IHDOE Ch 20

As soon as the news spread, her younger stepsister Rebecca woke up at dawn and busied herself, declaring she had to tour dress shops.

[Sharlan] "Is it necessary to prepare from early morning just to buy a single dress?"

At his question, Rebecca grimaced in disgust.

[Rebecca] "You understand nothing, Brother! Popular shops fill up with reservations if you delay even briefly! Do you know how much Coraline laughed at the dress I wore last time? Calling me an ugly duckling……"

Venting excitedly, she paused her speech and looked at Sharlan.

Unlike Rebecca, whose face was puffy in the morning, his face—sculpted as if God had labored over it—lacked even a trace of swelling.

Though born to the same parents, the siblings shared no resemblance aside from blonde hair and blue eyes.

[Rebecca] "……At any rate. You are handsome and a man, Brother, so you wouldn't know, but I am different."

Snapping sullenly, she urged her maid forward. Sharlan watched her while drinking coffee.

A dress, is it……

Sharlan understood well that the dress one wore to a ball heavily influenced one's reputation in high society.

Come to think of it, I have never seen her buy a dress.

Most of Satina's dresses were thrown to her by Rebecca like charity, or purchased years ago when her treatment was better.

Since no budget was allocated to her, it can't be helped.

Where could a woman who lived solely as a noble lady go to earn money?

She would undoubtedly arrive wearing a dress long out of fashion, becoming the laughingstock of the ball.

"Thank you for helping me."

In an instant, Satina's face—offering a faint smile—surfaced in his mind.

Though not his concern, the thought of Satina getting mocked at the ball felt strangely unpleasant.

Rescuing her later when she begs for help will prove troublesome, so I should tell the butler to prepare a dress for her beforehand.

All of this was for the sake of the family. If Satina—a daughter of House Bersabet—walked around looking like a beggar, the family's dignity would suffer.

---

Pulling her cloak down low, Satina left the mansion and headed toward the capital's back alleys. The street lined with dress shops lay on the opposite side, but she held no intention of going there anyway.

How can I buy a dress with 199 gold? I could buy a single frill attached to a dress at best.

The narrow, dark alleys easily lost a first-time visitor, yet Satina moved without hesitation.

[Liv] "Turn right in 200m. Go straight. Next, enter the alley on the left."

Smart as expected.

Satina applauded inwardly. Fitting an AI, the navigation feature functioned superbly. As long as she knew the exact location she wished to visit, it guided her along the path automatically.

[Liv] "Arrived at destination."

Raising her head, a sign reading 'Laura's Closet' came into view.

[Satina] "I found the right place."

---

Laura, the owner of 'Laura's Closet,' was troubled with many worries lately.

[Laura] "Phew, I held high expectations because of the Imperial Ball…… yet not a single customer came today either. I can't endure forever, so what if I go bankrupt at this rate?"

Though six months had passed since opening the dress shop, she still lacked a single proper customer.

[Laura] "Should I have pushed myself further to open a shop on the main avenue after all? Yet opening a shop here required pouring out all the money I saved for five years……"

She wanted to open a shop on the main avenue where dress shops gathered, but land prices there were astronomically high. With her available funds, purchasing even a tiny fitting room proved difficult.

[Laura] "Originally, I wanted to gather more money before becoming independent."

She knew her money fell short, but no choice existed.

The shop where she previously worked was 'Mattrans,' the empire's top dress shop. There, she created beautiful and popular dresses, only to discover that the head tailor lied, claiming Laura's designs as his own creation.

Naturally, she confronted him, but only mockery returned in response.

"So what? Do you know how many noble ladies I know? You know how small this industry is, right? Shut your mouth if you want to keep working."

In the end, Laura stormed out of her workplace and opened an independent shop with her modest savings.

Everyone loved my dresses! Opening a shop will be fine.

That was a mistaken assumption. Though six months had passed since starting the business, she lacked a single customer.

[Laura] "Sigh, should I have endured longer after all?"

Belated regret consumed her.

Jingle!

At the sound of the bell hanging on the door ringing, she rose hurriedly from her seat.

[Laura] "Welcome! This is Laura's Closet!"

Taking in the customer's attire, disappointment washed over her. The customer wearing a cloak pulled low wore fabric of high quality, yet it was outdated, and she arrived alone without a single servant.

Her household circumstances appeared far from luxurious. Still, a customer was a customer. Without losing her smile, she greeted her kindly.

[Laura] "How may I help you today?"

[Satina] "I came to look at dresses."

[Laura] "Dresses! Please sit here first! Are you planning to attend the Imperial Ball?"

[Satina] "Indeed."

[Laura] "If you want fast tailoring, you can look through this dress book. What budget do you have in mind for the dress?"

Laura prayed inwardly. Please let it be over 100,000 gold!

