Chapter 34..
“You’re asking for help? With what?”
Theodore tilted his head with interest, signaling her to explain further.
“This is something I’m only telling you, Your Highness, but… I’m actually running a trading company called Minerva with my father.”
At Claire’s cautious confession, Theodore raised an eyebrow slightly.
Without hesitation, Claire continued with what she had really wanted to say.
“We want to start selling jewel flowers through the company, but we can’t because we don’t have the backing.”
“…Jewel flowers? Are they even available?”
“Yes. My father’s done some research on them.”
“Ahh.”
Remembering that Franz Ravello was a skilled and eccentric mage, Theodore nodded in understanding.
Claire’s eyes lit up as she asked eagerly,
“Could you help us, Your Highness?”
“There’s no reason I can’t.”
The straightforward answer caught Claire by surprise.
She hurried to explain why it would be difficult.
“Until now, the Empress’s family has had a monopoly on jewel flowers, so there’s bound to be pushback.”
“Is breaking a monopoly a crime?”
Theodore replied, curling the corner of his lips into a smirk.
Being able to obstruct the path of his unpleasant aunt made him even more eager to help.
Hearing his affirmative answer, Claire’s face brightened as well.
Thank goodness. If I can sell the jewel flowers, I’ll recover today’s expenses in no time.
Jewel flowers, which sold for thousands of gold coins per stem, would be more than enough to make her rich.
While Claire smiled quietly to herself, the carriage arrived at their final destination and came to a stop.
They had arrived at Darling Boutique.
As they opened the door and walked inside, someone sitting awkwardly alone quickly stood up.
“You’re here, Lady Ravello?”
“Have you been waiting long, Lady Merrison?”
“No, I just got here myself.”
Nina smiled bashfully as she told a small white lie.
Then, noticing the imposing figure behind Claire, she awkwardly bowed her head.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
With his hands in his pockets, Theodore offered only a slight nod in return.
The one who felt uncomfortable about his curt and somewhat arrogant demeanor wasn’t Nina—it was Claire.
It reminded her of how Theodore used to look down on people when they were younger.
“Your Highness, you should return the greeting properly.”
The words slipped out before she could stop herself. Even if he was the crown prince, courtesy should go both ways.
Theodore glanced down at Claire before adjusting his posture and speaking.
“Nice to meet you. But just pretend I’m not here and make yourself comfortable. I only came because she brought me along.”
His presence was far too overwhelming to ignore, but kind-hearted Nina simply smiled and responded with gratitude.
“Come this way, Lady Merrison. Let’s pick something out together.”
Claire sat beside Nina and looked through the catalog Mari brought them.
“What kind of style do you like?”
“Me? Um, I usually just wear what my mother picks out for me…”
Nina laughed awkwardly. That explained her slightly outdated fashion for her age.
Kind of envious, actually… having a mother to choose clothes for you.
Claire tucked away her thoughts and smiled warmly.
“Then how about we pick something out for each other?”
“S-sure…!”
“I’ll go first. Since you have delicate features… I think this dress would suit you.”
Her pale finger pointed to a pink silk dress.
With its square neckline, it would complement Nina’s round face. The ribbon details at the waist and hem gave it a lovely, charming look.
“Wow, it’s so pretty.”
“You like it?”
“Yes. I’ve never worn something this cute before, so I’m a bit nervous it won’t suit me…”
“It’ll look even cuter because you’re the one wearing it.”
Claire thought: With how young and lively she is, what wouldn’t look good on her?
Blushing slightly, Nina pulled the catalog toward her.
“Now I’ll pick one for you!”
“Sounds great.”
Nina’s eyes sparkled as she flipped through the pages with enthusiasm.
Then, for the first time, Theodore—who had been sitting silently across from them, looking disinterested—moved.
Tap.
He placed his finger on a page, stopping Nina from turning it further, and spoke in a low voice.
“This one seems nice.”
