Chapter 13
Briana was led outside the café by Sebastian, still unsure of what was going on. As they stepped out, the same carriage they had ridden earlier was waiting for them. Sebastian opened the carriage door himself before the coachman could do it and escorted Briana inside. Once she was seated, he looked at the coachman and said, “Let’s head to Morgan.” He then climbed into the carriage and sat across from Briana. The carriage started moving as soon as the door closed. For a while, there was silence between them.
“I think I was a bit harsh earlier. I apologize,” Sebastian finally broke the silence. Briana tilted her head, confused.
[What do you mean?]
“About the comment I made, asking if you had any clothes other than that one,” Sebastian explained.
[Oh, I see.]
Briana’s expression remained unusually calm. Sebastian, who had been studying her face, commented,
“You’re quite strange.”
“…?”
“When most men ask a woman something like that, shouldn’t they expect her to get upset?”
Sebastian thought he had hurt her pride, but Briana seemed completely unbothered, which caught him off guard. Briana thought for a moment before moving her pen.
[Well, it’s true. Getting upset doesn’t change the facts.]
Her honesty made Sebastian twitch his lips.
“You’re not wrong,” he said. Briana noticed he seemed slightly irritated and studied his face.
“But you’re a woman, and I’m a man…”
“…?”
“Shouldn’t I feel a bit embarrassed?”
Sebastian’s cheeks seemed to be slightly flushed, though it was hard to tell. Briana wondered, Is he angry? She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Noticing her gaze, Sebastian quickly added,
“I just find it strange how honest you are.”
Briana moved her pen again.
[You’re someone I’ve made a promise with, and soon you’ll be my husband. So, I have no reason to hide anything from you.]
Except for the fact that I was Anastasia, of course.
Briana was determined to be open with him, except for that one thing. Her response was as blunt as ever. Should I be bothered by this?
Just now, Briana had spoken confidently about how Sebastian would soon be her husband, and he seemed to acknowledge it, but… Why does it sound so cold?
And for some reason, Sebastian seemed to be uncomfortable with the conversation.
[By the way, who is Morgan? Where are we going?]
Sebastian smiled slightly and said,
“Morgan Russell. She’s a very talented friend. You’ll like her when you meet her.”
He didn’t elaborate further. Briana, looking out the window, pondered, Is Morgan a woman?
If Sebastian spoke so highly of her with a pleased expression, perhaps he had some feelings for her. What if Sebastian has a romantic interest in her?
Briana felt a little guilty. If he truly loves someone, I should step aside.
While Briana was lost in thought, the carriage slowed down. After a while, it came to a complete stop. Sebastian opened the door and extended his hand to her.
“Be careful of your step.”
His polite remark felt unusually warm, making her ears flush. She quickly suppressed her emotions, took his hand, and stepped out of the carriage.
They had arrived at a modest-looking house. Briana raised an eyebrow as the door suddenly swung open, and a woman appeared.
“Well, look who it is?”
The woman, with pale skin and striking blue hair, immediately grabbed Sebastian’s arm.
“How could you leave me waiting here for so long?”
“I don’t think I brought you here,” Sebastian said roughly, shaking her off.
“Lady, this is Morgan Russell, a dressmaker,” he introduced, and Morgan’s curious gaze shifted to Briana.
Briana nodded and gave a slight bow.
“This is Briana Clark, the daughter of the Earl Clark.”
“Ah, I’m so sorry for being rude. Hello, miss,” Morgan greeted, smiling and bowing politely.
“Today, I wanted to ask you to make a dress for Lady Clark.”
Sebastian jumped straight to the point. Morgan smirked.
“Does he think I’m some kind of dressmaking machine that can make a dress in an instant?”
“I know you work fast, so what’s the problem?”
“Well, if he could just keep quiet sometimes, I wouldn’t mind.”
Morgan shook her head in amusement and clicked her tongue.
Briana was surprised by how casually Morgan treated Sebastian, knowing he was of royal blood. She was acting as though they were close friends.
Moreover,
[I don’t need any more dresses.]
“I can’t just let you wear only those kinds of dresses when you’re going to be my wife. I’d like you to accept this.”
Briana was taken aback, but she nodded. Even though it was a contract marriage, she didn’t want to disregard Sebastian’s reputation.
“Miss, should we head inside?”
Morgan led them inside. As soon as they stepped in, Briana immediately noticed that Morgan was indeed a dressmaker, with fabrics and sewing machines everywhere.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Morgan briefly cleared the space around her and started measuring Briana’s body with a tape.
After a few measurements, Morgan immediately began picking out fabrics.
“As Sebastian said, this fabric is perfect for you.”
Morgan quickly found what she was looking for and began working. Her hands moved swiftly, just as Sebastian had mentioned.
While Briana watched, Morgan said,
“Thanks to this fabric, it’s much easier to survive the harsh winters of the North.”
The North wasn’t always cold, but its winters were particularly brutal. Unlike the capital, the northern winters were extreme.
For the northern people, winter clothing was essential. However, padded clothing was expensive and only affordable for the nobility.
Commoners, unfortunately, could not afford it and had to layer up with what they had, making it harder to move in the cold.
In the winter, the mines would often freeze, rendering them inactive.
Sebastian believed that improving the winter clothing could solve this problem. After hearing about it, he sought out Morgan.
“This fabric doesn’t need padding to keep warm. Morgan invented it herself.”
“Isn’t that amazing?”
Morgan grinned proudly.
“I went to her hoping to commercialize it, and surprisingly, her conditions weren’t as strict as I thought, so I was relieved.”
Briana looked at Sebastian with a confused expression.
“It’s because she asked for her identity to be guaranteed so she could live as a woman for the rest of her life.”
Briana was surprised.
“Morgan is a man.”
“Hey, Duke, I’m a woman, okay?”
Morgan, who had been focused on her work, suddenly popped her head out and snapped at him.
“Right, Morgan is a woman.”
Sebastian hastily corrected himself.
Seeing that Morgan had returned to her work, he leaned toward Briana and whispered,
“Although she was born a man, she’s lived her life as a woman, and that’s what she wants.”
Sebastian continued in a casual tone,
“It wasn’t that hard to help her live the way she wanted, and that’s why the North’s winter clothes have improved.”
