Lea returned to the duke’s residence with Terran. However, expensive roses were spread out in the lobby.

Those roses with a subtle blend of white and blue hues must be quite costly, yet they covered the lobby like a carpet, not just one or two stems.

“Grace, step on them as you walk.”

“Terran, the flowers are too… to step on.”

It was a shame. Above all, stepping on live flowers would kill them all.

“It means you’ll only walk on flower paths from now on.”

“Flower paths?”

Before hearing his words, she felt reluctant, but she couldn’t refuse anymore, grateful for the intention of deliberately laying flowers on her path.

Lea slowly took one step at a time. When luscious flower petals were crushed under her feet, she squeezed her eyes shut, but she didn’t want to reject the flower path Terran had laid out for her.

“I, I want to walk only on flower paths.”

Lea gently lifted her skirt and walked lightly on the carpet made of flowers. Soon, Terran also stepped on the flowers and walked towards her.

“I feel sorry for the flowers, but it’s like I’m in a flower garden with Terran.”

A smile blossomed on Lea’s face.

Seeing Grace smiling brightly on the flowers, Terran’s heart fluttered again.

‘The dove that flew far away has returned to my arms. How very good.’

How many beings in the world could be more beautiful than flowers? It seemed he had found at least one. And Terran fervently wished that they would both walk only on flower paths like this for the rest of their lives.

“Terran, did you prepare these flowers to surprise me?”

“You could say that, what does it matter?”

“Thank you.”

‘Thanks for what, those flowers were sent by that bastard Allen MacDowell. We shouldn’t ignore the gesture.’

A shameless man who keeps pestering a woman who clearly has a fiancé.

‘So he’s asking for trouble.’

Terran enjoyed strolling through the flowers with Grace as if they were in a flower garden.

* * *

Grace introduced Sonya and Adolf to Terran.

Terran had already completed a background check on them and expressed his intention to hire them. The couple was delighted that they would be able to do their work from now on.

“I’ll prepare a separate small annex for you to live in.”

Although Terran spoke quite kindly to the two, Sonya and Adolf found him very intimidating.

“If you succeed with the Empress’s riding outfit this time, I plan to entrust you with a boutique in the city.”

“Is that… really true?”

Adolf’s eyes welled up with tears. Opening a boutique under his own name had been a lifelong dream.

While being a royal tailor was an honor, it was nothing compared to owning one’s own business.

“Of course, it’s possible when you understand my intentions and produce satisfactory results.”

“That goes without saying.”

Only after hearing their answer did Lea unfold the sketches of the clothes she had designed in front of them.

However, Sonya and Adolf seemed somewhat shocked, their expressions darkening.

“Are you saying you want to dress the Empress in men’s formal wear?”

Adolf asked again while looking at the sketch.

“Yes, but it’s not a complete gentleman’s suit. Please make a black jacket that comes down to the waist, but make sure to taper the waist area to elegantly accentuate the curves of a woman’s body.”

“Then we’ll need to use a fabric that’s easy to move in.”

Adolf put on his glasses and carefully examined Lea’s sketch. At that moment, Lea shifted her gaze to Terran.

“Terran, what happened to the camel hair brought from Turkey?”

“I’ve prepared it as Grace ordered.”

He rang a bell, and James immediately entered the office.

“Bring the fabric we brought from Turkey.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

However, Sonya’s expression wasn’t very good.

She understood modifying men’s items for the shirt and tie to be worn under the jacket, but the problem was the bottom.

“My lady, surely you’re not planning to make the Empress wear trousers? For a lady to spread her legs and ride a horse…”

“You need to make the bottom, Sonya. As culottes…”

“Culottes?”

“It needs to not show even when spreading legs to ride a horse. But the issue is mobility. To demonstrate various equestrian skills, even if they’re culottes, they can’t be flowing or tangling around the legs. Please make elegant and dignified riding culottes. Especially when the wind blows, the underpants must not be visible.”

Hearing Lea’s words, Sonya repeatedly tilted her head and showed reluctance.

“If a Saint Petersburg royal tailor can’t even make that much, it would be quite embarrassing, wouldn’t it? If you’re going to give up, say so early. My personal tailor is quite skilled too.”

Terran delivered a sharp rebuke to Sonya.

After all, no one would acknowledge their glorious past experience just by hearing about it.

Sonya remained silent for a while with a gloomy face at Terran’s harsh words. She probably felt her pride had been hurt.

But this time, even Lea didn’t think Terran had said anything wrong. Since they always said they had rich experience, they needed to actually show it to be recognized.

