Chapter 28
“Here you are.”
He flashed an arrogant smile. Kristin, whose expression had stiffened for a moment, forced a small smile in return.
“Welcome to Bijou Atelier. What brings you here today?”
“What brings me here?”
He let out a dismissive laugh, as if the question itself were absurd, before answering.
“Of course I came to get a dress made. Is there any other reason?”
From the look in his eyes, it was clear he regarded the atelier—and Kristin herself—with contempt.
Kristin tried her best to maintain a smile and answered politely.
“I’m sorry, Lord Young-sik, but our atelier operates strictly by appointment, so it isn’t possible to fit a dress for you immediately.”
“An appointment? My appointment should already be scheduled for today.”
“The appointment that was scheduled for today was—”
“Since when? I never asked for it to be canceled! I only said that future appointments wouldn’t exist if you refused!”
At that, the young lady behind him raised her voice. Her hands, clasped politely, tightened as if to emphasize her point.
“As I mentioned back then, the request from the young lady could not be accommodated. As far as I recall, the young lady asked that the appointment be canceled if the request could not be fulfilled.”
“So, you canceled it? Isn’t it a dressmaker’s job to listen to their clients’ requests?”
“But the dress that young lady requested is one-of-a-kind, made exclusively for Erdin Young Lady. We do not sell it to anyone other than her.”
“Why not? We aren’t some ordinary noble family—we’re a branch of the Erdin dukes.”
The man’s remark caught Kristin’s attention, and Aiden, who had been quietly observing the commotion, turned his head toward them.
He lifted his chin, as if he, too, belonged to the Erdin family, and stared at Kristin. Kristin took a deep breath and responded clearly.
“That dress was commissioned by the Erdin young lady herself for the New Year’s gala. Our atelier does not sell commissioned dresses to anyone other than the person who requested them.”
“We’re a branch of the Erdin family. What, you won’t take orders from us?”
“That’s not the case. It’s just that this dress was commissioned specifically by Erdin Young Lady…”
No matter how Kristin phrased it, their demand was clear: they wanted the same dress that Alice had worn to be made for them as well.
The man making unreasonable demands, Luke Jeron, actually didn’t care whether his younger sister, Anna, wore the same dress as Alice or not.
He had only come to the atelier because Anna had been nagging him, insisting that she had to wear the same New Year’s gala dress as Alice for the tea party next week. Without her pestering, he wouldn’t have set foot in the boutique.
He had likely spent the afternoon at a newly opened gambling hall, drinking and betting with friends.
Yet, here he was, dragged unwillingly to the atelier, and now he found someone daring to defy the Jeron family.
Perfect. This insolent dressmaker could serve as a target for some fun. It would also be a good lesson for anyone who dared disrespect the Jerons.
However, contrary to his expectations, Kristin remained unmoved by Luke’s irritation.
Having dealt with far worse customers than a noble, she wasn’t about to compromise the atelier’s principles over empty words.
Kristin firmly pointed toward the glass door of the atelier and said,
“Perhaps you could return another time? We currently have a guest.”
“Hah, so you have a more important guest than me, the future Lord Jeron?”
“Yes.”
The person Kristin was attending to, Aiden, was a VIP guest connected to Alice, who was far more important than Luke and Anna, who had no invitation.
Yet, Kristin’s response made Luke feel insulted. He raised his hand aggressively, his expression darkening.
“You dare—!”
Kristin’s pupils widened, unprepared for the thought that Lord Jeron Young-sik might strike her. Luke’s hand moved rapidly toward her face.
“Wha—what?”
But his hand never reached her. It was stopped by the presence of someone suddenly in front of him.
“Violence is hardly the best solution.”
A low, calm voice echoed through the atelier. Aiden stepped forward, blocking Luke’s path with a composed smile.
Only then did Luke realize there was someone else in the atelier. He blinked rapidly in surprise.
The man standing before him had flawless skin and pure, soft white hair. A high nose bridge and soft lips gave him the appearance of a sculpture painstakingly crafted by a goddess.
Anna, staring, blushed slightly as she silently watched him.
Luke, dazed by the man’s otherworldly appearance, quickly regained his composure.
Offended that he had been momentarily captivated by a man, Luke raised his voice deliberately.
“Who are you? How dare you touch a noble—”
He tried to shake off Aiden’s hand, which had grabbed his arm.
“Uh…?”
He had meant to push it away.
Luke pulled hard, but Aiden did not release him.
Instead, Aiden looked at his own hand, slightly puzzled, and said,
“Oh, were you trying to use force just now?”
Anna tilted her head, confused that her brother was doing nothing.
Luke’s face turned a deep red as he realized their calm, unconcerned reactions were a personal affront.
“You brat…!”
He did not particularly care about his noble status, but being embarrassed in front of his sister was another matter.
How dare someone support him yet ignore him? He, the future head of a family, humiliated by Anna, who would inherit nothing.
Luke clenched his free hand and swung at Aiden’s face.
“Violence is hardly the solution.”
With a light click of his tongue, Aiden caught the fist aimed at his face and pulled Luke toward him.
“Ugh!”
Luke stumbled from losing his balance. Aiden seized the opportunity, twisting Luke’s arm behind his back and forcing him down.
Luke, trapped in Aiden’s grip, struggled.
“You’re not letting go? Don’t you know who I am…?”
“Aha.”
His protests fell on deaf ears. Aiden held Luke’s wrists like a caught fish and lightly scratched his cheek.
He had promised Alice not to cause a scene, and now things were getting a little too conspicuous.
As expected, Luke turned only his head toward Aiden, spitting as he shouted,
“Who are you? I’ve never seen you in the Empire! One word from my father and you wouldn’t even be able to set foot in this country!”
Threatening a demon with exile in the Empire? Pointless. Aiden ignored the words.
What mattered more was whether his actions would damage Alice’s reputation. He didn’t think stopping Luke was wrong, but he wasn’t sure how other nobles might perceive it.
While Aiden pondered, Luke continued to pick a fight.
“You can barely speak properly, so your family must be worthless. How dare someone like you treat a branch of the Erdin family with such disrespect…”
Aiden felt he had to stop Luke from using Alice’s family name to boast—it could damage her reputation more than anything.
Finally, he spoke impulsively.
“The Erdin family.”
“What?”
“When you asked where I was from, I said I belonged to the Erdin family.”
Aiden looked straight into Luke’s eyes, who was lying on the floor with his head tilted back, and said.
