Chapter 116
Chapter: 116
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 116
>Chapter Title: Scarpino (3)
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>At first, Isabella didn't recognize Prince Mores right away. The tall young man who entered with Princess Amelia felt utterly unfamiliar to her.
“…Huh? Wh-what?”
The young lady who had just cried out that it was Prince Mores upon seeing the imperial carriage and his hair color stood there with her mouth agape, forgetting to even cover it with her fan. The girl beside her even rubbed her eyes vigorously, smudging her eyeliner without realizing it.
There, before them, stood a prince straight out of a fairy tale!
Had it not been for his sharp eyes that perfectly mirrored Empress Consort Elizabeth's and his distinctive hair color, no one would have easily identified the boy as Prince Mores.
“Shouldn't I be the one matching you, Sister?”
“Not necessarily, Mores.”
“Then?”
“The hierarchy among salons matters too. Salon Demercy is the most renowned in Delcros.”
The Third Prince was infamous for his feuds with his siblings, but that rumor now seemed off somehow. The two walked in side by side, arms crossed, chatting amiably in a way that looked incredibly affectionate.
As the radiant siblings stepped inside, the salon interior seemed to brighten in an instant.
“……!”
Leaving the young ladies frozen stiff in shock behind them, the prince and princess received Madam Justine's overly effusive welcome and headed toward the private room.
Only once they had completely disappeared did the young ladies finally exhale the breaths they'd been holding, erupting into cheers like a dam bursting.
“Oh my! Oh my goodness, heavens!”
“What in the world is going on? How can a person change so much in such a short time? I can't believe my own eyes even though I saw it right there!”
“Now I see he's unmistakably one of the Holy Emperor's own! He takes after both His Majesty and Empress Consort Elizabeth!”
“No wonder that little lady from Balua has been swooning over him!”
And with that, all the young ladies' eyes turned to Isabella.
Their gazes had shifted from viewing her as the plump, worthless daughter of an upstart merchant whose marriage talks were mere formalities to seeing her as the heroine of a romance novel, chosen by a prince and on the cusp of rising in status.
“…….”
Isabella was just as dazed by the sudden turn of events, but in front of the other young ladies, she forced a calm smile to hide her pounding heart.
“As you can see, His Highness has fully recovered from his fever.”
“Oh, yes.”
“Hee-hee, I see. How fortunate…….”
But even after that, Isabella's heart, now hammering from the shock, refused to settle.
The embarrassment of knowing nothing about the recent developments of the man she was being matched with.
The sense of betrayal that he had dumped her the moment his looks changed, as if to make a point.
The tender gaze the prince directed at Princess Amelia, so different from how he looked at her.
So when Grand Duke Sigmund—the one she had actually been waiting for—finally arrived, and the young ladies burst into another round of excited gasps, Isabella couldn't simply bask in their envious stares.
“Wouldn't it be better for both of you to lighten the tone of your outfits a bit?”
The designer suggested, laying out several luxurious fabrics before them.
“This year's ball gowns are trending toward avoiding deep reds and using lighter fabrics as much as possible. Otherwise, the red gold buttons and accessories end up looking like plain gold.”
“Red gold?”
“Yes, young master. It's a precious metal newly imported from the Asane Principality. We only have a very limited stock here at the salon. Considering its noble value, I think it would make the perfect adornment for your esteemed statuses.”
“Fine, handle it as you see fit.”
While the grand duke nodded indifferently, Isabella quietly observed him with sidelong glances.
Orden Sigmund.
Heir to Margrave Sigmund and direct disciple of the famed Sir Balthazar. A young, handsome genius swordsman.
They had only ever exchanged formal greetings at major events, with no personal acquaintance, but up close, he exuded an image even colder than the rumors suggested—like he had brought the frigid air of the northern territories all the way to Delcros.
His demeanor toward Isabella was politely courteous, but that was the extent of it. The occasional glances that brushed her face were utterly frigid.
How could he be like that?
In the harsh north, beauties like Isabella who could turn heads must be a rare sight.
“But can you rework it in time like that?”
“For Your Grace, since you'll be wearing the family heirloom, we can keep the basic structure and just adjust the sash and epaulettes. For Lady Scarpino, however…….”
The designer trailed off there, subtly checking Isabella's expression.
“To match Your Grace's ball attire, it might be best to replace the fabric on nearly every part except the flounces. That would require recutting from scratch and rescheduling the fitting, so it might be a bit…….”
“…….”
“Oh, of course, we'll do our utmost at the salon to meet the deadline! If the lady could just bear with us a little, I daresay the two of you will be the most splendid pair at the birthday gala…….”
As Isabella fell silent for a moment, Orden turned to look down at her.
“No objections to that, Lady Scarpino?”
He probably wasn't truly asking if she had any objections.
With years of dominating the capital's social scene under her belt, Isabella could definitely sense it.
That parched gaze looking down on her for some perceived inferiority.
There wasn't a shred of warmth, let alone fondness or respect, in Orden's eyes.