“I’ll make the culottes with the same material as the jacket. By putting knife pleats in the waist area, it won’t look like trousers when sitting in the saddle. Instead, the skirt length should only come down to the shins.”

Sonya spoke her thoughts actively as if she had never shown reluctance. At that moment, an item that the Hamilton Company used to handle in the past came to Lea’s mind.

“We can wear long boots made of deerskin. Gloves too. Then there’s no chance of underwear being exposed, and it will look quite splendid.”

At Lea’s words, Adolf’s eyes lit up. Deerskin was as soft as human skin, making it an unbeatable material for horseback riding or hunting.

Just then, James entered carrying a roll of fabric.

“This is a fabric blended with Turkish camel hair and wool. It’s thin but has excellent insulation.”

“Look at this sheen.”

When Lea showed the fabric James had brought, Sonya’s face brightened.

Meanwhile, Terran, who had been reading the newspaper for a while, delivered surprising news to everyone.

“It says almost all the royalty from across the continent will participate in the Royal Equestrian Competition held in Bellis. Even Emperor Teresa of Galdensia is said to be attending as a spectator.”

“Really?”

Emperor Teresa of Galdensia was famous for rarely engaging in external activities. Of course, no one had seen her face either.

The only way to know her face was through portraits.

Rumors said that due to severe scarring from smallpox she contracted in her late twenties, she had been covering her face with a black veil ever since.

“It’s quite a big event.”

Adolf rubbed his hands nervously. The task given to them was more challenging than expected.

“I hope you both don’t disappoint, you know?”

Terran said in a stern tone as he folded and tossed aside the newspaper.

“We will do our best not to disappoint Her Majesty the Empress.”

“No, not the Empress.”

“Pardon? Then who?”

“I mean don’t disappoint Grace. Of course, I trust Grace’s judgment in bringing you this far.”

“Yes, understood.”

Sonya held back a smile. Throughout the meeting, the duke had been watching the situation with sharp eyes.

But his gaze was fixed solely on his fiancée, Grace. The only emotion she felt inwardly at that moment was one:

‘A man crazy about his fiancée.’

In fact, the design sketch Grace had presented wasn’t much of a problem. She could certainly make it with her skills.

What concerned her was the duke’s gaze. Whenever Grace spoke, he would cover his face with the newspaper, leaving only his eyes peeking out as he watched her.

His desire to not miss a single expression of Grace’s, not even a single strand of hair falling on her nape, was palpable.

Well, it’s understandable, Grace is not only beautiful but also a very intelligent lady. She was a progressive woman rarely seen these days.

“We only have a month left until the fitting. Please do your best.”

Grace encouraged the two.

Sonya and Adolf bowed politely and were about to leave the office with the fabric when they suddenly turned back and said to Grace and Terran:

“Thank you for taking us in when we had nowhere to go after our country fell.”

It was sincere. Who else would recognize their value at a glance and readily pay for their hotel? Not only that, but to entrust them with such an important task. Meeting Grace was a great stroke of luck.

“No need for thanks.”

Terran replied indifferently.

“If you don’t satisfy Grace, I can just fire you.”

“Terran!”

Lea glared at him. There was no need to hurt the feelings of people who were expressing gratitude.

* * *

It was only after dinner that Terran finally got to be alone with Grace.

He had sent away Chainer and Pauline too, and now only the two of them were in her bedroom.

“Grace, come to my bedroom now.”

Since they had confirmed their feelings for each other in prison, there were no more obstacles between them.

“Are you suggesting we consummate our marriage?”

“That’s right.”

His hand gently caressed her face.

Though he had eaten, he felt empty inside. An urgent desire that couldn’t be filled with food surged up whenever he saw Grace.

“Terran, since we’re on the subject, let’s settle things properly.”

“Settle? What?”

“You went too far, Terran. You put me in prison on attempted murder charges.”

That was to show how desperate his feelings were. And it was true that he had almost died because of Grace.

“Do you know how scared I was? I was locked up in a place I should never have had to see in my life, trembling with fear.”

Lea sniffled, and Terran didn’t know what to do.

“In the world, what kind of fiancé throws his woman in prison?”

No matter how much she thought about it, it was too outrageous and absurd. For a very brief moment, she even doubted Terran’s mental state.

“That was because I wasn’t in my right mind.”

Terran admitted it too. He had acted like someone crazy with love, without reason, and even Luke, who first heard his story, had looked at him strangely.

“So I’ve prepared a way to repay Terran’s misdeeds with love.”

Lea handed Terran two pieces of paper.