Chapter 148
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 148
The Duchess of Althorn was the first to break the silence.
“It’s truly… truly beautiful. I’ve never seen a color like this before.”
“I only received the finished product last night myself. Do you like it?”
The Duchess touched the fabric with enchanted eyes. Even the other noblewomen were staring at the cloth with vacant expressions, looking as if they had been collectively possessed.
“Is this a newly developed color?”
“Yes. In the Empire, the rose is considered the most beautiful flower. This color was researched with rose quartz as its motif.”
“Rose quartz? You mean the gemstone?”
“That’s right, Duchess. I even named the color Rose Quartz.”
Rose Quartz.
The tulle—a fine, net-like, ethereal fabric—was sprinkled with pale pink, white, and mysterious golden pearls like the Milky Way. True to its name, it boasted a wondrous beauty, looking like the hem of a goddess’s gown.
“My goodness, to wear a gemstone… it’s absolutely fantastic.”
“When do you plan to put this on sale?”
“This is even rarer than the lapis lazuli dye I showed you earlier… I think it will take at least half a year before we can even begin selling it.”
“Ah…”
“My daughter loves roses so much. She would be so happy if I prepared this for her wedding dowry.”
“My son loves roses too. If I made him a cravat in that color, he’d wear it every single day…”
Everyone was too busy praising the beautiful color to notice anything else. In other words, they were too busy trying to win my favor.
I saw the glint of desire and a hint of jealousy in the noblewomen’s eyes. And then there was the Duchess of Althorn. She looked half-dazed, like a traveler who had accidentally stumbled into a banquet of the gods. Her hand continued to stroke the new, beautiful fabric repeatedly.
“Then, will Lady Tulia be wearing a Rose Quartz dress on the day of the debutante ball as well?”
“You and the Young Lady of Althorn would look just like sisters!”
Aha. Finally, the question!
It was the very question I had been dying for someone to ask.
I felt the Duchess’s hand pause slightly. Her eyes held a subtle look of wariness. I immediately put on a regretful expression.
“No. As I mentioned, the color is so precious… I barely managed to produce enough fabric for exactly one dress.”
“Oh my! So you’ve gifted such a precious thing to the Young Lady of Althorn!”
“How kind-hearted of you.”
I gave a shy smile.
“It’s a meaningful ‘debutante’ for both me and Lady Francoise. I heard that in the Summer Continent, it’s customary to give your partner a wonderful gift like this.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. The late Grand Duchess was royalty from the Summer Continent.”
Everyone tactfully avoided mentioning Tulia’s mother and spoke only of her grandmother.
Of course. Since I’m actually just making it all up.
I had no idea what kind of customs existed on the Summer Continent. It was just an excuse.
I responded appropriately to the chattering noblewomen while placing my teaspoon horizontally across my teacup. Seeing the signal, an attendant quickly discarded the cooled tea and replaced it with a fresh, warm cup.
Mmm. Imperial goods really are the best.
A gentle spring breeze blew. The sunlight wasn't too harsh.
The garden was filled with lilacs, blue verbena, pale hydrangeas, irises, geraniums, daisies, and even Bengal rose trees—all aggressively planted to match the dignity of the Empress’s ‘Official Garden.’ With every breath, a dreamlike floral scent wafted in.
I sipped my hot tea while surreptitiously glancing at Empress Carmi. She had offered a polite, formal compliment on the fabric I gifted the Duchess, but she didn't show the same passionate reaction as the other noblewomen.
I guess an Empress is an Empress.
But didn't it happen in Greek mythology too? The reason for the discord between the three goddesses? It was because of the Golden Apple, meant for the most beautiful goddess, right?
“I’m so looking forward to Lady Francoise Althorn’s dress that day.”
From this moment on, I shall briefly change my class from Villainess Boss to Goddess of Discord!
“That Rose Quartz dye is the result of my salon’s work, imagining the goddesses of beauty worshipped in ancient times… such as Ishtar, Venus, and Freya.”
I smiled, mentioning the goddesses Schuls Schmidt—who had now risen to the position of Vice Chancellor of the White Tower—had told me about.
“When the Young Lady of Althorn appears draped in that color, won't the other nobles be dying to have it for themselves?”
Some of the noblewomen present would think I was giving Lady Francoise a gift as a form of compensation for taking the ‘First Entry’ spot.
