Hugo returned home late at night. Lucia's expression was dark as she greeted him upon his return home. Her gaze was downcast and a gloomy aura revolved around her.
Hugo grabbed her chin and lifted her face to meet his eyes. She was surprised at the sudden contact and became conscious of the servants gazes and turned her away.
Hugo wasn't concerned about the servant's gazes and held her chin firmly. Her repeated avoidance of his eyes was very worrying.
"What's wrong?"
"..."
"Jerome!"
Jerome quickly answered to the sharp call of the Duke.
The butler, Jerome, had been developing new ways to improve his competence and chased away the servants with his eyes because the mood around his two masters was starting to turn unusual.
"Her Grace has been upset ever since the boutique designer dropped by."
For Jerome, the understanding of his madam's mood was now a more important priority than anything else.
"Was she rude to you?" (Hugo)
Lucia shook her head.
"Then what is it? Tell me. What is making you so upset?"
"...I think I made a big mess."
"What mess?"
"Would...Would it be possible to get a refund even now? It may not be finalized yet."
Hugo, who was ready to immediately get to the root of her problem and eradicate it, instantly softened. Hugo was reminded of the designer that asked him to leave it to her. It would seem the lady had as much ability as her confidence stated.
When Hugo released her chin and began to walk away, Lucia grabbed onto his arm.
"Where are you going? I said I made a big mess! I mean, as many as nineteen outfits were added to the dress!!"
Shoes, hats, and so on, naturally came along with the dresses. The price tag of these additions were not inferior to that of the dress.
Not 190 but 19? Why the ambiguous nineteen instead of cleanly striking at 20? Hugo's rating of Antoine's capability went down. If Antoine were to hear this, she would feel aggrieved. She had used all her means possible to sell those nineteen outfits. Antoine had even justified it with the honor of the Duke that should not be mentioned carelessly.
"I have worked up a sweat all day so I want to wash up first. You can tell me your story afterwards."
"If you hear the amount, you won't be so calm!"
"If I'm not surprised, what will you give me?"
"...give?"
"A bet has to have a reward."
"When did I say I was betting!"
"Think about what you'll give me. You have till I bathe and come out."
Listen when someone is talking! Lucia called after him in protest but he climbed up the stairs. Oh, for crying out loud. She stamped her feet in frustration for an unknown reason and turned her head to the small sound of someone clearing their throat.
Lucia was embarrassed. The bill Antoine left behind was still circling in her head so she forgot all about keeping up appearances in front of the servants. Fortunately, it seemed the servants had dispersed when she didn't realize it so they didn't see anything.
Lucia looked at Jerome in relief and somehow, his eyes seemed to be smiling.
"Shall I prepare a bath?"
"...Why?"
"You have not bathed yet and since master has already gone ahead, I was just informing you."
Lucia face went red and she lowered her gaze. She felt embarrassed for some reason. A respectable butler like Jerome would not say that with any intention of the sort. She knew that but the timing was strange.
Lucia stood around indecisively then gave a deep sigh. She would end up bathing anyways. Plus her body was sticky because of the hot weather. However because of a strange feeling of unwillingness, she replied quietly.
"...I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, Milady."
Jerome answered with a smile. Indeed, he was an excellent butler. One that could read the mind of his master.
* * *
'I must have really lost my senses earlier.'
It was Lucia's first time experiencing the kind of service where one devoted their all with the intention of getting paid. If Lucia had visited the boutique, she would not have let down her guard.
However, she was too relaxed in the safety of her own home. What could a guest do to the host? Lucia was thinking too naively. She was used to the flattery of the noblewomen she met at Roam. So she was confident that she would not fall for someone else's nice words.
But now, she had to pay the price of looking down on the flattery of a merchant that wanted to sell their product. Antoine's eloquence was weaved to meet the demands of fussy noblewomen and it could capture the human soul.
Antoine was not just a good talker. Her skills were also excellent. She touched the simple dress that Lucia was wearing, here and there, and made it give off a completely different atmosphere.
Lucia had almost forgotten about face and clapped. Antoine first showed off her skill and seduced Lucia's heart. She couldn't understand half of the fashion terminologies that Antoine explained colorfully but she had strangely felt like she understood.
Through Antoine's words, Lucia was reborn into visionary beauty that was the focus of people's eyes. When Lucia thought about it now, it was very ridiculous but at the time, it sounded quite reasonable.
