026. Venting
“How about a flower arrangement on cream satin?”
“It’s pretty.”
“Or how about a paisley pattern? It would look really elegant when draped.”
"...Yes."
Emilia felt sorry for the owner of the costume shop, realizing that her voice was too cold. She had seen and heard many things for quite some time, but her mind was only getting more and more confused.
“Party dresses are really tricky.”
The costume shop owner, Vignette, felt her laughter rising.
Her eyes lingered between the large man standing behind the girl and the skinny, freckled boy in contrast. The three of them had barged into the dressing room out of the blue an hour ago.
They proudly showed her a wad of money, saying they needed a dress to wear to the Countess's ball. It was not even enough to buy a party dress. Nevertheless, it was entirely because of that child that Vignette had made time for her.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the dress isn’t pretty. I’ve never seen such a beautiful dress before. It’s just that I’ve never worn clothes like this before.”
That kind-hearted girl is very sorry.
“Am I taking up too much of Mr. Vignette’s precious time?”
“How about a flower arrangement on cream satin?”
“It’s pretty.”
“Or how about a paisley pattern? It would look really elegant when draped.”
"...Yes."
Emilia felt sorry for the owner of the costume shop, realizing that her voice was too cold. She had seen and heard many things for quite some time, but her mind was only getting more and more confused.
“Party dresses are really tricky.”
The costume shop owner, Vignette, felt her laughter rising.
Her eyes lingered between the large man standing behind the girl and the skinny, freckled boy in contrast. The three of them had barged into the dressing room out of the blue an hour ago.
They proudly showed her a wad of money, saying they needed a dress to wear to the Countess's ball. It was not even enough to buy a party dress. Nevertheless, it was entirely because of that child that Vignette had made time for her.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the dress isn’t pretty. I’ve never seen such a beautiful dress before. It’s just that I’ve never worn clothes like this before.”
That kind-hearted girl is very sorry.
“Am I taking up too much of Mr. Vignette’s precious time?”
Vignette somehow gave her a sad feeling.
The ladies who visit here stay for at least half a day. They touch the items on the shelves as if the store is theirs, and they sit there all day, treating Vignette like a maid and ordering her to run personal errands.
An hour is nothing...
Vignette, who was thinking like that, ended up saying something unexpected.
“How about doing it this way?”
She took a dress out from inside.
“It was finished a few days ago. Would you like to try it on? It looks like it will fit you since it is similar in build to Ms. Bern.”
“But... is that okay?”
Of course not. The owner would be very upset if she found out that someone else had tried the finished dress on first. But pity momentarily took away Vignette's judgment.
“Just keep it a secret.”
Vignette winked and led Emilia into the changing room.
It was a cream silk dress with lace trimmings. It was the kind of dress a girl couldn't buy halfway with the money she had brought.
'But it will work if you make the fabric cheaper.'
Vignette put the dress on her, thinking about it more.
When Emilia, who had changed her clothes, came out into the showroom, Mitch and Beppy, who were watching, could not help but gape in amazement. Vignette also let out an exclamation.
“Oh my god, I thought you could go with anything... I’m really speechless! Wait, wait, here...”
Vignette was more excited and put on all sorts of accessories like hairpins and bracelets, and only then did Emilia feel a little excited.
“Sister, this is it, this is it! Let’s do this!”
She looked back at Vignette with excitement.
“How much would it cost to make it like this?”
The following answer poured cold water on the excitement. It was a price that no one could even dare to think about, so both Mitch and Emilia could only blink.
“Damn it! What can a piece of cloth do to this...”
He grumbled madly. Naturally, the communication failure was directed towards Hardius.
“You damn bastard, shouldn’t you be buying her clothes? Who on earth did we come here for... that pitiful, miserable bastard...”
Emilia shot her brother a warning look. Mitch pouted, realizing that the nagging that had been gnawing at his ears for days was about to begin again.
“Yes, I don’t want to give a single penny to that damn family. Are you going to say that again?”
Mitch muttered, and she took a lap around the dresses that filled the costume shop.
“But the clothes worn by the nobles are so expensive. We really need a revolution. Those damned bastards who trample on the powerless... ugh!”
Emilia was horrified and covered her brother's mouth.
“My little brother is a little... noisy, right? Haha...”
Vignette smiled and said it was okay, and Emilia slowly released her hand. Mitch licked his lips and straightened up his body, which had been subdued by his older sister.
“You’re not normal, Sister. To think that you’d dance with such a bad guy at a ball....”
What would happen if she told that kid about the day it rained so heavily?
He might tear the dress, saying, "Are bread crumbs that good?"
Emilia felt gloomy for some reason, like a moody person.
Vignette, who thought that the customer's complexion had suddenly darkened because the price was too high, said something unexpected once again.
“I can make it cheaper. Exactly half the price. Of course, it will be made of satin, not silk, and it won’t have half the lace.”
“Oh, really?”
“It may not be as pretty as what you are wearing now, but the customer will notice you no matter what you wear. Your face is so pretty. Clothes can’t beat your face.”
