Chapter 06
‘Is it really okay for things to go like this…?’
I blinked blankly, watching the backs of the people leaving with satisfied expressions.
They were the staff from the dressmaker’s shop that Sieshe had called to tailor my clothes.
Buying clothes couldn’t be that big of a deal, right? I’d thought you just look, go, “Ah, this one!” and buy it in your size.
But having clothes properly tailored was far more complicated than I’d imagined.
‘It was chaos…’
I shivered as I recalled the last few hours of endlessly putting on and taking off the prepared dresses, shoes, and gloves.
Sieshe would examine me carefully in each outfit—sometimes nodding, sometimes waving his hand in dismissal.
The staff scribbled notes to match every reaction. By the time the ordeal finally ended, they’d compiled a list thick enough to fill a small book.
“So, that’s a total of fifty-nine outfits. We’ll also prepare matching hats, shoes, and gloves for each.”
Fifty-nine outfits. Fifty-nine!
And not just the dresses—matching hats, shoes, and gloves were to be newly made as well.
Even if I wore a different dress every day, it would take almost two months to repeat one.
‘Why on earth would anyone need so many dresses…?’
Were they planning to pile them into a mountain and climb it?
‘Well, I suppose that would count as exercise.’
If not for that, I couldn’t imagine what we’d do with so many dresses.
Unlike me, still reeling, Sieshe checked the list as though this were all perfectly normal and signed his name in a graceful hand.
“Hmm. Maybe I should’ve ordered that yellow dress we saw last?”
“You’re serious?”
“Completely.”
He tilted his head at my shocked reaction, as if wondering why I looked so scandalized.
“Ah, wait—”
He snapped his fingers as though he’d just realized something.
“Was it the green dress before the yellow one that you liked? That one was nice too.”
“What?”
“Hmm… green…”
After rubbing his chin for a moment, Sieshe nodded decisively.
“Yes, we should order that green dress as well. The dressmakers can’t have left the estate yet—I’ll go tell them.”
“No! That’s not what I meant!”
But before I could stop him properly, he had already dashed out the door.
“Hey, Sieshe!”
No answer came back.
‘Sixty dresses…’
He must be out of his mind.
‘Then again… maybe this is actually good?’
If he kept spending like this, the family might go broke.
‘Although judging by this mansion, buying sixty dresses for a child won’t even leave a speck of dust on their fortune…’
Still, I couldn’t help being stunned by such easy extravagance.
‘They say only those used to spending can spend like this.’
I’d never splurged before—never even had the money to splurge. The sheer scale of this expense made my head spin.
‘But I’d better get used to it. Luxury! Extravagance! Waste!’
Though honestly, what did those words really mean? How exactly does one waste money?
‘Sixty dresses right from the start… Is this normal for the rich…?’
I flopped onto the sofa in a daze. Hedyn watched me with a small smile.
“If it’s Sieshe Young Master, ending at this amount is actually restrained.”
“What do you mean?”
“If His Grace the Grand Duke had come in person, the total would’ve easily passed a hundred.”
The Grand Duke.
I’d heard the staff mention him, but I’d never seen him myself.
‘What kind of person is he?’
I couldn’t even picture him.
My father’s father—the man my loving father came from.
The descendant of the great mage who once killed me.
The Grand Duke of Asinov was a man of two entirely different meanings to me.
“Young Lady?”
Hedyn called to me, sounding concerned at my sudden silence.
I shook my head quickly and sank back into the cushions.
“No, I was just wondering. I’ve never met the Grand Duke yet.”
“Is that so? Well, you needn’t worry. His affection for family runs deep.”
“But still…”
Whenever I thought of “Asinov,” only dark images came to mind.
Hedyn looked at me, clearly unsure how to read my expression.
“I don’t know the details,” he said carefully, “but the Grand Duke didn’t drive Master Linte away on purpose. I’ve heard he cherished his only son.”
“I just don’t understand. I don’t even know why he suddenly wants to see me…”
“It isn’t sudden. He has always longed for family.”
Hedyn met my eyes as he said it, and it didn’t feel like a mere comforting lie.
“…When will the Grand Duke arrive?”
“Within a week. Word came that he’s already left the capital.”
“A week…”
I repeated the words under my breath and nodded.
Thanks to Sieshe’s relentless urging, the new dresses arrived in less than a week.
Not all sixty, of course, but enough that I could wear something perfectly fitted right away.
‘Sixty dresses… it’s amazing there’s even space to store them.’
The Asinov mansion was certainly large, but at this pace we’d run out of room eventually.
“My goodness, it suits you so well, Young Lady.”
“Sieshe chose it.”
“Indeed, the Young Master’s taste is impeccable.”
I had to agree.
Aside from being a bit small and slim, the girl in the mirror looked every bit the proper young noblewoman.
‘Now I see why Sieshe said I looked ridiculous in oversized clothes.’
Simply wearing something tailored changed everything.
Of course, the finer, more luxurious fabrics helped as well.
“Hey, kiddo!”
While I admired my reflection, the door banged open without so much as a knock.
It was Baratheon, Sieshe’s twin but opposite in nearly every other way.
“Young Master, this is the Young Lady’s room,” Marina scolded sharply.
‘Is it really okay to speak to a young master like that?’
But Baratheon didn’t seem to care.
“Yeah, yeah. Next time I’ll knock, all right?”
Judging by his casual tone, he’d barge in next time too. Marina sighed deeply, clearly thinking the same.
Baratheon waved her off and came over to me.
“So I hear Sieshe had clothes made for you?”
“Yes. Clothes, shoes, hats, gloves, and even—”
“Ugh. A full set, huh? That meticulous brat…”
“They’re really pretty, right?”
I spread my arms proudly to show off the new outfit.
I’d thought Sieshe was crazy while ordering them, but the finished result was undeniably beautiful—and it suited me so well I couldn’t help feeling a bit proud.
“Hmm… are they?”
But Baratheon just looked unimpressed.
‘Do I not look good after all?’
Well, maybe.
A scrawny little kid like me probably looked like a striped pumpkin to someone like him, no matter how fine the clothes.
Still, I refused to shrink.
“I like them. That’s what matters. Even if you think it doesn’t suit me, I don’t mind.”
What use were other people’s opinions?
If the person wearing the clothes likes them, that’s enough.
Grinning at the mirror, I admired myself again. I’d never worn anything this pretty.
“Wh-who said they don’t suit you? They… they look nice. And… um…”
Baratheon scratched his head, searching for words, then suddenly scooped me up.
‘The brothers in this house all have a habit of picking people up without warning.’
“Anyway, they suit you! That’s why it’s annoying!”
“Why would that annoy you?”
“Because I didn’t get to have the clothes made! I can’t believe I let him beat me to it!”
‘Hmm, Sieshe really is the grown-up one.’
This one was just a big kid.
‘When dealing with a child, compliments work best, right?’
I reached up and patted his head to help out the flustered Marina.
The moment my hand touched him, Baratheon froze mid-stomp and stared at me, eyes wide.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I was thinking about it, and I bet you’re the strongest, Teon. Aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You’re way stronger than Sieshe or Lucas, right?”
“W-well, yeah? I am the strongest. Yeah, that’s right.”
“Wow, amazing!”
Clap clap clap.
I gave an exaggerated, half-hearted applause.
Baratheon’s blank face twitched, the corners of his mouth starting to curl upward.
