Chapter 18
Technically, it was Priscilla’s niece.
“I’m Claire Ravello. This might sound presumptuous, but there’s something I need to say.”
“Go ahead… I don’t mind,” Marie said, her face slightly flushed.
Standing before her new muse, her heart felt boundlessly generous, and her guard lowered considerably.
Perhaps it was because this young woman resembled her original muse so much.
“Oh? Um, thank you,” Claire said, slightly taken aback. She soon regained her composure and spoke seriously.
“Leave that atelier. You’re far too talented to waste away there.”
“…That’s not possible,” Marie replied, her expression clouding as she hesitated.
“Why not?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Marie confessed her situation honestly.
“To tell you the truth, I owe them a lot of money.”
Her unfortunate circumstances were as follows:
Marie had been abandoned at birth and raised by the atelier’s owners. They treated her like a maid while raising her.
When she became an adult, they demanded repayment for all the food and shelter they had provided, even forcing her to sign a loan agreement.
To repay the debt, Marie had no choice but to work for the atelier on a meager salary. However, the interest on her debt accrued faster than she could earn, leaving her buried under a growing mountain of debt.
“How much in total?” Claire asked.
“Eight million gold…”
“I’ll pay it off.”
Claire spoke without hesitation. Marie’s eyes widened in shock.
“Y-you will? But why…?”
“Money should always be used efficiently.”
Not wasted on a worthless atelier but rather to secure a talent like yours under my wing.
Claire held Marie’s hand as she spoke gently but firmly.
“Of course, I have a condition. From now on, you’ll be in charge of making all my clothes.”
“Can you trust me with that? I don’t have much experience, and honestly, I only occasionally made clothes for the late duchess…”
“My aunt was satisfied with your work, Marie. She wore your designs until the very end.”
Tears welled up in Marie’s eyes. Even though society vilified the late Priscilla, Marie held her in high regard.
After all, someone who might have been terrible to others could still be good to her.
“Sniff… It’s a relief to hear she was satisfied,” Marie said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
Here was another opportunity extended by the family of the person who first recognized her talent.
Marie decided to seize it.
“If you entrust me with this, I’ll work hard, my lady. I’ll make sure I’m worth far more than eight million gold.”
“Of course, you will,” Claire said, smiling as she patted Marie’s shoulder.
Marie would undoubtedly rise to the occasion. The talent Claire had seen in her was worth far more.
Claire stayed true to her word.
She went straight to Marie’s atelier, tossed down a bag of money, and declared:
“Eight million gold. All in cash.”
The owners stared at her, dumbfounded, before sputtering in protest.
Without missing a beat, Claire grabbed Marie’s wrist firmly and declared:
“I’m taking her with me. Her debt is paid, so hand over the loan contract.”
The owners hesitated for a moment before greed took over. Once they verified the money was real, they handed over the loan contract without delay.
Claire promptly burned the document over a candle flame.
Technically, it was Priscilla’s niece.
“‘With this, you’re free, Marie. Show the world your talent under my wing.’”
“‘Thank you, my lady. I promise to work hard! I’ll create the best outfits for you!’”
Seeing Marie ignite with determination, Claire smiled warmly. Then, as she returned home, a thought came to her mind.
“‘I should continue scouting the talented people I’ve had my eye on.’”
People were assets. People were power.
To successfully carry out her revenge, Claire needed a strong support network.
“‘Which means I’ll have to earn a lot more money, and much faster than I am now.’”
Claire suddenly recalled a newspaper article she’d read a few days ago.
“Jewelry Flowers Facing Extinction?”
Jewelry flowers, plants that bloomed like gems, bearing jewel-like blossoms, were incredibly rare.
With extremely scarce seeds and notoriously difficult cultivation requirements, they were a high-value commodity.
The jewels from jewelry flowers sold for tens of millions of gold each. Recently, however, cultivation difficulties had caused production to plummet. As a result, prices had skyrocketed even further.
