~Chapter 31~
Nathan absently touched the scarred area, his expression dazed.
Then he murmured quietly,
“I’ll sign the contract.”
As if she had been waiting for that answer, Penny brought over the document.
“Good choice. I’ll be counting on your nonstop labor from now on.”
Nathan promised that he would no longer behave disrespectfully toward me.
However, he made exactly one exception—clothes.
I didn’t want him holding back his skills just because he was watching my reactions either.
Still, this felt excessive.
“Pull your stomach in!”
Isn’t this basically taking out your frustrations on me?
“I am pulling it in!”
I was in the middle of a dress fitting for the banquet.
My flesh was literally trembling. Was I scared? No—my actual flesh was shaking.
The dress had been altered based on measurements taken not long ago, but for some reason, every single one of them was small.
Step one was Penny turning bright red as she yanked the dress strings tighter.
Step two was forcefully shoving all the flesh that spilled out back inside.
I was completely wrecked in no time.
Just a short while ago, I barely had any fat at all—when did I gain this much weight?
All the food I’d been stuffing into my mouth flashed before my eyes. Well, I had been eating a lot. Considering that, gaining only this much was actually impressive. Good job, me.
“Can’t you just stop tightening it? My waist is already tiny—any tighter and it’ll look creepy.”
I whined, but Nathan looked deeply dissatisfied. He let out a long sigh.
“What on earth have you been eating these past few days? At this point, we may need to make a new dress altogether.”
“But it still fits if you stuff it in!”
“Yes. It fits exactly—like a premium ham.”
Ham…?
An image popped into my head: a plump ham, stuffed to bursting, flesh bulging out through the netting…
“It’s not that bad! There’s still some room!”
I sucked in a breath and deliberately stuck my stomach out.
See? I’m still skinny! My stomach is flat! I can afford to gain more!
“Not at all. That area needs to be a little loose for the silhouette to come alive.”
Nathan shot back just as fiercely.
Ugh. I take back what I said about ignoring status while wearing a dress. Please, just treat me formally again.
“Whatever. My face is pretty anyway. Fit doesn’t matter.”
“Fit doesn’t matter? Do you have any idea how important it is?! There’s no time left for alterations. If that’s the case, then please lose some weight before the banquet.”
He wasn’t wrong. All I could do was glare at him with my eyes wide open.
“What? Are you offended? You said you wouldn’t talk back about work-related matters.”
“…I know. But you’re something else too. You’re tiny—why are you so rude?”
At my blunt remark, both Penny and Nathan stared at me blankly. Then Nathan let out a soft laugh.
“I can’t deny that. It can’t be helped—the world made me this way.”
“Ugh, what was that line just now? Don’t tell me design is the only drug the world allowed you or something?”
“Of course.”
Nathan swept his thin, silky hair back.
Ugh. Five years from now, he’ll be kicking his blanket in embarrassment for sure…
It was true that I’d gained a bit of weight.
And it was also true that Nathan was suffering a bit because of it.
Feeling slightly guilty, I invited him to dinner.
But before long, I regretted that decision again.
“You’re eating that too?”
Nathan commented on every single place my fork went.
“Don’t you know the saying that even dogs don’t bother people when they’re eating?”
“No, this is my first time hearing it. I have heard that you shouldn’t turn into a ham at a banquet.”
“Nathan!”
I finally raised my voice. Damn it.
His neat eyes widened in surprise. Did I yell too loudly?
“W-Well, since it’s mealtime, could you maybe watch what you say?”
He didn’t respond and instead lowered his head.
“…I only spoke strongly because I wanted you to stand out, Lady Dalia. I’m sorry. If you were offended, I’ll stop. You even accepted someone cursed like me, and yet I was so disrespectful…”
Huh? Suddenly? Why are you apologizing now?!
What kind of emotional whiplash is this? You’re making me look like the bad guy!
Watching Nathan with his head lowered made me feel a little sorry for him. Talking about weight in front of someone who’s eating is a capital offense by my standards, but still…
For a nobleman’s youngest son to leave home and live like this—he survived an accident, and now people call him cursed. No wonder he turned out a little twisted…
“No, I mean, you don’t need to apologize that much. I’m fine… You can relax.”
Nathan suddenly snapped his head up.
He was wearing a triumphant smile!
“Then please quietly listen to everything I say!”
“What?!”
You schemer! I got played!
Nathan burst out laughing, clearly satisfied.
He’s like an immature little brother—so I’ll let it slide.
