Judith playfully wrinkled her nose. She tapped Mary Anne's pointed nose with her finger and said.
“From the way you say things like that, it seems like you’re starting to want to get married too.”
“Huh? What are you talking about! It’s not like that. It’s just fun. It’s so much fun to see Bartholomew, with his big body, blushing every time he walks around with Miss Cheraan. You can see his ears turn red whenever she links arms with him. Even though he’s his husband now!”
Bartholomew and Cheraan held their wedding ceremony around autumn. Not only the Duke of Vergy but also the Marquis of Ebelta were prominent families in the capital, so for a while, there was constant talk among the nobles about the two families' marriage.
Fearing that rumors would spread, the wedding was held simply by agreement between the two families. Nevertheless, the nobles who were invited to the ceremony talked for a long time about the unusually splendid decorations, the bride's dress, and the gifts exchanged between the families.
“Lord Bartholomew is so devoted to Miss Cheraan that even the maids of the Nation Palace are envious.”
That was true. Bartholomew treated Cheraan, who could easily defeat three or four strong men with just a stick, not a sword, with the same care as if he were handling a fragile glass bowl.
Rather, when they first met, they seemed like friends who got along comfortably with each other, but after they started dating, whenever Cheraan did something dangerous, he would openly fidget, and after they got married, he would act like he was carrying a delicate young lady on his back.
Of course, Cheraan was more often annoyed by Bartholomew's behavior, but she secretly enjoyed the treatment. As a result, for a while, the maids of the Nation Palace, not only the maids but also Judith and even Franz, had a hard time suppressing the desire to tease the newlyweds while watching them.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
As Mary Anne cleared away the half-cold teacups, another maid made a noise at the door.
"Why?"
“Ms. Stilda Lofaez of the costume department would like to see you. She says that the Crown Princess’s dress has been completed.”
Before Judith could answer, Mary Anne screamed first. Judith nodded at the maid, looking at Mary Anne, who was blushing brightly as if she found her cute.
“Tell them to come in.”
After the maid stepped aside, a tailor wearing a high-top wig with gold powder came in. Her assistants were struggling to carry boxes larger than the average person's height.
“Hello, Your Highness the Crown Princess. How have you been?”
“Stilda, come in.”
Stilda Lofaez was the most experienced and skilled of the capital's active tailors.
She received all the orders for the year in the first month of each year. She did not accept all the orders that were asked to be placed, and she did not accept more than three orders per person. No matter how much money was brought, she did not move on to the next task until the previous task was completed.
Although she was known to be arrogant and impertinent among the snobbish aristocrats, there was never a single rumor that there was no work at the Lofaez clothing store.
It was so busy that there was no time to even say that it was leisurely, and carriages loaded with expensive fabrics and supplies were lined up in front of the costume shop every day, so popular that even though there were many costume shops in the capital, there was a reason why only the work status of the Lofaez costume shop attracted people's attention.
So the rumor spread quickly throughout the capital that Stilda Lofaez had broken the rule she had kept since opening her shop and postponed all her previous orders by a month. But when it was revealed that the reason was to personally make the Crown Princess's wedding dress, everyone was convinced.
Moreover, when the rumor spread that Stilda Lofaez had personally visited the palace and asked for the opportunity to design the Crown Princess’s wedding dress, Judith’s reputation in high society actually rose even higher. Even though the wedding was not yet upon them, people were already talking about what Judith’s wedding dress would look like.
“I was waiting for you anyway.”
At Judith's words, Stilda looked very moved and gently pressed her palm against her chest.
“I really wanted to show the dress to Your Highness the Crown Princess as soon as possible. I was busy checking and rechecking to see if anything was missing or if I had made any foolish mistakes.”
“Many craftsmen, like the stars, all envy Stilda’s fingertips, and you have similar concerns.”
The corners of Stilda's slightly wrinkled lips turned up.
“Excessive modesty is actually ugly, so I won’t bother to dress up. I have spent my entire life as a tailor, so I am proud of my skills. However, I couldn’t help but feel nervous when I thought that Your Highness the Crown Princess would wear a dress I made at your wedding.”
“Please show me. Mary Anne couldn’t sleep because she was curious about it.”
“It wasn’t like that!”
