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IGF 28
“Thank... you.”
The way she stammered, as if she truly hadn't expected it, made Aiden feel slightly displeased. Did she see him as such a villain that he would even reclaim a gift given to a woman? After staring for a moment into her eyes, which shimmered like the summer sea, Aiden habitually pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
A strange, fluttering sensation in his heart bothered him. It was likely the beginning of another nervous episode. He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag of the smoke from the burning calming herb.
‘This is the scent of calming herb.’
Roselyn was so lost in thought that she forgot to turn her head away from the familiar herbal aroma. Indeed, the cigarette he had smoked when they met in the garden had smelled like this. At the time, she had been too flustered to realize it, but while it seemed similar to any other cigarette scent at a glance, Roselyn, with her knowledge of herbology, could clearly distinguish it.
Calming herb settles the nerves and dulls the senses. Thus, it is a herb prescribed for those who are overly sensitive and frail, or those who suffer from trauma-induced seizures. To think that Prince Aiden, who seemed the picture of robustness, was smoking cigarettes mixed with calming herb.
She had discovered an unexpected fact. Trying to hide her surprised expression, Roselyn turned her head as if avoiding the smoke and asked the question that had been on her mind.
“Is there anyone else who knows about this deal besides Bertha?”
“My aides, Jeffrey and Dylan, will find out eventually, but you won't be meeting them, so you needn't worry. Other than them, no one knows.”
He answered, exhaling a long stream of smoke after inhaling so deeply that his cheeks hollowed. She should have felt unpleasant with the smoke billowing toward her, but the sight was so decadent that she momentarily lost herself. She grew to dislike herself a bit more for being so vulnerable to visual stimulation.
“Even the servants of this mansion believe we are lovers. So, you'll have to act your part well, Roselyn.”
Act, she thought. She lacked confidence, but she couldn't say she was incapable. Determined to make it work, she replied solemnly.
“Yes.”
“Then we are finished.”
Aiden extended the hand that wasn't holding the cigarette, as if offering a handshake. Roselyn hesitated, staring at the large hand that looked twice the size of her own, before finally reaching out. Aiden snatched her slowly extended hand and leaned down. His lips, as they touched the back of her hand, felt searingly hot. He pulled her hand firmly as she tried to withdraw it in panic and whispered.
“From this moment on, you must get used to physical intimacy with me.”
“Why... why would...?”
“Because lovers in love shouldn't be startled just by holding hands.”
He looked at her with a reproachful gaze, as if asking why she would ask such an obvious question. Taking a deep breath, Roselyn slowly curled her fingers as if making a decision. As he clasped her hand within his large palm, Aiden wore a painted-on smile.
“Then I look forward to it, my love.”
The awkward physical contact was a mere drop in the bucket. A few days later, Roselyn became preoccupied just trying to keep her wits about her.
It started with the dress shop. Roselyn felt like she was losing her mind due to the influx of people from the boutique who had stormed in since the morning.
“Oh my. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Roselyn.”
A woman wearing a voluminous dress that seemed to fill the entire room and heavy makeup greeted Roselyn with a friendly smile. Roselyn stiffened under the gaze of the boutique's madam, Etoine, who was scrutinizing her behind that smiling face, and forced her lips into a smile.
“I look forward to your help.”
“Ohoho. That is my line! I was so surprised when His Highness the Prince sent me a message! I will do my absolute best to ensure everything is to Lady Roselyn's liking. My lady.”
Etoine's eyes sparkled with the singular determination to sell every single dress she had brought. Rumors had already spread throughout the imperial capital that Prince Aiden had lost his mind over some divorcee. The protagonist of such gossip would undoubtedly draw attention—especially a woman with such stunning beauty! Seeing her in person, Etoine could understand why Prince Aiden had gone so mad.
Any other boutique madam might have worried if dressing the subject of such unfavorable rumors would lower the prestige of her shop, but Etoine was not like that. Whether it was a scandal or not, the dresses Roselyn wore would certainly become the talk of the nobility, and thus, Etoine's boutique would be etched into the minds of the aristocracy.
Already imagining the dresses selling like wildfire, Etoine looked blissfully into the air for a moment.
“Shall we begin then?”
“Ah, yes.”
Before she could even finish her answer, Etoine signaled her employees to bring over a mountain of fabric and place it before Roselyn. When she spotted the employees dragging in racks with dozens of dresses of various designs, Roselyn felt a wave of exhaustion. Surely she didn't have to try them all on? Unaware of her paling complexion, Bertha began examining the dresses with an expression as excited as Etoine's.
“I think they will all look wonderful on you, my lady!”
Bertha seemed anxious to see Roselyn in the dresses as soon as possible. Roselyn felt certain that Bertha would not stop until she had tried on every single one.
Having spent a few days with Bertha, Roselyn noticed that the woman secretly enjoyed dressing her up. Even when there was nowhere to go, Bertha would constantly badger the maids to adorn the lady more beautifully, and since yesterday, she had even gone so far as to personally select accessories. Bertha had mentioned in passing that she regretted not being able to play with dolls as a child because she only played with wooden swords; surely she wasn't treating her as...
“Please recommend just a few that would suit me, Madam.”
“Hmm, I would recommend everything from here to there. I doubt there is a single design that wouldn't suit the lady.”
“No, that's...”
Roselyn's attempt to finish quickly was easily brushed aside. Etoine stood her in front of a large mirror, picked up a dress intricately woven with silver thread, and showed it to her.
“Try this one first. It's a new design I created recently; the front looks modest, but the back has a hidden twist! Hoho!”
The dress, which flared out gradually toward the bottom, was no different from any other. Except that the chest area was slightly higher, giving a neat impression. However, the back was provocative. It wasn't just low-cut; it was completely open down to the lower back. Roselyn shook her head in panic.
“I prefer something more modest.”
“Of course, those would suit you as well. But this will truly look wonderful on you. Look at this hem; I've sewn in small diamonds one by one, so imagine how beautiful it will be to see them sparkle with every movement!”
“Please try it on, my lady!”
Roselyn swallowed a sigh and obediently opened her arms. Seeing Bertha encouraging her with even more excitement rather than stopping her, she had no choice but to wear it. Honestly, she was also tempted by the diamonds densely sewn into the hem. The Prince had said she could sell the dresses for money once the job was done. A dress studded with jewels would fetch a much higher price.
Perhaps because she had grown used to the maids and Bertha helping her change over the past few days, she didn't feel particularly embarrassed changing clothes in front of the boutique staff. Seeing how quickly she adapted to such a luxurious life, the old saying that humans are creatures of adaptation felt poignant.
“Oh, wow, oooh.”
With the help of the madam and Bertha, Roselyn put on the dress and stared blankly into the mirror. Her back felt too exposed, so she had to cover it with her hair, but as Etoine said, it was truly beautiful. The silver fabric, which flowed smoothly with every movement, absorbed and then emitted light, sparkling brilliantly. As Bertha covered her mouth with both hands and let out an exclamation of admiration, Roselyn's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Etoine also began to clap her hands wide.
“This simply belongs to the lady. The dress has finally found its owner.”
She was overwhelmed by the commotion around her. Swept away by Etoine's eloquence, Roselyn could only nod when asked if she would order the dress. Just as she had chosen one dress and was about to change into a light blue one selected by the madam, the people in the room hurriedly knelt upon discovering the Prince, who entered with a heavy knock.
“We greet His Highness the Prince.”
“Roselyn.”
Aiden strode into the drawing room, his gaze fixed on Roselyn. Reaching her in an instant with his long legs, he naturally wrapped his arm around her waist and wore a sweet smile.
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