Chapter 67
“Elly!”
“Ah, I-I’m sorry.”
To make a slip of the tongue right after apologizing…
It was obvious she hadn’t been working long. Her face still looked so young.
“It’s all right. I wouldn’t go as far as to nitpick and scold a young employee for such a mistake.”
Raeanna’s calm voice turned toward the staff member who had just apologized.
“But what do you mean by rumor?”
It was the first time she’d heard about any rumor regarding Theodore, and her interest was piqued.
“Ah, well…”
The employee hesitated with an awkward look.
“They said… His Highness broke the arm of a young noble…”
As the timid voice trailed off, Raeanna’s expression froze like ice.
“That is nonsense. You know rumors are not to be trusted in the first place.”
“Y-yes, of course. It was our ignorance, a mistake.”
“See that it doesn’t happen again. If you come to understand just how soft-hearted His Highness the Grand Duke is, you’ll never believe such tales.”
Raeanna spoke with heartfelt sincerity, and the young employee Elly’s eyes lit up.
“You’re right. I didn’t realize he was such a gentle person. He’s nothing like the rumors!”
“…Indeed. From what I saw just now, it’s clear he sincerely loves his fiancée.”
“He seemed like such a devoted man. The way his eyes were overflowing with honey—it looked like he couldn’t bear to be apart from you, Lady Raeanna. Rumors really can’t be trusted!”
Although she had only meant to clarify that Theodore wasn’t ill-tempered, somehow the story ended with him being painted as a hopeless romantic.
As the tale became strangely exaggerated, Raeanna felt as if she herself had turned into the liar spreading wild rumors.
“That’s not it. He was merely making sure his fiancée wouldn’t get hurt at her first formal party.”
“Oh my, was that the case? But still…”
They couldn’t openly contradict the words of someone destined to be a high duchess, so the staff fell silent.
Yet, not a single person in that room actually believed Raeanna’s explanation.
Theodore’s eyes, his words, his actions—
All of them belonged unmistakably to a man hopelessly in love.
“He’s been like that since he was young. He’s so delicate at heart that he’s never asked for anything. People kept whispering that he was cursed, and the wounds ran deep. He ought to be treated with even greater care… How cruel people are, don’t you think?”
Raeanna muttered sincerely, her voice tinged with indignation.
His very human side made him feel approachable, yet they couldn’t help but be bewildered.
For while the two were formally engaged, Raeanna spoke more like a guardian raising him than a future spouse.
Oh dear… Is this His Highness’s one-sided love?
The more Raeanna spoke, the more pity the staff felt for Theodore.
“Then, shall we take your measurements now? After that, we’ll begin temporary stitching.”
Once the measurements were taken, they held up pre-prepared patterns against her body and began basting stitches.
“As you know, this step is usually done back at the workshop, but the schedule is tight. Please forgive us just this once.”
Raeanna hadn’t even realized this was normally done elsewhere.
The staff never expected a woman who had only ever held a sword in her life to know such details anyway.
They all knew Raeanna’s tragic childhood, the reasons she was forced onto the battlefield, and her eventual glorious triumph.
Her life as a war hero was already immortalized in biographies and spread throughout the empire.
Realizing their consideration for her, Raeanna nodded. The staff exchanged meaningful glances.
“Could you wait just a moment? This gown is so extravagant we’ve run out of pins to hold it together.”
“Extrava…”
Her face went pale as the image of herself smothered in lace and jewels flashed through her mind.
“Please excuse us for a moment.”
“Yes, just wait here!”
But oddly enough, when they returned, they began packing up their bags.
“…”
Though Raeanna saw their bags brimming with pins, she assumed once again it was some considerate gesture on their part and quietly waited.
Once the door closed, leaving her alone in the room, her doubts grew—but she did not call them back.
Surely they’d return soon.
And once the pins were removed, the rest of the afternoon would be free.
Her body, once pushed to its limits daily on the battlefield, had grown sluggish amidst the peace of the capital.
Perhaps I should ask His Grace for a sparring match, for old times’ sake.
Smiling at the thought, she suddenly heard the click of the door opening.
“You’re back?”
“…Yes.”
The low voice behind her quivered with unease.
✦ ✦ ✦
Outside the door, Theodore had been waiting for Raeanna’s summons when he noticed the staff leaving in groups.
He gave them a puzzled look, and after some hesitation, they beamed at him.
“We want to sincerely apologize. We truly meant no offense. We also apologized to Lady Raeanna, and she accepted.”
“Then that’s enough.”
Theodore replied curtly.
Seeing the bags in their hands, it looked like they were finished inside, but he wasn’t sure if he should go in.
He had only just been kicked out not long ago—if it happened again, his heart would surely be torn to shreds.
As he hesitated, the eldest-looking staff member spoke up awkwardly.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke, forgive our boldness, but could we ask a favor?”
How dare they—
Theodore nearly rebuked them for their insolence, prepared to lash out at their lack of manners.
But then—
“We left temporary cloth fastened to Lady Raeanna’s body, but forgot to remove the pins.”
Forgot that? Impossible.
Theodore furrowed his brows in suspicion… then suddenly realized.
They were helping him.
Not insolent fools, but benefactors. In his eyes, they even looked benevolent now.
“I know such lapses are common for tailors.”
Not true at all.
Forgetting to remove pins from fabric wrapped around a client’s body was nearly unthinkable.
None of the staff standing in the hallway believed such a thing—but the empty courtesy continued regardless.
“Exactly. We could do it ourselves, but we must hurry back to complete Lady Raeanna’s gown.”
Their expressions showed genuine busyness, as though making the dress was truly urgent.
The youngest staff member in particular beamed brightly, even pumping her fists to cheer Theodore on.
“So please, we ask you. While we rush back to make the beautiful gown, could Your Highness remove the pins for her?”
But to Theodore, her words sounded like: We’ll leave now, so the two of you enjoy your sweet romance.
It was all he could do not to grin ear to ear; his lips twitched as he forced himself to only nod solemnly.
“Oh my, thank you so much. Please send us the removed pins and cloth afterward. Then, we’ll take our leave.”
Bowing deeply, they departed.
Only after the storm had passed did the corridor finally quiet down.
Theodore placed his hand on the door. Knowing that Raeanna was inside, draped in pinned fabric, made his heart pound wildly.
“Phew…”
He exhaled deeply, then opened the door.
“You’re back?”
She stood before the tall mirror, clad only in the makeshift fabric barely resembling a dress.
Her voice was flat, mistaking him for one of the staff.
Damn it.
He nearly cursed aloud. He couldn’t bring himself to admit it was him at the door.
Just before Raeanna turned her head in suspicion, Theodore managed to speak.
“Yes. It’s me, sister.”
Raeanna froze in place.
Her stiffened body seemed to ask, Why are you here?
“The tailors requested this. They said they forgot to remove the pins from the cloth draped over you.”
“…Forgot? But they said they were going to fetch more pins.”
“Exactly. Weren’t they clever?”
Theodore resolved then and there to have all his clothes made by that workshop for life.
Having recognized a generous patron, the staff would never have to worry about starving again.
“I’ll take care of it. I can do it myself.”
As Raeanna reached hurriedly for the visible pins, Theodore blocked her.
“You can’t just pull them out like that.”
He caught one of her hands in his, plucking the pin from her palm with the other.
“If the cloth isn’t secured, it’ll fall straight to the floor. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“I’m wearing a nightgown underneath, so it’s fine.”
Nightgown? Theodore’s brow furrowed.
