a sample? We also have adult dresses with similar designs.”

“It’s been a dream of mine for a long time! Matching dresses with some girl from my family!”

At the clerk’s words, Marianne was excited and went into the dressing room.

“Have a seat. I’ll get you something to drink.”

The female worker said kindly.

Meanwhile, I looked outside to check my balloon.

‘…Uh?’

My heart sank. All windows were wide open.

‘No!’

I rushed to the window.

“My balloon…!”

This was the first gift I received in my new life. The princess dress was fine too, but the balloon was much better…

Breaking my head, I ran outside. Perhaps the wind has driven the balloon to the ground. Maybe I still have a chance.

‘As expected, I don’t see it.’

When I came to my senses, I was standing there wearing a fancy dress.

“…Oh. I can’t get my dress dirty.”

I grabbed the hem of the dress in my hand.

The balloon was not there.

I was upset, I wanted to cry. What will Jade say now?

“Lady.”

A hoarse voice sounded from the alley.

Ah?

I looked around and looked up. A bony hand pointed at me from the alley.

“You look like a precious young lady. Come here. What a pretty hair color.”

A thin hand gripped my wrist tightly. At that moment, a shiver ran down my back.

“You have to know your destiny from a very young age so that you can cope with the future. Come on, there is a very famous fortune teller. Come here, don’t be afraid.”

The person took a step out of the shadows. It was a woman, her face hidden under a hood. I twisted my hand and pulled it off.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.”

I ran away from the rake-like hand that was trying to catch me. I passed several blocks without hesitation.

‘Did she go?’

I turned my head nervously and saw the window of a toy store.

I looked into my soul for a moment. It was the same store. The dream of my whole life. Nevertheless, now nothing attracted me there.

‘My balloon is better.’

I lost interest and turned away.

‘…Uh?’

And suddenly I realized that I was lost.

Then suddenly I realized that I was lost. Where was the dressing room?

‘White roof, white roof.’

The building has a smooth roof and looks like white marble. But all the buildings here look the same.

‘This dress is not mine.’

I dressed up and left without a word. My heart suddenly dropped.

‘Uh, what should I do?’

Then a man hit me and passed me by. I was pushed back three steps.

“Look where you are going!”

The man barked.

‘It hurts…’

I wanted to cry. What can I do? I have to find my way back. But how? It was dark before my eyes.

“Oh!”

Something flashed past my eyes. Something black.

‘What is this, a bird?’

Then a carriage stopped in front of me. It was a pitch-black carriage with gold leaf trim. I remembered that somewhere I saw such a carriage. The door opened.

‘Collen?’

Collen was the one who got out of the carriage. I wanted to rub my eyes.

Could I be imagining it? There cannot be two such beautiful men in the world at the same time.

“It’s you.”

Collen whispered looking down at me.

“I saw a pretty girl, as an angel standing there, and it turned out to be you.”

“…Duke.”

I swallowed dry saliva.

I know he was joking, but I wanted to cry, not laugh. Collen picked me up in his gloved hands.

“Are you running away already?”

I wondered how he recognized me.

That’s also true, because the last thing Collen saw me was a few days ago, as a beggar girl who looked like a scruffy crow.

“I heard you were at the dresser’s.”

“Yes. I ran away while Marianne went to change. I was looking for my balloon.”

“Balloon?”

“Jade… The balloon he gave me. He gave it to me this morning, I promised I would keep it. And I lost it…”

“What nonsense. You can always buy a new balloon.”

Depression gripped me. You can buy a new balloon, but you cannot buy a second ‘first gift of your life’. Although I was still glad to see Duke.

I returned to the dressing room in Collen’s arms. This was the first time a grown man hugged me.

The workers were surprised.

“Miss! I was very surprised by your sudden disappearance. I had to call the police.”

“I went to find my balloon.”

“Another client told us to open all windows. I’m sorry, young lady.”

I think I know who this client was. The beautiful blonde walked right up to Collen.

‘Lady Rose?’

I instinctively noticed. She was Lady Rose.