CHAPTER 06……………………………………..
The Kerais family had their own private boutique.
That was our first stop — and I nearly fainted when I saw the prices.
Even though the Duke had given me a generous allowance, it would all vanish after buying only two or three dresses.
“You don’t need to pay for anything you buy here, my lady.”
“Wh–what?”
When I didn’t seem to understand, the neatly dressed clerk smiled politely.
“For anyone from the House of Kerais, we simply record the purchases in our ledger.”
“And then… the payment?”
“The Duke pays for everything later.”
Ah, of course. The rich really do live differently.
I completely forgot my original purpose for coming out and was soon lost in a daze of glittering dresses and jewels.
And since it wasn’t coming out of my allowance, I went wild—picking out gowns, necklaces, whatever caught my eye.
But once I finally came to my senses and tried to head out into the city proper, a problem arose.
No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake off the long line of attendants following behind me.
“Ah, excuse me, I just need to visit the restroom for a moment.”
That only made my maid, Britta, follow me in.
“I feel a bit dizzy from all the walking. Could someone go buy medicine?”
Even after sending a few people away, there were still too many left at my side.
“Sigh…”
I eventually gave up.
That blasted Duke—he must be obsessed with magic or something, thinking I’d disappear the moment he looked away.
Now I knew for sure: he was watching me closely, afraid I’d run off.
“You really bought a lot, my lady.”
All I had to show for my day in the city were mountains of dresses and jewelry.
I’d picked things out so carelessly that the pile was absurd.
When I finally returned to the mansion, all I wanted was to collapse on my bed.
But, of course, that didn’t happen.
“My lady, where should I put this?”
“…Huh?”
“The new jewels are so beautiful. You should try them on.”
“R–right now?”
I blinked at Britta as she sorted through everything.
It wasn’t even her stuff, yet she was working so hard. I couldn’t just ignore her enthusiasm.
Besides, I hadn’t actually tried on anything at the boutique—just pointed and bought.
Britta must’ve been dying of curiosity to see them on me.
Seeing her eager eyes, I sighed and sat up.
“Alright, shall I try one?”
“Yes!”
Britta clapped her hands together with genuine excitement.
Out of the dozen or so dresses, I chose a soft purple one that caught my eye.
It matched perfectly with my red hair.
My hair was pinned up to highlight the ruby necklace and earrings.
The usually shy, youthful thirteen-year-old Marianne now looked like a lady ready to attend a grand ball.
“Wow…”
“You look absolutely stunning, my lady!”
The maids couldn’t hold back their gasps of admiration.
Even I was a bit surprised at the reflection in the mirror.
“Oh wow… she’s actually gorgeous.”
At my muttered comment, Britta giggled softly.
She gently smoothed out the faint wrinkles in the dress, her movements tender and precise.
The sight of her reflected in the mirror caught my attention.
“Britta.”
“Yes, my lady?”
“Was this dress… very expensive?”
I had been so scatterbrained while shopping that I remembered almost nothing about prices.
Britta’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course! It’s probably the most expensive one you bought!”
“R–really?”
I looked over the other dresses laid out on the couch, then down at the purple one I wore.
They all looked about the same to me. What made this one so special?
Britta soon answered that question.
“Not just anyone can wear that color, my lady. People like us wouldn’t even dream of it.”
“Not anyone can wear it? Ah—purple!”
Suddenly, I remembered the cover of the original novel.
The heroine, Bianca, stood beside the Crown Prince, wearing a purple dress.
“Oh noble one, please accept my love.”
The Crown Prince had said that when he gave Bianca an amethyst necklace.
The reason he chose purple was because the dye and the gemstone were both extremely rare within the Empire—
symbols of nobility and imperial dignity.
Right! The priest at the cathedral wore purple vestments during Mass.
And there had even been a popular comment under that chapter:
“Purple was common in our world, but in this one it’s a color reserved for the elite.”
After the maids left, I wrote “purple fabric” down on a piece of paper.
If I wanted to escape the Kerais household, I needed money.
And the best way to make money was to secretly establish a trading company under an alias.
Maybe this purple dye could become the company’s first product.
“Phew, that’s enough for today.”
Finally, I decided to rest.
Since I was within the mansion grounds, I could take a stroll through the garden without anyone tailing me.
I’d made sure of that.
“Don’t follow me! Not one step! Absolutely not!”
And at last, I had some time truly to myself.
I wandered slowly through the rear garden.
The sunset looked the same as yesterday’s—a familiar crimson glow.
It had been nearly a month since I arrived at the Duke’s estate.
Every day felt the same. Was everything truly going to unfold exactly like the original story?
As I stared up at the deepening red sky, I realized I’d somehow wandered into a narrow side path.
Huh…? Where am I?
When I turned around, I could still see the path I’d come from.
It was getting dark, but thanks to the light spilling from a nearby storage building, I could make out my surroundings.
Britta will start looking for me soon. I should head back.
If anyone in this mansion would worry and come looking for me, it would be her.
Thinking of Britta, I quickened my pace.
But just as I passed the storage building—
“Ahh…”
A strange sound froze me in place.
What was that? What was that sound?
Ever since coming to this mansion, my hearing had grown oddly sharp.
Maybe I’d imagined it. I took a step forward—
“Mmhh!”
—when another, wetter noise reached my ears.
And then I understood exactly what was happening.
The first voice had been a woman’s. The second, a man’s.
No way…
Driven by a mix of curiosity and unease, I carefully leaned closer toward the storage shed.
The muffled sounds became clearer.
I swallowed hard without meaning to.
My body was that of thirteen-year-old Marianne, but my soul belonged to an adult who’d seen and heard plenty.
Of course I knew exactly what those kinds of sounds were.
It must be a pair of servants, I thought.
It wasn’t uncommon for workers to fall for each other,
and there was probably no better place for a secret rendezvous than a storage shed.
I should probably just leave and let them be.
I nodded slightly, regaining my composure, and started to walk away—
Until I heard the man’s voice.
“Let’s run away together.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. How could we?”
The voices slipped out through a small gap in the window.
It was a man’s voice I didn’t recognize.
But the woman’s—I knew that voice.
That… that’s the nanny!
Crimu’s nanny.
Her coy tone had confused me at first,
but there weren’t many servants in this mansion—I could recognize her voice easily.
“We haven’t saved enough money yet,” the nanny said weakly.
The man sighed.
“Don’t worry. It won’t take long. The Duke’s so thorough—he checks the ledgers himself, you know. That’s the only problem.”
“So how much longer do we wait?”
“Just a little longer. Everything will be finished this week. Once we get the money for Kunu Market, we’ll be set.”
“Oh, fine…”
Her whiny tone made my skin crawl.
Ugh… disgusting. So this was Crimu’s nanny.
But wait—what’s this about saving money? And ledgers?
I’d seen Kunu Market before—it was near the plaza when I’d gone shopping.
I’d even planned to sneak away through there, until that same market blocked my escape route.
If I remembered right, it sold various leather goods and materials.
But what did they mean by “money for Kunu Market”?
An uneasy feeling prickled through me.
