Chapter 77
It was actually good news for me — not just for Lottie.
Her dresses were going to sell out so fast soon that getting one would be nearly impossible.
“Julia will probably wear one of Lottie’s mother’s designs.”
In the original story, the reason Roji Boutique became famous was thanks to Julia Chester.
She had appointed Cassandra Beige, Lottie’s mother, as her exclusive designer, putting her in charge of all her banquet gowns.
Once the “flower of society” wore Roji designs, the boutique’s popularity skyrocketed — soon, even getting a custom order would require months of waiting.
“So the stage for Will First Love Come True? is about to begin.”
I felt both excited and uneasy.
After all, I knew my brother was about to fall head over heels for Summer.
And unlike the original, Alperen didn’t have a fiancée this time — and he was working directly with her.
“He doesn’t stand a chance against that.”
Even if he was the main lead, he was now up against me — the sister rewriting the story from the sidelines.
There was no way things would play out exactly the same.
All I could hope for was that he wouldn’t get in their way or end up hurt by it all.
When I finished trying on the dress, Lottie said brightly,
“Want to stop by the Atelier after this? Sierra’s been worried since you haven’t come lately.”
“Ah.”
I’d been avoiding the place in case I ran into Alperen — and now poor Sierra had been worrying instead.
Come to think of it, she’d been supposed to deliver the fairy bloom by now, but the deadline had already passed.
“Actually, I was planning to go today. How long will it take for you to finish up here?”
“Not long!”
Once Lottie wrapped things up, we headed straight to the Magia Atelier.
On the way, I stopped by Winif Café to pick up some dessert—
Only to hear a sweet, familiar voice.
“Oh my, long time no see.”
Sitting at an outdoor table under the sunlight, Princess Nanael smiled up at me.
“So she’s stalking me now.”
I had already sensed I was being watched since leaving the Ferris estate, so I wasn’t even surprised.
But Nanael — here? In Winif Café of all places?
That was rich.
In the original story, she hated this café.
The reason was simple: it didn’t take reservations, so she had to stand in line like everyone else.
And yet here she was, patiently waiting for her order.
Apparently, she wanted to torment me that badly.
Then, Jessica Miranda came out from inside — holding a takeout cake box.
“Your Highness, here’s the—oh.”
She froze when she saw me, then quickly plastered on a polite smile.
“Good afternoon, Lady Ferris.”
Pretending not to know me.
How shameless.
But I wasn’t the type to neglect revenge.
“Huh…”
I let my body sway dramatically, pretending to lose balance like a frail lady.
Lottie immediately rushed to my side.
“D-Deli!”
“Oh my.”
Nanael merely let out a faint hum of surprise — not even bothering to stand, much less help.
And Jessica…
“She’s enjoying this.”
Her face practically glowed with satisfaction — as if she loved that I was supposedly weak.
After all, the woman she’d once bullied senseless now supposedly didn’t even remember her.
She even had the nerve to offer me her handkerchief kindly.
“You don’t look well, my lady. The weather is rather warm today.”
Her expression said it all — she already knew why I was pretending to feel faint.
“Perfect. The information’s spread just as planned.”
Thanks to tracking down the person who’d leaked Mei’s “memory loss” rumor,
I already knew who Nanael’s spy was — and had let it spread exactly as I wanted.
I brushed Jessica’s hand away roughly.
“I-I’m fine.”
Then, using my “illness” as an excuse, I hurried to leave.
Poor Lottie froze, glancing between me and the princess in panic.
“Sorry, Lottie! I’ll explain later!”
I practically dove into the carriage, watching through the window as the two women —
Nanael and Jessica — remained calm and composed, chatting like they had all the time in the world.
Moments later, Lottie climbed in, still looking shaken.
I immediately told the driver to move.
To them, it would look like I was running away in embarrassment.
Lottie turned to me anxiously.
“Deli, are you sure you’re okay? If you feel dizzy, I have medicine here somewhere.”
Like a squirrel sharing its winter stash, she began pulling out various remedies from her bag.
I stopped her gently.
“I’m fine, really. But—after I left, did Her Highness say anything?”
At my calm tone, Lottie blinked in surprise before answering slowly.
“She asked if this happens often and wished you a quick recovery.
Oh, and she said she’d see you at the banquet — she gave me this for you.”
Lottie handed me a cake box — the same one Jessica had been carrying earlier.
When I peeked inside, I realized it was the exact cake I usually bought.
Which meant… she already knew my favorite.
“She really is terrifyingly thorough.”
She must have known I’d stop by today — enough to line up early just to be waiting here.
No doubt she was gloating right now, thinking I’d been shaken up just by seeing Jessica.
And from the way she mentioned the banquet, it was clear she was planning something for that event.
“Perfect. That’s exactly what I wanted.
Time to finally cure Princess Nanael of her nasty little habits.”
Just then, Lottie touched my forehead.
“You’re really sure you’re okay? You feel hot.”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
I tried to brush it off — but then she said something I didn’t expect.
“Is this because of Duke Ainrook?”
“What?”
“There’s a rumor going around lately. That you and the Duke broke up.
Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you together recently…
Did something happen between you two?”
“Ah…”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it.”
Her voice was so gentle — so sincerely worried — that my stomach suddenly churned.
Not from acting this time.
It was real.
I had been the one avoiding Alperen on purpose, after all.
And yet hearing someone else say we’d broken up —
and seeing Lottie look so sad for me — made my eyes sting.
I bowed my head quickly to hide it.
But the tears that fell onto my lap betrayed me.
“Oh!”
Lottie gasped and hurriedly handed me her handkerchief.
“I’m sorry… sniff.”
Once they started, the tears wouldn’t stop.
And the longer I cried, the more it looked like I’d really been dumped.
Before I could even explain, Lottie pulled me into her arms and patted my back.
“I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure it’s not your fault.
It’s always the man’s fault — always.”
It was a hilariously biased kind of comfort,
but I didn’t have the strength to argue.
* * *
By the time I arrived at the Clubhouse, my nose was red from crying.
As the elevator doors opened, I came face-to-face with Alperen — just stepping out.
Lottie had gone off to look for an ice pack, leaving me alone.
It had been a while since I’d seen him.
He looked thinner — paler, somehow.
I’d assumed he was doing fine, happily spending time with Summer.
And yet, seeing him like this…
the tiny spark of joy I felt made me hate myself a little.
“Aren’t you getting out?”
I tried to sound cold, distant.
But my voice trembled pathetically — probably because I’d just finished crying.
“If you’re not getting off, I’ll take the stairs.”
I turned to leave — but he caught my wrist and pulled me back into the elevator.
The doors shut behind us.
He pressed me gently but firmly against the wall, blocking my escape.
The familiar scent of him — warm, clean, and sharp — hit my nose.
It almost made me dizzy with nostalgia.
Then, his hand brushed under my eye, wiping away a faint tear.
His voice was low and cold.
“Who was it?”
Alperen’s expression was deadly serious — not the kind, soft face I was used to.
He looked ready to kill whoever had made me cry.
But how could I tell him the truth?
That it was because of him?
I just stared blankly at him.
Honestly, I had imagined our reunion a dozen times —
maybe a polite “How have you been?” or even a casual “Long time no see.”
But this? I hadn’t expected this at all.
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
He was furious — thinking someone else had hurt me.
Completely unaware that he was the reason for my tears.
With my red eyes and nose, denial would be useless.
“But how can I tell him I cried over my brother, not him?”
Technically, it wasn’t even entirely his fault — so I just wanted to let it pass quietly.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
I tried to step aside lightly — but he moved closer, blocking my path again.
