Shadow Queen - Chapter 13

Chapter 13
knock, knock
Lunarin quickly responded to the knock from outside the parlor and confirmed it.
“Lady, Lussen the dressmaker has arrived.”
“Tell them to come in.”
As permission was given, the assistants and servants brought by Lussen the dressmaker diligently dressed, embroidered curtains, and carpets.
I moved inside. Elena left the terrace and went inside only after the Dressmaker Lussen moved the stuff into the drawing room.
“Greetings to the Princess.”
“Thank you for coming. I heard from the butler that you are in charge of my dress for the birthday party.”
“Yes, I had to come and take your measurements.”
“Let me see the design.”
Lussen the dressmaker nodded and told the assistant to bring a design note. Elena, who was handed the design note, looked indifferently. Lussen the dressmaker was nervous by the dry response.
“You don’t like it, do you?”
“The line’s fine, but the traces are tacky. And the patterns and style are so classic.”
“I-is that so? If you have any style you want, I will actively reflect it.”
Now that the design is changed, it is almost impossible to produce it until the birthday banquet. Nevertheless, the order was ordered by Princess Veronica, so she did not show any malice.
“What I want is a single dress that fits my position as the social star. You know, it feels like starlight like in the night sky.”
“Starlight like?”
Wrinkles were on between the eyebrows of Lussen, who just visited back. Her request was too abstract for him to accept.
“A dress that becomes more colorful when illuminated and makes me stand out like the five-colored stars in the night sky.”
“Sparkling light.”
“It’s a breathtakingly brilliant dress of starlight… ..and it’s just as fascinating as I can imagine.”
“Oh! I can tell what it’s like. I’ll do my best to prepare.”
Elena smiled silently as she saw Dressmaker Lussen, who seemed to have a sense of will.
Don’t try too hard. I just need to bring a very expensive dress with expensive jewelry such as rubies, sapphires, and pearls.’
It was clear that the completed dress would fall far short of Elena’s expectations. Dresses that are short-lived and only fancy will ruin the harmony.
‘I don’t care if you do.’
She doesn’t want to get attention in that dress, and she doesn’t want to get attention. Elena came up with a determined plan. She’s going to swallow them all with money! Just imagining it made her whole body thrilled. Elena in her past life had spent a limited amount of money under Leabric’s control. It’s only like pocket money. Unfortunately, she took it because she thought it was natural.
Why? She’s the fake Veronica. It’s already a big position.
But now that I look at it, there was no reason at all. Based on the birthday banquet, every noble of the Empire will accept her as Princess Veronica. Elena is as good as real as she is recognized in society. Now that she’s aware of it, she has no intention of taking money under Leabric’s supervision.
She thought that she would be the most luxurious woman on the continent. The wealth of the Grand Duchy, which does not dry up, will remain even more dry. And she will dispose all the money for dresses, jewelry, shoes, and accessories separately. And all of the low-value jewelry and heavily loaded dress will have low depreciation rates.
In other words, as soon as the luxury goods purchased with the wealth of the Grand National Party are disposed of, Elena becomes a secret fund that she can secretly operate.
“Oh, I almost forgot, but keep it a secret that I changed the design of the dress. I want to surprise not only my father but also the aristocrats who came to celebrate my birthday.”
“I’ll keep my mouth shut then.”
Elena changed the subject only after choosing a few more dresses.
“That’s it for the dress, shall we look at the embroideries and silks then?”
“Yes, these silks are embroidered with snowflakes on silk from the north…”
After listening to the explanation, Elena told me to choose a curtain and carpet that she liked among them and put them in the room. Shortly after Lussen, the Dressmaker, who finished his business, left. The carpenter’s routine, which uses two things that do not seem to match marble and old wood, was one of the leading craftsmen in the empire. Only after requesting the production of beds, tables, closets, and decorations that reflected Elena’s taste did the carpenter’s routine go back to their usual workload.
“Leabric’s behind schedule. I think it’s time for her to come.’
It was when Elena sat on the terrace and enjoyed tea and enjoyed the sunset.
“Young lady, Leabric is here.”
“Let her in.”
Leabric’s official title is her own work. An empire with higher women’s human rights than other countries could have a title even if it were women. When Leabric came into the drawing room and found Elena sitting on the terrace, she opened her eyes fiercely.
“I want to talk to you for a long time, so you stay out.”
“Yes.”
As soon as Lunarin stepped back, Leabric walked out of the terrace, giving off the cold air.