The smarter ones would think I was trying to expand the business of the White Tulip Salon through Lady Francoise.
And those who were truly brilliant, capable of seeing the underlying flow of power, would have noticed the spark I had just ignited in this place.
Well, Empress Carmi?
Don't you want it? Don't you?
An Empress is not merely the head of high society; she is a being who must look down upon it. She must not follow trends; she must be the one to showcase an unrivaled style first.
Empress Carmi was wearing an intense, solemn purple dress, a style she had long favored. It was worlds apart from the other nobles who had dyed their clothes in all sorts of brilliant White Tulip dyes.
But you’ve already pre-ordered hundreds of winter dresses with gradations from the White Tulip Salon.
Since she had lost the lead for the spring season, she was sticking to her own style like a lofty queen. All so that when the winter social season opened, she could show off beautiful colors before anyone else in the Empire.
Would such an Empress…
Not desire that beautiful fabric? The very first of its kind. The most beautiful. The one I said was inspired by the three goddesses of beauty?
Would she not think that she, of all people, should be the one wearing it?
The noblewomen here will go around spreading rumors the moment they leave.
They’ll say that Lady Francoise Althorn received a gift of a magnificent color that even the Mother of the Empire does not possess.
The Duchess of Althorn, her cheeks flushed rosy, was entirely focused on the beautiful pink fabric.
Now then. I wonder.
Who does the Duchess value more: her daughter, Francoise, or her older sister, Empress Carmi? To whom will she bring that beautiful cloth?
Moreover, Empress Carmi and the Duchess of Althorn were half-sisters with different mothers, and the Duchess was said to have had a different fiancé originally.
Recalling a single line of setting from The Milk Bread—that the Duchess’s original fiancé had conveniently died in an Imperial carriage accident just days before the wedding…
Like a venomous villainess, I attacked and annihilated the moist cookies piled neatly on the sterling silver tray.
* * *
The day of the Imperial Palace Debutante Ball.
I smiled, thinking about how quickly time flies.
“Lady Francoise? That dress suits you perfectly.”
“…Thank you. I heard from my mother. That you gave this to me as a special gift. If it’s not rude, would you mind calling me ‘Lady Francoise’?”
“You may call me Lady Tulia as well.”
“Oh! What an honor!”
Lady Francoise Althorn could not hide her delight.
She must have been furious about me taking the first entry.
It seemed all that anger and jealousy had turned into affection thanks to the fabric I gifted her. As expected, material goods possess a truly versatile nature.
“Well then. I look forward to our first dance, Lady Francoise.”
“As do I, Lady Tulia!”
According to the debutante customs of the Brillant Empire, the young ladies of the appropriate age entered in order. I entered first, my shoulders squared just as I had been taught.
An ordinary noble lady or gentleman would have been nervous enough to vomit at such a grand ball, but not me. My priority was identifying how many nobles were wearing clothes made with White Tulip dyes.
Hmm.
I nodded to myself.
Ha. This is a problem.
I thought quite seriously.
Am I really going to become a tycoon who surpasses even Grandfather?
The vast Grand Banquet Hall, as I scanned it, looked like a great surging wave of spring. Not to mention the ladies’ dresses, even the young lords’ suits were in bright, beautiful, and soft pastel tones.
The noblewomen and knights were no different. Everyone was either using pastel tones as accents on their garments or was decked out in fabrics dyed with gradations.
Long live color! Long live!
The debutante ball was a success.
“Blessings upon your future, My Lady.”
“Blessings upon your future, My Lady.”
After dancing the partner dance with Lady Francoise, we greeted each other according to etiquette. This was the debutante custom of the Brillant Empire: to have the first dance with someone of the same sex and wish for each other’s future blessings.
After parting with Lady Francoise, I sat down to rest for a moment on a chair lined up against the wall. A palace maid, who had been waiting, quickly approached and handed ‘it’ to me.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all, Lady Tulia Frezier. Please call for me whenever you need anything else.”
The maid, overflowing with the grace typical of those in the palace, blushed slightly.
“The puppy was very cute, My Lady.”
“Ahem… thank you.”
“Then, I shall take my leave, Lady Tulia.”
“Right, right.”
I hugged Klaus Rocheva, whom I had received back from the maid, and gritted my teeth slightly.
“Hey, did you really have to follow me all the way here?”