Lexius left for the north again to check on the condition of Gallaitos. He mentioned there were still reinforcements needed on the defense wall.
Ellice felt a moment of relief. With him gone, she could finally breathe for a few days. He would probably return before Madame Angre’s salon party, though.
But not even an hour after he left, a group of people suddenly burst into her room.
They were from the fashion house Lexius had summoned.
“Please call me Marianne. I’m the head designer at Montshell.”
The red-haired designer introduced herself with confidence that matched her beauty.
Montshell was a famous fashion house, considered the best in Steltan. It was known for creating dream dresses for countless women.
Even Ellice, who had rarely set foot outside the Imperial Palace, had heard of it. Their reservations were so full, it took months to get even a single dress made.
Yet as soon as Lexius contacted them, the head designer herself had rushed over. The duke’s influence was indeed formidable.
“What kind of design do you prefer, madam?”
Marianne asked naturally.
Ellice paused. She had always worn what the palace seamstresses made for her, so she never really thought about her own taste.
She had only one consistent request: to never wear anything that exposed her arms.
While other princesses, including Priscilla, often sought out high-end external ateliers, claiming the palace tailors weren’t up to standard, Ellice had never done so.
She didn’t have the financial luxury to spend much on clothes, and the Emperor rarely allowed her to leave the palace grounds.
“As long as it doesn’t expose my arms, I’m fine with anything. Even current trends would be nice.”
She wasn’t sure what was currently in fashion, but gave a safe answer.
“Lately, dresses with lots of lace and beading are popular. They look elegant and luxurious.”
“That sounds fine. Let’s go with that style.”
Ellice nodded easily. She’d never worn a dress with lace before, so she wasn’t sure if it would suit her or not.
“Then let me show you a few options.”
Marianne called her assistant, who opened a sketchbook filled with countless dress designs.
There were so many pretty dresses—it made it harder to choose. She didn’t even know how expensive they were.
“By the way, I heard you’re attending Madame Angre’s salon party?”
Marianne asked, catching on quickly.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“Not at all. It’s just that simpler designs without excessive decoration suit that event better. Most attendees believe excessive extravagance diminishes grace.”
“I see. I’ve never attended, so I wasn’t sure.”
“Would you mind if I made a few recommendations?”
“Please do.”
“With your fair skin and blue eyes, I think a blue-toned dress would look stunning. Something that uses lace and beads subtly without going over the top.”
Marianne showed her a design similar to what she described—elegant and refined.
“What do you think of this style?”
“I like it. It’s lovely.”
“And the fabric?”
“Why don’t you choose whatever you think suits the design best, Marianne?”
Marianne quickly brought out several luxurious fabrics.
The whole process was complex: choosing the fabric, taking measurements, and selecting embellishments all took a long time.
Then Marianne brought up something unexpected.
“The Duke instructed us to prepare ten dresses in total for you. He’s already paid in full. Just in case you attend other parties in the future.”
Ellice already felt exhausted. Going through this process ten more times?
So she casually said:
“Then just take care of all ten dresses yourself. Choose what suits me best—just nothing that shows the arms.”
Marianne beamed with delight.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. You’re the best designer, aren’t you? Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just that most ladies are very particular. They usually trust their own sense of fashion more than mine.”
“Well, I trust yours.”
Ellice spoke warmly. She figured it was better to let the expert handle it than waste her own time.
“Then I’ll pour all my talent into making the most beautiful, stunning dresses. You won’t regret it.”
Marianne left her a bottle of perfume as a gift.
She was dazzling and full of life—the complete opposite of Ellice, who lived like a shadow. Maybe that’s why Ellice envied her all the more.
—
***
Lexius didn’t return even after four days. It seemed he planned to come back right before the party.
That day, Ellice and Cecile had been tending the greenhouse and were returning with a basket of herbs—some used to repel mutant wolves, others for treating the illness called Kolun’s disease.
Earlier, at the Meyce Clinic, they heard that a sudden outbreak of Kolun’s disease had begun spreading in the capital.
Ellice wanted to prepare medicine in advance in case someone in the duke’s household became infected.
Kolun’s disease was a virulent, highly contagious illness. Two out of three who caught it died.
It started with a burning fever that worsened rapidly. The patient would vomit everything they ate, and their organs would begin to fail.
