Chapter 59

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 59

Chapter Title: The Dress Fitting Trap

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Of course, it went without saying, but Yulken got absolutely reamed out by Arpad and nearly kicked to the curb.

“Three months’ pay docked for insulting the imperial family!”

“Aaack! No, please! Her Highness is already bleeding me dry on my salary! For a husband-and-wife duo to team up and rob a pitiful servant’s wages like this—it’s too cruel!”

“What? Why is Hilia taking your salary?”

“Well, the truth is...”

Yulken tearfully explained everything that had happened.

Thanks to him, Arpad learned about the bet between Hilia and Yulken.

And he summed up Yulken’s situation in a single phrase.

“You brought this on yourself.”

“...”

“How many times have I warned you? Your tongue’s going to get you killed someday. This is nothing.”

The lord and his vassal had no idea Yulken had actually died once because of his mouth.

Yulken clung to him, sniffling.

“Please, can’t you persuade Her Highness for me?”

“To give your salary back?”

“Yes!”

Arpad smirked at the hopeful glint in Yulken’s eyes.

“No.”

“Why not! Don’t you pity this liver-eaten flea!”

“Husband and wife are one body. If Hilia’s fortune grows, I benefit too. No reason to stop her.”

Yulken shot him a resentful glare before bolting out, and Arpad chucked a stamped document at the back of his head.

It had been nearly a week since Mrs. Phileurn last set foot in the Crown Prince’s Palace, and she wasted no time complaining. “Your Highness! This is too much! No invitations, and every request for an audience turned down flat!” Hilia smiled gently. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. I was sick, remember?” “That’s true, but...” Mrs. Phileurn grumbled, but she never quite voiced her worry for Hilia outright. Hilia hid a wry smile. She must’ve gotten an earful from Evangeline for failing to keep tabs on the palace for a week. Her guess hit the mark. Mrs. Phileurn’s eyes blazed as she scanned for any changes. Even though she was here today for the fitting of Hilia’s dress for the Artanus Hall banquet. “What do you think, Mrs. Phileurn?” “...” Hilia, midway through her fitting, was far more focused on watching her surroundings than on the dress itself. That was when Mrs. Phileurn’s eyes caught something off. What’s that? It was a large crystal carved into a decorative ornament, with several intricate geometric metal pieces dangling from it. Inside, it sparkled mysteriously, as if trapping faint light. Without asking permission, Mrs. Phileurn drew closer and inquired. “What’s this? I’ve never seen it before...” Annie shot back with clear irritation. “It’s a lighting ornament gifted by His Highness the Crown Prince. It’s delicate—don’t touch it carelessly.” Mrs. Phileurn’s brow twitched. How dare a mere maid! But fortunately, she didn’t have to snap at Annie. The ever-submissive Hilia beat her to it, flying into a rage first. “Annie! How dare you be so rude! Mrs. Phileurn is my one and only friend!” Annie looked crestfallen. “You, go wait in the side chamber.” “Yes, Your Highness.” Once Annie was gone, Mrs. Phileurn finally spoke. “I’m fine, really. No need to send her away on my account...” “It’s okay. Feel free to look around. I get scared at night, so Rifa gave it to me. It glows softly even without a flame—quite pretty.” “Ri...fa?” Hilia blushed faintly as she replied. “His Highness the Crown Prince. It’s our little pet name.” “I... I see...” Mrs. Phileurn broke out in a cold sweat. Having confirmed nothing much had changed aside from the ornament, she picked at Arpad’s gift. “It’s big, but nothing particularly special about it.” “...Isn’t it?” Hilia just kept beaming. Mrs. Phileurn inwardly spat venom at Hilia. Bragging over something so trivial. What a vain little thing. At long last, she approached Hilia’s side. After making her wait the whole time, no less. Not only the palace maids, but even the atelier staff in league with Mrs. Phileurn were starting to shoot pointed glares. The schedule was falling into chaos, all because of one Viscountess Phileurn. Viscountess Phileurn clapped exaggeratedly, showering Hilia with praise. “My goodness, you look utterly breathtaking!” Her voice echoed alone through the reception room. Normally, a Crown Princess’s dress fitting would draw not just maids, but crowds of noblewomen eager to attend. The toilette room ought to be abuzz. But the Crown Princess’s toilette room was eerily quiet right now. The only outsider was Viscountess Phileurn. No one showing interest. No one coming to visit. It felt just like a preview of the banquet itself, with precious little time left. Mrs. Phileurn sneered at Hilia in her mind. What a fool. Such an idiot! And Hilia, naturally, seemed oblivious to Mrs. Phileurn’s true intentions. She flushed bashfully, relieved. “Really? I’m so glad. Truth be told, I tried booking the capital’s most popular atelier, but when I heard they were booked solid for years, it was like the world went dark.” Hilia’s voice grew wistful toward the end. Mrs. Phileurn suppressed a wicked grin. That’s because I leaked every atelier’s schedule to Evangeline ahead of time! Thanks to her, Evangeline had pulled strings to keep most of the capital’s top ateliers from making Hilia’s gown. Impossible under normal circumstances, but every one was Evangeline’s regular. Plus, with Evangeline dictating central high society’s trends, the owners couldn’t refuse her. Thanks to pulling off this job so well, Mrs. Phileurn had clawed back a bit of Evangeline’s trust. But Evangeline, of course, wasn’t satisfied with that alone. “Simply sabotaging the banquet won’t cut it. We need to thoroughly humiliate that wench on the day itself!” With those words, Evangeline had commanded Mrs. Phileurn. To steer Hilia toward a specific atelier. One where every last employee had been bought off by Evangeline. Which let Evangeline get her hands on the very design of the dress Hilia would wear to the banquet. Utterly clueless about any of this, Hilia simply thanked Mrs. Phileurn. “It’s all thanks to you recommending Kemal Atelier. Otherwise, I might not have gotten a trendy new gown and would’ve had to wear one of the late Empress’s relics.” “Oh, think nothing of it. It’s only what a friend should do.” Mrs. Phileurn smirked inwardly at the nearly finished dress draped over Hilia. That’s right. Keep on gratefully playing the fool. You’ll be weeping in despair come banquet night.

