Before Rose returned from the brink of death.
‘Um... May I go to the tea party?’
Dane had coldly replied to Rose's question.
‘Why are you asking me that? Do as you please.’
His attitude suggested that whatever Rose did had absolutely nothing to do with him.
At that time, Rose had no one to seek advice from. Moreover, the grand Schmaichel Castle was a terribly lonely place.
She had attended the tea party with the hope that she might be able to form a rapport with the ladies who passed through this castle.
It didn't take her long to realize that thought was wrong.
But right now......
“I've decided on this one.”
“Mm.”
Dane nodded as he looked at the sender of the invitation Rose had picked out and handed to him.
“Good choice. You have a good eye.”
He often left brief compliments for Rose.
That firm tone and deep voice were so pleasant to hear that Rose kept wanting to hear more.
“Count Holland is a loyal vassal of the Schmaichel family, responsible for managing the distribution of Magical Devices.”
“I see.”
“Since you're visiting, discuss how things have been lately and come back.”
“Aren't you going, Your Grace?”
Dane had already declared he would go with her. Nevertheless, Rose deliberately asked this.
“......”
Because she could sense Sonya behind Dane, tidying up the surroundings with her ears perked up.
“I have a schedule.”
Dane read Rose's gaze and answered naturally.
“Isn't it a party for ladies? You alone should be enough.”
He looked at her and nodded slightly. From that gesture, she could tell he had read her intent and was responding accordingly.
“Yes, I understand.”
Rose secretly smiled and gathered the invitation from the Holland伯爵 family.
“Sonya.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Organize this and place it on my desk. I need to send a reply later.”
Sonya respectfully took the invitation Rose handed her. As she did so, she kept glancing at Dane and Rose sitting across the table.
‘You're too transparent.’
Seeing right through why they were doing this, a bitter smile naturally formed on her face.
Rose had deliberately kept Sonya close, pretending to favor her. By doing so, she figured out when Sonya looked around and what she observed closely.
‘In the laboratory, a ki, ki... Anyway, that was indeed a necessary thing.’
However, after that, she locked the laboratory door thoroughly. Instead, before Dane left, she mussed up his appearance—she was too embarrassed to do otherwise.
Because of that, most servants assumed Dane and Rose were having a romantic fling in the laboratory.
“The preparations are nearly finished.”
Dane said as he looked around the room.
Rose's wardrobe was wide open, and her jewelry boxes and accessory cases were all taken out. The maids were busily moving about, setting up mirrors.
“Yes, you mentioned the tailor was coming today.”
“That is correct.”
Rose's gaze unconsciously fell on Dane's lips.
‘I must be crazy.’
The fact that her lips had touched his felt like a dream. Just that brief moment made her heart pound like this, and she felt like she would go mad every time she touched her cheeks and was reminded of it.
Yet, the person who had grazed her lips seemed completely unbothered.
‘Well, he did say it was a mistake.’
He wasn't the kind of man to be shaken by something like that. He didn't even hesitate to grab her butt, so why would lips be any big deal?
‘He probably just thought of it as flesh touching flesh.’
The scale of emotions tilted between him and her—Rose believed it remained unchanged.
So she didn't know. While she was looking at Dane's lips, he was also looking at hers.
Because their gazes missed each other, neither of them realized the truth.
“The tailor has arrived.”
The servants outside the room announced the visitor.
One noticeable man, followed by a crowd of his employees trailing behind him, entered. The employees' hands were full of large and small boxes.
‘Ah, could it be him?’
Rose focused her attention on the man leading the way at the front.
He was a man in his mid-40s with a genial impression. Not a single strand of his stylishly slicked-back hair was out of place.
Though not a noble, he wore luxuriously and well-tailored clothes. A unique logo was embroidered on his chest.
“Oho.”
The man let out a low exclamation as soon as he saw the two of them.
It wasn't a gaze calculating something. Rather, it was the eyes of a creator struck by inspiration.
“This is Lucy.”
Dane introduced him.
“A steadfast ally who has served the Schmaichel family since my father's generation, and a tailor.”
Lucy's unique designs and bold challenges led the trends of high society. Many noble ladies and misses commissioned dresses from him.
‘The place where the Princess's debutante dress was tailored was here too.’
It was no exaggeration to say that a noble lady wearing a Lucy dress would become the queen of the social scene that season.
“I have merely received the grace of the former Duke.”
Lucy bowed politely. A boyish smile settled on his middle-aged face.
“The reason I called you here today is to tailor a dress for... Lady Schmaichel here.”
“That is what I had been waiting for.”
“Since it's your first tea party, you'll need appropriate attire.”
This situation alone made Rose's heart pound incredibly fast.
‘A tailor exclusively for me.’
