“Today, I can be alone.”

Although Etienne, holding a parasol, spoke to Ferdinand, blocking his way, he did not respond and came to stand beside Etienne.

“I’m going to the dress fitting today.”

It was the day to try on the dress that had been measured and discussed in design a while ago to see if it looked good.

Explaining to Ferdinand that it wasn’t a place to go together, he walked silently and said to Etienne.

“I feel uneasy leaving you alone.”

“Well…”

It had already been three days. However, Ferdinand came every day and stayed until late at night. At first, they ate together and read books, thinking he was lonely.

But the next day, when Etienne told him it was okay not to come anymore, Ferdinand persistently came. And today, he was even trying to follow her to the dressing room.

“How can I stop you?”

Etienne sighed openly, but Ferdinand only took the parasol from her. Etienne looked at the parasol with a puzzled expression and then laughed as if she found it absurd.

“Were you trying to put it on me?”

“I thought it would suit me better.”

Ferdinand smiled under Etienne’s parasol. From a distance, Etienne, who captured both Ferdinand and the parasol in one glance, nodded in acknowledgment.

“Anything would look good on your face. Even if you stick flowers in your ears, you’ll look pretty.”
The atmosphere, awkward due to Ferdinand’s insistence on going to the dressing room together, was instantly eased by a parasol.

Etienne, as if resigned to the situation, nodded and walked alongside Ferdinand. Unaware of the parasol that had subtly tilted towards Etienne.

???? ???? ????

Upon arriving at the dressing room, Etienne felt the gaze directed at her. It seemed she was receiving more attention than usual.

“Is it because of Ferdinand?”

Ferdinand had always attracted a lot of attention, but because he usually kept to himself, not many approached him. As a result, the attention directed at Ferdinand was even more pronounced, and inadvertently, Etienne received some of the looks as well, simply because she was close to Ferdinand.

“Let’s go inside.”

Ferdinand lightly placed his hand on Etienne’s back, gently guiding her forward. Etienne followed suit, entering the store.

“This way, please.”

A staff member pointed to the fitting room and spoke, prompting Etienne to turn and look at Ferdinand.

“I’ll wait here.”

Ferdinand pointed to a sofa and spoke. Etienne nodded slightly and went inside.

As she changed into the prepared dress with the assistance of the staff, the designer approached, holding onto the garment, and asked with a smile.

“Seeing Confucius and you coming here together, it seems like you’re very close.”
Feeling the intimacy that went beyond mere friendship, Etienne quietly lowered her arm. The designer, who hadn’t properly finished adjusting the dress yet, looked at Etienne as if questioning what was going on and immediately realized his mistake.

“I hope no strange rumors spread from this fitting room.”

It was a warning not to gossip about my relationship with Ferdinand, even though the designer didn’t really know the details. Understanding Etienne’s intention, the designer bowed and moved away behind her.

Feeling the touch of the designer’s hands on her body and glancing at the side, Etienne immediately straightened her head.

‘Close relationship.’

Etienne knew that Ferdinand, who wasn’t easily approachable by others, was endlessly gentle to her. Despite the difference from his attitude when he liked Hazna in a previous life, she could still clearly sense his affection towards her. Even knowing that, the reason she couldn’t easily push him away was…

Because I was like that. The reason she couldn’t confess to Ferdinand was not wanting to risk not seeing him again rather than facing rejection.

However, this kind of relationship couldn’t be maintained forever.

‘The day Ferdinand confesses, our relationship will need to be clarified.’

Etienne would reject his confession, and the future of their relationship would depend on how Ferdinand would handle it.

“It’s all done.”

At the designer’s voice, Etienne raised her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror.
The light blue debutante dress had minimal decorations, resulting in a simple design. The exposed neckline seemed suitable for a very thin necklace, and platinum jewelry itself seemed fitting.

“I received orders for a total of five debutante dresses this time. I tailored each one according to the young ladies’ preferences. But, to be honest, I was most worried about Miss Etienne’s dress.”

Satisfaction crossed the face of the designer as she looked at the dress that fell below the waist with narrowed eyes.

“I wondered if it would be okay like this even though it should stand out more than anyone else’s dress. I even thought about contacting Miss to modify the design.”

Etienne touched the texture of the dress against her chest with her fingertips. The feeling of the fabric clinging to her body when worn was pleasant, and the fabric itself was smooth.