#171. Copycat (1)
<The Prophet Who Enchanted Kalita, A Close Investigation! …Even the Grand Duchess Volkov Jealous?>
Under the sensational headline was an exaggerated illustration.
It depicted a delicate, gentle-looking woman being bullied and chased away by a fierce-looking woman.
The two women bore similar features: the left had black hair and red eyes, the right had silver hair and golden eyes. Anyone could tell they represented Naina and Sasha.
Sasha frowned and began reading the article.
The content was even more ridiculous.
To summarize briefly: the charismatic prophet Naina had been discovered in the North by Grand Duke Volkov and returned with him, but the Grand Duchess, jealous, supposedly harassed Naina—only for the Empress to intervene and save her.
It was a fake article clearly designed only to draw public attention.
It was so absurd that it didn’t even merit a laugh. With an expression devoid of amusement, Sasha closed the newspaper.
“Is this… real?”
“No,” Irina replied.
At Sasha’s firm denial, Irina furrowed her brow.
“Hmm…”
“Why?”
“Maybe because of this, but public opinion about you outside has become very unfavorable. Well… it wasn’t exactly good before, either.”
Sasha was aware of this.
She remembered the newspaper article she had seen before leaving the place. It claimed she had seduced the Crown Prince, a notorious scandalous woman. At the time, she hadn’t cared.
Now, seeing such rumors circulate, she felt a little concerned.
Moreover, the article compared Sasha and Naina point by point, belittling Sasha while elevating Naina.
There were plenty of comparisons to make: coming from the North, their similar appearances, the mysterious aura due to lack of information.
“So seeing articles like this, does that mean the prophet is well regarded here?”
Irina strongly denied it.
“No! This is all just a fantasy of people who have never met her! Everyone who meets her dislikes her!”
Irina spoke excitedly about what she had seen of Naina.
Thanks to Empress Natalia, Naina had been welcomed lavishly into Kalita, and she had since thrived like a fish in water.
The Empress knew of Naina’s indulgences, pleasures, and scandals but chose to overlook them—for as long as Naina didn’t disgrace her, she was a valuable prophet and worth protecting.
Naina’s behavior drew both envy and admiration, but it also earned her many detractors.
Among them was Irina.
“That woman is a copycat of Sasha? Was she like that in the North? Just because she looks somewhat similar, she thinks she can become a Grand Duchess?”
Having dealt with Naina several times, Irina shuddered and shook her head.
Irina truly disliked Naina. From the moment Naina was introduced to Empress Natalia in the palace, Irina knew immediately:
She would never become friends with that woman.
And her prediction had been spot on.
Every time Irina encountered Naina, inside or outside the palace, friction arose.
The core reason, which she never wanted to admit, was simple: Naina resembled her.
Seeing Naina strut around, full of self-importance and arrogance, acting as if everyone else were beneath her, Irina felt vicarious shame.
With a flushed face, she fanned herself while looking at Sasha.
“Why are you letting her get away with this, Madame?”
Before Sasha could respond, Irina sighed and shook her head.
“Ah, never mind. I don’t even need to hear the answer. How someone so soft-hearted manages the North is beyond me. Truly remarkable!”
Sasha gave an awkward smile. Hearing Irina speak like that, she sometimes seemed like an angelic person who didn’t truly dislike anyone—which was a bit troublesome.
But Irina was busy tearing up the newspaper in frustration, not noticing Sasha’s expression. She was completely absorbed in her own mission.
I had worked so hard to get the Volkovs on my side!
Soon, they would fully support me!
And yet, some random stone had the audacity to try to take my place and chase me out?
“Hah! An unfinished copycat, at that!”
Irina ripped the newspaper to pieces, and when that didn’t satisfy her, she burned the scraps in the fireplace until nothing remained. Only then did she relent—but her excitement hadn’t fully subsided.
“Now, we can’t just sit here!”
She sprang up with a serious expression.
“You won’t just let this happen, right? What are you going to do?”
“Well…” Sasha fiddled with her teacup handle, deep in thought.