“Liv, are you here? Sit here. The taste of black tea in the sunset is excellent.”
At Elena’s suggestion, which was so easygoing, Leabric’s expression became cold.
“What are you doing?”
“What?Pardon?”
Elena is a little flustered by her sharp question and laid down the teacup she was holding.
“I’m sure he warned you not to be dogmatic. You brought in dressmakers and tailors, not enough to burn out dresses and curtains? I warned you. Talk to me about anything and ask for permission.”
“……is this something I need to ask permission with?”
Elena’s eyes were filled with tears. She who looked innocent, suppressed her irritation with her superhuman patience.
“So you thought it was something you didn’t need permission to do?”
“I thought this little thing could be decided at my discretion without Liv’s permission.”
“What?”
Elena cried because of the sharp reflection.
“You know, you are always busy, and I thought you wouldn’t be able to ask me every little detail of changing dresses and furniture at best. Did I do something wrong?”
“But you should have asked. Didn’t you think you would be suspected?”
Elena’s expression became serious when she said she was suspicious.
“Why would this make me be so suspicious? I have no idea. Liv, what did I do wrong? Please tell me. I’ll fix it so it won’t happen again, okay?”
“…… ”
Leabric, who was asked, was momentarily speechless. There was no doubt that Elena is the fake Veronica of Grand Duchy, although there were doubts. It’s because she had a little relationship with Veronica or threw out all those who remembered her. Elena’s behavior would have somehow look peculiar.
“There’s nothing scarier than social rumors. Contact with outsiders can start a spark.”
“Oh, that’s why. I’m sorry. I’ll ask for permission even if it’s a trivial matter. So forgive me for today’s mistake, Liv.”
At the earnest request, Leabric reluctantly nodded. She definitely took the lead, but it is not refreshing to think that she stopped her somehow.
On the contrary, Elena is very satisfied. This is why she cleverly avoided Leabric’s questioning and got something to pick on.
‘You want me to get permission? I’ll do it if you want.’
If I were to follow, I would follow what Leabric said very faithfully.
‘But that’s not necessarily a good thing.’
I have no intention of doing what Leabric wants.
***
Leabric was always pressed in time. Her workload was beyond imagination as there is no place in the Empire that did not exceed the power of Grand Duke Friedrich. It is hard to find anything that was out of her reach, from the top transaction issue to the private gathering of the aristocrats in the periphery. Leabric took off her glasses and touched her dimmy eyes.
‘It’s too much of a waste of time to go to the Duchy.’
But it was an inevitable choice. Princess Veronica’s absence is a major blow to the Grand Duchy’s succession. In particular, Young Lord Ren of the Bastache family, who became independent from the Bastache family, is young but is never a pushover.
Although Francesco is still breathing as he is still alive, he is likely to ascend as the heir of the Grand Duchy, while thinking of the absence of Princess Veronica. And in order to prevent it in advance, he went to the other side of the continent and took the hassle of bringing Elena.
It is the best choice for Leabric, but the accumulated approval documents and agendas to be dealt with were enough to make even a smart woman tired and sensitive.
knock, knock
Leabric looked at the knock. She told the servants not to let anyone in.
“It’s me, Liv.”
It was Elena who opened the door without permission and threw her head out.
“Sorry, I heard you informed everyone to not let anyone in but…still I came to see you.”
“No, don’t just stand there and come in.”
When she spoke with patience with displeasure, Elena, who was watching, quietly entered the room.
“You asked me about every little thing yesterday and I told you to make a decision.”
“I did.”
“I actually don’t have shoes to wear, so I think I’ll have to meet the two craftsmen and order them separately. Would that be okay?”
“Okay.”
Elena’s expression brightened when Leabric accepted it.
“Really?”
“You said you needed it. Tell the butler to bring one of the best artisans in the capital.”
“Thank you very much for your concern, Liv.”
Elena flung her skirt as if she could not hide her joy and left the office.
Leabric turned back to the pile of documents that needed to be looked at again. The sudden visit has broken her flow, but she’s still in charge of Elena.
It is reassuring to pay attention to each and every one in order to control the situation. And she thought that it’s been an hour since she was working on it all?
‘According to the report, Bianca’s own unofficial contact with the imperial family…’
It was when she was struggling with a troublesome deal.
knock, knock
Elena was picking out her head when she raised her head reflexively at the knock.
“Sorry to interrupt, Liv, I need to ask you something.”
“What do you need?”