Whitney returned to the mansion and opened the documents Cheston had given her.

It contained information about Cecilia Weston.

[The Marchioness of Weston had been suffering from a chronic illness, but she passed away suddenly. Though the cause was not revealed, some people suspected Cecilia, who had become the second wife. She had already come to Heart Fail with her daughter and was receiving attention as a widow. Her background was unknown, but she had the nickname of “the veiled woman.”

Not long after becoming the Marquis of Weston’s second wife, the Marquis also passed away. Afterwards, Cecilia Weston disappeared with her daughter.]

It was written that the Marquis of Weston’s wealth was gone, leaving only debts. Cheston, being thorough, had included documents on the Weston family’s asset list and debts.

“It’s strange to have accumulated so much debt from investments rather than gambling.”

Unless he had been lost in alcohol and gambling, he would have done some research before investing. Yet the debts were enormous.

“It doesn’t say where he invested.”

Whitney examined the flyer once more. Then she noticed a wanted notice for fraud. Her eyes sparkled as she alternately looked at the information on Cecilia Ervin and the flyer.

‘Fraud! Investment!’

The name written on the flyer was Louise Ann. The woman named Louise in the flyer did not have red hair like her mother. She had dark brown hair and purple eyes.

Her suspicion turned into certainty. Perhaps there was something hidden about her father’s accident as well.

Whitney’s heart raced. First, she needed to go to the duke’s residence and ask the butler to check if there was any hair dye available. Above all, she had to meet the queen, so she needed to stop by home once to seize that opportunity.

Even after reviewing the invitation she had agreed to attend, there was nothing that would interest the queen.

‘Even if I attend this, Her Majesty the Queen won’t be interested.’

The queen’s interest was entirely focused on Cheston and his mother. Whitney quickly came to a conclusion. There was no need to think too hard; there was a simple method.

It would involve taking a risk, but for now, she couldn’t think of any better options.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next day, Whitney was reading the newspaper while having tea.

‘Everyone’s excited about the social season.’

Scandals were starting to break out here and there. The news was certainly different from when she was in the border region. Whitney cut out important parts from the newspaper and pasted them on paper.

This way, it would be easier for Aunt to understand, right?

Whitney put the collected papers in an envelope. After sealing it with wax, she placed it on the desk. She casually spoke to Sonia, who was organizing the study.

“Sonia. We need to stop by the duke’s residence.”

“Understood. Is there anything specific I should prepare? If you let me know, I’ll have it ready in advance.”

“Hmm. It’s just going home, but it might be better to bring something rather than going empty-handed. We should stop by a dye shop. And I need something small as a gift…”

“I’ve heard there are trendy lace handkerchiefs in the capital recently. How about we go look at them together tomorrow?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Whitney nodded. While in town, she also needed to check on the progress of her dress at the salon.

“Oh, and I’d like to send a letter to Aunt as well.”

“I’ll deliver it when you give it to me. Also, Madam said you could freely request anything you need for your debutante, as much as you want.”

“Um… that’s okay. I’ve already requested the dress, so that should be enough. I’m planning to stop by the salon tomorrow, so I’d like you to take a look, Sonia.”

“Understood. I’ve also looked into recent trendy dresses, so I’ll base my observations on that.”

“Thank you.”

Whitney’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the cut-out newspaper on the desk. Perhaps there was a way to pique the queen’s curiosity using the newspaper?

She had thought of a way to attract attention without taking risks. Since the social season had begun, people would be sensitive to trends. She planned to buy one more dress at the salon she was going to visit and wear it to the place she had been invited.

Whitney felt much lighter now that she had come up with a solution.

[This is the timeline separator]

When they heard that the public carriage had arrived, Sonia and Whitney left the mansion with Harwin. The first place they visited was the salon.

They were momentarily surprised to find the door closed, but after knocking carefully, Rebellom peeked his head out.

“We’re not open for… Lady Orlean!”

“Monsieur Rebellom. The door was closed. Are you perhaps closed today?”

Rebellom looked around and then opened the door, gesturing them inside. Whitney looked at Sonia, puzzled by his suspicious behavior.

“Hmm. Shall we go in?”

“Are you sure it’s alright? If there’s something else going on…”

“We have the escort knight with us. He’s making my dress, so there’s nothing to worry about. He readily helped me when I was in trouble.”