*Yes, just like Prince Mores did…….*
The flower of high society, Delcros's greatest beauty.
Even with such accolades, in the end, this was all she amounted to in others' eyes.
Isabella barely managed to lift her trembling lips into a smile as she replied.
“Yes. I think following the designer's advice is best. Let's do that.”
Was it because unexpected events kept piling up lately?
Despite her vast social experience, she suddenly felt like tears might spill out at any moment.
* * *
It was Amelia who first brought up matching the dress code.
Seongjin thought, *Why bother with something so tedious?* But apparently, aligning even slightly with one's partner's ball attire was a matter of courtesy.
And so, she showed up at his door with her own designer in tow, insisting she would match *his* design.
That was how Seongjin ended up visiting Salon Demercy alongside Amelia.
“Shouldn't I be the one matching you, Sister?”
He'd heard that the lower status should match the higher, the younger the elder.
But Amelia smiled softly and said,
“Not necessarily, Mores.”
“Then?”
“The hierarchy among salons matters too. Salon Demercy is the most renowned in Delcros. So for another designer, summoning Madam Justine would be quite intimidating.”
Her designer chimed in from the side.
“Exactly, Your Highness. How considerate of you to think of our salon's position! And while Madam Justine specializes in menswear, she's renowned for her eye for dresses too. You'll have no regrets following her advice.”
Well, judging by the outfits the madam herself wore, that eye for fashion didn't inspire much confidence.
“I wanted to meet her on this occasion anyway. I've always been curious about the capital's most famous designer—what kind of person she might be.”
Amelia said this with an angelic smile.
“Especially that butterfly-patterned gown you showed me last time. It was truly remarkable.”
That dress had been rather bold.
But when they finally came face-to-face with Madam Justine, Amelia seemed greatly flustered, subtly clutching Seongjin's sleeve and falling silent.
“Mores…….”
And the moment the madam stepped out, she whispered cautiously in his ear.
“Why is that? I feel strangely uneasy around her.”
Huh?
“…You too, Sister?”
“You feel it too? She makes me tense for some reason, like she's dangerous. I don't sense any aura activation at all, so I can't figure out why.”
“Hmm, I see.”
According to the Demon King, Madam Justine was likely a regular-world body inhabited by a transcendent-world soul. But Amelia wouldn't know such details.
Just as Seongjin's instincts had sharply alerted him upon first seeing her, Amelia was probably sensing an instinctive danger through some sixth sense.
Seongjin looked at Amelia anew.
Come to think of it, amid monsters like the Holy Emperor and Logan, he sometimes forgot that Amelia herself possessed tremendous talent.
And her training method was extremely efficient to boot.
—I know my own limits well, Mores.
She had quickly accepted that no matter how much she trained all day, she couldn't reach Seongjin's level. So, despite loving training, she limited her sessions to set times.
She meditated in spare moments and used tricks like asking the Holy Emperor to impart aura directly during audiences to maximize efficiency.
The time saved, she poured into other pursuits.
Hiring tutors in politics, diplomacy, economics, society, and more.
Playing instruments, reciting poetry, attending academy lectures.
Even if she focused solely on swordsmanship, at this rate, she'd eventually rank among the continent's powerhouses.
What on earth did Amelia want to do? Become a superhuman?
—This is a long journey toward my goal. Building the tower of vengeance, brick by brick.
When he asked if it was tough, Amelia smiled and said that. It was a smile different from her usual ones—somehow chilling.
—You're right, Mores. I find this path toward revenge immensely enjoyable.
Well, if she enjoyed it, that was good.
Thinking it a bit of a shame she wasn't focusing solely on martial arts, Seongjin quietly advised her.
“Who knows. Maybe his true strength isn't aura. In any case, that one's probably powerful. In several ways.”
“I knew it.”
“But don't worry. He's under Father's control anyway.”
Considering the twins had introduced him first, Arenza was probably still keeping tabs on him.
Amelia visibly relaxed at Seongjin's words.
So when the madam returned with new fabrics and design books, Amelia freely voiced her opinions, unlike before.
“This year's balls are trending light colors. Perhaps cream or aquamarine…….”
“I'm drawn to this black fabric.”
“Oh dear, that's just a accent fabric for flounces or ribbons. Come now, Your Highness. Look at these instead…….”
“But Madam, black somehow looks so stylish.”
“However, Your Highness. With the red gold accessories, a pale emerald fabric would be…….”
“It'd be nice to match in black side by side with Mores.”
“Your Highness! For the birthday gala celebrating the Vicar of God on earth, black evokes mourning and might lead to misunderstandings—like devil worshippers!”
Madam Justine said gravely, her usual drawl gone, signaling utmost seriousness.
But Amelia, cheeks slightly flushed, beamed with a grin.
“Wow, Delcros's devil—sounds kinda cool…….”
“…….”
Ah, right, he'd forgotten this too.
His sister had a bit of a chuunibyou streak…….