Mary Anne stomped her toes excitedly. Even Stilda, who had a very picky look when she was expressionless, smiled very kindly at Mary Anne's attitude.
As she nodded her pointed chin, the assistants who had been standing with their hands clasped together politely opened the lid of the largest box first. A loud exclamation burst from the mouths of the maids who had gathered, each stopping their work to wander around.
"Ah!"
“Oh my gosh...! This is the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen! Your Highness, this! Look at this!”
Although she did not scream as loudly as Mary Anne or the other maids, Judith could not close her gaping mouth either. Her dress, which was exposed to the cold winter sunlight as if covered with icy ice, seemed to be white and transparent, almost bluish in color.
The sleeves that covered from the shoulders to the wrists were made of several layers of thin fabric, but they did not flutter messily. The Veronica embroidery that extended from the chest to below the waist and to the edge of the long hem was made of the finest silver and blue threads mixed together. Thus, it was a unique embroidery that looked bluish from a distance and pure white silver when seen up close.
“And this is a cape that matches the dress, Your Highness. The ceremony will be held inside, but you will have to march outside. Since it is the date, it will not be too cold, but it will create a unique atmosphere, right?”
Every time Stilda spoke, her assistants opened boxes in unison as if they had made a promise. A hooded cape as pure as snow, a translucent veil much longer than the dress, gloves, a hair ornament made of dried flowers, one by one, with diamonds set in between them...
Judith felt like she was losing her sense of reality as she looked at the enchanting objects that appeared every time they opened the box. She thought that all of these things were made just for her. She would wear these and marry Franz.
'What should I do? I feel like crying.'
In fact, the tip of Judith's nose was already bright red. The first person to notice it was Stilda. She gently touched Judith's shoulder with a motherly touch and said,
“There is a popular belief that if a bride cries before putting on her wedding dress, she will be unhappy, but I actually don’t believe that.”
For that very reason, Judith, who had been holding back tears with her eyes wide open, raised her head with a puzzled expression.
“You are a bride about to have the happiest day. Isn’t that happiness usually something that comes from beautiful things? A gorgeous dress, a beautiful bouquet. It’s only natural that you would cry when you see such things.”
Judith let out a small sniffle at Stilda's words. Stilda followed her with a soft smile and clapped her hands together.
“Okay, that’s enough. We should get ready quickly so that the Crown Princess can try on the dress. Miss Mary Anne, close the door and place the empty child in front of it. We need to block the Crown Prince if he comes.”
There was also a superstition in Rotair that the bride’s future husband should not see her in her dress before the wedding. It was something that could have been laughed off, but because it was the Crown Princess’s affair, the maids also became nervous. While the maids, determined to guard the door no matter what went out to the palace entrance, Stilda, and her assistants helped Judith try on the dress.
The dress was so beautiful and fit Judith perfectly that it was regrettable that the long hem could not be fully spread out. Judith pretended not to be able to resist Mary Anne’s urging to wear the veil and turned to face the mirror with the veil down from above her head. Then, before she knew it, a look of surprise spread across her face like waves.
"Oh my God..."
Judith, who had been looking at the mirror for a long time, whispered in a small voice. It was only a short exclamation, but Stilda looked very pleased as if she had heard all the many words contained in it.
“My eyes were not wrong. I thought that Your Highness the Crown Princess would look exceptionally beautiful in this dress. Even the moon bows its head, and the flowers seem to fold their leaves in shame.”
Following Stilda's mumbling exclamation, Mary Anne, who had been gaping open the whole time, could also be heard muttering.
“Judith, I think you will fly away to the sky. Even the fairy Kings in the legends were not as beautiful as you, Your Highness.”
“Mary Anne.”
Judith called Mary Anne as if she was embarrassed, but the smile never left her lips. The woman in the mirror, with her hair as dark as the sky hanging down through the translucent veil, felt strangely like she wasn't herself. She was beautiful and even looked happy.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince has truly arrived!”
As everyone in the room was admiring Judith in her wedding dress, the maid who had been outside came running in, out of breath. Judith let out a small laugh while wearing her veil.
“Tell him to wait a moment, because I am acting in a way that His Highness should not see.”
The maid looked puzzled at the strange expression but ran out immediately. Judith, who laughed quietly, carefully took off her dress with the help of Stilda and her assistants.
