Chapter 38

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Fitting
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The dressmaker’s had originally offered to visit Aileen's home. But Aileen had vehemently refused. The thought of trying on a wedding dress surrounded by people in the living room of her small brick house made her feel like the house itself would burst.

Nor could she have them come to the grand duke's residence. This was because of the superstition that it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress before the wedding. To eliminate any possibility of Cesare catching a glimpse, the grand duke's residence was ruled out early on.

‘Of course, His Excellency wouldn't care about such superstitions.’

But Aileen did. So, she decided to go to the dressmaker's herself.

‘What kind of dress will it be?’

Aileen knew nothing about it. She had only been told that the wedding dress was ready at the shop and that today's fitting was for tailoring it to her body and adjusting the embellishments. She was both curious and excited about the dress, all because of a magazine article.

[...The Grand Duke of Erzet began wedding preparations on an absurd schedule following the bombshell news of his marriage. With only a month to spare.

(What on earth do men think marriage is! Any man reading this article should never attempt to replicate the grand duke's recklessness. This is something only a man with the Grand Duke of Erzet's looks, wealth, and power can pull off!)

To make the impossible possible, the three finest dressmakers in the capital have joined forces.

These rival shops, usually at each other's throats, are working together with one heart and mind to create the grand duchess's wedding dress. Whether this alliance will produce a masterpiece for the ages or a complete disaster, no one knows...]

There had been so much talk about her and Cesare lately that she usually avoided reading the newspapers. But she'd bought a magazine for the first time in a while, and upon finding that article, she read it to the end without realizing.

In truth, she had bought the magazine because of Ornella. Figures as prominent as her were bound to have all sorts of trivial news about them published in magazines.

She had wanted to learn about Ornella, but there wasn't a single snippet about her in the magazine. Everyone was too busy talking about the grand duke's wedding.

After reading the entire magazine, Aileen had only learned a great deal of gossip related to herself. It seemed she would have to find another way to learn about Ornella.

“My lady!”

Diego, who was waiting under an orange tree, waved enthusiastically. He was in his uniform and looked to be in high spirits.

It was a tremendous opportunity to get a sneak peek of Aileen in her wedding dress. Everyone had been clamoring to be the one to go. Even Senon had volunteered, saying he would go even if it meant pulling an all-nighter before the wedding.

In the end, the four knights had gathered around and drawn lots, and Diego had won the chance to accompany Aileen.

“Shall we depart?”

He closed the door of the military vehicle and drove himself, humming a tune. He had deliberately come without a driver so that Aileen could speak freely.

Thanks to him, Aileen was able to ask Diego about something that had been on her mind during the ride to the dressmaker's. She started with the topic of the dowry—the most pressing yet safest subject.

“Sir Diego.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I spoke to His Excellency about the dowry.”

The moment Aileen brought it up, Diego burst out laughing.

“Ha, my apologies. It’s just so sudden, oh my, I can’t stop laughing.”

He tried to stop, but it was no use as he kept chuckling. Only after laughing until tears welled up in his eyes did he manage to speak.

“I never imagined you’d be worried about something like that. This marriage was practically forced upon you, wasn't it? Of course His Excellency should be responsible for it.”

He briefly clenched his jaw, swallowing another wave of laughter.

“Come to think of it, His Excellency was in the wrong. He should have brought up the dowry sooner so you wouldn't have to worry. But still, my lady, how could you have such a commendable thought?”

Diego stopped mid-sentence and cleared his throat with a couple of coughs. He was trying to restrain himself from treating Aileen too much like a child.

But Aileen, all too used to being treated like a little kid, simply replied that they should just forget about the dowry and moved on. She had wanted to ask about Cesare as well, but they arrived at the dressmaker's so quickly that she had to save it for later.

The dressmaker's was on Venew Street. When she and the uniformed Diego stepped out of the military vehicle, they drew the gazes of passersby. Aileen instinctively shrank back, but Diego, seemingly used to the attention, paid it no mind.

