The private hall only had the best Items that were limited to the main hall, so the prices were very high. So, even though the main hall was different, the private hall costumes had never been sold out.
"So, you buy everything from indoor wear to riding wear and party dresses."
Annie said with excitement, her head quickly calculating. Julia shook her hand, slightly surprised.
"You really think you're buying that much of my stuff?"
Julia hasn't even been able to wear all the new dresses she got for her coming-of-age ceremony.
Julia asked, dumbfounded, as if she was serious. Endymion smiled and rested his chin on his other hand as he spoke.
"Ah. First, let's look at the pajamas."
By explicitly placing an accent on a word.
"Yes. Young Lady! Your fiancé is quite excited. Shall we go and see?"
Annie, who was excited, quickly took Julia away. Julia tried to correct her address without thinking, but ended up being dragged to the changing room.
And a spectacular display reminiscent of a fashion show unfolded.
"Oh my, you are so beautiful!"
The clothes Annie had pulled out were hung up in the changing room. When she came out wearing them with the help of the maid inside, everyone was excited.
"You are definitely the goddess of beauty! How does it suit you so well? If I were to wear that nightgown. "
"This special muslin negligee hasn't even been worn by a model! It looks so good on Young Lady that it doesn't even need a model."
Julia laughed, embarrassed by the outpouring of praise.
'I'm not even wearing a dress, I'm wearing pajamas and buying them. Are you complimenting me because you're afraid I'll feel embarrassed?'
Julia didn't realize that Annie was the heart of an over-engrossed artist whose masterpiece had found its master.
But anyway, just as Annie had promised, the outfits were absolutely beautiful. Julia stood in front of the full-length mirror and examined her pajamas.
"Well, how are you, Mion? Are you okay?"
"Uh."
But the reaction was lukewarm.
Not really? Julia tilted her head and tried on another pair of pajamas. The reaction wasn't much different, though.
'What?'
Endymion just smiled, and compared to Annie, who was suffocating and fussing, it was boring. It wasn't bad, but it was more like she was with her brother or father than with her husband.
"I think that's enough for the pajamas. Now let's look at the dress."
Endymion walked over to the side and examined the clothes hangers Annie had dragged out. Then he pointed to a dainty velvet dress.
"How is it?"
Hmm.
Julia narrowed her eyes and looked up at her husband. She felt strangely uneasy. It was really easy to shop since he only looked at clothes...
"No, I want to try something else."
Julia picked up another nightgown. It was a fancy, bold nightgown, like something an opera singer would wear on stage, quite different from the modest dress Endymion had pointed out.
'Isn't the reaction boring? I want to see you surprised.'
Julia glanced at Endymion, who seemed surprised, and went into the changing room, where she also diligently chose other clothes. They were all flashy and stylish clothes that were popular among young ladies.
"Now that I look at it... Young Master is being mean?"
Annie, who had been helping Juli la recommend clothes without knowing anything, held back a laugh.
"You can just tell me if you want to see a different style than the modest one!"
"I tend to respect individual tastes."
Endymion said bluntly, his expression faltering.
Meanwhile, Julia appeared, dressed in a much more refined design than the dress she sometimes wore when she felt like it.
"How does it look?"
"So pretty."
Endymion sat up abruptly, pretending to be speechless like a fox.
Annie was dumbfounded, but like a professional, she quickly chimed in and intervened. As Julia came out wearing different clothes one after another, Endymion's praise grew stronger and stronger.
"It's so bright I can't see."
"It suits you so well. It looks like you were born wearing these clothes."
"I should only wear that at home. I want to keep it for myself."
Endymion continued his parade of compliments. Julia, who had been awkwardly wearing new clothes that she had never worn before, gradually gained confidence.
Annie tried on all the other clothes she had picked out with great joy, even the thin lace nightgown that was very pretty but didn't seem very practical.
"This is the last outfit... How about this?"
Julia would normally be terrified and ask how anyone could wear something like this outside.
However, having already worn dozens of daring dresses, her morality and conservatism had been greatly reduced.
Moreover, she didn't feel embarrassed by Endymion's reaction, who complimented her calmly as if he were looking at her hunting clothes.
Even Annie, a professional businesswoman who was used to such things, simply served her without much thought.
Julia vaguely thought that the level of the water level was not as bad as she thought, given the indifferent reactions from those around her. Although it was a new experience, she felt very happy to receive Endymion's thunderous praise.
"Let's take it today. No one else can handle it but you."
Endymion spoke as he took her hands in both his serious manner, like a priest giving a speech. Julia laughed heartily and said that she had tried on enough clothes and that it was time to go, and went back to the changing room.
'This guy is such a genius with his words.'
Annie looked at Endymion with eyes of respect. How could she melt him so gently and make him fall over?
