CH 24

“Didn’t I tell you to increase the number of display mannequins from ten to fifteen?”

“I’m sorry. Let me check.”

“Recommended accessory in column C corner, change number 3 to something else.”

“Yes. I’ll pass it on to the appropriate person.”

‘It’s on fire.’

To say that something sells or disappears so fast that it’s scary to get rid of it.

The most accurate way to describe it, and the one place that stood out on the streets of the capital’s high-end couture district, was Thalia, a boutique under the Kryant Group of Companies.

The place was different, first of all, because of the level of crowds.

The constant stream of horse-drawn carriages meant that parking attendants had to be set aside, and displays had to be refreshed every few hours because the dresses were constantly running out.

In contrast, the other dress shops were deserted.

The reason was simple.

The season has already started and the initial production has been completed, but the trend has changed as if it were a lie.

Even if they were to start production immediately, with no regard for profits, it would take two weeks to sell.

But the ladies were in a hurry, and so, at all costs, they made their way to Kryant’s boutique.

When the husbands heard the story, they raised their voices, demanding to know why their money should be used to feed the Emperor’s men.

But the wives had plenty to say, too.

Are you saying that we should ignore the trends led by Duchess Traia and the Princess and go out to parties on our own, or are you suggesting that we should stir up strange rumors and cause chaos, even to the point of sabotage? Why do you make things like this when the Kryants knew what was going on?

Under the onslaught of the wives, they all shut up.

And so it came to pass that even the ladies who would normally have had their dresses tailored in Baron Osman’s wardrobe were willing to open their wallets, bringing in huge profits and smiles to the Kryant household.

Of course, Daniel was the master of the family and the father of the person who planned this situation.

He was visibly beaming as he spoke of Ellen as a young lady.

His expression soon hardened, however, as he became concerned for his daughter’s safety.

The head of the household has the right to decide on the disposition of a member of the household.

As such, his daughter, still legally a Krembel, was not completely free of the Duke of Krembel’s influence.

That’s why Ellen chose not to return to Kryant for the time being.

It was very likely that Gillian would attempt to secure her and imprison her in the manor, as he had done before, and the only way to avoid this was to place her under the influence of another nobleman, whom he would not dare.

Therefore she now resided in the Cheshire manor.

“The nobles on the list I gave you. I assume you were able to meet them?”

“Yes. They were all escorted straight to the VIP room. I served them myself whenever possible, or when my hands overlapped, I assigned them to the most knowledgeable member of my staff, who sold them up to three suits on the spot. So I can confirm that there were no problems with service.”

“Great.”

She couldn’t leave the store unattended for much longer, so she hurriedly inspected the store as carefully as she had come out.

A familiar face came into Ellen’s view.

“Ah, the Countess of Coenheim.”

“Oh, how good to see you! It’s been a long time.”

It was the Countess of Coenheim, the biological mother of Lord Morris Coenheim.

She had heard about the divorce and had the decency not to address Ellen by name.

“I didn’t get a chance to say hello to you at the ball the other day. I wish I had brought Sweeney with me.”

“Don’t worry, we said hello to each other today, so that’s good enough.”

With a gentle smile, she covered the corner of her mouth with her fan.

Ellen clasped her hands together in gratitude.

“I know you’ve been coming back to our boutique every time. Madame, I was wondering if you would like to see the catalog of upcoming dresses first? If you see something you like, I can make it a priority for you.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The Countess of Coenheim spat out the affirmative, her eyes dilated as if she were genuinely pleased with the offer.

Ellen smiled and led her directly to the VIP room.

‘I see you can fill up a reservation.’

I have to finish this and go back immediately.

Ellen hummed to herself.

With Ellen’s proactive approach, Countess Coenheim left with a total of five dresses and three appointments.

She checked in with her son, Lord Morris Coenheim, saying he would be visiting soon, and Ellen promised to send a catalog of menswear to the Coenheim mansion.

Only after she had escorted the lady to her carriage did she stroll toward the store with a satisfied smile.

But as she returned from the parking lot, something big caught Ellen’s eye.

“What the hell is that…?”

It was a giant carriage, far beyond normal size.

But it wasn’t just the size of the carriage, it was the crest on the door.

It was the eagle that symbolizes Istacio.

‘Imperial?’

Why is the imperial family in my shop?

Who are they? Did they come looking for me?

Did they know where I was going? In such a short time? How?