“From the way you say things like that, it seems like you’re starting to want to get married too.”
“Huh? What are you talking about! It’s not like that. It’s just fun. It’s so much fun to see Bartholomew, with his big body, blushing every time he walks around with Miss Cheraan. You can see his ears turn red whenever she links arms with him. Even though he’s his husband now!”
Bartholomew and Cheraan held their wedding ceremony around autumn. Not only the Duke of Vergy but also the Marquis of Ebelta were prominent families in the capital, so for a while, there was constant talk among the nobles about the two families' marriage.
Fearing that rumors would spread, the wedding was held simply by agreement between the two families. Nevertheless, the nobles who were invited to the ceremony talked for a long time about the unusually splendid decorations, the bride's dress, and the gifts exchanged between the families.
“Lord Bartholomew is so devoted to Miss Cheraan that even the maids of the Nation Palace are envious.”
That was true. Bartholomew treated Cheraan, who could easily defeat three or four strong men with just a stick, not a sword, with the same care as if he were handling a fragile glass bowl.
Rather, when they first met, they seemed like friends who got along comfortably with each other, but after they started dating, whenever Cheraan did something dangerous, he would openly fidget, and after they got married, he would act like he was carrying a delicate young lady on his back.
Of course, Cheraan was more often annoyed by Bartholomew's behavior, but she secretly enjoyed the treatment. As a result, for a while, the maids of the Nation Palace, not only the maids but also Judith and even Franz, had a hard time suppressing the desire to tease the newlyweds while watching them.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess.”
As Mary Anne cleared away the half-cold teacups, another maid made a noise at the door.
"Why?"
“Ms. Stilda Lofaez of the costume department would like to see you. She says that the Crown Princess’s dress has been completed.”
Before Judith could answer, Mary Anne screamed first. Judith nodded at the maid, looking at Mary Anne, who was blushing brightly as if she found her cute.
“Tell them to come in.”
After the maid stepped aside, a tailor wearing a high-top wig with gold powder came in. Her assistants were struggling to carry boxes larger than the average person's height.
“Hello, Your Highness the Crown Princess. How have you been?”
“Stilda, come in.”
Stilda Lofaez was the most experienced and skilled of the capital's active tailors.
She received all the orders for the year in the first month of each year. She did not accept all the orders that were asked to be placed, and she did not accept more than three orders per person. No matter how much money was brought, she did not move on to the next task until the previous task was completed.
Although she was known to be arrogant and impertinent among the snobbish aristocrats, there was never a single rumor that there was no work at the Lofaez clothing store.
It was so busy that there was no time to even say that it was leisurely, and carriages loaded with expensive fabrics and supplies were lined up in front of the costume shop every day, so popular that even though there were many costume shops in the capital, there was a reason why only the work status of the Lofaez costume shop attracted people's attention.
So the rumor spread quickly throughout the capital that Stilda Lofaez had broken the rule she had kept since opening her shop and postponed all her previous orders by a month. But when it was revealed that the reason was to personally make the Crown Princess's wedding dress, everyone was convinced.
Moreover, when the rumor spread that Stilda Lofaez had personally visited the palace and asked for the opportunity to design the Crown Princess’s wedding dress, Judith’s reputation in high society actually rose even higher. Even though the wedding was not yet upon them, people were already talking about what Judith’s wedding dress would look like.
“I was waiting for you anyway.”
At Judith's words, Stilda looked very moved and gently pressed her palm against her chest.
“I really wanted to show the dress to Your Highness the Crown Princess as soon as possible. I was busy checking and rechecking to see if anything was missing or if I had made any foolish mistakes.”
“Many craftsmen, like the stars, all envy Stilda’s fingertips, and you have similar concerns.”
The corners of Stilda's slightly wrinkled lips turned up.
“Excessive modesty is actually ugly, so I won’t bother to dress up. I have spent my entire life as a tailor, so I am proud of my skills. However, I couldn’t help but feel nervous when I thought that Your Highness the Crown Princess would wear a dress I made at your wedding.”
“Please show me. Mary Anne couldn’t sleep because she was curious about it.”
“It wasn’t like that!”
Mary Anne stomped her toes excitedly. Even Stilda, who had a very picky look when she was expressionless, smiled very kindly at Mary Anne's attitude.