It was a dress similar in vibe to the one Claire picked for Nina, but with a different design.
A mermaid silhouette with a pink silk ribbon tied across the chest—elegant yet romantic.
Not bad.
If she wore it alongside Nina, it would look like they’d coordinated outfits, showing their friendship.
But…
Claire stared at the off-shoulder, open-neckline dress for a moment before voicing her curiosity.
“Do you like this kind of style?”
“It’s not about what I like. I think it would suit you.”
Claire had a long neck and defined collarbones—showing them off always enhanced her graceful aura.
His unexpectedly tasteful remark made Claire glance at him with slight surprise.
Theodore shrugged and added,
“I don’t really care about what my lover wears. She should wear whatever she wants.”
“What if I wore a military uniform like you?”
“You’d look amazing.”
He answered without missing a beat, picturing her in uniform.
Claire decided to probe his preferences a bit further.
“What about a frilly princess dress?”
“If you’re happy, that’s what matters.”
“And a tight, revealing outfit?”
“Then wear it. I’ll just poke out the eyes of any guy who stares.”
“And what about something completely plain… no patterns, no decorations—something dull and old-fashioned?”
Just like Priscilla used to wear.
Unlike before, Theodore took a moment before replying.
“It wouldn’t matter.”
“Not even if I didn’t dress up at all?”
“Truly, it wouldn’t matter. No matter what clothes you wear or how you look, it doesn’t change who you are.”
His blue eyes looked at her with a calm depth, like the ocean at night.
Something about his words struck Claire strangely—an odd, indescribable feeling.
In the stillness that followed, a soft gasp broke the silence.
“Wow…”
Both Claire and Theodore turned to Nina, who now had their full attention. Her face flushed with embarrassment.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt your moment…”
“It’s okay, Lady Merrison. It’s actually more rude for the two of us to be talking while ignoring you.”
Claire smiled kindly and gently patted Nina’s back, helping her relax.
Now more at ease, Nina spoke hesitantly.
“You and His Highness really seem close. I don’t know if it’s okay to say this, but… I’m very envious.”
There was a subtle bitterness in her voice.
“Even if I wear a beautiful dress like this… my fiancé probably wouldn’t even care.”
Hearing that Nina still couldn’t shake off the shadow of Alex, even here, weighed heavily on Claire’s heart.
All the things Nina had confided in her flashed through Claire’s mind—leading her to one conclusion.
I can’t take this anymore.
“Lady Merrison, I’m going to speak frankly.”
Grabbing Nina’s hand, Claire met her eyes seriously.
“Don’t see Alex Ravello anymore.”
“Wh-what? Where is this coming from all of a sudden…?”
Nina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“He mistreats you, and you’ve said yourself that he doesn’t even love you. If you marry him like this, things will only get worse.”
Claire kept her tone calm as she tried to reason with her.
Nina’s big, gentle brown eyes trembled with hesitation.
“B-but asking for a breakup without a clear reason… My father wouldn’t allow it.”
In truth, Nina hadn’t completely ruled out the idea of breaking off the engagement.
But Alex had cleverly won favor with her father, Count Merrison.
She couldn’t exactly say, I want to break up because he treats me coldly.
“If I call off the engagement, it’ll damage my reputation too…”
“But wouldn’t marrying Alex Ravello be a bigger waste of your life? You’re not lacking in anything—why should you be treated that way?”
“Lady Ravello…”
Seeing Claire genuinely concerned made Nina’s heart waver.
Everyone around her had always said that Alex was a fine match and that she should marry soon, given her age.
But now, having someone so wholeheartedly on her side…
Maybe I wasn’t wrong after all—thinking Alex Ravello wasn’t the one.
A strange sense of relief came over her. But still, doubt remained, and she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
Then Claire asked quietly,
“If there were clear, undeniable grounds to blame Alex Ravello… would you truly consider ending the engagement?”
Nina inhaled sharply.
After a long silence, her lips slowly parted.
