Chapter 45
Half-asleep, she had pointed out the location of her room inside the mansion when he said he would escort her there.
Belia hastily turned her head toward the glass door leading to the balcony.
“Ah… I want to die.”
She squeezed her eyes shut.
It felt far too vivid to dismiss as just her imagination.
Just what on earth had she done with him after he brought her here?
“Ahhh!!”
Reliving the memories of the previous night, Belia finally let out a scream.
“So embarrassing!!”
The kind of crude street slang that never left her lips slipped out unbidden.
Her shame was so overwhelming that if there had been a hole in the ground, she would have gladly crawled in and disappeared.
Knock, knock—
“My lady? Was that a cough? May I come in?”
At Soo’s voice, Belia snapped her head up.
“N-no! Wait a second!”
She scrambled off the bed, snatching up Carlton’s jacket and bow tie that had fallen on the floor.
Looking around frantically, she yanked open the bedside drawer and shoved the clothes inside without care.
“Okay, come in.”
“Yes, my lady, I’ll come in! When did you come back yester… oh my!”
“Uh, Soo.”
“My lady, did you just throw off your dress and fall asleep?”
Noticing the messy hair ornaments tangled here and there, Soo bent down to pick up the dress lying on the floor.
“Ugh, my lady, did you drink?”
“Do I smell?”
“Quite a bit.”
Soo went around the room, gathering the things scattered on the floor.
“When did you leave the hall yesterday? I didn’t see you leave the banquet…”
“Oh, I just… slipped out quietly so people could enjoy themselves without fuss.”
“Really?”
Soo tilted her head. She had been near the door but hadn’t noticed her lady leaving.
“Well, anyway—huh? Did you drink wine?”
“Me?”
Seeing the wine bottle and glasses on the sofa table, Soo walked over to check Belia’s glass cabinet, where the bottles were usually kept.
“This is the wine the Marquis gave you as a gift.”
Only then did Belia notice the empty bottle, frowning.
“Ah… well, yesterday was a special day, wasn’t it? Father gave it to me for my sixteenth debut, and yesterday felt like just the right occasion to open it.”
‘Did I drink in my room yesterday too?’ Belia wondered, bewildered, as she forced the lie out.
“Well, since you’ve had your debut, a little drinking is fine… but how’s your stomach? Are you all right? It was your first time drinking, you should’ve invited Lady Songbre to join you.”
“I was in such a good mood, I drank alone.”
“But then why are there two glasses?”
“Huh?”
“There’s another one here, on the floor.”
Soo picked up the glass rolling under the table.
“Ah, that’s… why would there be two… oh no!”
“My lady! What’s wrong?”
Belia clutched her head in both hands, bowing down.
“What is this…?”
“Pardon?”
Ignoring the flustered Soo, Belia inhaled sharply.
So that wasn’t where the memory ended. It seemed she hadn’t sent Carlton away at the balcony after all.
Flashes of memory surfaced—she and Carlton sitting together on the sofa, opening the wine.
Had Carlton really come into her room?
What had they talked about?
The more fragmented images strung together, the paler her face became.
“May I call you Carlton?”
“If you wish.”
“Ah…”
“My lady, you must feel awful, right? Of course, drinking a whole bottle on your first try would do that. The hangover’s just kicking in! Wait here, I’ll fetch something right away!”
With a worried look, Soo hurried out of the room.
Once the door shut, Belia’s face flushed bright red.
“When I look at you, the memories from eight years ago get all tangled. But apart from that, I think… I like seeing you.”
In the end, Belia buried her face in the pillow.
“Please take my order first!”
“No, me first! Isn’t there a way my lady could be served before everyone else?”
“Don’t cut in line!”
At the very heart of the capital’s busiest street, the golden Bea Salon—arguably the most extravagant sight—had finally opened.
Even before the doors opened, a long line had formed. Now, one after another, customers streamed inside.
Inside, the displayed Bea handbags sparkled under the lights from within their glass cases.