In the Vikander family, her younger sister's dress was tailored first, and Rose was just made to wear whatever was left over.
Because of that, she had never even tried on a dress that fit her exactly. Her father had seen that and often criticized Rose for not being neat as a lady.
‘And it's Lucy, my goodness......’
Lucy's workshop was too expensive for the Vikander family to place an order. He also had a huge backlog of orders.
To think that such a Lucy was Schmaichel's exclusive tailor. She was newly amazed, thinking, 'As expected of the Schmaichel family.'
It was a luxury she couldn't have even imagined when she bore the surname Vikander.
“I have visited Schmaichel Castle several times before, but......”
Lucy bowed his head towards Dane.
“It feels like it has been a truly long time since I came to tailor a dress for a lady.”
“It must be about three years.”
Despite Lucy's reminiscent words, Dane's face remained expressionless.
“After that, I've only called you a few times to tailor my clothes.”
“Your Grace, regarding that matter... I am truly sorry.”
Lucy trailed off as if feeling regretful. It was a gaze that genuinely cherished and cared for Dane.
“......”
Seeing that, Rose quietly clasped her hands together over her chest.
She could also tell how much Lucy cherished and long served the Schmaichel family.
‘Should I cancel even now......?’
She was worried whether it was okay to call a person like this just to get her tea party dress tailored. She was merely in a contract marriage, after all......
“Do you have a desired dress style or anything you absolutely do not want? The client's intention is the most important.”
Lucy showed an eager attitude from the start.
Clap! Clap!
When he clapped his hands, his staff moved in perfect unison.
In an instant, a high-backed chair, a work stool, and a partition to change clothes behind began to be set up.
“Uh... I...”
As Rose passed the answer to Dane,
“Desired style, huh.”
He tapped his chin and looked Rose up and down.
“First, let me explain. My wife has a terrible illness.”
“If you don't mind, may I ask what kind of illness it is? I will use it as a reference for the dress fitting.”
Lucy asked with a slightly tense face. Then Dane answered easily enough to feel anticlimactic.
“It's an illness where she thinks she is ugly, even though she is not.”
“......?”
Lucy's expression became bizarre. Rose also doubted her own ears.
Dane, whether he failed to notice the mood between the two or not, continued speaking.
“So, do your best to cure my wife of this illness.”
“...Yes.”
Lucy was a true professional. The fact that he could answer without a single hint of a smile in this situation proved it.
“Ah, but.”
Dane took a step back, then stopped again as if he suddenly remembered something.
“She must not become too cute, either.”
“......”
“It is true that my wife is cute. But she is already cute enough as it is.”
In that instant, Rose saw it. Lucy's jaw trembling slightly.
‘He's clenching his teeth......’
It wasn't just Lucy.
The employees' bodies were moving busily, but their ears seemed wide open in this direction. Sonya and the other maids standing by to attend to Rose were biting their lips tightly.
“My best......”
Lucy finally opened his mouth. It was a flawlessly professional voice.
“...I will do, my best. Your Grace.”
“Mm.”
Dane nodded once and left his seat.
“Call me when the first fitting is done.”
He had a face that showed he had no idea what he had just said or what kind of reaction it would cause.
Thud.
Even after he closed the door and left, silence lingered in the room for a moment.
‘It is true that my wife is cute, but.’
Those words kept circling in Rose's head.
‘What did I just hear?’
She swore it was the first time she had heard such things from another person.
She had heard evaluations like gloomy, plain, and timid until her ears hurt.
‘Cute? Me?’
The fact that it was Dane, of all people, who said it was also a big problem (?).
Cute—isn't that an overly soft and squishy expression? She couldn't believe those words came out of that stiff, stern face.
‘Was it the breakfast?’
Rose even had such a thought.
Slime pudding...... had been delicious. The Orc meat steak was...... truly tender, too.
Discarding her prejudice and eating it, there was no finer gourmet experience.
What woke Rose, who stood as if nailed to the spot, was,
“Would you come this way?”
Lucy's voice calling her.
Lucy was staring intently at Rose. His two eyes were full of interest and affection.
‘Ah.’
Seeing his face, Rose realized Dane's intention.
Unlike the servants who were already (?) accustomed to Dane and Rose's romantic fling, the employees including Lucy didn't know about it.
So he had deliberately put on an act of a husband loving his wife in front of everyone.
“It's my first time seeing him like that.”
“It really is Duke Schmaichel, right?”
Indeed, Lucy's workshop employees were whispering to each other while poking each other in the side.
‘Right, this is part of the contract.’
Rose thought so and soothed her pounding heart. She couldn't even imagine that Dane's words might be sincere.
Presently, Rose did not know that Dane had truly spoken whatever came to mind without any deeper thought.