Ariadne had to cover the cost of her own attire and all the party preparations for the debutante ball with a budget of 150 ducats (approximately 150 million won).

This included food, alcohol, interior decorations, music band, program, events, and everything. Ariadne first checked all the equipment available at home.

“Things we can use are the family crest, furniture, alcohol from the underground wine cellar… That’s about it.”

Sancha replied.

“You should be able to use the kitchen staff as well. Surely Lady Lucrezia wouldn’t forbid even that. Though she’ll likely prevent you from using the ingredients.”

“She always exceeds expectations, but she’ll be mindful of Father. We can just buy ingredients from outside. The quantity we need can’t be made with just the ingredients at home anyway. The only cost that absolutely can’t be reduced is the music band.”

“Eh? Young lady? You’re not going to order tapestries?”

In 1122 San Carlo, to prepare for a ball, people usually picked a specific concept and used fabric matching that concept for stair rail covers, chair covers, tablecloths, etc. to unify the atmosphere of the entire hall.

And they separately produced embroidered tapestries reminiscent of the ball’s theme to hang on the walls as hangings.

“We have the family crest, but we need to separately order party tapestries. Time is short too. The good embroidery shops in the city must already be fully booked.”

For a victory commemoration ball, the most important battle would be embroidered, and for a royal birth commemoration ball, the birth legend of that royal’s patron saint would be embroidered and installed.

The more and the more elaborate those embroidered tapestries were, the more effort was put into the ball, and for luxurious balls, it was common to spend 1-2 years of production time and 2-300 ducats (approximately 2-3 billion won) just on the embroidery.

“Come here.”

Ariadne pulled Sancha close and whispered a few things in her ear.

“What do you think, can you do it?”

“Eh?! It would certainly save money, but… I can do it if you tell me to. But… Will it be alright, young lady?”

“Trust me. It will definitely get a good reaction.”

‘Because we’ll be borrowing the latest trend of 1123 in advance. It will get banned soon though.’

Ariadne loudly closed the ledger and said energetically.

“I think we can do it. Let’s try!”

“Yes, young lady!”

While Ariadne was adjusting the entire ball’s budget with 150 ducats, Isabella was investing 50 ducats (approximately 50 million won) just on her own attire.

“‘The girl who sees through the truth’, does that even make sense?!”

Isabella vented her anger on Maletta who was helping with her attire.

“Even I don’t have such a nickname yet!”

“The second young lady is really out of line. In looks, talent, character, she’s inferior to you in every way, young lady Isabella, yet she’s acting up like this.”

“Exactly!”

Isabella broke the thin wooden stick she was using to apply perfume to her eyelashes out of anger she couldn’t contain.

“I need to show who’s superior at this debutante ball no matter what. I absolutely have to be prettier than her.”

“That’s possible even if you just breathe.”

“That’s true, but! Firmly! Definitively! I need to be prettier without any room for argument!”

Maletta combed Isabella’s hair and reassured her.

“In thirty minutes, Madam Clemenza herself will arrive directly from the Collegioni Atelier. Isn’t the Collegioni Atelier the undisputed number one atelier on Tiberi Street? With their hangers, dresses, and attire, how could young lady Isabella not be prettier than young lady Ariadne?”

“Right? It will be, right?”

“Of course, young lady.”

The Collegioni Atelier on Tiberi Street was a store worthy of Maletta’s boasting.

In San Carlo, the places nobles and socialites got their clothes made were usually divided into ateliers and dressmaker shops, and the latter could be easily used by ordinary people as well if they had the financial means.

But the former was a space open only to special people.

The ateliers were located on the main street by the Tiberi River, used top-quality Moorish Empire fabric imported by Porto Republic merchants through maritime trade, were booked up for months so it was difficult to use them without connections, and naturally, the prices were very high.

While dressmaker shops followed trends, ateliers led trends, and the Collegioni Atelier was at the forefront of them.

“Young lady Isabella, Madam Clemenza has arrived.”

Isabella brightened and received the maid’s announcement.

“Escort Madam Clemenza to Mother’s drawing room.”

“Yes, young lady.”

Isabella’s guests were usually received in the girls’ drawing room on the west side of the second floor shared by Arabella and Ariadne, but today, Isabella had no intention of letting Ariadne know what she would be wearing.

Receiving Madam Clemenza in Lucrezia’s east drawing room, Isabella treated her very lavishly.

“This is tea imported from the Moorish Empire and desserts imported from the Gallico Kingdom. It’s very delicious. It’s something I really like. Please have some.”

Isabella picked up an elaborate tea food full of sugar with her finger and offered it to Madam Clemenza as well. But Madam Clemenza declined Isabella’s offer in a kind but professional manner.

“Thank you, young lady, but I’ll have to handle a lot of fabric today. I can’t eat anything that might get oil on my fingers.”

Isabella was angry at the person who rejected her goodwill, but because she was an important person, she suppressed the irritation that rose between her brows and smiled brightly.

“Oh, is that so? I don’t really like tea food either. Let’s look at the fabric first.”

Flippantly contradicting what she had just said, Isabella threw the tea food on the plate and began looking at the catalogues and fabric samples Madam Clemenza had brought.

The fabrics Madam Clemenza presented were mostly dark in color. To welcome autumn, the young ladies of San Carlo mainly ordered dresses in subdued tones of blue, burgundy, and mustard.

But among them, nothing caught Isabella’s eye. Isabella flipped through the fabrics perfunctorily, then stopped and threw a question at Madam Clemenza.

