Chapter 40
“A ball?!”
“And at the Imperial Palace?!”
“That’s so romantic…!”
“Kyaa…!”
Ellie clasped both cheeks with her hands.
The coworkers beside her wore equally dreamy expressions.
“There’ll be tons of handsome, wealthy noblemen, right?”
“Handsome and well-dressed noblemen.”
“Maybe His Highness the Crown Prince will attend.”
“A ball attended by chance, stepping out onto the balcony and locking eyes with a drop-dead gorgeous man…”
“And it turns out he’s the Crown Prince…”
“He falls for me at first sight and asks me to dance…”
“And then I shyly take his hand…”
“Knock him out and rob his pockets…”
“…Huh?”
Aren’t you supposed to fall in love at that point?
I looked at my coworkers in confusion.
Ellie clasped her hands together and said solemnly,
“Falling in love with the Crown Prince is unrealistic.”
So mugging him is realistic?
“He hasn’t shown his face publicly yet, so he might be ugly.”
“Oh.”
That’s… kind of bad.
It hurts national dignity.
“No matter how much he’s the Crown Prince, I don’t want to fall in love with an ugly man after going all the way to a ball. Robbing his wallet is far more realistic—and profitable.”
“You’re right, Ellie.”
Granted, we’d be executed afterward.
Hazel, another coworker, hummed thoughtfully.
“But I wonder what the Crown Prince actually looks like?”
“Yeah. It’d be nice if he looked like Sir Arden.”
“Oh, our Sir Arden!”
Hazel, who had a habit of putting “our” in front of every handsome man, squealed.
“A dedicated investigator for the Saintess of Magic!”
“He was appointed personally by His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“So if Sir Arden captures the Saintess of Magic, does he get the bounty?”
Yes.
The Tram family, who bore a grudge against me after the Dancing Boy incident, had put a bounty on my head.
How much?
Five million gold.
For reference, my monthly salary is 1.5 million gold.
“Do they really think they can capture the Saintess of Magic for that little?”
“They probably think commoners would happily sell her out for just five million!”
An indignant Ellie swung an outfit pin.
“If anyone dares sell the Saintess of Magic for only five million gold, I’ll never forgive them!”
“Then what about five hundred million?”
“Still no!”
For five hundred million, please sell me immediately, girls.
I can’t resist five hundred million…
Another peaceful day at the tailor shop.
Hazel, who was adjusting the pleats of my dress, suddenly tilted her head and glanced outside.
“Is it raining?”
“No, why?”
“That person over there—he’s holding an umbrella.”
“Isn’t it a parasol?”
“But it’s already six. The sun’s almost down.”
“A vampire?”
“One who can’t allow even a speck of sunlight…!”
The unexpected identity—
It was Arden.
Arden entered the shop holding a lace umbrella with a rounded top.
He declined the staff member who offered to take it and carefully folded each rib himself.
I asked,
“Is it raining?”
“No.”
“…”
“…”
“Then why the umbrella?”
“It’s an escort umbrella.”
“Escort who—wait, me?”
You’re that formal?
I asked in disbelief.
Arden didn’t reply and walked over.
He tilted his head at the temporary partition set between us.
“Hehehe.”
“Hehehehe.”
The coworkers around us smiled wickedly.
“Sir Arden, you’re positively glowing today.”
“The tuxedo suits you so well.”
“What did you put in your hair?”
Faced with the barrage of chatter, Arden just bowed his head politely.
That’s right.
Today was Arden’s appointment ceremony—and the ball.
The ball was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. at the Crown Prince’s request.
And my shift ended at 6.
So the plan was for me to work until six, then Arden would pick me up.
I’ll just buy a ready-made dress, call a carriage, and go.
That’s what I thought.
But—
Arden, you dressed up way too seriously.
His usual black Imperial Knight uniform was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, he wore an impeccably formal outfit that pleased the eye.
Honestly, he looked like a groom on his wedding day.
I was staring at the embroidery on his collar when—
“Sir Arden, what do you think of this dress?”
Smiling, Hazel suddenly yanked away the partition separating us.
“Hazel, wait—this is—!”
“This is a design by our newly arrived head designer!”
The dress I was wearing was revealed.
