“Ahem, the price of pepper can’t be helped, but I’ll offer you this silk at a low price instead.”
“Silk?”
The merchant spread a piece of green silk across the table.
“I heard that His Grace the Grand Duke is taking Her Highness the Princess of Wiezer as his wife this time.”
“That is correct.”
“You Northerners have lived here all your lives, so you probably don’t know this, but clothing for Her Highness the Princess must be made from at least this level of quality.”
“But no matter how cheap silk is……”
When the maid hesitated, the merchant continued in a suggestive tone.
“Surely you don’t intend to make Her Highness the Princess’s clothes out of just anything?”
“…Of course not. Very well, I understand. Give me the bill of sale.”
“Ahem. I’m sure Her Highness the Princess will be very pleased.”
The merchant twitched his lips as he held back a grin and handed over the bill of sale.
Just then—
“Wait.”
Lumiere, who had been standing by the doorway, stepped into the reception room.
“What seems to be the matter?”
The merchant frowned as though her presence were an inconvenience.
Of course he would be annoyed. She had interrupted him just as he was about to close a major deal.
“Did you just say that Her Highness the Princess would be very pleased?”
The merchant paused for a moment before shamelessly answering.
“Is there a problem?”
“You’re selling this piece of trash. Why wouldn’t there be a problem?”
“Trash? That’s an awfully harsh thing to say. Are you accusing me of tampering with goods I’m supplying to the Grand Duke’s household?”
Lumiere examined the silk before giving a small, mocking laugh.
“The dye is uneven, and the color has faded. This looks like silk that has been sitting in a warehouse for at least ten years. If this isn’t trash, then what is?”
At first glance, it was difficult to tell.
But upon closer inspection, the color was uneven and the sheen was inconsistent.
A Northerner who rarely had the opportunity to handle high-quality silk might not notice.
But Lumiere, who had been dragged to Imperial banquets countless times despite feeling like little more than a decorative flower on the wall, could tell the difference.
To her, this was no better than trash.
“Moreover, Imperial clothing is never made from green silk. It is difficult to dye evenly, and the color fades easily just like this.”
“That……”
The merchant faltered upon realizing that she was not some ignorant Northerner.
The maid looked at him in disbelief.
“Is what she says true?”
“N-No, this isn’t faded. It’s a newly developed dyeing technique inspired by the inherent characteristics of green silk. Once the color fades, it becomes a one-of-a-kind piece of silk……”
Lumiere scoffed and unfolded the silk further.
“There are even moth-eaten spots here. Are you going to tell me those are part of your new weaving technique as well?”
Tiny, needle-like holes were scattered throughout the fabric.
How much did he look down on the Grand Duke’s household to dare sell such an expensive product without even properly inspecting it?
She was beyond angry.
She was simply dumbfounded.
“Just who are you to rudely interrupt a transaction like this?!”
The merchant, realizing that the deal had completely fallen apart, shouted with a flushed face.
“Why don’t you say that again. Are you saying that this kind of fabric is suitable for me?”
Lumiere gently pushed back the hood covering her head.
The merchant’s face immediately went pale.
“Th-The Princess?”
There was no way he could mistake her.
Her white hair and violet eyes were unmistakable features of the Princess.
“Head Maid, although I have yet to hold the wedding ceremony, may I give orders as the woman who will soon become the mistress of this castle?”
“Yes. Please give your command.”
“Call the soldiers. Have this man detained and seize the merchant company’s carriage.”
Trying to sell moth-eaten silk by claiming that it was suitable for the Princess—
It was a grave crime for which he would have had no excuse even if sentenced to death.
As the maid hurried out of the reception room, the merchant immediately dropped to his knees.
“Y-Your Highness the Princess! This is truly unfair! Something must have gone wrong during transportation!”
Transportation, my foot.
Judging from the discoloration alone, this was not something that had happened within a day or two.
“Your fate will be decided by His Grace the Grand Duke when he returns.”
“Your Highness! Please spare me, Your Highness!”
The soldiers quickly arrived and dragged the merchant away.
In her previous life, she had wanted to smack the back of that man’s head every time he cheated the Grand Duke’s household.
At least she had the satisfaction of dealing with that wretched man immediately after arriving at the Grand Duke’s Castle.
“I apologize for showing you such an unpleasant sight immediately after your arrival.”
When the Head Maid looked troubled, Lumiere replied as though it were nothing worth mentioning.
“It’s fine. More importantly, could you show me to my bedroom? I’d like to rest for a while.”