Ellen clasped her hands together nervously at the sudden, unexplained events.

* * *

Caden looked like he was about to lose his mind.

“She’s gone? Where did she go?”

“She said she was going to Boutique Thalia. Do you happen to know…?”

“Nah, never mind. Tell the Count and Countess of Cheshire I’ll be back soon and apologize.”

He turned and walked toward the carriage he had come in.

“Your Highness?”

“To Boutique Thalia, as soon as possible!”

He shouted, slamming the carriage door shut.

‘I hope Gillian doesn’t find out. We can’t let him get there first…’

It was only this morning that the first investigation report was posted.

Someone had once told him to come to Cheshire when the results were in, so he’d made his way there, trying to compose himself in the midst of the chaos.

But when he got there, he realized it was empty.

The sensation of his heart plummeting was one that no one who hadn’t experienced it would ever know.

A familiar chill crawled up the nape of his neck. Caden’s hand tightened on the bottle again.

“…This isn’t working.

The trickle of liquor disappeared in a couple of sips. He must have drained it all on the way here.

He quickly ran out and tossed the bottle at the corner.

Upon arriving at the boutique, Caden looked for Ellen first.

He could see her walking from the parking lot in the distance.

‘Thank God. She’s still here.’

Something that had been clamping down on his entire body melted away.

In one swift motion, Caden flung open the door and leapt from the carriage.

“Your Highness?”

Ellen’s voice was a little higher than usual, surprised by his sudden appearance.

“My lady, you are indeed…!”

“What?”

Ellen looked up at him, wide-eyed.

“I mean…”

If you get caught by Gillian, you won’t be the only one in trouble. Whether this is bold or reckless is something to be weighed properly…

There were so many things he wanted to say.

But when he finally looked into those round eyes and tried to speak, he somehow couldn’t get the words out.

“It’s… I didn’t want to wait for a gift, so I came to get it myself.”

He stammered out a lame excuse.

Then Ellen clapped her hands together and spoke up.

“I was just picking out the presents I mentioned before, anyway. Would you like to take it right away?”

Caden sighed, a clear smile on his face that didn’t seem to include a thought for her safety.

“Never mind that I’ve already picked them out, and I’m sure I’ve ordered them to be delivered, I’m just here to meet the lady.”

“Meet me?”

“Let’s go, Cheshire.”

“Ah.”

Ellen let out a low exclamation as if she understood the situation.

It was unnecessarily condescending. Caden muttered in annoyance.

“For the time being, I’m afraid the lady’s situation is in danger, and I’m worried about what’s out there.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“… We’ll talk once we’re in the carriage.”

Caden held out his hand for an escort.

When Ellen laughed, realizing that his purpose for coming all this way was to ensure her safety, not a gift, Caden said with a look of displeasure on his face.

“… Don’t laugh, but please, let’s go.”

“Yes. I apologize. Next time, I’ll try not to make you come here.”

Ellen called the store clerk and left a message that all the wagons should move according to the existing instructions. Then she got on the carriage.

Caden asked, his voice a little raspy.

“… May I ask what you mean by existing instructions?”

“It’s nothing, just some kind of decoration.”

He heard the coachman call out from outside.

“By the way, since you’re here, I assume you’ve gotten the results of your investigation from earlier.”

“Investigation… Well, yes.”

After what seemed like an eternity of chatter, Caden suddenly fell silent.

A familiar scent wafted through the brief silence.

Ellen identified the scent at the tip of her nose and asked.

“Have you been drinking…? I can smell the liquor.”

“I drank a little on the way here…”

Caden buried his nose in his body.

He sniffed a few times and then muttered, ‘I’m not sure,’ and asked.

“Does the smell bother you?”

“Not really.”

“Actually, I still want to drink a little more… But It can’t be helped if the young lady is uncomfortable.”

His eyes looked like he was really hungry for a drink.

Ellen nodded approvingly.

“Mmm. I prefer something sweet to something strong.”

Without another word, Caden pulled the bottles from under his chair.

“… It seems like there might be a bit of a difficulty in expressing it as just a ‘little’ amount of wine consumed on the way here. It couldn’t have been helped if the scent of alcohol was noticeable.”

“Is that so?”

Caden smirked and took a long swig.

Several gulps like that.

He set the bottle down and said.

“… My lady.”

“Yeah.”

“There’s something I’m really curious about, if I may ask.”

He stared at Ellen with cloudy eyes.