As she nodded her pointed chin, the assistants who had been standing with their hands clasped together politely opened the lid of the largest box first. A loud exclamation burst from the mouths of the maids who had gathered, each stopping their work to wander around.
"Ah!"
“Oh my gosh...! This is the most beautiful wedding dress I’ve ever seen! Your Highness, this! Look at this!”
Although she did not scream as loudly as Mary Anne or the other maids, Judith could not close her gaping mouth either. Her dress, which was exposed to the cold winter sunlight as if covered with icy ice, seemed to be white and transparent, almost bluish in color.
The sleeves that covered from the shoulders to the wrists were made of several layers of thin fabric, but they did not flutter messily. The Veronica embroidery that extended from the chest to below the waist and to the edge of the long hem was made of the finest silver and blue threads mixed together. Thus, it was a unique embroidery that looked bluish from a distance and pure white silver when seen up close.
“And this is a cape that matches the dress, Your Highness. The ceremony will be held inside, but you will have to march outside. Since it is the date, it will not be too cold, but it will create a unique atmosphere, right?”
Every time Stilda spoke, her assistants opened boxes in unison as if they had made a promise. A hooded cape as pure as snow, a translucent veil much longer than the dress, gloves, a hair ornament made of dried flowers, one by one, with diamonds set in between them...
Judith felt like she was losing her sense of reality as she looked at the enchanting objects that appeared every time they opened the box. She thought that all of these things were made just for her. She would wear these and marry Franz.
'What should I do? I feel like crying.'
In fact, the tip of Judith's nose was already bright red. The first person to notice it was Stilda. She gently touched Judith's shoulder with a motherly touch and said,
“There is a popular belief that if a bride cries before putting on her wedding dress, she will be unhappy, but I actually don’t believe that.”
For that very reason, Judith, who had been holding back tears with her eyes wide open, raised her head with a puzzled expression.
“You are a bride about to have the happiest day. Isn’t that happiness usually something that comes from beautiful things? A gorgeous dress, a beautiful bouquet. It’s only natural that you would cry when you see such things.”
Judith let out a small sniffle at Stilda's words. Stilda followed her with a soft smile and clapped her hands together.
“Okay, that’s enough. We should get ready quickly so that the Crown Princess can try on the dress. Miss Mary Anne, close the door and place the empty child in front of it. We need to block the Crown Prince if he comes.”
There was also a superstition in Rotair that the bride’s future husband should not see her in her dress before the wedding. It was something that could have been laughed off, but because it was the Crown Princess’s affair, the maids also became nervous. While the maids, determined to guard the door no matter what went out to the palace entrance, Stilda, and her assistants helped Judith try on the dress.
The dress was so beautiful and fit Judith perfectly that it was regrettable that the long hem could not be fully spread out. Judith pretended not to be able to resist Mary Anne’s urging to wear the veil and turned to face the mirror with the veil down from above her head. Then, before she knew it, a look of surprise spread across her face like waves.
"Oh my God..."
Judith, who had been looking at the mirror for a long time, whispered in a small voice. It was only a short exclamation, but Stilda looked very pleased as if she had heard all the many words contained in it.
“My eyes were not wrong. I thought that Your Highness the Crown Princess would look exceptionally beautiful in this dress. Even the moon bows its head, and the flowers seem to fold their leaves in shame.”
Following Stilda's mumbling exclamation, Mary Anne, who had been gaping open the whole time, could also be heard muttering.
“Judith, I think you will fly away to the sky. Even the fairy Kings in the legends were not as beautiful as you, Your Highness.”
“Mary Anne.”
Judith called Mary Anne as if she was embarrassed, but the smile never left her lips. The woman in the mirror, with her hair as dark as the sky hanging down through the translucent veil, felt strangely like she wasn't herself. She was beautiful and even looked happy.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince has truly arrived!”
As everyone in the room was admiring Judith in her wedding dress, the maid who had been outside came running in, out of breath. Judith let out a small laugh while wearing her veil.
“Tell him to wait a moment, because I am acting in a way that His Highness should not see.”
The maid looked puzzled at the strange expression but ran out immediately. Judith, who laughed quietly, carefully took off her dress with the help of Stilda and her assistants.
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