That was when Penny approached and whispered into my ear.
“What should we do, Lady Dalia? Lord Etienne is on his way here!”
“E-Etienne?”
No! Why?!
I’d been so busy dealing with Nathan and the dresses that I completely forgot.
Last night, I had gotten drunk and ranted at him. Violently. Horribly.
“Why is he coming all of a sudden? Is he angry?”
Penny shook her head, unsure. I grabbed my head.
Memories from last night came flooding back.
I was completely insane. I grabbed the crown prince—my husband—by the hair.
That wasn’t even all. In a haze that felt like a dream or a nightmare, I was hitting Etienne’s face with a fork that had a steak on it.
“Should I just run away? Hide until he cools down? …No, I should apologize—”
I fell into deep contemplation for a brief moment.
But it was pointless.
The very next second, Etienne opened the door and walked in.
He was wearing a white two-button jacket that fit his healthy, solid frame perfectly—flawless, without a single gap.
His blue eyes stood out against his pale skin, looking colder than usual today.
The more perfect he looked, the more painful it felt.
That man… What had I done to him? How dare someone like me… hit his face with a steak? Grab him by the collar and drag him around?
Oh God. Oh God.
I prayed to a god I didn’t even believe in.
But it was too late to run. I hunched my shoulders and avoided his gaze.
He wouldn’t grab my hair and declare a divorce to get revenge for last night’s humiliation, would he? Please. Anything but that.
“I seem to have interrupted your meal.”
His tone was calmer than expected. I relaxed my tense shoulders slightly and watched him carefully.
He walked over with light steps and sat down beside me.
Strangely enough, he looked… subtly pleased.
No, that couldn’t be right. I must be imagining things.
As I stared at him suspiciously, Etienne even smiled faintly.
C-Creepy.
What is this? What’s going on? Is he the type who enjoys being hit?
Wait… did I drunkenly say I wanted a divorce last night?
I had no idea what was happening, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. No need to stir trouble unnecessarily.
“I’m Nathan, and I’ll be in charge of Lady Dalia’s dresses from now on.”
Nathan greeted him politely. Thank goodness. If he’d acted as cheekily as he had with me, Etienne might have thrown him out on the spot.
Etienne acknowledged the greeting and appeared to focus on his meal.
But I knew better. I’d experienced his “eyes-on-the-forehead” skill before.
Etienne was closely observing Nathan.
Meanwhile, Nathan seemed completely unaware of the scrutiny and was only watching my fork.
Not long after, the tactless Nathan started nagging again.
“Are you really going to eat all of that?”
“Of course. You get punished for wasting food. Be quiet and eat.”
Nathan let out an exaggerated sigh.
“At this rate, I’ll have to increase the measurements by another size.”
Nathan! Who talks about clothing sizes while someone’s eating?! Way to ruin my appetite!
“Fine. Not one—make it two. No, three sizes. I’m not planning to lose weight.”
“Are you serious?”
When I added that out of spite, Nathan’s eyes widened.
“Is there a problem with Dalia’s clothes?”
Etienne finally spoke, having silently watched our standoff.
“A few days ago, I took her measurements, but she’s gained weight since then, so the dress needs alterations. If she gains any more, we won’t even have time for that. If she adjusts her weight just a little, the fit will be perfect—”
I’d already heard all this, but hearing it in front of Etienne made the embarrassment double.
To me, I looked better than when I’d been skin-and-bones before.
But maybe that wasn’t how he saw it.
What if he thought I was pathetic for not even managing my weight? No… that can’t be. I need to look pretty…
I stole a glance at him.
He was listening intently to Nathan, his gaze lowered.
Is he embarrassed for me? Is that why he isn’t saying anything?
“So?”
“So I was suggesting she eat a little less and lose some weight.”
“Sounds incompetent.”
“What? Lady Dalia’s appearance is outstanding, so it’s not that bad, but still, adjusting a little would—”
“Your skills, I mean. Blaming the model tells me all I need to know. I’ll reconsider the contract.”
“Hah. My skills are already perfect. No matter how perfect the clothes are, if the model isn’t perfect, then the outfit has failed.”
“In my eyes, the model is already perfect.”
Etienne rested his chin on his hand and looked at Nathan.
His expression and tone were colder than usual.
Hearing lines like that delivered with that face made my brain twist in on itself.
The model is perfect? The model? That’s me!
I’m perfect?
Oh my… Well. I am kind of perfect.
Yes. I am.
