Chapter 20
If she wasn’t mistaken, then this was…
Knock knock.
She wasn’t given enough time to think. A knock sounded, and as soon as the young lady granted permission, the door slowly opened. The designer entered first, followed by two assistants who carried the dress carefully, grunting under its weight.
The moment the dress finally revealed itself, she was left speechless for quite some time.
The jet-black dress shimmered with a subtle gloss. It was designed in an off-shoulder style that fully revealed the shoulders. To emphasize the slender waist, there were no ornaments or knots around it; instead, the lower half was made fuller to enhance its elegant silhouette.
The lace flowing downward in layers seemed as though it might reveal what lay beneath—yet it did not. It would make the wearer appear even more mysterious and alluring.
It was hard to believe such a masterpiece had been designed by someone known merely for bold experimentation. It was, without question, the finest piece he had created so far. Had it come from a renowned atelier, it would have held tremendous value.
But value meant nothing to Avery. The instant she saw the dress, she recognized it. In her mind, the scenes from the original novel played vividly like a film.
The pure white pearls that had once glowed softly against the astonishingly black dress were stained crimson, gleaming with the color of blood. The pearls that had fallen from the dress rolled across the floor, and along their path spread bright red blood.
A woman lay motionless. Around her, scattered pearls and pools of red liquid made it impossible for anyone to approach carelessly.
The woman had worn the most beautiful dress at the banquet and had closed her eyes at the very center of the ballroom, her posture the most beautiful of all. As if offering a blessing, a hibiscus flower rested beside her.
It was the dress worn by the second victim on the day of the serial murders.
Could such a coincidence exist? The dress had caught Avery’s eye as if deliberately placed there.
As if it were fate.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A single rhythmic sound echoed inside the greenhouse. There were minor natural noises—the rustle of leaves brushing against each other, the faint chirping of insects—but intentional noise was enough to irritate him.
“…….”
“…….”
“Avery Graham.”
“…Yes?”
“You’re being noisy.”
What?
Only after he called her name did Avery realize she had been biting her nails absentmindedly.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her sincere apology and her actions were completely out of sync. The sound resumed.
“Avery Graham.”
“…Ah, I’m really sorry.”
“What are you doing, spacing out like that?”
“Ah, well, the dress I saw yesterday…”
“The dress?”
“…It was too beautiful.”
It was the only beautiful one. The problem was that it was the dress the second victim of the serial murders would wear.
“The baron’s daughter I met this time is quite the daring underground dress collector.”
She could not shake the uneasy feeling.
Avery, who had found no clues regarding the murders, had suddenly stumbled upon the dress itself. It felt like suspicious luck.
Why now? And so close to the Crown Prince’s investiture banquet.
She could not dismiss the thought. Of course, the New Year’s banquet was still about two months away, and the dress would be completed in time for that.
But the way the clues of the serial killings seemed to align with the investiture banquet unsettled her.
“I need to go.”
What good was staying still? Nothing could be learned by doing nothing.
Karl, who had long since stopped paying attention to her incomprehensible remarks, now glanced at her when she suddenly declared this with determination.
He wanted to open up that small head of hers and see what thoughts could make her so unnecessarily restless and strange.
But he kept that thought to himself. Considering Avery Graham’s usual behavior, it was not that unusual.
“I’ll call Wade.”
“From today, I won’t be visiting noble houses. I’ll be going somewhere else.”
Troublesome.
Instead of answering, he fixed her with a steady gaze—the look one gives a troublemaker. Avery met his eyes without wavering. Her gaze, firm and unwavering, looked trustworthy.
Of course, he did not trust it at all.
“The question is, who will wear this…”
“The question is, who should we sell it to?”
That startled me. I thought they heard me.
Avery looked at the two assistants attaching lace to the dress as they spoke. The girl with neatly tied twin braids and nimble hands was Wendy. The one with rosy cheeks and freckles was Deborah—the one who had asked the question.
“Obviously, we should sell it to a noble who pays the most.”
“No, even if we earn a little less, it should go to an influential noble who can raise the value of this dress.”
“You dream big. With the size of our atelier, that’s impossible.”
