Chapter 20
“Wow…”
With every movement, the fine glitter scattered across the hem of the dress sparkled dazzlingly. It looked incredibly elegant, flowing like water without a single crease—surely made from top-quality silk.
As I stared, awestruck and unable to close my mouth, Alexandra let out a soft chuckle and said,
“It’s not even halfway done yet. What are you so amazed about already? Just wait till it’s finished.”
“But it’s already so beautiful. Maybe it’s because I’ve never worn a dress like this before… I can’t calm down, but the fabric feels so nice against my skin—it’s oddly comforting.”
“Doesn’t it feel good how it wraps around your body? Soft, with no snagging at all. It’s a rare and expensive fabric. It’s silk spun from silkworms that fed on silver.”
“Silkworms that ate silver?”
“Technically, they ate a silver-colored herb called ‘Silverling.’”
“Ah…”
I really thought she meant actual silver. But of course, silkworms can’t chew on metal with their tiny mouths, let alone digest it. Still, the fact that there’s a silver-colored herb is fascinating.
Silverling… It sounded like one of those cure-all herbs from fantasy novels. If there’s a Silverling, wouldn’t there be a Goldling too? They usually come in pairs. One’s the panacea, the other’s the poison.
“If there’s Silverling… is there a Goldling too?”
“Oh my? How did you know? Of course there is. It’s a golden herb called Goldcho.”
…There really is? I was just joking, but it actually exists. Guess the writer of this world liked using those kinds of clichés too. It’s kind of classic, in a way.
But both of them are herbs? Usually the gold one’s the cure-all and the silver one’s the poison, but I guess that’s not the case here.
“Lucious’ ceremonial outfit was made from silk spun by silkworms that fed on Goldcho. Both fabrics are so rare that even the imperial palace only receives them twice a year. They’re the finest silks available.”
“Is it okay to use such rare fabric like that?”
“Why not? His Majesty said I could use it as much as I want. If someone has a problem with what I do with it, they’re the weird ones.”
“Ah… Right…”
Even when the former emperor was alive, Alexandra had been doted on like a precious jewel. No one could stop her. The current emperor, Rayel, cherished his one and only sister, and Lucious held her dear as well. In that sense, her self-centeredness felt natural.
“This batch of silk was even better than last year’s. I’ve been eager to use it. The colors happened to suit you both perfectly, and I had a great design idea, so I gave it a try. Lucious’s ceremonial outfit turned out amazing. Want to see it?”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
Yet, her self-centeredness wasn’t off-putting. It wasn’t harsh or abrasive like it often is with others. In fact, it was rather endearing.
She carried herself with confidence, but unlike others like her, she was also attentive, considerate, and surprisingly sensitive.
Just the fact that she personally came to visit showed how much she cared about Tiana. She really was blessed.
A wonderful family, a loving husband, good friends… Things I never had, which made it all feel bittersweet.
“Just a moment.”
She had brought over a mannequin and placed it beside me. Then, rummaging through the piles of boxes, she pulled out an item wrapped in black cloth, smiling brightly. Carefully unwrapping it revealed a radiant, golden ceremonial outfit.
Once she dressed the mannequin in it, the outfit gleamed even more brightly than my dress—perhaps even surpassing it. I gasped in awe.
“Wow…”
Insane. This is just insane. Did she study fashion design in another life? Is she also someone who got reincarnated here? She must’ve graduated top of her class in fashion school. How else could she create such a stylish design?
From the collar down along the shoulders, arms, waist, and legs, elaborate gold embroidery in the shape of flowers flowed seamlessly, accompanied by the subtle shimmer characteristic of silk that extended to both the top and bottom hems.
“Could you stand next to it for a moment?”
Still dazed, I let Alexandra pull me gently by the hand to stand beside the mannequin. She alternated her gaze between me and the mannequin wearing Lucious’s outfit. After observing us intently for a while, she shook her head and sighed.
“Yeah, mannequins just don’t do it justice. I need to see you two wearing them in person… but since I can’t call Lucious here now, could you two come visit my palace together next time, hand in hand?”
“Sorry… what?”
“We’re short on time, so I’ll have to make adjustments based on how it fits when worn. It’s not finished yet, so I’ll refine it some more. I’ll fix Lucious’s outfit too. Come together, okay? It’s more convenient and faster to do the work at my palace.”
“Uh… Okay. Sure.”
