Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 63

The Grand Duke used to summon merchants into the palace whenever he needed something—even items for my personal use—since it was both more secure and convenient.

Yet now, he insisted on shopping outside, clearly intending for others to see us together.

Indeed, other nobles would surely visit the shops to prepare for the Hunt Festival and thus witness us, naturally conveying the impression that we were on good terms.

Still, I understood why the Grand Duke had sought my cooperation in this matter concerning me: because I found shopping exhausting.

Considering how tired I already was from shopping, adding travel time on top of that would surely be burdensome for me.

“I know you find shopping tiring, but since we must display our harmony to the outside world, you’ll need to pretend you’re enjoying yourself immensely.”

I gave a wry smile and pointed out something the Grand Duke hadn’t yet considered.

“Your Grace, had we chosen items within the Imperial Palace, Paniya would certainly have insisted on helping me. Compared to that, shopping alone with Your Grace is far more comfortable.”

Though Paniya was three years older than me, her debutante ball was scheduled for next year.

Consequently, she had been preparing to pour all her remaining energy into helping me with my own debutante preparations.

Her kindness and thoughtfulness were truly touching, yet just thinking about it made me weary—since, no matter how everything looked the same to my eyes, I’d still be pressured to make final decisions myself.

For instance, lace versus ruffles—if their construction differed but looked identical once attached, was it really necessary to agonize over whether to put ruffles or lace on the cuffs? Couldn’t they just pick either?

In this regard, shopping with the Grand Duke was easy.

He simply chose what he thought suited me best and boldly left anything he was unsure about to the experts. All I had to do was stand like a mannequin, making it far less taxing mentally.

“That’s truly fortunate. Perhaps I should thank Lady Martina for this.”

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