Drunk on her sense of victory, Mrs. Phileurn failed to notice Hilia’s true expression.

Once Mrs. Phileurn and the Kemal Atelier staff had all left... I could finally relax. I apologized first to Annie, who slipped back in cautiously. “Sorry about earlier. Truly.” “It’s fine! We already agreed on it!” Annie flashed a plucky grin. That was right. Annie getting “kicked out” had been a deliberate act we’d planned together. “Still, our lady—er, no, Your Highness—you’re a natural at acting.” “Thanks. Oh, Annie, check on ‘that thing’ for me, would you?” “Yes, ma’am.” Annie inspected the mysteriously glowing ornament that Mrs. Phileurn had poked at earlier. A single crack or scratch would spell disaster. “All good. No damage.” And as she already knew how, Annie activated the device. The crystal began to glow brighter, and sound started pouring out. -Your Highness! This is too much! No invitations... Our entire conversation from the start replayed perfectly. Annie marveled anew. “What an incredible device.” Of course, I wasn’t nearly as surprised or awed as Annie. The sound quality’s nowhere near an Earth recorder, but for this world, it’s groundbreaking. The reason Mrs. Phileurn hadn’t been able to enter the Crown Prince’s Palace for the past week was that I’d been away from my quarters far too often. Tracking down the maker of that device. It still amazed me, even now. To think such a bumbling fool created a genius magic tool like this. I recalled the doofus I’d met just a few days ago. A man in broken spectacles and threadbare clothes. “Y-you’ll buy this pathetic thing for such a high price? I-I’m grateful, but...” “Y-you’re investing that much money in me...?! N-no, of course I’m thankful! But, but!” Even with the intel from Yulken, it had taken time to track him down—but I’d found him right on schedule. And secured it all in hand. The tool. And its creator.

Of course, this wasn’t the only preparation I’d made.