"Send them first. 7, 13, 24, 68th, and even the pajamas you were wearing earlier."
"Oh, of course. Thank you, sir!"
Annie ran over to Julia before she could even come out of the locker room.
That day, Madame Elphaba's shop sold a whole week's worth of clothes in one go. The private hall, which was completely swept away, was left empty for a month.
The nobles who had been eagerly waiting for the new season's clothes were all disappointed. And they were speechless at the story of the unknown diamond nobleman who was the main culprit.
It was a legendary incident that would later be remembered in high society as the Diamond Incident. And Endymion's ambitious plan.
"Mi, Mion. This place seems so immoral..."
"Well... I think I'm okay. Think about the pajamas you bought last time. You could have worn them outside back then, right?"
"Ah. Right. Then is this okay...?"
These bold clothes, which spared no expense, were used as a comparison to diminish Julia's morality.
In the end, Julia, as Endymion had wished, came to have slightly immoral and daring thoughts.
So his cheeky plan worked.
***
Semele was at peace. The royal couple were still on good terms, and the nobles supported the now adult King without any lack of support.
However, when Marquis Flora committed a crime and was deposed, and several related noble families were also dealt with, a vacuum was created in the aristocratic society.
People were puzzled.
"What on earth were you doing that for?"
"That's what I'm saying."
Previously it was the Duke of Soare, and now it's the Marquis Flora.
The young King was a perfect monarch, except for the lowly status of his mother. He was intelligent, had good judgment, and had an overwhelming sense of control.
"Is there something we don't know about? I heard that the Marchioness Flora was close to the Queen."
"Hey, you little punk. Are you pretending to be a traitor now?"
"No. That's just what I'm saying! Isn't that what you're saying when nobles who had no clue suddenly rebel?"
Although there was no clear evidence, some people began to doubt it.
"Don't talk nonsense."
"Why do they find fault with His Majesty for their foolishness?"
Of course, there was no problem because the strong royal authority had a solid support base. Still, it was undeniable that a slight doubt had sprouted.
When ripples appeared in a still pond, people were more interested in the phenomenon than the cause. Rather than speculating whether the cause was a rock or an insect, they wondered if there was something strange about the pond to begin with.
The staunch conservatives were muttering that this would shake the royal authority. But the young King laughed it off and changed the mood in an instant.
"I heard you were awarded the title of Marquis this time?"
"Hahaha, thank you, Your Grace, no, Your Excellency!"
The King held a ceremony to bestow titles and elevate the status of loyal nobles. It was a brilliant move that not only filled the void in the aristocratic society but also gained new loyalty.
The rift that had briefly developed was quickly resolved, except among some conservatives.
Semele still maintained the firm position as the greatest power. The young King's reign continued in peace and prosperity.
There was just one puzzling thing: the mild droughts that had been occurring in some areas were becoming more widespread.
***
"I guess the Ametrine delegation will take some time."
"I guess Duke Joel himself will be coming. If we are to appoint a substitute to fill in the gap, we will have..."
Julia and Boris walked along, talking. They were now on Pantheon Street, a regular shopping street right next to the aristocratic shopping street.
"Ametrine is a smaller country than you might think. If it were a large country like Semele, they would have elected a proxy in just one day."
"I see. I hope the delegation comes soon. I have a feeling that I'll get some new research ideas!"
Boris, who had been having a hard time with his research lately, looked very expectant. He seemed to be secretly looking forward to the arrival of someone like Julia, who was easy to talk to, saying that new stimulation would be helpful.
Julia was about to tell him that just because they were from the same hometown, it didn't mean their personalities were similar, but she held back. She felt she had to protect the untainted, pure innocence of the wizard.
Instead, it seemed like the Ametrine envoys would be bombarded with questions.
'Hmm. Thank you for your hard work, envoys.'
While Julia was sending her heartfelt condolences in advance, they arrived at the shopping street of the Pantheon.
"Buy the apron! It's brand new, hand-dyed, and has the latest lace!"
"This watering can also control the amount of water. Also, check out the manual water control faucet!"
The atmosphere was lively due to the merchants' solicitation of customers. The streets were bustling with people walking around, unlike the nobles who rode in carriages.
"Oh! Is that the inn over there?"
"Oh, yes!"
Boris ran off in excitement. Julia followed him, secretly escorted by knights disguised as ordinary people.
"Oh my, why is water so expensive?"
Boris, who had been arguing with the owner in the kitchen, came out after a while and grumbled, holding a bucket in his hand.
A knight who had been waiting from afar took it and set off for the castle first.
"Even if it's a pond that's famous for its clear water, it's still like that. It's just water from a garden pond, so what's the difference between that and two lanyards?"
"Is it so?"
Julia's eyes widened in surprise.
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