Lucy greeted Rose beside the partition.
“It is an honor to meet you, Madam.”
“I am rather clumsy with these sorts of things. I'll trust your eye entirely.”
Rose chose to speak frankly rather than putting on airs. Lucy paused for a moment, then flashed an even more benevolent smile.
“Before we begin, may I say a few words?”
“Go ahead.”
Lucy shooed away the staff and maids trying to approach closer. He then began speaking in a lowered voice, meant only for Rose to hear.
“I have served Schmaichel since His Grace Dane was a young boy.”
Lucy's gaze grew distant as he reminisced about the past.
“He was never one to give his heart easily. He always acted as if life were tedious.”
Listening to him, Rose quietly pictured Dane's childhood.
A youthful face with a blunt expression. He seemed like he wouldn't have cried even if he had tripped over a stone.
“At some point, he started withholding his affection on purpose. Because he did not want the things he cared about to be destroyed.”
“I see.”
“For a man like him to say such things... I was truly surprised, to be honest. He seemed like a completely different person.”
That was because he was thoroughly acting in front of others...
Unable to bring herself to say those words, Rose merely offered a faint smile.
Dane's acting was so perfect that she felt she would be fooled herself. If he looked the part even to her, others would believe it without a doubt.
“I had always desperately hoped His Grace would bring someone precious to him to visit me. But I never expected it to be today.”
Lucy placed a hand over his chest and resolved firmly.
“I will do my utmost to craft your dress, Madam. Perfectly, so that even the late Duke and his wife would be fully satisfied.”
A normal tailor calculated the price the client would pay, as well as the outcome when their work was revealed to high society.
However, the current Lucy seemed entirely uninterested in such things. He was thinking only of Dane and Rose.
“…I'll leave it to you.”
Rose was slightly moved by his earnest resolve without realizing it.
Lucy gave a faint smile, then,
“Then, let us get to the main point.”
He suddenly dropped the amiable facade entirely. His gaze became as sharp as a blade.
‘Wasn't that just now the main point...?’
As Rose blinked, Lucy slowly circled her.
“Madam, may I ask you one thing? What does a dress need to truly shine?”
“Jewels?”
“No.”
“High-quality fabric?”
“Not that either.”
*Ttuk.*
Lucy stopped his steps and spoke categorically.
“A good model.”
“Hmm.”
Only then did Rose understand what Lucy was trying to say.
He was trying to tell her that she was so ugly she couldn't do justice to the clothes.
Just as Rose unconsciously began to hang her head at the thought,
“You just blamed your own appearance just now, didn't you?”
Lucy asked as if he had seen right through Rose's mind.
“-!”
Startled out of her wits, Rose froze on the spot.
“I did not mean it that way. I see why His Grace Dane said what he did.”
Lucy shrugged his shoulders.
“No matter how perfectly the dress suits you, Madam, it means nothing if you keep your head down like that.”
“…….”
“You will be attending the tea party, will you not? Are you going to look so withdrawn there as well?”
Having seen countless noble ladies, Lucy's eyes were sharp. Just by looking at Rose briefly, he instantly discerned her fundamental problem.
“Schmaichel does not bow his head. Square your shoulders with confidence.”
Lucy was absolutely right.
Rose straightened her back and fixed her gaze forward. Just by correcting her posture, she somehow felt a surge of strength.
“Understood. I'll keep that in mind.”
“An excellent attitude. And...”
More things to point out? Her heart felt like it was shrinking, but she did not show it.
At Rose's composed demeanor, Lucy secretly hid a smile.
“You have a habit of gauging others' reactions, Madam.”
“…….”
“Schmaichel does not need to gauge others' reactions. You must make others gauge yours.”
“Um...”
This was a bit difficult.
How could she fix something ingrained in her body after years of reading others' moods—mostly her family's?
“No need to look far.”
As if reading Rose's mind, Lucy casually remarked.
“There is an excellent role model right nearby, isn't there?”
“...Are you referring to my husband?”
“Yes. When controlling your expressions proves difficult, think of what His Grace Dane would do in this situation, and imitate him.”
“He is mostly expressionless, though.”
“Expressionless? That is far too mild a term.”
Lucy shook his head slowly.
“You call that an expression? It is a look of utter contempt. He relentlessly criticizes with those cold eyes, leaving one no way to endure it.”
…Was he badmouthing His Grace right now?
Rose looked at Lucy and briefly doubted his loyalty.
“That is exactly it!”
Instantly, delight washed over Lucy's face.
“That expression right now, it is perfect!”
“…….”