A silver dress that reached my ankles.
The hem gradually faded into pale violet, blooming outward like a flower bud.
Five layers of petticoats underneath rippled like a wind-swept field whenever I moved.
Tiny gemstones were sewn along the bodice and sleeves, forming something like the Milky Way.
Finished with delicate, glass-like shoes.
Everything was jewels.
Meaning—
Obscenely expensive.
“Doesn’t it suit Seraphina perfectly?”
Hazel laughed, having shown Arden the extravagant dress.
“With this dress, jeweled shoes, gloves up to the wrists, and her hair down, she’ll look like a fairy of the night!”
“Right! The moment I saw it, I thought it was made for Seraphina!”
“Even the designer probably thought so—that’s why she had Seraphina try it on!”
“No!”
I waved my hands frantically.
“No, no. Absolutely not.”
It was too expensive.
I can’t be that shameless person who picks the most expensive dress in the shop just because someone offered to pay.
He’s not even my boyfriend.
“I’ll wear something else.”
“But Seraphina!”
At my firm refusal, the others puffed out their cheeks.
Their expressions screamed, A little splurging is nothing for an Imperial Knight, and Can’t he even do this much for a woman he likes?
You don’t know how broke Arden actually is!
And I’m not someone he likes!
I’ve told you a hundred times!
He always looks at me and goes, “Ugh,” or “Please wash properly.”
“…”
Arden remained silent.
Until the room quieted.
Then, after a long pause, he reached inside his coat.
Pulled out his wallet.
And handed it—entirely—to Hazel.
“Please.”
“…What?”
“Please. The dress.”
“Arden!”
“Shh, Seraphina. Quiet.”
“But—!”
“Sir Arden said he likes it!”
Hazel shot me a non-payer stays quiet glare and turned back to Arden with a bright smile.
“Then shall I include the shoes and gloves as well?”
“Yes.”
“How about a hair accessory?”
“Yes.”
“The shoes might tire her feet—shall we add slippers for her breaks?”
“Yes.”
“Arden! Hazel!”
“The perfume she’s wearing now—lily-of-the-valley. Shall we include that too?”
“Yes.”
“Our snacks for all the hard fitting work?”
“Yes.”
“This building?”
“Yes.”
“ARDEN!”
We rode in the carriage Arden brought on the way to the palace.
It was enormous, luxurious, and even came with a driver.
The driver kept sneaking glances at me, but was otherwise impeccably polite—more like a noble aide than a coachman.
In the awkward silence, I studied Arden sitting across from me.
“…”
He stared stubbornly out the window, refusing to look at me.
So that dazed look back at the shop was all an act.
Now he looked perfectly composed.
I spoke up to hide my embarrassment.
“Wasn’t that too much?”
“Too much?”
“The dress.”
I patted the voluminous skirt filling half the carriage.
Only then did Arden look at me.
With a small smile, he said,
“Thank you. This is the first time I’ve worn something this pretty since becoming an adult.”
I hadn’t bought new clothes in years.
So yes—I was grateful.
Still—
“Wasn’t that an excessive gift for just attending one ball with you?”
“…”
“Are you sure it wasn’t too much?”
Arden frowned deeply.
“I have a lot of money.”
“…”
“Seriously. Enough that you could spend it lavishly your whole life and still not run out.”
“My spending your money?”
“Can’t I spend some on you?”
“It’s not that you can’t…”
“You have to have it first.”
I looked at him skeptically.
“Just try spending it all. I dare you.”
“…Well, I guess it’d be hard to spend it all if I die now. I’m two years older than you.”
“One year is thirty years, two years is sixty, right?”
“I’ll probably die soon anyway…”
I gazed dramatically out the window.
Arden exploded.
“That was ages ago! Are you still teasing me about that?!”
“Just endure it for one day—I’ll be dead by tomorrow…”
“Oh, come on!”
“What? I can’t hear—death makes your hearing go first…!”
“Ah!”
“Pfft!”
I burst out laughing.
The moment our eyes met, Arden froze like a statue.
I said,
“Really. Thank you. I’ll wear it well.”
“…It’s nothing. I asked you to come, so of course I should… And I really do have money…”
“If you want a refund, tell me within a week.”
“I WON’T!”
