I'll Take One Invitation
“Darling. Why on earth did my father suddenly tell me to visit the South?”
“I’m sure he has his reasons, my lady.”
“I’m sure there’s a ‘reason’ behind everything that man does. The problem is he never explains them.”
The Grand Duke would occasionally issue orders that made no sense. He’d suddenly redeploy garrison troops from the fortress walls to the rear, or buy up massive amounts of grain for no apparent reason. He even once had a visiting envoy thrown into a dungeon. While the whims of a powerful man were nothing new, in the Grand Duke’s case, it wasn’t just a matter of degree—there was simply no cause and effect.
If I could at least understand the reason behind such orders, I could follow them or, at the very least, request a reconsideration.
— “Are you defying me?”
— “How could I possibly….”
His face, always set in stone, made it impossible to guess what he was thinking. The retainers in the mansion followed his will quietly, mostly because they still had pensions to collect.
— “Monsters suddenly slammed into the fortress walls… if we’d been there, the walls would have collapsed and we all would have died.”
— “Grain prices are skyrocketing due to the drought! How much stock do we have left in the reserves…? Wait, why is there so much?”
— “The Imperial Capital says they never sent an envoy!”
— “Then who sent the guy we’ve got locked in the basement right now?”
When even the most incomprehensible orders eventually lead to good results, people call it “foresight.” Even though I only did what the Grand Duke told me to, I’m now the number one candidate for a brilliant administrator—the one the South is anxious to keep and the Central government is dying to poach?!
By now, most people had stopped questioning the Grand Duke’s orders, which were bordering on prophecy, but… not everyone was like that.
“Darling. Since we’re here, shall we go get some dresses fitted?”
Anastasia Rostira, the second daughter of the Grand Duke. She was the one who proved she carried the Grand Duke’s blood more strongly than anyone else by marrying the commoner guard who served her. And now, she had arrived in the South, not even bothering to hide her rebellious nature.
‘You send me to the South without a single word of explanation?’
Fine. I’ll just enjoy a long shopping spree, then.
Anastasia was curious to see just how far the Grand Duke’s so-called “foresight” would actually go. What if she just stayed holed up here, indulging in luxury until she left the South? Some of the more well-informed nobles had requested an audience, but she didn’t even bother to reply.
Absolutely not! I am not going to do what the Grand Duke wants!
“I like this one, too. Send it to the Grand Duke’s estate.”
“Yes, my lady. Shall we fit this dress as well?”
“No, all of them.”
The dresses in the South were certainly of lower quality than those in the North… but it was fun that they were more revealing than the stifling, bundled-up dresses of the North.
‘Did my father send me here just to buy dresses for my mother?’
How boring. So boring. Not fun at all.
If that was his goal, she decided to send her beloved father a gift: the dress with the least amount of fabric. He could use it as firewood, or… either way, things were bound to get heated.
“Darling. Shall we head back now?”
“….”
Anastasia spoke to her lover outside the shop through magic. He was a rigid man who had insisted on standing guard outside the door to prepare for any potential situation, even all the way out here.
“Darliiiiing?”
“…Ana. Someone has come to see you.”
“It’s probably someone here to get a dress fitted. Just turn them away.”
As Anastasia glared around, the clerks bowed so low they nearly hit the floor. She’d paid the shop owner a fortune to rent the place out for the day… and they couldn’t even turn away a single customer without bothering her lover?
“I could turn them away, but I feel like I shouldn’t.”
“That’s the first time you’ve spoken like that since you proposed to me….”
My knight, who valued principles above all else and didn’t have a single soft spot. I couldn’t understand what he could have possibly seen to make him say something like that. Could the Grand Duke have foreseen this, too?
‘What an incredible human being….’
Anastasia suddenly grew curious. What on earth did he send her here for?
“Let them in.”
While she was lost in thought, the next dress arrived. These dresses were definitely better than the previous ones, but she couldn’t spare even a shred of interest for them.
Click, clack—
From the moment the door opened, Anastasia began to observe the new guests. The two people entering didn’t even know they were being watched; they just followed the path.
‘Doesn’t look like a simple noble….’
Judging by the shabby clothes they were wearing, they were commoners—or even lower. But she didn’t judge everything by appearance alone.
‘Looking at their faces, maybe some fallen nobles…?’
The two passed through the hallway and entered the main hall where she was. And the moment she saw them, she had no choice but to change her mind about them being nothing special. She had been acting as if she didn’t care, pretending to pick out dresses, but… inside, she wanted to cheer.
“Oh my….”
The two people standing before her were truly astonishing. One was a mad genius possessing something special. The other was something from which she couldn’t feel a single thing—it was eerie. Even a person who couldn’t handle mana possessed life force, yet she couldn’t feel any from the latter.
‘How interesting….’
She was dying to know what both of them were hiding.
“Hello. You’re cute.”
Cute enough to want to dissect them.
‘Hmm…. What do I do?’
It’s not always a good thing for a commoner to meet a high-ranking noble. No, it’s almost always a disaster. It’s not like these people are legendary Pokémon that you can capture just by throwing a Master Ball at them; if I had to compare, it was more like a low-level monster meeting a high-level veteran player in an RPG. Of course, I’m the monster, and they’re the veteran.
Normally, I’d ignore them since they don’t even give experience points, but if they were in a bad mood that day, who knew? One tap and I’d be dead.
“May the Goddess’s blessing be with you. I greet the Shield of the Empire….”