Attendants standing by each item handed out pamphlets to approaching guests, explaining the designs and the gems available for customization.
The nobles who had attended the Marquis of Arpedi’s banquet the night before had already received pamphlets, and so many simply sent their maids to place orders instead of coming themselves.
And overnight, word had spread through the social circles like wildfire:
‘Even the Crown Prince is interested in Bea—and the Tower Master himself, who always declined imperial banquet invitations, appeared at the Marquis’s banquet!’
‘The Arpedi lady is on familiar terms not just with the Crown Prince, but the Tower Master too!’
‘Even Lady Doltan fell in love with Bea and accepted the Marquis’s invitation. Some even saw her leaving the Marquis’s estate last night!’
Thanks to the gossip carried by servants between houses, nobles who had missed the banquet flocked to the salon for today’s grand opening.
The quick-eyed and trend-sensitive could already foresee that Bea would become the next sensation of high society.
Among those in line was Lady Oble, who had come to the capital weeks earlier and heard the rumor from her quick-witted maid.
“Andy, this bag will let me fit right in with the capital ladies, won’t it?”
“Of course! My friend who works for a ducal household said so—it has to be true!”
“Of course! I begged Father endlessly to get this money, I can’t waste it!”
At last, when it was Lady Oble’s turn—
“We’re closed!”
“What?”
The line wasn’t even halfway through when the clerk clapped his hands and stood up.
“We will be taking only ten Bea orders per day for the next week. Thank you, that’s all for today.”
“What? Wait! I’ve been waiting here since morning!”
“Apologies. Each bag is handcrafted by artisans, so mass orders aren’t possible.”
“Wait! I—I have a ticket…”
At that moment, a young lady behind Lady Oble stepped forward, holding out a ticket.
The clerk, upon seeing it, immediately called another staff member and then announced loudly enough for the whole salon to hear:
“Anyone holding a ticket, please step this way!”
“A ticket?”
“These were given to guests at the Marquis of Arpedi’s banquet last night. This way, please.”
As the other lady walked past her, Lady Oble could only stare, dumbfounded.
The aide who had gone to check on the salon returned swiftly to report to Belia.
“All reservations are fully booked.”
“Really?”
Belia took a sip of honey water.
It was already growing dark outside.
The first day of Bea Salon had been an overwhelming success.
“And the ticket collection?”
“All accounted for, my lady.”
Belia smiled with deep satisfaction.
“So, it worked as planned.”
“However, the incoming orders have already been sent to the workshop, but with the current artisans, it will be difficult to meet the demand.”
“We don’t need to. It’s not meant for mass production. We’ll only take custom orders to increase Bea’s rarity. Narrow down a list—we’ll recruit about three more artisans.”
“I’ll look into it within the capital and prepare candidates.”
“Good. Oh, and the Bea I told you to prepare for the Second Princess’s birthday?”
“It’s coming along smoothly. Master Dorito says it’ll take at least another week to finish.”
“I see. Schedule a visit to the workshop accordingly. That’s all for now—you may go.”
After dismissing her aide, Belia reached for the pile of letters stacked on her desk.
The more envelopes she opened, the wider her smile grew.
“Perfect.”
Every single one of them was about Bea.
Some inquired about the next banquet already, while others boldly begged to be included in the guest list.
The rarity of Bea was now translating into the rarity of having Belia Arpedi’s favor.
Knock, knock—
“Come in.”
“My lady.”
“Oh, Soo. What is it?”
“The madam is asking for you.”
“Mother? Why?”
Soo smiled knowingly.
“I’m not sure exactly, but I think it’s about Bea. She attended a ladies’ gathering earlier today.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Yes. She seemed rather excited.”
Being from a provincial noble family, her mother often mentioned how nerve-wracking those gatherings in the capital could be.
“Looks like she scored a victory this time. All right, tell her I’ll come right away.”
“Shall I prepare another glass of honey water for you?”
“Send it to Mother’s room instead.”
“Of course. Take your time, my lady.”
