Chapter 35
The Prince Died, So I’m Starting Over!
I grumbled inwardly as I tucked the blanket over Anna. At the same time, I carefully slipped the dress out from her sleeping arms.
“Sorry, Anna. Sleep well.”
Her small hands, curled tightly, soon disappeared under the blanket.
I went to the nearby dresser, took out a pair of sewing scissors, and left her room. Then I headed straight to the table in my room.
“Hmm… is it a bit crooked?”
I spread the dress out on the table and snipped at the hem with the scissors.
But it looked like I’d cut the left side slightly longer than the right. I had no choice but to trim it again.
“Now the right side’s longer…”
Still uneven. So, I trimmed it again.
“All done!”
After several failed attempts, I finally managed to make both sides even—though the dress had become noticeably shorter in the process.
Holding it up to myself, I saw that the hem now came just above my knees.
“…I’m really sorry, Anna.”
This wasn’t exactly the bold fashion design I’d dreamed of.
But what was done was done—no way to reattach the cut fabric.
“Well. Better too short than awkwardly uneven, right?”
I decided to think positively and stepped out of the room. I’d ask the sewing servants to finish the edges.
I returned to the Servants’ Hall I’d visited a few hours earlier.
“Eek!”
As soon as I opened the door, a young servant flinched and trembled.
Why was everyone so scared of me? I truly had no idea.
“Ah, g-good evening, my lady…”
“Mm, evening again.”
“M-may I ask, what brings you here this time…?”
“Well, about that…”
I handed the dress to the servant who looked the most experienced.
He hesitated, unfolded the dress—and his mouth fell so wide open I could see his tonsils.
“Wh–who did this shameful thing?!”
He looked ready to collapse in outrage, demanding to know what scoundrel had dared such indecency.
“It was me. I’m the scoundrel.”
“Ah!”
All the servants simultaneously raised their hands to cover their mouths.
“I-I didn’t mean it like that, my lady…”
“It’s fine, I know. Anyway, could you help me?”
Gathering the terrified attendants, I assigned tasks one by one.
The one who was good at sewing got the hem-finishing job; the one skilled at embroidery got to embroider my socks.
“E-embroider the socks?”
The young servant, who’d been sniffling the whole time, timidly asked—clearly very curious.
“Of course. Why not?”
“B-but socks are only meant to cover the feet…”
“Yes, but there’s no law saying they can’t be pretty.”
“I see…”
He nodded and got back to prying the gems off the cut fabric.
All the decorations from the hem needed to be reattached somewhere new, so everyone’s hands were busily moving.
I couldn’t just stand around doing nothing while they worked for me, so I helped attach gems to the dress corners myself.
“Um…”
“Hm?”
“You… you can leave this to us, my lady…”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll help.”
“Ha-ha…”
The servants gave awkward smiles. Then silence fell as soon as the laughter ended.
‘…Wait. Am I being the awkward boss right now?’
I glanced around; everyone immediately avoided my eyes.
“Come to think of it, I might have something urgent to do.”
“Really?”
They looked up, faces bright with hope.
“…No, on second thought, it’s not that urgent.”
“Oh…”
When I took it back, they all bowed their heads again.
Yep. I was definitely the socially clueless boss making the workplace awkward.
“…Still, maybe I should go?”
“Yes!”
I left the Servants’ Hall sheepishly. The servants saw me off with the happiest faces I’d ever seen.
‘When did my reputation fall this far?’
I hadn’t even done anything bad! Yet somehow, I was treated like the villain.
I thought about going straight back to my room, but since I was already downstairs, I decided to visit the healer.
On the way back with some ointment for swelling, I unexpectedly ran into someone.
“…No.”
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
It was that so-and-so young lord again.
Why did I keep bumping into him in this huge palace? Coincidence?
“You were about to suggest I become a knight, weren’t you?”
“I was.”
“I refuse.”
A small bead of sweat ran down his forehead. Looked like he’d just come from sword training again.
“Then…”
He tried to bring up something new.
“No.”
I refused automatically.
“…At least hear me out before rejecting me.”
“It’s about swords again, isn’t it?”
“It’s not.”
“…Oh. My apologies, then. Please go ahead.”
I gave a small curtsy, but he raised a hand to stop me.
He really was kind, in his own stiff way.
Hard to believe this boy would one day grow into the infamous Iron Duke.
“Would you join me for a meal?” he asked in his usual blunt tone.
“Hmm…”
I hesitated, eyes darting.
I didn’t want to get involved with him if I could help it—not just because of sword talk, but because of what I knew from the original story.
If we weren’t face-to-face right now, I would’ve refused again without a second thought.
But here we were, standing alone in a quiet corridor.
He tried to look expressionless, but as my silence dragged on, a faintly dejected look flickered in his eyes.
He looked a bit like a sad puppy.
Well, more like a wolf pup than a dog—but still, all young animals were cute.
“…Alright.”
I sighed and nodded.
“Truly?”
“Yes. But when did you mean?”
“Whenever you’re free.”
“I’ll send a servant to arrange it, then.”
“I’ll wait.”
“Alright.”
I was about to turn to leave when something came to mind.
“…Ah! But there’s one condition.”
“Condition?”
“Yes. You must promise not to say a single word about swords during the meal. That’s my condition.”
“Hmm…”
He frowned slightly, looking troubled.
So he had planned to talk about swords all through dinner.
Good grief.
I studied his straight, thick eyebrows as they knit together in hesitation.
Then he finally spoke.
“…I promise.”
“On your honor?”
“A knight doesn’t pledge his honor lightly.”
“So… you won’t?”
His eyebrows scrunched even more.
“…I will.”
He sighed, giving in.
He looked at me as one might look at an exasperating younger sibling.
For the record, I’m at least three times older than you, kid.
“…But what else are we supposed to talk about if not swords?”
“Pardon?”
“We can’t just discuss the weather for the entire meal.”
He wasn’t being sarcastic—he genuinely didn’t know.
“What do you usually talk about with others?”
“I talk about swords.”
“Ah…”
So he really didn’t have any friends.
No wonder he never cut ties with that leech of a sister, Hariela’s brother. He probably couldn’t afford to lose the only person who talked to him.
“Then talk about the weather.”
“For three hours?”
“Wait—we’re having dinner for three hours?”
“Ahem…”
He cleared his throat awkwardly.
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alright, fine. We’ll talk about the weather for three hours. The climate in the North is totally different from here, so it’ll be interesting enough. At least more than sword talk.”
I giggled, and he frowned again. At this rate, he’d get wrinkles before he turned twenty.
“You’re quite peculiar.”
“You’re pretty strange yourself.”
“…I said ‘peculiar.’”
“Which still means you think I’m strange, right?”
He sighed again but didn’t deny it. Guess lying wasn’t his thing.
After scheduling dinner with him, I finally returned to my room.
It was already late. Anna might’ve woken up by now.
Sure enough, as soon as I opened the door, there she was—
Sitting dramatically in the middle of the room like a tragic heroine.
“Anna! You’re awake? Are you okay? You suddenly collapsed—I was so worried!”
Despite my flurry of questions, Anna stayed silent.
Looking closer, I saw a yellow bundle of cloth in her arms.
The servants must’ve finished the dress faster than I expected.
Or maybe I’d spent longer chatting with that young lord than I realized.
“Anna?”
“My lady…”
“Yes?”
“What… what happened to this…?”
Tears welled up and streamed down Anna’s cheeks.
“I never dreamed you’d do this while I slept…”
