The wedding preparations were progressing smoothly.

“These are the documents with the budget sent by the master. His Highness said that you may prepare the wedding as the young lady wishes.”

“I’ll take a look.”

I sat facing Jackson, the administrator of the Grand Duke’s territory sent by Hertian, in the reception room. The oil applied over his 5:5 parted hair glistened in the sunlight.

“Does the young lady have any particular wedding style in mind?”

There was no time to rest. While Hertian was dealing with the backlog of territory matters, I had to prepare for the wedding.

“Well, I don’t have any specific style in mind.”

“Then may I designate one at my discretion?”

Jackson rifled through the documents with quick hands. His movements were quite skillful.

He was said to have taken care of the Grand Duke’s territory in the Grand Duke’s absence, so he seemed like he would be helpful.

“Just a moment. I brought a few catalogs.”

I took out the catalogs I had marked beforehand, before he arrived. He quickly picked up the catalogs and began flipping through them. His eyes moved rapidly. It was fascinating.

“The dress concept you’ve chosen this time matches well. Moreover, it’s not excessively lavish nor too modest, creating an atmosphere that’s memorable yet not too memorable. A cutline that’s on the verge of exceeding the budget, but not quite.”

Thud. The catalog landed perfectly on the table. He had already skimmed through it all.

“How is it?”

His sharp, slanted eyes turned towards me. I unconsciously gulped.

“Don’t you like it?”

“No.”

He shook his index finger once from side to side. Then, the corners of his thin lips curled up.

“It’s perfection itself.”

It was worth staying up all night to research.

He spread the rest of the documents on the table. The real preparation was just beginning.

“How many guests are you thinking of inviting?”

“Since we’re planning to invite the artists my mother sponsors, our guests alone will be about a hundred.”

“How do you plan to do your makeup?”

“I’m thinking of leaving it to my personal maid. I’m worried that if I entrust it to someone else, it might not match my skin tone, which would look stranger.”

Scribble, scribble.

“What about the meal on the day?”

“Will skipping breakfast make my stomach flatter? I plan to eat as usual.”

Jackson circled around me, checking each item one by one. Watching him note down even the tiniest details made me feel like I was being interrogated.

“Jackson… Are we done now?”

It had already been three hours. I was starting to feel hungry and my body was stiff.

But unlike me, Jackson’s eyes were brimming with enthusiasm.

“You’re already tired from this for a once-in-a-lifetime wedding?”

“I might collapse.”

I tilted my head slightly, biting my tongue lightly. Only then did Jackson put down the paper filled with dense writing.

“As much as I’d like to continue, I can’t let the future Grand Duchess collapse.”

“Shall we stop here then?”

“No. There’s one last thing I’d like to ask.”

At Jackson’s words, I sat up straight one last time, mustering my final bit of strength.

“Let’s finish quickly.”

“What’s your secret for hand care?”

I looked at him with wide eyes. His gaze became coy.

“Hand care?”

“Looking at documents all day has ruined my hands. Even applying recommended ointments only helps temporarily…”

And then, with sorrowful eyes, he began examining his reddened hands from various angles.

“Ahem. The young lady’s hands are smooth and neat, so you must have a secret, right? It’s not that I’m envious. I’m just curious. Just asking out of curiosity.”

He wasn’t joking, but asking me in all seriousness.

I burst into laughter as I watched him glance at my nails from the corner of his eye. He had a subtly cute side to him. It even made me want to tease him a bit.

“If I tell you the secret, what will you do for me in return?”

[This is the timeline separator]

Jackson quickly mounted his horse, holding the budget plan. Unlike when he entered, his mood now seemed very displeased. Seeing this, a subordinate knight asked out of curiosity.

“Administrator, did something interesting happen?”

Jackson’s steps halted. He glanced around briefly, then fanned his flushed face with his hand.

“Don’t even ask, I’m at a loss for words.”

“Did the young lady say the budget was insufficient?”

“No. The wedding preparations were perfect.”

The subordinate’s head tilted in confusion. If not the wedding, what else could have angered him?

“Then why are you so upset?”

“You see, I asked about her secret for such smooth hands, and…”

“And…?”

“She told me to wash my hands with water boiled with these mere twigs.”

It was a bundle of reddish-purple twigs. This was what Anette had given him as her secret.

Jackson, who had expected something like shea butter or snail extract cream, couldn’t hide his disappointment at seeing the twigs.

“Hmph. I knew noble ladies were frightening, but I didn’t expect one to play such a prank on someone asking a serious question.”

“Still, you might want to try boiling them, just in case.”

“You, are you naive or just stupid? You go ahead and drink plenty of it.”

Jackson poked his subordinate’s side with the twigs.

[This is the timeline separator]

Time flowed like water since I started preparing for the wedding.

The view outside the window had already turned orange.

I stretched my stiff body and got up from the chair after several hours.

“Young lady. I think you need to come out for a moment.”

I followed Betty down to the lobby. Below, Madam Luanna and a girl in shabby clothes were standing.

“Luanna. I was just waiting for you.”

I clasped the hands of Luanna, a welcome guest.

“Come inside.”

But she couldn’t easily take a step. Looking closely, unlike before when she was relaxed, her face was now shadowed.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

At those worried words, Luanna hesitated, then pulled the hand of the girl she had brought. The girl looked about the same age as me.

“I’m truly sorry, young lady.”

As she bowed apologetically, the girl beside her also lowered her head.

“A girl who runs errands for our shop made a mistake. You should apologize too.”

“I’m, I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

A thin voice trembled. The girl repeatedly bowed, apologizing.

“The dress was ruined, wasn’t it?”

There was no other reason for them to apologize to me like this.

“I asked her to move a flower pot, but she didn’t look properly and spilled it… Why did she bring it to where the dress was when I told her to take it outside.”