“Oh, but you must—and I mean it—hold hands when you come. I’ll be checking, so don’t forget. Got it?”
“Eh…?”
Before I realized it, I had pinky-promised her, swept up in her enthusiasm. She clutched my hand tightly and smiled widely. Flustered by the sudden mission, I blinked blankly and nodded, then recalled what she had said and swallowed hard.
Holding hands. Holding my bias’s hand. Walking hand-in-hand with Lucious. To the imperial palace…
Since we’d already hugged, I thought holding hands wouldn’t be a big deal—but that’s wishful thinking. For a fangirl, holding hands is often more nerve-wracking than a hug.
Holding hands with your favorite person is the easiest and yet the hardest thing to do. What if my hand smells? What if it’s sweaty? What if he sees how ugly my hand is and gets disappointed? I hadn’t even held hands with my own family, so the emotional hurdle was enormous.
Does she mean we can’t let go until we meet her at the palace?
Oh dear… Lady Alexandra. I appreciate the gesture, but it’s a lot for me…
But it was too late to say no now—not to her face, beaming with excitement. I felt the sweat pool in my palm and forced an awkward smile.
***
“…So that’s what happened…”
“I see.”
Lucious, who had been listening attentively, nodded with a slightly troubled look. Letting out a soft sigh, he continued with a tone of regret.
“I apologize. Alexandra put you in a difficult position.”
“No, not at all. She came to see me on purpose, after all. It’s just… I wasn’t sure what to do about the last part…”
The day after Alexandra left, I received another letter. Once again, it was just a single sentence:
[Come holding hands!]
…Was this her usual style of correspondence? It was oddly charming. Thankfully, this time she included a date: three days from now.
I’d hurried to inform Lucious, visiting the ducal residence that morning. As we walked through the garden, I explained everything that had happened with Alexandra. He didn’t seem fazed at all—quite the opposite, in fact.
Seeing how flustered I was, he smiled gently and took my hand in his.
“She can be a bit mischievous… but I appreciate what she did. She gave me a reason to hold your hand.”
“Lucious…”
His hand slowly traced up from my fingertips, over my knuckles, to the back of my hand. Feeling the warmth of his grasp, I couldn’t speak—my face burned as I watched him smile joyfully, holding both my hands.
The sensual way his hands brushed over mine made me gasp without realizing. Did he learn this somewhere? That unintentional charm could melt anyone…
“You said it’s three days from now? That works out. My brother and mother have also been wanting to meet you. Let’s greet them that day.”
“Wait—His Majesty and… by your mother, do you mean… the Empress Dowager?”
Still dazed, I snapped out of it in shock at his words. Startled, I tripped slightly, but he caught me and nodded.
“Yes. They said they’d like to meet you before the wedding. Are you uncomfortable with that?”
“Ah, no. I’m just a little surprised. Will we be meeting them… together?”
“No. We’ll greet His Majesty first, then visit my mother. After that, we’ll go see Alexandra.”
“I see… That’s fine, then. Meeting them together might’ve been a little overwhelming…”
Just imagining meeting both the emperor and the empress dowager at the same time made my stomach churn. One at a time was easier on my heart.
Meeting Rayel, Lucious’s older brother and the male lead, was something I looked forward to. But the empress dowager… she was another matter entirely.
Unlike Rayel, she barely appeared in the original story. I had no idea what she looked like or what kind of person she was. That meant I had fewer ways to prepare.
And honestly, meeting Lucious’s mother—my future mother-in-law—made me extremely nervous.
All the mothers-in-law I knew were strict and intimidating. What if this was the beginning of that classic in-law tension? Ugh, I hate in-law drama. My head ached just thinking about it.
“Are you alright? You don’t look well, Tiana.”
As I touched my head, Lucious gently held my shoulder with a concerned expression.
“I’m okay. Just—ah…!”
“Careful!”
My strength gave out, and though I tried to rest against him briefly, a sudden sharp pain tore through my head. I staggered and collapsed forward, and Lucious caught me just in time.
He held me around the waist to steady me, but tripped over a bush and slipped.
“……!”
“Ah…!”
We both tumbled past the garden wall. I had been in his arms—but now I was on top of him, and mortified, I scrambled to get off.
“S-sorry…! I’ll get off right away—”
Click—Ssssshhhhh—
“……”
“……”
As I pushed myself up, my hand must have triggered the sprinkler beneath the wall, and a sudden spray of cold water burst out—right over Lucious.