“…I greet the Shield of the Empire.”
“Make yourselves comfortable. Please. I’m not the Grand Duke.”
Thankfully, thanks to Chiara’s quick thinking, I was able to shove my runaway soul back into my body. Looking at Rostira’s expression, it didn’t seem like she’d called us over for anything bad.
‘At least it’s not a “How dare you interrupt my shopping! Die!” situation.’
Alright, I’ve seen her face, so now it’s time to go home. I bowed my head quietly once more and tried to leave, but the knight I’d seen earlier was blocking the exit.
“Um… I really need to go….”
There were far more guards inside the shop now. They were all here to protect Rostira.
“No, just look around comfortably. It would be a problem if you couldn’t buy clothes because of me.”
“No… um, we just came to look around, so it’s fine if we leave…”
Chiara, help!!!!!
I’m bad at dealing with nobles like this, you know…!
Maybe it’s because I spent so long in the hospital, but I’ve always had a tendency to be weak against people with high status, great power, or lots of money.
[Isn’t that just being weak to the strong and strong to the weak?]
I looked at Chiara with desperate eyes, but she just smiled quietly.
‘Figure it out yourself.’
That was the look in her eyes.
Kuaaaah. Save me.
“No. You said you made a reservation first! If I just turn you away, it would mean Rostira is using her authority to cause harm to others.”
Why doesn’t that harm include mental anguish? Rostira laughed cheerfully and sat me and Chiara down on a sofa in the fitting area. The moment I stood up, I’d be “the one trying to smear the honor of the Grand Duke’s family.”
“The white-haired friend looks like she’d look good in anything… Here, bring me number 4 from what we just saw.”
“Yes, understood.”
Rostira sat down on the sofa next to us naturally. As a result, I was sandwiched between Chiara and Rostira. If the two of them merged, would they become the ultimate Chiara? I just wish they’d merge quickly and run to the ending. And leave me alone.
It wasn’t long before the clerk brought over the bright red dress she’d called number 4, and Chiara headed to the fitting room with the clerk.
“….”
“….”
“Why are you moving away? Do you dislike me?”
“No, I just thought you might be uncomfortable…”
Escape to the corner failed!
I obediently moved back to my original spot, and Rostira put her arm around my shoulder. If it were the me from my past life, I probably would have treated that shoulder as a family heirloom forever, but right now, I was just sweating buckets.
“Oh, if you’re worried about the money, don’t be. This is fate, so I’ll pay for the dress.”
“…Thank you!”
“Haha, aren’t your expressions a bit too transparent?”
“I’m sorry….”
I don’t think I’m usually that transparent. Even Chiara, who went into the fitting room, is better at acting than I am.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t introduced ourselves. Anastasia. You’re likable, so you can call me Ana.”
“I’m Tisha Luagwen of Poreun. …It’s an honor to meet you.”
Wait, was the second daughter of the Rostira family named Anastasia? The first was the quiet type and the second was the playful type, so it was definitely the second one.
“Luagwen? Luagwen… Luagwen… Ah.”
“Is there a problem…?”
It’s not exactly a name worth chewing over.
Anastasia mumbled it a few times, organized her thoughts, and continued.
“No… I did hear that Poreun was holding a charity party this time.”
“Are you thinking of attending?”
If Rostira participated in the party, it would be a major event that would turn high society upside down. The Grand Duke’s bloodline had never attended any parties other than those in the Imperial Capital or the North. If this worked out, it would be a profitable deal even if I gave Baron Arl all the money I’d raised from the invitations.
“Why? Do you want me to attend?”
“…It would be great if you did.”
“I’m quite busy, though.”
“…If you’re busy, you don’t have to.”
“Pfft—”
Ah.
Was I too blatant? I felt embarrassed by Anastasia’s laughter and scratched my neck for no reason.
“I’ll take one invitation.”
As Anastasia said that, she glanced at her maid, who nodded and ran outside immediately. Before I could even wonder what she was doing, Anastasia continued.
“I’ll send someone else instead of me. Besides, I think I’ve already seen the most interesting thing here.”
“Thank you….”
“Good. The talk is over, now you need to wear one too, right?”
The maid who had just left brought something back. The speed was so fast that if Cao Cao had seen it, he would have recruited her instead of Guan Yu. What she held in her arms so preciously, without a single wrinkle, was none other than a black dress.
‘It’s pretty….’
It looked pretty and expensive at a glance. But pretty is pretty, and…
“It was the best one I saw today. It’s yours.”
“I’m fine, really…”
“Put it on.”
“Yes….”
“Good. You’re a good girl. I’ll be chatting with your white-haired friend when she comes out.”
Sob, sob. Is this how a sacrificial lamb feels being dragged to the slaughterhouse? I was going to look at things casually and then just use money as an excuse to wear a clean outfit and finish it off.
“I will assist you, my lady.”
Wearing the dress was a real ordeal. It was incredibly uncomfortable. I couldn’t understand how anyone could walk around wearing this.
“My lady, you look so beautiful!”
“Yes… thank you.”
I headed straight to where Rostira was, wanting to show her and get it off as quickly as possible. As I opened the door, I saw the two of them chatting affectionately, as if they’d become friends in the meantime.
“The young lady is entering!”
“….”
“….”
They had been laughing just a moment ago, but a silence fell instantly. Is… is it that bad…?
My face flushed bright red for no reason. How embarrassing….
“Chiara…. Isn’t your director pretty?”
….
“…She is.”
The party was drawing closer.