She followed the Head Maid, whose attitude had become noticeably more respectful, toward her room.
After escorting the Princess to her bedroom—
Terra stood in the middle of the corridor and let out a sigh.
It had been a merchant company she had dealt with for a long time.
Very few merchants from other countries were willing to travel all the way here, a place constantly threatened by monster attacks. Of those few, only a handful regularly came and went with any degree of reliability.
She had known they charged more than the proper price for that very reason.
But to go so far as to deceive them by using Her Highness the Princess as an excuse—
And the fact that Her Highness the Princess herself exposed them……
She had heard that the Princess was a woman with many problems, but the Princess she had seen today was certainly not someone to be taken lightly.
She had neither panicked over the marriage nor behaved without dignity as the rumors claimed.
Terra would have to observe her for longer to be certain, but despite her delicate appearance, her decisiveness was the very image of an ideal Grand Duchess.
However, no matter how different she was from the rumors, there was still one undeniable fact.
She had been born and raised in the Imperial Family.
Terra had already been unhappy about having to serve an Imperial Princess as the mistress of the household, and now they had shown her such an embarrassing spectacle on her very first day.
Her wounded pride was the least of her concerns.
What worried Terra more was what the Princess would now think of the Grand Duke’s household.
Now, whom should I choose to serve as Her Highness’s personal maid……?
Even noblewomen customarily brought a trusted maid from their family home when they married.
Yet the Princess had come here alone.
Perhaps the rumors that she had been mistreated by the Imperial Family were true after all.
Swallowing another sigh, Terra continued walking as she mentally went through the list of maids.
After the Head Maid left—
Lumiere changed her clothes and lay down on the bed.
This was a guest room prepared for distinguished visitors to the Grand Duke’s Castle.
There were comfortable indoor clothes that could be worn regardless of body shape or size, perfume, cosmetics produced in the North, and everything else she might need.
For the time being, it seemed she would have no trouble.
Even though the Head Maid probably did not like her, she had still prepared everything Lumiere needed.
Such thoughtful consideration was something she could never have expected at the Imperial Palace, so she found herself genuinely grateful.
I’ll sleep for a while and look around the castle after I wake up.
With that thought, she closed her eyes.
Or at least, that had been the plan.
Lumiere murmured in a hoarse voice,
“How long did I sleep?”
When she opened her eyes, bright sunlight was streaming through the curtains.
She had slept for an entire day as though she had passed out.
Even after sleeping that long, I’m still tired.
Perhaps it was because this was the place where she had died in her previous life.
She was already exhausted from the long journey, and then she had chosen to sleep here of all places.
It’s a miracle I didn’t have a nightmare.
When she happened to look toward the window from which she had fallen in her previous life, a chill ran down her spine.
What on earth had she been thinking when she had stubbornly insisted on sleeping here?
She had accepted the bedroom prepared by the Grand Duke’s household because she feared that refusing it would only strengthen the prejudice against her for being an Imperial citizen.
But now she wasn’t sure whether it had been the right choice.
I should probably get up now.
Rubbing her goosebumped arms, she sat up.
Her future husband was out there enduring hardships, so she could not simply lie around doing nothing.
Jingle.
Lumiere stretched out her stiff arm and pulled the bell cord.
Perhaps she had been waiting outside the entire time, because the Head Maid entered the room with another maid immediately after Lumiere pulled the cord.
“Your Highness, did you find the bedroom we prepared to your liking?”
“Thanks to you, I rested very well. I only meant to close my eyes for a moment, but somehow an entire day passed.”
“I was worried you might have trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar place, so I’m glad to hear that you rested comfortably.”
Terra gestured toward the blonde maid standing beside her and continued.
“This girl is Becky. She will be attending to Your Highness for the time being.”
“My name is Becky Wensler, Your Highness. I am inexperienced, but I will do my utmost to serve you without causing you any inconvenience.”
Lumiere quietly studied Becky’s face.
She stood with both hands folded over her abdomen, wearing a shy smile.
Something about her felt vaguely familiar, yet the memory remained just out of reach.
Even though Lumiere had once wandered around the Grand Duke’s Castle in her previous life, she could not possibly remember the faces of every servant.
It had been so long ago, and there had been far too many people to remember each one individually.
Still, if she was experiencing such a strange sense of familiarity, there had to be a reason for it.
Who was she again……?
Narrowing her eyes, Lumiere searched through the memories of her previous life.
Then, suddenly, a certain memory surfaced.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