Sonia glanced at Rebellom and then nodded. After Harwin entered as well, Rebellom locked the door. Not only that, he even drew the curtains to ensure no one could see inside from the outside.

“Lady Orlean. I was surprised by your unannounced visit.”

“I’m sorry. There’s still a lot left, but I came to look at some other dresses today. But why are you closed? Did my mother send someone to harass you again?”

Whitney frowned as she asked Rebellom. How long did she intend to continue with such childish behavior?

“No! You don’t need to worry about that. We have a reliable… ahem. That’s not important! How wonderful that we’re on the same wavelength. I was just about to contact you because another dress has been completed.”

Rebellom clapped his hands excitedly. Judging by his sparkling eyes, something must have been completed. However, she hadn’t ordered anything other than the dress for her debut.

“…What other dress?”

Rebellom just smiled broadly without saying anything else. Then he guided her inside.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

Whitney sat on the sofa with a bewildered expression. Somehow, the salon seemed a bit cleaner than before.

‘Does anyone know that I’m having a dress made here?’

Since she had used currency with the name of the Orlean duchy, her mother would know. But judging by his face, it didn’t seem like her mother had come to sabotage since that day. However, it was strange that he was closed, as it would be bad for business.

Soon after, Rebellom came out with a couple of dresses.

“These are designs exclusively for Lady Orlean. I thought you might need more than just the debutante dress, so I’m planning to prepare about five dresses.”

“…Five dresses? I can’t accept that.”

“Please accept them. It will put my mind at ease. Don’t ask why. Just think of it as me making an investment. I’ve heard that stories about Lady Orlean have been spreading among the ladies recently.”

Ah, so he’s making clothes for me as a form of promotion. Even so, the fabric used looked high-quality.

“Try one on. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Unable to resist his insistence, Whitney went to change clothes. Sonia helped with the fitting and couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“The design is incredibly elegant. The smooth lines seem to accentuate a woman’s curves well. The finishing is perfect, and the person has an excellent sense of style. How did you find this place?”

Sonia wore a satisfied expression. They had come to get ready-made clothes, but unexpectedly getting a new dress made her happy. It was a yellow dress that matched well with her hair color. A deep blue dress was also placed beside it.

“It certainly feels more comfortable than what I’ve worn before. Is it because it’s tailored to my body… The material is soft too, making it easy to breathe. I like it.”

Whitney looked in the mirror, moving her body this way and that. Her gaze was naturally drawn to the flowing dress hem. The dress skirt had multiple layers, and the petticoat was lavishly adorned with lace, making it a design she had never seen before.

‘This should naturally get people talking.’

After that, Rebellom showed Whitney designs for three more dresses he planned to make.

He said he would focus on the dresses behind closed doors, but he didn’t reveal the reason. Though his evasiveness was suspicious, due to the next appointment, they couldn’t stay longer. Whitney changed back into her clothes and headed to the dye shop.

“I’m sorry, but red dye is difficult to obtain and doesn’t sell well.”

Whitney frowned. She had hoped to gather evidence that Cecilia was buying dye, but it seemed it would be difficult.

“So there are no plans to stock it at all?”

“No, but if it does come in, I’ll contact you.”

“I’ll pay a high price, so please make sure to contact me. There’s a place that needs it.”

“Then would you like to look over here? This is the place that imports the most dyes in the capital.”

“Thank you. Please keep it a secret that I was looking for red dye.”

She received the contact information from the owner and handed over some money. He nodded as if to say not to worry and smiled broadly. After buying lace handkerchiefs as well, Whitney finally headed to the Orlean duke’s residence.

When the public carriage stopped, a servant hurriedly went inside the mansion. Whitney got out of the carriage with Sonia. Every time she came, it felt unfamiliar.

It had been a very long time since she had come to her own house, where neither her father nor mother was present.

“I received the notice, but I’m not pleased to see you.”

“I didn’t expect you to come out to greet me. I brought a gift too, are you going to leave me standing outside?”

Whitney showed the box to Cecilia, who was glaring at her. Only then did Cecilia allow them to enter.

As they entered, Whitney saw the butler she had planted. The two exchanged a brief glance. Whitney casually handed a note to the butler and headed to the reception room.