Emilia looked down at the pleasantly rolling cloth.
“Yes, please do that.”
“You won’t regret it. I’ll make it really pretty.”
Vignette smiled brightly and took off the flower-decorated choker around Emilia's neck. Mitch, who had been quietly watching her, suddenly made an apologetic face.
“Damn it, sis, just wait a minute. When I grow up and earn money, I’ll buy you ten more dresses like this.”
Emilia pinched the little boy's cheek and wrinkled her nose.
“I'll be looking forward to it.”
“Hey, would you mind coming inside for a minute? I need to take some measurements.”
Emilia, who was following Vignette, suddenly remembered that Beppy had been watching this entire conversation.
Beppy promised that he would never run to Hardius without saying a word again, but who knows? He might run to Nowak and tell him about this again.
'Emilia buys a cheap dress. Emilia buys a cheap one...' and so on.
In that moment, Emilia's eyes suddenly lit up. If there was one thing she wished for the least in the world, it would be to receive another 'compensation' from Hardius. She quickly turned to Beppy.
“Sir, I’m warning you in advance. If you ever go to see the master again and tell him about what happened today, I’ll be really angry.”
The old man blinked as if he didn't understand what was being said.
“It means don’t nag.”
“What?! I'm nagging?!”
Beppy suddenly screamed. Emilia, Mitch, and Vignette were all startled.
“Beppy is not a snitch! I'm not a snitch! I protect Emilia! I protect her! I don’t spy on her!”
Beppy was getting extremely angry. And he hadn't even mentioned the word 'surveillance'...
“Beppy is not a snitcher...!”
“Oh, I get it. I get it, sir. You’re not a nitpicker at all. You’re a wonderful person who protects me.”
Emilia was shocked and quickly calmed him down.
While there was a commotion in the costume room, someone was watching them through the glass window.
It was the youngest daughter of the Cavendish family, Sheila. She, too, was in town to get her dress tailored.
“Miss, would you like to go here too?”
“Huh? ...No.”
Sheila took a quick step forward.
“Let’s go home, Mia. We have to hurry. We have an important guest coming from Nowak today. Father told us to get ready and wait.”
But the steps towards the carriage are becoming slower and heavier. It's because Emilia was just now perfectly dressed in a party dress.
Is she really going to attend Madame Luen's ball? Dressed like that? She thought that mouse-like child would definitely not attend.
But why is she getting a dress tailored? She doesn't have a partner anyway...
Sheila, who had been frowning, stopped for a moment. She knew the answer.
Nathan Malvin.
Lately, she's seen Emilia getting very close to that guy. And Nathan even dared to ask her father to check his visiting card. Strange rumors were going around about the two of them.
Most of the servants, including the footman, thought that it was Nathan Malvin's one-sided feelings, but Sheila thought differently. How can there be anything 'one-sided' in a relationship between a man and a woman? Emilia Berne must have been the cause.
She's a vicious and spiteful kid. She must have been secretly nagging at her behind her back.
People say that Emilia is being discriminated against because she is a commoner, but in Sheila's eyes, she is being evaluated more highly than necessary because she is a commoner.
She's a commoner who speaks well, she's a commoner who's pretty, she's a commoner who's smart... How much will she make a fuss at Madame Luen's ball?
All the way home, Sheila pursed her lips, her teeth grinding with rage and frustration.
And when she got home, her anger target showed up in an unexpected place. It was an old man who was her father's honored guest.
The ladies who visit here stay for at least half a day. They touch the items on the shelves as if the store is theirs, and they sit there all day, treating Vignette like a maid and ordering her to run personal errands.
An hour is nothing...
Vignette, who was thinking like that, ended up saying something unexpected.
“How about doing it this way?”
She took a dress out from inside.
“It was finished a few days ago. Would you like to try it on? It looks like it will fit you since it is similar in build to Ms. Bern.”
“But... is that okay?”
Of course not. The owner would be very upset if she found out that someone else had tried the finished dress on first. But pity momentarily took away Vignette's judgment.
“Just keep it a secret.”
Vignette winked and led Emilia into the changing room.
It was a cream silk dress with lace trimmings. It was the kind of dress a girl couldn't buy halfway with the money she had brought.
'But it will work if you make the fabric cheaper.'
Vignette put the dress on her, thinking about it more.
When Emilia, who had changed her clothes, came out into the showroom, Mitch and Beppy, who were watching, could not help but gape in amazement. Vignette also let out an exclamation.
“Oh my god, I thought you could go with anything... I’m really speechless! Wait, wait, here...”
Vignette was more excited and put on all sorts of accessories like hairpins and bracelets, and only then did Emilia feel a little excited.
“Sister, this is it, this is it! Let’s do this!”
She looked back at Vignette with excitement.
“How much would it cost to make it like this?”
The following answer poured cold water on the excitement. It was a price that no one could even dare to think about, so both Mitch and Emilia could only blink.