Should we handle this like in the North?
But Kalita was different. Unlike in the North, there were more people likely to criticize than support Sasha no matter what happened.
Irina, frustrated at Sasha’s calmness, spread her fan and spoke urgently.
“Ugh! This won’t do. We need to make a public comparison to show that Sasha has overwhelming superiority! Then all these rumors will vanish!”
“That’s true,” Sasha admitted cleanly. Openly competing in front of others wasn’t her style, but sometimes direct confrontation was the best way to settle controversy.
However, the idea of “superiority” was vague. Even ignoring the need for a proper stage, deciding what exactly to compete over objectively was another problem.
Still, Irina seemed confident.
“Forget all that. Just trust me and follow my lead!”
She placed her hand on her hip and said boldly,
“The most important time, when everyone is gathered, will come soon. That’s when we show them! They won’t even compare to you!”
“…Thank you for thinking so much about this, even though it’s my matter.”
“Hmph! Between us, this is nothing!”
Irina said primly, assuring Sasha she could trust her completely.
That very afternoon, a huge shipment of guests arrived.
Each one was a renowned fashion designer in Kalita.
“This is the place our Halma has used since she was a girl.”
From old, prestigious houses…
“They say this is an up-and-coming studio. Surely we’ll find fresh, trend-setting dresses here.”
Young, ambitious new designers…
It was impossible to list them all.
But none of them satisfied Irina.
“This isn’t enough!” she complained.
“Everything’s outdated, too common!”
Flipping through the catalogs, her eyes sparkled sharply.
“This was already out of fashion last season! And that’s almost identical to what she wore yesterday!”
Irina’s requests weren’t specific, but her intention was clear.
“I need something more revolutionary, something truly shocking!”
Listening quietly, Sasha finally spoke.
“Then… how about this?”
Taking a notebook from one designer, Sasha began sketching with a pencil.
Swish, swish—the lines moved quickly across the paper.
Her hand didn’t stop. She merely traced the design that most appealed to her from the many ideas in her mind.
Irina and the designers fixed their gaze on her pencil.
Soon, the sketch was complete.
“Uh… what is this…? It’s a dress, right?”
Irina narrowed her eyes, trying to see the details, but she couldn’t tell. She tilted her head in confusion.
Embarrassed, Sasha tried to explain, but the designer, who had been watching, gasped and pressed the sketch to her face.
“No way! No way, no way!”
Gasping in awe, the designer’s eyes shone with excitement.
“You… you’ve given me such tremendous inspiration! Such an honor!”
“I guess you could tell what I drew,” Sasha said.
“Yes! Yes! Ah… I never imagined a dress like this…”
The designer, entranced, begged desperately.
“May I make this dress? Please, Grand Duchess! Let me make it!”
She was beside herself. She couldn’t wait to bring this perfect dress to life with her own hands.
It would bring her immense fame once released.
She couldn’t miss this chance and threw herself into the task.
Irina was curious.
‘What kind of dress could make her this excited?’
No matter how she looked at it, the sketch looked messy, nothing like a beautiful dress. The shape was hard to discern.
As soon as the dress was finished, Irina rushed to see it.
“Can I see it too?”
“As long as Your Highness isn’t busy.”
“For Sasha, I can make time anytime!”
Laughing, Irina linked her arm with Sasha’s.
In the reception room, the tailor who had arrived earlier with assistants bowed.
“The fitting is complete. Please try it on.”
Following the tailor, Sasha went to change.
Meanwhile, Irina waited anxiously, filled with anticipation and curiosity.
“Wow… I wasn’t wrong. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece.”
The tailor murmured in awe, which made Irina even more curious.
What could be so astonishing that they spoke like that?
As she fidgeted impatiently, Sasha finally emerged from changing.
And…
“Wow… you look like a completely different person!”
Irina gasped. Though she knew it was undignified for a princess to react so openly, she couldn’t help it. She covered her mouth with her hand, unable to look away from Sasha.
‘This… is going to cause a commotion.’
Dazed, yet with her mind sharp, Irina made her judgment.
