HDFL 07

Chapter : 07

The madam scrutinized Lucrezia from head to toe as meticulously as if she were appraising a valuable object before calling over one of her employees.

“Take our guest to the fitting room in the back.”

Moments later, two attendants escorted Lucrezia into a small room. They wrapped measuring tapes around her body, carefully recording every measurement. At the same time, they held bolts of fabric in various colors against her skin, setting aside those that complemented her complexion.

The entire process was so swift that she felt less like a customer and more like a stage prop standing motionless at the center of an opera during a scene change.

“Isn’t this a little excessive? I doubt someone who just wandered in would spend this much money.”

“Shh, keep your voice down. What if Madam hears you?”

As one of the employees pressed a finger to their lips while filling out the estimate, the madam’s flirtatious laughter drifted in from outside. Judging by the situation, she had recognized who Kallian was and had decided to make a fortune off him while she had the chance.

‘Looks like no one here cares about my circumstances at all.’

Ordinarily, nobles of the Empire only associated with families of similar status.

But during the festival in Benin, social rank was temporarily forgotten, and everyone indulged in brief yet passionate romances.

It was a socially accepted season of indulgence, and many nobles seduced beautiful commoner women to keep by their side throughout the festivities.

A few months later, they would naturally return to their lovers or wives waiting for them on the mainland, never looking back.

Because of that, the island was filled with women who had suddenly become unmarried mothers.

To the madam and her employees, Lucrezia was probably nothing more than a naïve commoner who had happened to catch the eye of a duke.

And they were like gray reef sharks, circling the fat purse a black-hearted noble had opened in an effort to win a woman’s affection.

A short while later, the itemized estimate, packed from top to bottom with purchases, was presented to Kallian.

He skimmed through it, signed without hesitation, and rose from his seat.

“They said some of today’s purchases will be delivered by ship. Stay here until then, and return to the estate afterward.”

“…Didn’t you say you wanted to look around the city?”

“Of course that was a lie.”

He lowered his voice into a whisper.

“I can’t stand cities that are nothing but water.”

Leaving those words behind, Kallian strode elegantly out of the boutique.

Still dazed, Lucrezia stood there staring blankly after him long after he had disappeared.

‘I thought he seemed unusually cooperative.’

To be fair, Kallian had looked rather handsome while standing beneath the warm sunlight, surrounded by the deep blue sea, asking about her hometown.

For the first time, she had felt a hint of goodwill—and perhaps even expectation—toward him.

Now, those feelings had burst like soap bubbles.

“Thanks to you, Miss, I won’t have to worry about sales for quite a while. Just where did you meet someone as important as him?”

The madam approached with a radiant smile blooming across her face.

After offering a vague response, Lucrezia excused herself, saying she would return shortly, and hurried out of the boutique.

“Whew… I can finally breathe again.”

The employees had looked at her with envy and jealousy.

The madam had laughed as though Lucrezia herself were nothing more than a walking sack of gold.

Yet, among all those uncomfortable stares, the one that unsettled her the most had undoubtedly been Kallian’s.

Determined to make full use of such an excellent mannequin while Kallian remained in her boutique, the madam had dressed Lucrezia in dress after dress, presenting each one before him as the estimate grew longer.

“How about this one, Your Grace? It’s one of the latest fashions among Benin’s nobility. It’s a little revealing, but it is Carnival season, after all.”

As Lucrezia stood there feeling like a doll displayed on an auction stage, her cheeks burning with humiliation, Kallian’s icy gaze slowly traveled over every inch of her body.

The sensation was chilling—as though cold ice were being rubbed across her skin.

Just from that single look, she felt as though she had been stripped completely bare.

She couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes.

“Not bad.”

From that point on, the bill only continued to grow longer.

In the end, Kallian spent well over a thousand ducats on a woman he hadn’t even officially hired as his fake lover yet.

It was money Lucrezia would have had to work herself to exhaustion for months to earn.

And he spent it simply by sitting there and opening his mouth.

Just as Uncle Jack always said, the way nobles thought was utterly impossible to understand.

Letting out a long sigh, Lucrezia decided to lift her spirits by walking toward the plaza with the bell tower.

There was still about an hour before the goods Kallian had purchased would be loaded onto the ship.

That was more than enough time to climb to the top of the bell tower and return.

As she mentally traced the route toward the docks where the cargo ships were moored, a clear, cheerful melody drifted into her ears.

The tune felt both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

Almost hypnotized by the music, Lucrezia followed it until she found herself standing before a small music box shop.

The elegant melody flowing from the beautifully decorated display window captured her attention completely.

She stood there speechless.

“…You’re still here.”

Looking at the music box that was identical to the one her parents had given her as a child, Lucrezia smiled with a touch of melancholy.

Originally, there had been two of them.

She and her childhood friend—her fiancé at the time—had been meant to receive one each.

But ten-year-old Lucrezia simply couldn’t accept having to share matching gifts with him.

After crying, throwing tantrums, and stubbornly protesting, she ultimately ended up receiving only one of the two custom-made music boxes.

The shop owner, a master craftsman, had spent three full years creating them.

They were less like music boxes and more like works of art.

Their craftsmanship was so extraordinary they could have been displayed in a museum.

Ironically, that same value made them impossible to sell.

For over ten years, the remaining music box had simply sat in the display window.

“If I’d known it’d turn out like this… I should’ve just let him have it back then. Don’t you think?”

Speaking playfully to the music box as though it were an old friend, Lucrezia gently closed her eyes and listened to its soft melody.

Bright and cheerful, yet tinged with sadness, the tune painted vivid images of a past she could never return to.

When the music finally stopped, the shop owner approached the window to wind the mechanism.

Spotting Lucrezia, he smiled warmly.

“If you’re interested in music boxes, feel free to come inside and have a look, miss.”

Now middle-aged, the craftsman’s face carried a gentle kindness.

Seeing that he didn’t recognize her at all filled Lucrezia with both relief and disappointment.

“…It’s a beautiful music box.”

“It was the masterpiece of my youth. Thank you for appreciating its worth.”

“I have somewhere I need to be today… but I’ll definitely come back another time.”

“My shop is always open. You’re welcome anytime.”

After bowing several times in gratitude, Lucrezia finally left the alley.

The moment she stepped out of the shade and merged into the crowd laughing beneath the blazing sun, she suddenly felt as though tears might spill from her eyes.

An hour later, Lucrezia boarded the ship without ever making it anywhere near the bell tower.

Whenever she felt down, she would usually climb to the top and spend hours gazing over the city where the sea and the buildings blended into one breathtaking view.

Today, however, she simply didn’t have the strength.

Dragging her body, which felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, she settled quietly at the far end of the narrow, filthy cargo vessel piled high with freight.

Drawing her knees to her chest, she sat in silence.

She hadn’t done any real labor beyond walking and talking, yet she felt utterly exhausted.

‘I never thought I’d find myself walking through that alley again.’

For years, Lucrezia had deliberately avoided the alley she had visited today.

She couldn’t even remember when she’d started doing so.

Perhaps it was simply instinct.

The children’s clothing shop she used to visit while holding her mother’s hand.

The gelato shop she had loved more than anywhere else.

The little stores that sold ribbons and headbands…

Those sweet memories of childhood had long since become nothing more than memories.

And she had never wanted to revisit them too often.

After all, some memories were meant to remain buried deep inside, never to be disturbed again.