She scolded the girl beside her.

“Is it completely unwearable?”

“While trying to brush off the dirt, it got stained instead, making it impossible to clean.”

The girl just kept bowing with her hands clasped. Her hands were scarred and dark, as if she had done a lot of hard work.

“I’m, I’m sorry. The dress was so pretty that I couldn’t help but look at it, and my hand slipped. I’ve committed an unforgivable sin.”

“I understand the situation. It’s regrettable, but what’s done can’t be undone. I won’t make an issue of it.”

To be honest, I wasn’t feeling good about it.

Just when I had finished the wedding preparations, another problem arose.

But with the wedding soon approaching, I didn’t want to make a fuss. Getting angry wouldn’t solve anything, and I could wear a different dress.

‘Hertian had picked out such a pretty one for me.’

That was the only thing I felt sorry about.

“Thank you, Anette. I’m ashamed for not keeping my promise.”

“Please be careful to prevent such accidents in the future.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think I’ll have time to serve tea today, is that alright?”

“Of course. We’ll take our leave now.”

I saw the back of the girl following Luanna. Her wheat-colored hair looked like a young calf being led to the slaughterhouse.

“But if they leave like this, what will happen to that girl?”

Dresses are so expensive that even ordinary nobles can’t freely buy them. How could a commoner girl running errands at a dress shop afford to compensate for it?

“How will she compensate for the dress?”

Luanna didn’t seem like the type to do that. However, if the value of the dress had caused a significant loss to the dress shop, things might be different.

Then, an answer came from elsewhere.

“Even if she sold ten lives, she couldn’t pay for that dress. Tsk tsk.”

It was the voice of the maids who had been watching the situation from behind. As she said, that girl probably couldn’t pay for this dress even if she worked her entire life.

“I’m curious. I heard that all the jewels and materials used in Luanna’s dress shop are top quality. I wonder how you’ll calculate the cost of that dress after leaving the mansion.”

“That… I haven’t thought about it yet.”

I approached the girl in shabby clothes. Her braided hair on both sides trembled slightly.

“If Luanna gives you a chance to repay, how do you intend to do it?”

“……”

“Avoiding the answer won’t solve the problem, you know.”

From somewhere, the topic of slavery came up. Having heard this clearly, she opened her teary eyes wide.

“Please just kill me… I’d rather die here than be sold as a slave.”

Becoming a slave must be that terrifying.

Still, I felt a little angry.

“Do you have any pain in your body?”

“…No. But, but if you’re going to sell me as a slave, I’ll cripple myself. I absolutely won’t go.”

She uttered frightening words without hesitation. She must have thought that my words meant I was going to sell her as a slave. I looked her over with my eyes. She seemed about the same age as me, but had a much healthier body.

“Are you willing to throw away your life for one dress?”

“But I don’t have money to pay for it…”

“Just because you don’t have money to compensate doesn’t mean there’s absolutely no way. Are you being bold or just well-fed?”

She looked at me with puzzled eyes. Her face seemed to ask who the really well-fed person was. I looked at her clothes, which had caught my eye earlier, and said,

“The pattern on your clothes is unique. What kind of fabric is this made from?”

At this sudden question, she clutched her clothes and eyed me warily.

“…It’s made from pieces of tapestry used in winter.”

Tapestry.

It was a cloth used to keep rooms warm in winter. Seeing clothes made from such an unexpected material piqued my curiosity.

“What’s your name?”

“…Bonisa. I don’t have a surname.”

Bonisa averted her gaze at my investigative tone.

“Bonisa, do you know how to make tapestries too?”

“In my hometown, the winter wind was very cold, so we used to make them together… But why are you asking about that…”

I answered with a bright smile.

“I think I’ve found it. A way for you to survive.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Bonisa agreed to visit the mansion again tomorrow. With a tapestry she made herself.

“Young lady. Why are you calling that girl back?”

Betty had been watching this situation with disapproval from earlier.

“I always support everything you do, but I can’t understand this one.”

“Because I’m annoyed.”

“Exactly! Saying she’d rather die than be dragged off as a slave. It’s like she has no intention of paying back the money at all.”

“No, not that.”

I placed my index finger on her protruding duck-like lips. This silenced her chattering mouth.

“She said she’d die rather than live as a slave. It irked me that someone younger and healthier than me would say they’d die just because of money.”

Here I am, struggling so hard to live. Yet someone young and healthy is willing to give up their life over just one dress.

I’m not saying I don’t understand, but I was annoyed that she didn’t try her best to find a solution.

I couldn’t stand people like that.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next day arrived.

As promised, Bonisa visited the mansion again. Luanna was with her.

“Did you bring it?”

“Yes. Here it is.”

The girl brought the tapestry as promised. When Betty unfolded the cloth, a rather heavy and large tapestry emerged. I sat in front of the tapestry to check the pattern.

“You made all this in just one day?”

“Yes.”

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“Commoners like us don’t keep items that could be sold for money without selling them immediately.”

For something made in just one day, the weave was incredibly good. There were no parts where the pattern was disrupted.

“How long have you been making these?”

“Since I was very young. I’ve been making them constantly, following my mother, from the moment I can remember.”

Her eyes lowered.

I put down the tapestry and approached Luanna.

“Luanna. I’ll buy the dress the Grand Duke ordered. In return, please don’t hold that girl responsible.”

“Lady Anette. You don’t need to worry so much. That girl is nothing…”

“If anything were to happen to that girl because of my dress, I would feel uncomfortable.”

Luanna didn’t have a clear solution either, so she went along with my words.

I told her to send it to the Count’s residence and then told Betty to pack up the tapestry.

“Bonisa. Live a long life.”

And just as I was about to turn around after greeting her, with her cute twin braids, today as well.

“Young lady!”