‘I heard soldiers have become quite popular in the capital recently.’

Recalling what she had read in the magazine, Aileen hid behind Diego and followed him, her eyes fixed on the ground. Only after they were inside the shop did she finally lift her head.

The air in the dressmaker's was a bit stuffy. Mannequins dressed in splendid gowns were placed here and there, spaced out rather than crammed together, allowing for a full appreciation of the clothes.

Toward the back, she saw three women in very distinctive attire. They were holding a large board covered in various fabric swatches and arguing back and forth. Their debate was so heated that they didn't even seem to hear the bell on the door.

She had wondered why no one came to greet them, but it turned out all the employees were anxiously trying to stop the women. One employee bravely attempted to mediate.

“Lady Elorde will be arriving soon... Perhaps you should stop debating now…”

“Does this look like a debate to you?”

A woman in a brightly colored dress shot back in a shrill voice. The woman opposite her immediately retorted.

“It's not, but at least pretend it is. Don't be so uncivilized.”

At the jab from the woman dressed in achromatic colors, the woman next to her laughed sharply.

“Civilized? *Ciiivilized*?”

The one wearing a dress with a vibrant damask pattern mocked her, repeating the other woman's words.

Aileen realized who they were. They were the owners of the dressmaking shops, gathered for the wedding dress. The article had said they were working together with one heart and mind, but they looked ready to throw punches at any moment.

Diego interjected in a loud voice.

“Are you not open for business?”

His rather gruff tone made everyone in the shop turn to look their way. The women's faces lit up when they saw Diego. The woman in the patterned dress clasped her hands together and exclaimed.

“Oh my! The Grand Duchess of Erzet has arrived…”

But when Aileen peeked out from behind Diego, the woman's bright expression slowly hardened. She stared at Aileen in disbelief before finishing her sentence grimly.

“...so you have.”

The shop, which had been bustling with noise just moments before, fell silent as if doused with cold water. The three women, who had been fighting like mortal enemies, suddenly looked at each other with desperation in their eyes.

No one said a word, but their despairing expressions revealed their inner thoughts completely. The moment they saw Aileen, they all thought they were doomed. It was so obvious that even the oblivious Aileen could feel it.

Aileen touched her face, embarrassed. Meanwhile, the three women whispered amongst themselves, hastily concluding their discussion.

“F-First. First...! Let's do something about those bangs. And the glasses.”

“Agreed.”

“Right, and if all else fails, we can cover her up a bit with the veil.”

They were debating so seriously that Aileen started to feel guilty. She hung her head low and thought.

‘This wouldn't be happening if it were Ornella...’

She shook her head, trying to dispel the sudden negative thought. She kept making pointless comparisons. While Aileen was pushing Ornella from her mind, the women, having regained their elegance, approached and bowed.

“Lady Elorde. Thank you for coming. It is an infinite honor to be crafting the wedding dress for the future grand duchess.”

“Would you come this way? We'll show you the dress. But before that, if we could just, ever so slightly, um…”

“How about we just tidy up your bangs a little?”

“Let’s just leave her as she is.”

Diego cut in bluntly. He looked down at the women with a blank expression. One might expect them to be intimidated by the stare of a strapping soldier, but the shop owners were not easily cowed.

“His Excellency the Grand Duke personally requested the finest wedding dress. How are we to do that if we can't even touch a single strand of hair?”

“At the very least, her hair should match the dress, shouldn't it?”

At that, Diego let out a short laugh and uttered what was essentially a threat.

“It would be best if you stuck to what you were asked to do.”

The shop owners' faces hardened once more. Aileen quickly stepped in front of Diego.

“Sir Diego, that's enough.”

Aileen took off her glasses and set them aside. Then, using a hairpin that an employee thoughtfully handed her, she neatly pinned back her bangs.

Aileen looked cautiously at the shop owners and asked in a timid voice.

“Will this do...?”