With her growth power, Claire knew she could bloom jewelry flowers with ease. But the problem lay elsewhere.
“The Imperial Family.”
The Empress’s brother monopolized the sale of jewelry flowers, managing them exclusively. Even the Muton Duchy, one of the empire’s largest trading companies, couldn’t touch them.
Let alone Claire, who had even less backing than Muton.
“‘It’s unfortunate, but Ron is handling the trading company well enough…’”
Claire calmed herself, cautioning against overreaching out of impatience.
***
The Crown Prince’s Palace
A young noblewoman, dressed extravagantly, ran out in tears.
“Sniff… You’re so cruel!”
She had come to ask Theodore to attend a party as her partner, only to be coldly rejected and dismissed.
Left alone in the reception room, Theodore sighed wearily and stood.
The reason he met her face-to-face, only to reject her, was simple.
She had arrived with a letter from the Emperor.
“‘Ah… My uncle is meddling unnecessarily again.’”
The current Emperor of Trisanne, Tobias, was Theodore’s uncle.
After the tragic deaths of the former Emperor and Empress in an accident, Tobias had taken the throne in their place.
Since Theodore had come of age, Tobias had been tirelessly trying to find him a suitable match, introducing him to noblewomen—usually those loyal to or connected to him.
“‘Why should I marry someone just to please him?’”
Not wanting to strengthen his uncle’s influence, Theodore refused every one of these matches.
But Tobias was persistent.
He was wary of Theodore allying himself with a major duchy or another influential noble family.
The relentless pressure only grew over time. Even now, Tobias had written a letter urging Theodore to bring a partner to the upcoming party.
‘This is unbearable. I need a solution.’
As he walked down the palace corridor, Theodore thought seriously.
To escape his uncle’s marriage plots, he would need to stage a fake romance.
But with whom?
‘Someone who can pretend to be my lover.’
They would need to be steadfast enough to withstand the pressure and have mutually aligned interests.
‘Where could I find someone like that?’
Ideally, someone with whom he could negotiate directly, regardless of their background or family.
Still pondering, Theodore returned to his office, where Jake handed him a document.
“Here’s the list of unmarried noblemen from count families or higher, as you requested.”
“Thank you.”
“Let me know if you need anything else,” Jake said with a friendly smile before leaving.
Theodore began reviewing the list carefully. Narrowing it down to unmarried men without fiancées or official partners meant the list wasn’t particularly long.
Still, none of the names felt like the perfect fit.
“If this goes on, I’ll end up choosing someone completely unsuitable.”
That would be a blow to Theodore’s pride. Even if Claire only knew him as a guildmaster, in truth, he was the Crown Prince of this empire.
For the Crown Prince to personally involve himself and end up with a lackluster partner would be a severe hit to his dignity.
“I need someone who will not only overlook Claire’s illegitimacy but also actively protect her.”
Theodore was acutely aware of how society treated illegitimate children—mocking and dismissing them as lesser.
Seeing someone he favored reduced to such a position was deeply unpleasant.
“If she were my partner, no one would dare insult her.”
Suddenly struck by an idea, Theodore paused.
The Emperor would continue to hound him until he brought a partner to the party. And Theodore needed a partner anyway.
So why not Claire?
Their interests aligned perfectly, and obtaining an invitation to the barony’s party would be trivial for him.
“People will think I’m insane, but… it might actually appease my uncle.”
The idea of the Crown Prince attending a party with an illegitimate noblewoman was so shocking that Tobias would likely approve. After all, he’d be satisfied seeing Theodore’s “standards” lowered.
Tobias was always paranoid about Theodore reclaiming the throne.
Without delay, Theodore sent a letter to Claire through the Episteme Guild.
The letter reassured her that he had found an excellent partner and would personally escort her to the party.
The lack of specifics about the partner left Claire feeling uneasy, but both of them diligently prepared for the event.
—
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