127. Bertang Dress Shop (1)

Caitlyn’s eyes sparkled. Though we hadn’t said we would take her along, she already seemed to be imagining herself trying on clothes at the dress shop.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll get ready to go out! It might take a while!”

Ignoring Caitlyn who hurriedly returned to her room, I told Darius our plan for today.

“Since we need to keep making appearances at balls while we’re in the capital, let’s have plenty of clothes made. And let’s get some new clothes for you as well.”

Darius looked handsome and suited everything he wore, but it was obvious that nobles meeting the grand ducal couple for the first time in the capital would judge their first impression based on appearances.

Therefore, he needed to dress according to the capital’s fashion rather than the style he wore in the North.

* * *

The carriage stopped on a street lined with high-end dress shops.

We planned to visit Bertang Dress Shop, considered one of the top three dress shops here.

The shop operated by renting out the entire place to one customer at a time, so despite it being daytime, the shop was very quiet.

“It’s an honor to serve you, Your Grace the Grand Duke. Madam Grand Duchess.”

Inside the dress shop, dresses in progress were on display.

“This is the wedding dress for Count Gramel’s daughter. Until your arrival, our seamstresses were busy working on this dress.”

Some clients kept their commissioned dresses strictly confidential until the reveal day, but Count Gramel’s daughter apparently hadn’t made such a request.

The displayed wedding dress served as an advertisement to customers visiting Bertang Dress Shop, showing that it was a skilled establishment that even did business with a count’s family.

“If you like this design, shall I find you a similar dress? The ruffle pleats are really well done.”

“I was thinking it’s a lovely wedding dress, but I’m looking for a dress to wear to balls, so that’s fine.”

Count Gramel’s daughter’s wedding dress wasn’t the pure white typically associated with wedding dresses.

In this world, white was a color used for mourning clothes, like black.

Well, even in my former world, the paradigm of white wedding dresses only shifted when Queen Victoria showcased her snow-white dress to the public at her own wedding.

“Haah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, seeing such an elaborate dress just made me think of various things……”

I sighed briefly, reminded of De Beers who sold gems saying, “Colorless jewels are not accepted by people.”

‘Though they’re selling successfully now…… it’s still early in the business, so no one knows what will happen later.’

“Wedding…… weddings are nice. With guests, and flowers everywhere……”

I need diamonds to become established as engagement rings for me to earn money stably in the future.

Lost in worries about the diamond business, I didn’t notice that Darius had started fidgeting as he watched me unable to take my eyes off the wedding dress.

“Um, Anette. We……”

“Eek.”

It was just as Darius was about to say something to me. A dress shop maid who was setting down refreshments carelessly spilled a plate by mistake.

“What are you doing in front of such distinguished guests!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Enough, you go back inside and make clothes! I apologize, Grand Duke. And Madam Grand Duchess. Our shop’s youngest apprentice is a bit clumsy, hohoho. I will serve you personally.”

The dress shop owner, face reddened, scolded the maid. The maid covered her face and hurriedly fled through the side door used by the shop staff.

“From evening wear to clothes with less or more exposure, we can make them according to the lady’s preference.”

Since we needed clothes to wear immediately in the capital, we bought several ready-made outfits and also ordered a couple of elaborate dresses that would display the Grand Duke family’s wealth generously.

Darius ordered frock coats that matched my clothes.

Bertang couldn’t hide his smile at the mounting pile of clothes.

“The Grand Duke’s family is truly generous!”

“I heard your dress shop leads the capital’s fashion trends. If my wife likes the clothes, we’ll continue to be regular customers.”

“Hohoho, Madam has such a beautiful figure and elegant atmosphere that everything suits her well. Still, since you say so, I will definitely design a dress that suits Madam and send you the design sketches.”

Darius spoke pompously, but I didn’t stop him. I thought it would be good if rumors spread through the dress shop servants that the North, which had been thought to be poor, was actually not so, and that we spent money freely.

“Don’t just draw clothes for me, make sure to include our Grand Duke’s clothes too. I won’t wear anything that doesn’t match my husband.”

“My, my, my, you two have such a wonderful relationship.”

Bertang wore a kind smile based on capitalism.

“Ah, we also need to purchase hats and gentlemen’s shoes, so feel free to recommend any craftsmen you know well.”

We left the dress shop, receiving Bertang’s ear-to-ear farewells. As we were about to board the carriage to return home, we saw our coachman arguing with a young lady.

“Ann! It was you I saw from the carriage two days ago, wasn’t it? Your father thinks you’re dead! Running away is one thing, but you should have sent word home!”

