Chapter 114

“Madam, do you have a moment?”

It happened while she was standing in the middle of the dressing room, debating which outfit to sort through first.

“Butler, what is it?”

“Madame Maribel has arrived. Please come to the parlor.”

Madame Maribel?

If it was Maribel, then she was the owner of the boutique Nina had frequented in her previous life.

“Butler, there must be some mistake. I never summoned Madame Maribel.”

As Nina looked flustered, Jeffrey smiled gently and said,

“It’s a surprise gift prepared by the Master for you, Madam.”

The only person the butler referred to as “Master” in this mansion was Ash…

“Him?”

Why?

“In any case, please come with me. Everyone is waiting for you, Madam.”

“Ah, very well.”

Nina ended up following Jeffrey in a daze.

In the first-floor parlor of the mansion, Madame and her staff were unpacking the items they had brought.

“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”

The woman, who had been gesturing and giving directions to her staff, brightened as she approached Nina.

The woman with curly blond hair and emerald-green eyes—Madame Maribel.

“It’s been a while, Madame.”

“I was so disappointed lately, thinking you had moved on to another boutique since you hadn’t called for me.”

“No need to be disappointed. Whose clothes would I wear if not yours?”

“Fufu, I’m grateful to hear that from Your Grace.”

“But still…”

Boxes stacked neatly like presents beneath a Christmas tree.

Dozens of dresses hung in perfect order on the racks, as if the entire shop had been cleared out.

Not only that, Maribel was holding a thick catalogue.

Considering that dressmakers typically brought just a few samples and the latest catalogue when visiting a noble household, this was a highly unusual sight.

‘Even in my previous life, I never went this far… what on earth is happening…?’

This wasn’t just anywhere—it was the Bayern ducal manor.

If Maribel came this prepared, she wouldn’t be able to skimp on costs for the sake of social appearances.

But to Nina, who had just been stressing over how to repay her allowance-related debts, this situation felt burdensome.

“…Madame, you seem to have brought much more than usual.”

“His Grace ordered us to bring all the items and new season samples from the boutique.”

“The Duke?”

“Yes, in my 30 years of running the boutique, this is the first time I’ve ever received such an order from a client.”

Madame’s eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled.

“Is… that so?”

Could it be because of what he’d overheard on the imperial palace balcony?

“In any case, please take a look at this fir— Oh my.”

As she was about to hand over the catalogue, Madame’s eyes widened in surprise.

Following her gaze, Nina turned her head. Ash was entering the parlor.

Nina approached him and whispered in a low voice,

“Honey, what is all this?”

“It’s time to buy clothes for the next season, and since you seemed to have no intention of restocking your wardrobe, I figured someone had to take care of it.”

The act he was putting on, pretending to be a doting husband, sent chills down her spine.

When people acted out of character, it usually meant something was seriously wrong…

With a serious expression, Nina asked,

“…Are you sick or something?”

“Is it a problem to treat you well?”

“No, that’s not it, but…”

“I mean to say that I feel responsible for the rumors about you. So when you’re given an opportunity—seize it.”

A boutique was also a source of gossip.

The more she spent, the more naturally the narrative that their marriage was harmonious would spread through high society.

It was, as he said, an opportunity…

The real question was, why was he giving her such an opportunity?

As Nina was lost in thought, her eyes absentmindedly fell on the dress in Maribel’s hands.

“That one just now.”

Nina only had a moment to look bewildered at Ash’s words.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Madame hung the dress on an empty rack.

“J-Just a moment. Honey, what are you—”

“That one too.”

He began selecting every item her eyes so much as glanced at.

“And that one, and that one too.”

“H-Honey!”

“This is getting tedious. Just purchase them all.”

Even if he said he felt responsible, this was going way too far!

Was he trying to saddle her with a debt and use it as leverage?

Had he figured out her plan to pay off her allowance-related debts?

Nina’s watery blue eyes trembled in shock, like an earthquake had struck.

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