Chapter 9 (1/2)

Dresses of various shapes and types were sketched inside the booklet.

All were gorgeous and luxurious.

“Which style do you prefer?”

Esther, knowing very little about dresses, concentrated as she tilted her head and pressed her nose into the brochure. However, she still had no clue.

“I’m not sure.”

“They aren’t good?”

“No, they’re all pretty.”

Esther quickly shook her head as she witnessed Madame to be disappointed.

“Which one is particularly pretty? How about something like this?”

Madame softened her voice so that Esther could feel more comfortable. After selecting dresses each of different designs, she asked for Esther’s thoughts.

“Pretty.”

“Then what about this?”

“Well… that’s also pretty.”

Esther nodded roughly. For her, all the dresses seemed alike.

Whenever that occured, Madame checked the cost on a small note. The boring and affirmative responses were repeated several times. Keep asking for thoughts; keep writing the responses in her notes.

Esther was curious as to what the Madame wrote down, but her curiosity was long forgotten by the cookies. Even when Esther only took a miniscule bite at a time, the cookie seemed to quickly disappear.

Esther gazed at her empty hands with regret.

Then, the image of her being sold to this salon abruptly crossed her mind. Esther asked urgently, wondering if Darwin had really left her here.

“Where is his Grace?”

“He is waiting downstairs. I think we are finished now, so I will call for him.”

Finished?

While wondering exactly what they were finished with, the Madame left the drawing room.

A moment later, Christine returned with a beam alongside Darwin.

“There are sixteen garments of the young lady’s choosing.”

“Can I bring them now?”

“No, I think it’ll take some time. We must customize them according to her size.”

What?

Esther, who had been listening to their conversation till that point, suddenly intervened.

“Wait!”

She didn’t wish to intrude on their conversation, but there was no holding it this time.

It was because the ‘young lady’ in that conversation seemed to refer to herself.

Esther leaped from the high sofa and approached Darwin. Darwin bent this waist slightly and made eye contact with Esther.

“What’s wrong?”

“Those aren’t… my clothes?”

Esther asked, emphasizing that they shouldn’t be at all.

Darwin’s indifferent eyes loosened gently when he stared at her.

“That’s right. I came to buy your dress. I’m glad you liked them.”

“Yes? I didn’t choose them. I just answered what was asked…”

The flustered Esther recalled the number of dresses she had just heard.

They seemed extremely expensive. Esther was speechless as to how he was thinking of buying sixteen sets of them at once.

“Then, do you wish to choose another one?”

“No! That’s not it…”

While Esther panicked, Darwin held his chin and spoke, “If it’s hard to choose, shall we buy them all?”

“Yes, we have enough budget for it.”

Ben nodded and spoke while standing next to him, as if it were nothing.

Ben then proceeded to present the money.

Esther, the only one not able to adjust to the atmosphere, stamped her feet.

“Grand Duke! I don’t need that much.”

“Hmm.”

Darwin’s eyes thinned.

He really did want to buy all the dresses here, yet Esther couldn’t feel burdened.

Darwin replied in a calm tone after a moment’s thought.

“I want to give you a gift. But if you feel pressured, I won’t force you to accept it.”

Her protest seemed to work, so Esther could finally calm down her surprise.

She was indeed surprised by the number of dresses that were to be purchased, but in reality, Esther was in need of clothes to dress in while at the mansion.

She naturally didn’t have any clothes to change into, as there was nothing to bring from the temple. Eshter concluded it to be better ending it here than to ask again another time.

However, the dresses seemed too fancy and expensive to receive as it is. Sixteen outfits would be a large burden on her.

“Well…. Can I ask for only seven? I think seven would be enough for me to change into.”

“Let’s do it that way then.”

Esther then proceeded to explain why she only wanted seven, but no one listened to her talk.

Whether it was seven or sixteen dresses, the number didn’t matter at all, considering the wealth of the Grand Duke’s family.

Instead, Darwin pressed his lips together, attempting to remove the threatening smile from his face.

It was a special moment which Esther was using her words, when usually she would only break down and her face would become contemplative. Besides.

‘You have cookie crumbs on your mouth.’

Esther’s mouth was covered with crumbs. As she spoke, the appearance of her moving lips was cute.

Darwin’s expression turned more firm to prevent his lips from curving upwards regardless of his will. He glanced at the window with his lips tightened, struggling not to smile.

In the meantime, Madame Christine smiled and approached Esther.

“Then, would you like to take a look at the brochure again?”

“Okay.”

Esther chose carefully this time, knowing she would dress in these garments.

Among the clothes the Madame presented, she chose seven dresses that seemed as practical and comfortable as possible.

“Then I’ll prepare it for you this way.”

“Can we take it right away?”

“No, we have to make it the young lady’s size… Oh, would you like to wear this? It just happened to hold the right proportions.”

Christine pointed to a dress hanging on the mannequin.

It was one of Esther’s chosen dresses, which seemed to fit her perfectly without having to be custom made.