“Wordlessly stare at your opponent without revealing your emotions. That alone is enough to exert pressure. For you are now the lady of Schmaichel.”
Putting aside her judgment of his loyalty for the moment,
‘It does make sense.’
Rose determined his advice was valuable enough.
The tea party would most certainly be attended by Dane's former wives, as well as people who would use Rose's reputation as an excuse to disparage her.
She could not just put up with it. She was Rose Schmaichel now.
‘Right, I'll imitate His Grace from now on.’
Rose clenched her fists and resolved to actively mimic Dane's expressions.
Then, a sudden thought occurred to her.
‘He isn't always expressionless.’
At first, she thought he was a man of stone. But Rose knew now that he had subtle changes in expression.
Whenever he had a lot he wanted to say, he would actually set his lips firmly.
Whenever he was deep in thought, his aristocratic brow would stand out prominently.
Whenever he did not like something, he would lightly blink his eyes a couple of times.
These were things only Rose, who had persistently observed Dane from up close, could know. These tiny truths made her heart race.
‘Anyway, I'll do my best.’
Rose shook her head slightly and gathered her resolve.
“This is helpful. I appreciate your insight.”
Lucy stared at Rose for a moment before finally beaming.
“I am the one who should be thankful for you accepting my opinion without reservation.”
Then he muttered softly.
“You are already starting to resemble His Grace...”
*Jjak!*
Lucy clapped his hands, summoning the staff and maids.
“Then, shall we begin?”
Dragged behind the partition, Rose was quickly undressed down to her undergarments by the maids.
“You have excellent features, Madam. From the first moment I saw you, I felt inspired.”
Receiving a signal from the maids, Lucy approached Rose with fabric in hand.
“This highly saturated red and green... Very good. It is a color that only you could pull off.”
After holding the fabric up against Rose's body,
“Shall we give His Grace Dane a surprise?”
Lucy flashed a grin.
**
After that, Rose was put through the wringer by Lucy.
She had to endlessly repeat the process of putting dresses on and taking them off, layering fabrics, pinning them, and so on.
‘This is overwhelming...’
She finally understood why her younger sister and her tailor had seemed busy doing something all day long.
“I will tailor this to fit your waist exactly. Please maintain this size until the tea party.”
“I will adjust the sleeve length like this. Since it is an indoor dress, this should be sufficient.”
She had never thought deeply about her preferences for dresses and the like. Thus, it was difficult to answer.
But Rose did her best to choose her answers, and was quite satisfied seeing her reflection change in the mirror.
‘It feels like playing with dolls.’
She thought she looked a little prettier than usual. It was thanks to Lucy carefully choosing the dress color to match Rose's hair color and complexion.
“This is roughly enough. You will be the one leading the trend of my new winter collection this year, Madam.”
“That much is-”
Rose instinctively tried to deny those words, but paused as she recalled Lucy's advice.
Speak confidently without shrinking back.
I am a Schmaichel. I am Rose Schmaichel.
“...Yes, that much seems possible.”
“Excellent, Madam.”
Lucy beamed as if that were the exact right answer.
“Shall we start wrapping up? I will go fetch His Grace.”
The maids pounced on her, patting something onto Rose's face and applying juice to her lips. They even trimmed her eyebrows to shape them.
The maids' eyes sparkled with zeal.
“We'll make you pretty, Madam!”
“We've been waiting for this day!”
Normally, they would only lightly tidy her face, but right now, it was full-fledged.
Their personal passion to shock Dane when he saw Rose was palpable.
‘His Grace is coming...’
Rose watched her face transform in the mirror and felt her heart start to race faster.
Not long after, Dane's voice was heard beyond the partition.
“Are you done?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Lucy greeted him.
“I will show you all 5 fitting dresses I brought today. The fittings have been completed to Madam's exact measurements.”
“Proceed.”
The room quieted down as Dane started waiting. The only noise in the room was the rustling sound of the maids adjusting her dress.
*Dugeun, dugeun.*
Her heart beat incredibly fast.
The moment to wear a dress meant only for herself and show it to her husband first had finally arrived.
“This is the first dress. I used a deep indigo satin to create a calm atmosphere.”
As the maid pulled the partition aside, Dane appeared, sitting on the sofa and staring intensely in this direction.
“…….”
He looked Rose up and down with an unreadable expression, arms crossed.
*Dugeun, dugeun, dugeun.*
Enduring his gaze, Rose tried her best not to shrink back. However, she could not stop her cheeks from slowly flushing.
“I highlighted Madam's fair, translucent skin. It aligns with the dignity of Schmaichel, as well.”
As Lucy finished his explanation, silence fell over the room. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Dane's reaction.