“Do you have any brighter colored fabrics? Like white or cream.”

Madam Clemenza gestured to her assistant to bring the fabric sample patches that had been pushed to the back, which she did not expect to use today. It was fabric placed at the bottom because she thought it would not be used today. Before handing over the fabric, she double-checked the customer’s intention.

“Excuse me for speaking out of turn, young lady De Mare.”

“Yes?”

“You’re getting the dress made for your younger sister’s debutante ball, aren’t you? Is it alright to choose a white dress?”

At debutante balls, it was good manners for everyone except the debutante of the day and her partner to avoid wearing white.

Isabella had of course worn a white dress at her own debutante ball last year.

And to anyone whose dress color was even slightly bright that day, she had hurled every possible insult at them, saying they had no manners, no common sense, a bad personality, and so on.

But Isabella was Isabella. She hated having unpleasant things done to her, but she had no qualms about doing the same to others.

‘Shut up and just do as you’re told, why is she meddling so much…!’

Isabella bit the tip of her tongue for a moment to quell the rough words trying to come out of her mouth. Madam Clemenza was a big shot that even Isabella had a hard time booking an appointment with. She was worried about what might happen later if she acted out of turn.

Barely suppressing the urge to hurl abuse out of worry that she might be banned from entering Collegione, she thought to herself that she, who knew how to hold back even this much, was truly a polite and good person, and lied without even moistening her lips.

“Well, if it were a joint debutante ball, it would be rude to the other young ladies to avoid white altogether, but this is a solo ball being held just for my younger sister at home, you know?”

Isabella smiled sweetly and continued.

“My sisters and I get along so well that my younger sister insists the three of us must get our dresses made in white to match.”

“…Is that so.”

With Madam Clemenza’s 20 years of experience running an atelier, it was clear that Isabella had a fishy side to her.

If the three sisters were going to wear matching dresses, it would be normal for all three sisters to get them made at the same atelier. But Isabella’s two younger sisters were nowhere to be seen.

To begin with, she knew that the youngest lady of this house was not even old enough to participate in a debutante ball, so she couldn’t understand the point of getting matching dress colors.

But Madam Clemenza was an atelier owner, not a judge.

“If a white dress is what the young lady wants, then we’ll do that.”

Madam Clemenza just had to make it, and the aftermath was for the wearer to deal with.

Ominously, Isabella’s eyes sparkled as she added one more order to it.

“Please make it the most splendid and shockingly new one.”

Isabella lost face among her friends due to the recent music score theft incident. But in San Carlo, many relationships were too entangled to cut ties with the most beautiful girl over just that, and Isabella’s influence was too great.

So Camelia de Castiglione, unable to vent her grievances anywhere, headed to the afternoon tea party effectively hosted by Isabella De Mare today as well, with her fiancé in tow.

“Please come inside, young lady De Castiglione.”

The most presentable il domestico (a male servant who greets guests, a handsome and tall person hired at a high salary) that the Leonati Viscount House could hire, wearing a luxurious uniform, guided Camelia inside.

Today’s afternoon tea party was held at the Leonati Viscount House. It was a tea party hosted by Isabella’s loyal subordinate, Viscountess Letizia de Leonati, for Isabella’s sake.

Letizia, the owner of a burly physique and unrestrained features that did not match her pretty name, filled her lacking presence in high society with the fact that she was the beautiful and popular Isabella’s friend.

Naturally, to maintain that position, she was devotedly loyal to Isabella through thick and thin.

“Thank you.”

Camelia de Castiglione forced a smile and put on a front for the il domestico. Beside her, Ottavio de Contarini entered together, escorting her.

“Signor Ottavio. Welcome to the Leonati Viscount House.”

Unlike Camelia who was called ‘young lady De Castiglione’ by her surname, Ottavio de Contarini was addressed as ‘Signor Ottavio’ by his name. This was because he was the son of a count.

Children of count houses and higher had to be addressed by their name, but those of marquis, viscount, and lower houses could only be called by their surname.

‘Young lady De Castiglione’ was a part of that, an form of address representing the status of the Castiglione House that only held a marquis title.

This was no exception even for Isabella of the sky-high prestige De Mare House.

“Young lady De Mare. Welcome to the Leonati Viscount House.”

Receiving the il domestico’s respectful greeting, Isabella frowned her pretty brows.

“‘Signora Julia’, the Leonati Viscount House welcomes the daughter of the Valdesar Duke House.”

It was properly contrasted with Julia de Valdesar who followed right behind. Julia was the daughter of the Valdesar Duke House, so she was being called by her own name of three characters, not her family name.

No matter how much Isabella could have Madam Clemenza’s dresses and receive the adoration of all the young men in the capital, she could never be addressed by her name at official occasions.

‘What makes me inferior to Julia de Valdesar?’

There was no question that the future of Isabella De Mare, the greatest beauty and talent of San Carlo, was brighter than that of the sharply yet blandly featured Julia de Valdesar.

At least Isabella herself believed so. But at official occasions, Isabella’s place was always one step behind Julia.

Isabella no longer wanted to stand behind the tiresome family name. The family was her father’s, and with time it would become her brother’s.

The only thing Isabella could fully possess was not the glory of the family or surname, but the glory attached to her own name.

‘Her Royal Highness Isabella, the Crown Princess.’

When that day came, she would be able to stand on her own as an individual. Until then, she could only make the most of what she had. Isabella intended to use any and all means necessary to reach that position, without discrimination.