Making a dress worthy of attending the ball required at least that much money, no matter how much she budgeted.

However, the customer uttered an amount Laura never imagined.

[Satina] "Ah, about that, could you perhaps give it to me for free?"

[Laura] "Free? What nonsense are you…… Excuse me, do you know how much a single dress costs?"

Her tone turned sharp.

[Satina] "Come to think of it, I have not introduced myself."

As the customer removed the cloak's hood, shimmering blonde hair cascaded down like waves. Next revealed were pink eyes that looked as if embedded with pink diamonds—the rarest among all diamonds.

Laura stared fixedly at Satina's face as if spellbound. It was a beauty capable of erasing the anger felt moments ago at the absurd request. Radiance illuminated the space around Satina as if focusing on her alone.

Satina spoke with a smile.

[Satina] "I should introduce myself first. I am Satina Bersabet."

[Laura] "I am Laura…… Satina Bersabet……?"

Sensing something odd, Laura tilted her head, murmuring Satina's name.

[Laura] "If it is Satina, that trashy duk—gasp."

She clamped her mouth shut hastily.

Is this person that trashy ducal daughter Satina Bersabet?

She had heard rumors regarding Satina as well. A lucky woman who entered House Bersabet thanks to her mother's remarriage. A trashy saintess candidate unable to use a thread of holy power.

Furthermore, a crazy woman obsessed with her fiancé, the Crown Prince, committed all sorts of bizarre acts out of unrequited love.

I heard she was a gloomy, ugly woman who crafts curse dolls every night out of jealousy toward women near His Highness……

Contrary to rumors, the face before her was overwhelmingly beautiful, and elegance overflowed from her seated posture.

How grand is His Highness to be engaged to such a woman……

No, he is the Crown Prince, so he is grand, but still……

Facing Satina's beauty directly made rational thought impossible.

[Satina] "Yes, I am the Satina of those rumors. So as I was saying, I want you to make the dress I will wear to the Imperial Ball."

Barely regaining composure, Laura stammered out her words.

[Laura] "B-But Lady Satina, even so, giving away a dress for free is impossible. You know how expensive dresses are, Lady Satina."

[Satina] "I am not asking for it for free either."

[Laura] "Then……"

[Satina] "I will promote you."

[Laura] "Promote me?"

Laura tilted her head in curiosity.

[Satina] "From what I gather, business in this dress shop appears struggle-ridden."

[Laura] "Well……"

Laura offered an embarrassed smile.

[Satina] "You are not on the main avenue where shops gather, so visiting an outer area like this is difficult. Furthermore, dresses are expensive items. Without knowing the quality of dresses made here, who would want to risk large sums of money?"

Satina pinpointed the very issues Laura constantly fretted over, causing her to nod.

[Satina] "Moreover, strange rumors circulate. Word says you were expelled from your former shop for stealing another designer's work."

[Laura] "That is a lie!"

She shouted fiercely.

[Laura] "Stealing another person's design! That is absurd! In truth, he was the one who stole from me……!"

[Satina] "Yet rumors have already spread that way. Mattrans' head tailor knows many noble ladies. Overturning that reputation will prove difficult."

[Laura] "……"

Despair settled in Laura's eyes.

[Satina] "Still, a way exists."

[Laura] "What…… way?"

[Satina] "You craft dresses exceptionally well."

No matter how many malicious rumors Mattrans' head tailor spread, the dress itself mattered most.

Noble ladies avoided Laura's shop out of fear that their dresses would turn out ruined, not out of loyalty to Mattrans' head tailor. If her dresses proved more beautiful, people would abandon Mattrans and flock to her shop.

And that is actually what happened.

This shop goes bankrupt in a few months. Upon closing the shop, Laura sold a few dresses made for practice at low prices.

The heroine—who had just arrived from the countryside without money—wandered back alleys searching for a cheap dress, stumbling upon Laura's dress by chance.

Everyone who saw the dress worn by the heroine at the ball showered her with praise, and Laura's creations gained sensational popularity throughout the empire.

[Satina] "If you craft a dress for me free of charge, I will wear it to the Imperial Ball. As you know, quite a few people pay attention to me."

[Laura] "Well……"

As Satina stated, many people paid attention to her.

How pathetic a woman Satina was—a stain on House Bersabet holding a fiancé far above her station. Everyone was busy whispering about her.

The day after Satina attended a ball, the disgraceful scenes she displayed at the party spread throughout the capital.

If notoriety counted as attention, hers ranked among the highest in the empire.

If Lady Satina wears my dress……

Her hands itched with desire. Laura had started tailoring because she adored beautiful things.

Roses? No, roses are too classic. Rather than that……

Looking at Satina sparkling alone inside the shabby dress shop, inspiration poured forth like a fountain.

……Like a star.

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