Antoine talked about the rumor that Lucia knew – that the Duchess was a matchless beauty- and while talking, she brought up the honor of the Duke. She also emphasized the fact that the Duke of Taran was so concerned that he visited the boutique personally. After which, she boastfully proclaimed that Lucia should leave everything to her.
[Your Grace only has to relax, count the days till you appear in society and wait for time to pass. I will make the rumor that the Duke of Taran has a beauty of the century as his wife into a reality.]
Lucia inwardly cared about the rumors. It wasn't that she was afraid of people's gazes but that any gossip that concerned him, weighed on her mind.
[Your Grace is beautiful. But like a rough gem, this beauty is not revealed. A rough gem's true beauty is hidden deeply but if not processed properly, it can turn to stone. Please allow me to process Your Grace into a jewel.]
As though bewitched, Lucia signed the contract that Antoine presented her. The things that Antoine says she had to buy were essential and indispensable. At the time, she thought so. Even after Antoine left, she was still somewhat vacant from the feeling of being entranced.
But when she checked the copy of the contract and the invoice delivered in the afternoon, her half-departed senses returned. She felt like her soul was about to fly away when she confirmed the amount.
Lucia didn't know that the price to pay for falling for the designer's whispers would be so massive. The price of the first-class designer's dress that she bought for the first time in her life was much more that the vague amount she imagined.
The maid moderately poured lukewarm water on her shoulder. While absentmindedly leaving her body in the hands of the maid waiting on her in the bath, Lucia continued to think of the dress.
'Why in the world are the hats and shoes so expensive? Much less the gloves.'
Lucia's common sense was that hats and shoes were accessories. Nevertheless, a dress was what people saw and while shoes were an assortment, they were not that visible hence Lucia thought that it was enough for them to be presentable. In the dream, she had never even bought something like gloves. And when she bought the dress, she got a few extras.
'On top of that, they're all summer dresses.'
When the weather cooled down a little, she couldn't wear them.
'I have to get a refund. I can't blow that much money on a dress. Anyways, I haven't received anything, and it's custom-made.'
Originally, Lucia wanted to get a refund immediately but Jerome discouraged her. He advised her to discuss it with his master. Asking for a refund after purchase an item was an important issue than concerned reputation. Especially in the case of luxury goods, there was a fear of bad rumors.
While Lucia constantly contemplated a refund, Hugo finished his bath in his bedroom and came into her bedroom. As he listened to the faint sound of the water from the bathroom, he picked up the white envelope on the table.
Contract and Invoice. Hugo sat on the couch and read through the specifications. When he saw the amount, he chuckled. It was about 1/5th of the amount he had written down for Antoine.
Should he recognize the ability of the designer to be able to make her use this much, or should he praise the designer's crook-like merchant talk that thoroughly brought down her defenses, without going overboard?
The designer was determined to use the entire amount that Hugo wrote down. A good merchant would not blow away the chance to make money. However, the designer took a step back.
Hugo did not know because he wasn't at the scene at the time but most likely, the designer must have felt danger that if she were to push excessively, she wouldn't sell a single thing.
Antoine took a step back to move forward. She realized that this business would not be finished in one shot. To Hugo, it was easy to find noble families consumed by the extravagance of their madams. However, he didn't know that he would end up paying attention to this for the exact opposite reason.
She was never stingy to others. When the garden was built back in Roam, the workers on the garden were paid a higher compensation than average. However, Hugo was very tired of her frugality and conservation that only applied to herself. It didn't matter when they were staying in the fiefdom.
Her immaculate skin without her makeup felt good to the touch, and her flowery scent without thick perfume was refreshing. Furthermore, there was no need for extravagant clothes. Clothes existed to be stripped. In that sense, he didn't like winter. The skirt was too thick and heavy.
But originally, he hated the sticky summer. He used to enjoy horse riding in the cold winter. Certainly that was so, until the winter of last year. Hugo had no issue with her attire, but it wasn't the same for others. She had to appear in high society as the Duchess. Appearance was the easiest criteria to judge a person on.
If she were to show a simplicity that was not suitable for her status as the Duchess, she would not be praised for her virtue, instead she would become a target of gossip. He did not want her to become the subject of such a worthless topic.
'I have to meet the designer once more.'
Hugo decided to recognize the ability of the designer. And he wanted to meet the designer again and talk about the contract.
'I have to make two contracts.'
The contract with the real amount would be sent to him and the fake contract with a much smaller amount would be sent to her. He didn't want her to worry about something like money. Even though in her head, she was filled with worries about him, there was no need.