As they trimmed loose threads from the dress, the two assistants of the designer Angelo began to argue.
Though Wendy splashed cold water on Deborah’s excitement, pride still shone in her eyes as she looked at the dress.
“But it’s been a long time since we’ve had a dress this beautiful.”
Avery agreed with Deborah. Her excitement was understandable. The dress was no less impressive than anything from the imperial atelier.
If the atelier were more famous, young ladies would already be lining up to reserve it.
“It would be wonderful if an influential noble in high society wore it.”
“Like who?”
“The Count Graham family.”
Avery quietly added her own comment.
“At the very least, an ordinary count’s family wouldn’t be enough.”
Dream big, why don’t you! What’s wrong with a count’s family!
Even in her excitement, Deborah’s analysis was sharp. Avery shot her a resentful look. Wendy, who had been scolding Deborah, now joined in seriously considering the options.
“What about the Marquis of Rubon?”
“Not bad. But their daughter has a terrible personality. She’s famous for mistreating servants. We can’t allow even the slightest blemish on our dress.”
“What about Count Mond?”
“They say their business corruption was recently exposed. We can’t send our dress to a declining house.”
At Deborah’s ruthless evaluations, Avery swallowed hard. She felt oddly relieved that she herself was merely the daughter of a count. If Deborah evaluated her, she was not sure she could avoid being hurt.
In Deborah’s ongoing critique, not a single prestigious young lady survived. After shaking her head repeatedly, Deborah sighed regretfully.
“It would’ve been nice if the Graham family had a daughter.”
“Are you crazy? Do you know what kind of place that is?”
Hearing the name Graham mentioned unexpectedly, Avery could not hide her anticipation.
Let’s see how harshly she criticizes Karl.
“What’s wrong with that? Setting everything else aside, isn’t Duke Graham honestly beautiful? I heard from another assistant that he looks like an angel descended from heaven. If I ever meet him, I’d make clothes only for him until the day I die.”
Contrary to Avery’s expectations, Deborah looked utterly enchanted, as if already in love. From her expression alone, one would think she had met Karl herself.
“If he had a younger sister who resembled him, the owner of this dress would already be decided.”
“But the Graham family has a terrible reputation.”
“That makes it even more attractive.”
Weren’t you just saying we can’t allow even the slightest blemish…?
Let’s see if you’d still speak so fondly after knowing his personality.
“There’s a girl in my neighborhood who worked briefly at the Graham estate. She said the Duke’s personality is overwhelming!”
“So charismatic…”
Deborah wore the face of a girl in love. Avery shook her head.
Incredibly biased. She’s fallen hard.
What a cruel world ruled by looks.
“Speaking of which, there’s also the Marquis of Lander.”
Avery stiffened, and Wendy burst out laughing.
“No way. They have their own exclusive atelier. It would be easier to present the dress to a princess than to them.”
“That’s true.”
“Haah…”
Avery did not even realize she had let out a sigh of relief. Nor did she realize that ever since reading Briana Lander’s report, she had been constantly thinking about her.
“Have you finished your work?”
“Eek!”
Angelo appeared behind them in an instant. Unlike the startled Avery, Wendy and Deborah responded mechanically without hesitation.
“We were discussing what kind of ornament would suit this dress.”
Veterans could lie without changing expression.
“Any good ideas?”
The sharp question caught them off guard. Even Avery tensed. Deborah hesitated, but then Wendy, who had been quietly observing the dress, spoke carefully.
“What about pearls…?”
“Hmm…”
Angelo picked up a pearl and began placing it against different parts of the dress.
“I’ll need to think more about it, but that’s quite a good idea. So you weren’t lying about discussing it.”
After Angelo’s approval, several more days passed. Avery stopped visiting noble young ladies altogether. Instead, she went to the atelier every morning.
She felt like a third assistant, following Deborah and Wendy.
“Is no one here?”
The familiar atmosphere of the atelier felt different today.
Swish.
She stepped outside to check. The lights were off—not only on the first floor but also in the second-floor workspace where the dresses were made. She quickly ran upstairs to check on the dress.
“…….”
The dress that should have been there was gone.