“If Dad knew, he’d be furious and order me to come home right away, so how could I send any news! Enough! Don’t tell anyone you saw me!”

‘Is that girl the blacksmith Boyer’s daughter, Ann? The one who fought with her father and ran away to the capital?’

I never expected to meet that girl again on this dress shop street, the same one who had suddenly jumped in front of our carriage.

What’s more, the girl was working on this dress shop street. She was the dress shop’s youngest apprentice who had spilled the refreshments on the table earlier.

Watching the argument between Ann and the coachman, I whispered to Darius.

“That girl Ann had a reason for dropping the refreshments earlier.”

Though Darius didn’t recognize Ann’s face, Ann, as a resident of the northern territory, would have known Darius’s face.

Seeing Darius’s face must have reminded her of the North she had left behind with so many memories.

* * *

Ann hated the North. Though she had never been to any other city, she vaguely thought anywhere would be better than the North.

A land where it snowed tediously in winter and was never not cold. Her father, a craftsman, was only interested in hammering iron and was quite taciturn, and while the blacksmith shop people were all good people when you got to know them, they were completely hopeless when it came to dealing with a teenage girl.

As she grew older, she increasingly thought she should go somewhere other than the North. Then one day, when she saw a traveling theater troupe that toured the country, Ann found her dream there.

Her father couldn’t understand Ann who couldn’t take her eyes off the performances put on by the traveling theater troupe, and he became very angry when Ann said she wanted to leave for the city. Shortly after that, Ann left the North. Without reconciling with her father.

“Lady Ygret told me she had a job for me.”

Caught by the coachman and then by Anette and Darius as well, Ann resignedly shared her story.

“If I had known the Grand Duke’s family would come today, I would have made up some excuse not to come to work.”

Because the dress shop appointment was made urgently, Ann only found out that the Grand Duke’s family would be coming to her workplace to have clothes made after she had already arrived at work.

“You met Lady Ygret? Nothing happened to you?”

“Yes. What could happen? She was just an ordinarily nice person. She did forget her promise to me…… After arguing with my father, I went to her and said I wanted the job she had mentioned before, and she put me on a carriage to the capital.”

Ann recalled that day from several years ago.

〈I had an unplanned meal and now I’m full. Hmm…… I can’t eat anymore.〉

“Until she put me on the carriage to the capital, she kept giving me regretful looks, but I’m not sure why.”

Ann didn’t know what Lady Ygret had regretted. She hadn’t had time to think about it because a major problem had befallen her.

“But! When I actually got to the capital, there was no job that the lady had promised! I clearly went up there because Lady Ygret said she knew someone who was looking for a suitable young woman, and I said I would do it!”

Recalling that time, Ann’s fists clenched as emotions welled up.

“The carriage just dropped me off at the capital saying its job was done, but I had come to the capital planning to earn money, so I had no money in my pocket, and if I went back like that, my father would surely mock me!”

Listening to Ann’s story, Anette looked at Ann’s hands and arms with a worried expression. As if checking for any injuries.

However, Ann’s hands, befitting an entry-level seamstress, were rough with countless needle prick marks, but otherwise fine.

“My goodness! Lady Ygret really didn’t touch a single hair on your head! This is a miracle!”

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s truly a miracle that I found a job safely in this capital where I knew no one! I never thought I’d become a seamstress!”

Not understanding the implications behind Anette’s words, Ann responded with relief. If it hadn’t been Bertang Dress Shop that placed the job advertisement in the newspaper classifieds found on the street, who knows what Ann would be doing now.

Seeing the advertisement for a junior seamstress at Bertang Dress Shop, Ann went to the dress shop and moved Bertang with her passionate speech about having great enthusiasm for clothes and wanting to learn how to make clothes from the wonderful designers in the capital, which is why she had come all the way from the North.

“Of course, Mr. Bertang does wonder why I still can’t properly make a single piece of clothing despite my supposedly great passion for clothes. Actually, I think Mr. Bertang now realizes that I didn’t apply here because I had a special interest in clothes.”

Even after two years of doing menial tasks, she was still the youngest apprentice. Even Ann thought she had no talent for fashion design. As the daughter of a blacksmith, she could at most fix broken needles.

Still, she could meet many distinguished people and had somewhat satisfied her desire for the glamorous life she had longed for…… As Ann finished saying this, she was startled when the Grand Duchess suddenly embraced her.

“You’re truly a lucky child!”

“M-me? I never thought I was particularly unlucky, but I didn’t think I was lucky either?”

“No! Ann, no one is luckier than you! To have survived Lady Ygret’s clutches, it’s truly a miracle!”