Ariana quietly sighed. The jeweler she had visited yesterday showed a similar reaction.

“A total of 100 million cardinas?! Th-this is not enough with what we have here. First, I need to go back to the store… Should I bring a cart?”

Recalling the culprit who made things this complicated, Ariana let out a small sigh.

‘The most precious bride in the empire,’ he had said. Who knew he would prove it in such a primitive way.

‘Well, I suppose my appearance as the future duchess will soon become Dante’s mirror.’

It was said that for high nobles, consumption was a virtue. She could understand the desire to adorn oneself as lavishly as possible.

“I’m sorry, but then I’ll look for another shop…”

“Silk!”

Evelyn exclaimed urgently.

“We’ll add silk, my lady! We have some precious silk just imported from the East! We can layer it generously at the bottom…”

No. To exceed 50 million cardinas, Ariana would have to be wrapped in so much silk she’d stagger. Evelyn quickly added:

“D-diamonds. We’ll sew tiny diamonds densely into the lace. That will make the price skyrocket in no time!”

“Tiny diamonds. Will that be enough to meet the price?”

“Well, not with just a few, but if we use an enormous amount… Yes. Yes, it should be possible. I’ll make it possible.”

Evelyn said desperately.

It wasn’t yet clear exactly what needed to be done to the dress to make it worth over 50 million cardinas, but she couldn’t lose this customer for such an unexpected reason.

“I’ll make you the most expensive dress in the empire, no, on the continent. Please entrust it to me!”

“That’s a relief. Your assurance puts my mind at ease.”

Seeing Ariana’s look of understanding, Evelyn finally relaxed.

Then, in a subtle, insinuating tone, she probed:

“It seems the Duke really loves you, Lady Ariana.”

“…Yes.”

Ariana answered after a slight pause. Even that brief hesitation appeared to Evelyn as mere shyness.

“To cherish and treasure a lover so much, it warms my heart just to witness it.”

“…Thank you.”

“Well, of course he would, having such a lady as his lover. And besides, Lady Ariana, you have that… painful wound as well.”

Thump.

Evelyn’s heart raced wildly as she waited for a response after casually dropping those words.

Evelyn was also included among the ‘gossips who would give up a pile of jewels just to know what story lay between Dante and Ariana.’

As Evelyn’s patience was rapidly wearing thin, Ariana finally opened her mouth.

“That’s right.”

A bitter smile played on Ariana’s neat lips.

“The Duke has comforted me a great deal.”

‘The Duke has comforted Lady Ariana a lot. Noted.’

Diligently recording even the obvious statements in her mind, Evelyn cautiously continued:

“It’s truly fortunate you had such a person by your side. And by comfort, you mean because of that… incident, right?”

Her probing heart pounded loudly.

If she were to be thrown out for prying too nosily, she would spend the rest of her life regretting her own mouth.

Still, she couldn’t miss this golden opportunity to hear the story directly from the person involved.

Ariana gave a faint bitter smile and said:

“If you’re referring to my ex-fiancé’s infidelity… Yes. That’s right.”

‘Gasp.’

Evelyn secretly drew in a breath.

“With the Duke… Did you perhaps grow close in the process of receiving such comfort?”

“Hmm.”

Ariana smiled awkwardly.

Just as Evelyn was about to give up, thinking ‘This must be it,’ a dream-like thing happened.

Ariana, carefully opening her mouth, slowly began to unfold the story between those rosy lips.

“At first, he mocked me. Saying what a foolish woman I was, trying to get married while knowing my fiancé was committing adultery.”

‘Huh.’

Evelyn quickly assumed a listening posture and opened her ears wide.

‘The Duke was furious about Lady Ariana’s engagement situation. Noted.’

“I knew he was right, but I couldn’t make a decision even until the moment I entered the chapel. I was afraid of bringing shame to my family by breaking off the engagement.”

“When actually faced with such a situation, it can be hard to make a decision. I understand deeply, my lady.”

“Thank you.”

Ariana smiled faintly and continued.

“But the Duke saved me from making the wrong choice. Although his method was a bit… excessive.”

At that point, Ariana bit her lip slightly as if troubled, causing Evelyn to also recall the shocking kiss scene from the story.

“To be honest, if it hadn’t been to that extent, I, in my foolishness, probably wouldn’t have come to my senses. So now… I’m truly grateful to the Duke.”

Ariana covered her mouth with her white hand. Her demeanor appeared to be that of someone overwhelmingly excited and shy about a love that had come like a flame.

That sight ignited a fire in Evelyn’s heart as well.

“Aah…”

Evelyn covered her mouth.

‘So that’s how it was.’

The romance she had painstakingly pieced together from fragmented puzzle pieces turned out to be reality.

A man who fell in love while comforting a woman betrayed by love.

A man who couldn’t bear to watch her enter an unhappy marriage and finally rescued her at the cost of his own honor.

In such a forceful manner.

‘Because that way…’

The arrows of blame for ruining the wedding would be directed at him, not Ariana.

Of course, if the fact of Lucas and Elena’s affair had been revealed, Dante would have been completely free from accusations of stealing someone else’s bride.

But then everyone in the world would know about Ariana’s wound.

So Dante left the task of revealing the truth to Ariana, and when she decided not to disclose it, he chose to bear all the consequences himself…

‘Ah. Such a noble and self-sacrificing love.’

And the protagonist of this love was now trying to order a wedding dress at her shop.

Evelyn sensed that this project would be the most meaningful one in her life as a designer.

‘I will create the most beautiful and noble dress in the world.’

Dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, Evelyn stood up.

“If we’re to add jewels and silk, we should start working now. I’ll repay your trust with a perfect creation.”

“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you.”

Evelyn left the room, burning with a sense of mission.

In the room she left behind, Ariana sipped her tea with a slight smile.

‘What an interesting person.’

She had been so focused every time Ariana gave an answer, it was as if her ears visibly perked up.

‘I wonder if she’ll spread it well.’

Not just Evelyn, but seeds had been planted with all the merchants visited for wedding preparations, so it would spread somehow.

Since she couldn’t talk about her own romance in newspapers and such with the dignity of a future duchess, the power of gossips was necessary.

The relationship between Dante and herself was full of holes, so it would be troublesome if someone decided to dig deep.

So she needed to cover people’s eyes with such a stimulating and romantic story. After all, that’s what people want anyway.

For the duration of the contract, this marriage had to appear perfect from every angle.

‘I don’t know how to clean up after everything is over, having stirred up things this much…’

But it should be fine since Dante himself had permitted it.

As Ariana rose, swallowing a strange uneasiness:

“Lady Ariana. A letter has arrived.”

A servant of the ducal residence respectfully handed over the letter.

The sender had only a simple single letter written: B.

After skimming the contents, Ariana smiled faintly.

‘So. You’ve made your decision, Elena.’

I hope that decision doesn’t change.

You’ve always been a child who follows through on what you set your mind to, after all.

As hopes and despairs, schemes and calculations intersected, time flew by quickly.

Ariana looked up at the blue sky with slightly furrowed brows. The exceptionally clear sky was dazzling.

The wedding day, said to come only once in a lifetime.

She was now facing such a once-in-a-lifetime day for the second time.