Red rashes would appear all over their body, which later turned into blue spots. Once their body turned completely blue—like a giant bruise—they would die.
There was medicine sold in common clinics, but its effectiveness varied. Some recovered, others didn’t respond at all. The medicine was also incredibly expensive—out of reach for most commoners.
“I think the cleaning should be finished by now, madam,” Cecile said with a smile.
“Probably. The girls are diligent,” Ellice replied, adjusting her basket. It was overflowing with herbs.
Truthfully, the herb gathering hadn’t been urgent. She had gone to the greenhouse just to give the maids space to clean, as both Sally and Delphine were visibly uncomfortable around her.
Ellice and Cecile chatted idly as they walked back to the room. The bedroom and dressing room were spotless.
Crash!
A loud shattering noise rang out.
The sound came from the drawing room. Something had broken—badly.
They rushed in to find the table in utter chaos. All her medicinal tools—flasks, distillers, and delicate glass instruments made by artisan glassmakers—were smashed.
Before Ellice could ask what had happened, Sally fell to the floor, pale and trembling.
“I’m so sorry, madam. I’ve committed a grave sin. I suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed onto the table…”
She was shaking with fear, her arm bleeding heavily—likely from glass shards.
“You’re hurt. Let’s get that treated first.”
When Ellice reached for her arm, Sally burst into tears.
“I’m fine. I’ll repay everything with my wages, just please don’t throw me out.”
“Throw you out? What are you talking about?”
“I broke your important things… I deserve punishment, but please don’t…”
“Who said anything about throwing you out?”
Ellice was stunned. Sally’s wounds were serious, yet her first fear was being dismissed.
“It’s just… the Duke is very strict…”
“Then we’ll keep it a secret. Let’s treat your wound first—if we leave it, it could get infected and rot.”
“Rot? You mean… I could lose my arm?”
Sally went even paler and began sobbing uncontrollably.
“If we treat it, it’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Ellice helped Sally to the sofa and brought disinfectant and coagulant from her medical supplies.
But there were many glass shards embedded in her arm—it wasn’t easy to treat.
Cecile quickly fetched tweezers, and Ellice began removing the shards carefully.
Despite the pain, Sally didn’t even groan. She just stared at her blood-soaked arm in fear.
There were over ten shards in her arm. As Ellice worked, she noticed something strange—Sally’s skin was burning hot. Too hot to be just from the injury.
She touched Sally’s forehead—it was blazing with fever.
Sally had said she collapsed from dizziness—no wonder, with a fever that high.
“When did the fever start?”
“L-last night… But I’m fine, madam. I can keep working. I’ll be better soon…”
“Any stomach issues?”
“I… I did throw up after eating. Such a waste…”
Red rashes dotted Sally’s face.
Ellice tensed. It was unmistakably Kolun’s disease.
“Delphine, how are you feeling?”
“I think I might have a bit of a fever too… I’ll be okay, right, madam?”
Ellice touched Delphine’s forehead. Her fever wasn’t as high yet.
“We’ll monitor it closely.”
She disinfected Sally’s wounds, applied medicine, and wrapped them carefully. Then helped her into Ellice’s own bed.
“I-I can’t sleep in your bed… Let me go to my own room…”
But Ellice tucked her in and said gently:
“Listen carefully. I think you’ve caught Kolun’s disease.”
Fear flooded Sally’s eyes. Her face crumbled.
“K-Kolun’s? Then I’m going to die? Madam, I can’t die. My little siblings… if I die, who will feed them?”
She sobbed like a waterfall.
“Don’t worry. I have medicine. But not enough to treat everyone if more get sick. And with the tools broken, I can’t make more.”
“You mean… I’ll be treated, but others won’t?”
“No. I mean you can’t leave this room for now. You might infect others.”
“So I have to stay in here?”
“Yes. Delphine too—you were with Sally the whole time.”
Ellice gave the medicine to Sally and Delphine. Just in case, she and Cecile took it too.
That was when a sharp knock echoed at the door—urgent.
Before she could answer, Bangshew burst in. Something he never did.
“It’s an emergency, madam!”
“Don’t come closer!” Ellice warned. “What’s going on?”
“Three of the servants have come down with Kolun’s disease.”
The words struck like lightning.
Sally, Delphine, and now three servants.
If that many were already infected, the disease had likely spread far more than they realized.