“Damn it! What can a piece of cloth do to this...”
He grumbled madly. Naturally, the communication failure was directed towards Hardius.
“You damn bastard, shouldn’t you be buying her clothes? Who on earth did we come here for... that pitiful, miserable bastard...”
Emilia shot her brother a warning look. Mitch pouted, realizing that the nagging that had been gnawing at his ears for days was about to begin again.
“Yes, I don’t want to give a single penny to that damn family. Are you going to say that again?”
Mitch muttered, and she took a lap around the dresses that filled the costume shop.
“But the clothes worn by the nobles are so expensive. We really need a revolution. Those damned bastards who trample on the powerless... ugh!”
Emilia was horrified and covered her brother's mouth.
“My little brother is a little... noisy, right? Haha...”
Vignette smiled and said it was okay, and Emilia slowly released her hand. Mitch licked his lips and straightened up his body, which had been subdued by his older sister.
“You’re not normal, Sister. To think that you’d dance with such a bad guy at a ball....”
What would happen if she told that kid about the day it rained so heavily?
He might tear the dress, saying, "Are bread crumbs that good?"
Emilia felt gloomy for some reason, like a moody person.
Vignette, who thought that the customer's complexion had suddenly darkened because the price was too high, said something unexpected once again.
“I can make it cheaper. Exactly half the price. Of course, it will be made of satin, not silk, and it won’t have half the lace.”
“Oh, really?”
“It may not be as pretty as what you are wearing now, but the customer will notice you no matter what you wear. Your face is so pretty. Clothes can’t beat your face.”
Emilia looked down at the pleasantly rolling cloth.
“Yes, please do that.”
“You won’t regret it. I’ll make it really pretty.”
Vignette smiled brightly and took off the flower-decorated choker around Emilia's neck. Mitch, who had been quietly watching her, suddenly made an apologetic face.
“Damn it, sis, just wait a minute. When I grow up and earn money, I’ll buy you ten more dresses like this.”
Emilia pinched the little boy's cheek and wrinkled her nose.
“I'll be looking forward to it.”
“Hey, would you mind coming inside for a minute? I need to take some measurements.”
Emilia, who was following Vignette, suddenly remembered that Beppy had been watching this entire conversation.
Beppy promised that he would never run to Hardius without saying a word again, but who knows? He might run to Nowak and tell him about this again.
'Emilia buys a cheap dress. Emilia buys a cheap one...' and so on.
In that moment, Emilia's eyes suddenly lit up. If there was one thing she wished for the least in the world, it would be to receive another 'compensation' from Hardius. She quickly turned to Beppy.
“Sir, I’m warning you in advance. If you ever go to see the master again and tell him about what happened today, I’ll be really angry.”
The old man blinked as if he didn't understand what was being said.
“It means don’t nag.”
“What?! I'm nagging?!”
Beppy suddenly screamed. Emilia, Mitch, and Vignette were all startled.
“Beppy is not a snitch! I'm not a snitch! I protect Emilia! I protect her! I don’t spy on her!”
Beppy was getting extremely angry. And he hadn't even mentioned the word 'surveillance'...
“Beppy is not a snitcher...!”
“Oh, I get it. I get it, sir. You’re not a nitpicker at all. You’re a wonderful person who protects me.”
Emilia was shocked and quickly calmed him down.
***
While there was a commotion in the costume room, someone was watching them through the glass window.
It was the youngest daughter of the Cavendish family, Sheila. She, too, was in town to get her dress tailored.
“Miss, would you like to go here too?”
“Huh? ...No.”
Sheila took a quick step forward.
“Let’s go home, Mia. We have to hurry. We have an important guest coming from Nowak today. Father told us to get ready and wait.”
But the steps towards the carriage are becoming slower and heavier. It's because Emilia was just now perfectly dressed in a party dress.
Is she really going to attend Madame Luen's ball? Dressed like that? She thought that mouse-like child would definitely not attend.
But why is she getting a dress tailored? She doesn't have a partner anyway...
Sheila, who had been frowning, stopped for a moment. She knew the answer.
Nathan Malvin.
Lately, she's seen Emilia getting very close to that guy. And Nathan even dared to ask her father to check his visiting card. Strange rumors were going around about the two of them.
Most of the servants, including the footman, thought that it was Nathan Malvin's one-sided feelings, but Sheila thought differently. How can there be anything 'one-sided' in a relationship between a man and a woman? Emilia Berne must have been the cause.
She's a vicious and spiteful kid. She must have been secretly nagging at her behind her back.
People say that Emilia is being discriminated against because she is a commoner, but in Sheila's eyes, she is being evaluated more highly than necessary because she is a commoner.
She's a commoner who speaks well, she's a commoner who's pretty, she's a commoner who's smart... How much will she make a fuss at Madame Luen's ball?
All the way home, Sheila pursed her lips, her teeth grinding with rage and frustration.
And when she got home, her anger target showed up in an unexpected place. It was an old man who was her father's honored guest.
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