MPGF 19

Chapter 19: What’s the Secret?

The wedding preparations were going smoothly.

The wedding preparations were going smoothly.

“This is the budget document the master sent. His Highness said you’re free to prepare the wedding however you’d like, Miss.”

“I’ll take a look.”

I sat in the drawing room across from Jackson, the steward of the Grand Duchy sent by Herthian. The oil slicked onto his perfectly parted hair glistened under the sunlight.

“Do you have a particular style in mind for the wedding?”

There was no time to rest. While Herthian was busy catching up on overdue work for the duchy, I had to take care of the wedding preparations.

“Hmm, not anything specific, really.”

“Then may I take the liberty of choosing?”

Jackson began flipping through papers with swift, practiced hands. He seemed very capable.

I had heard he had managed the duchy in the Grand Duke’s absence, so I figured he’d be helpful.

“Wait a moment. I brought a few catalogs.”

I pulled out a few I had set aside before he arrived. Jackson quickly picked one and flipped through it with remarkable speed. His eyes darted across the pages like lightning. It was almost impressive.

“This fits well with the dress concept you’ve chosen. It’s not overly extravagant nor too modest—just the kind of theme that’s memorable without being too loud. The budget is right on the edge of what’s possible.”

Thud.
He shut the catalog and placed it neatly on the table. He had already gone through the whole thing.

“What do you think?”

His sharp, slanted eyes stared intently at me. I swallowed without thinking.

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I do.”

He waved his index finger left to right once and smiled faintly.

“It’s absolutely perfect.”

All those sleepless hours of research had paid off.

He then spread out the rest of the paperwork on the table. The real preparation was only just beginning.

“Roughly how many guests are you expecting?”

“We’re inviting several artists my mother sponsors, so I’d say at least a hundred just on our side.”

“What about your makeup?”

“I’ll have my personal maid do it. If I ask someone unfamiliar, they might mess up my skin tone.”

Scratch, scratch.

“And the food for the day?”

“I don’t think skipping breakfast would help anyone fit into their dress. I’ll eat as usual.”

Jackson circled around me, checking off every detail. With how meticulous he was, I felt more like I was being interrogated than consulted.

“Jackson… are we done yet?”

It had already been three hours. I was starving and stiff.

But unlike me, Jackson still looked full of energy.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you’re tired already?”

“I might actually collapse.”

I tilted my head and bit my tongue playfully. Finally, Jackson placed his pen down on the paper packed with notes.

“It’d be a shame to knock out the future Grand Duchess, wouldn’t it?”

“Then shall we wrap it up here?”

“Not quite. I have one last question.”

I straightened my posture and mustered one last burst of strength.

“Let’s get it over with.”

“What’s your secret for hand care?”

I blinked in surprise. His expression had become oddly serious.

“Hand care?”

“I work with paperwork all day, and my hands are a mess. Even with all kinds of creams, the effect is never lasting…”

He looked pitifully at his reddish, blotchy hands.

“Ahem. You have such smooth, clean hands—surely you must have a secret? Not that I’m jealous! Just… curious. Purely curious.”

He wasn’t joking. He was genuinely asking.

I saw his eyes glance sideways at my fingernails and chuckled. There was something oddly cute about him. It made me want to tease him a bit.

“If I tell you my secret, what will you give me in return?”

***

Jackson quickly mounted his horse with the budget plans in hand. Unlike when he entered, he looked quite disgruntled. A subordinate knight, curious about his mood, asked,

“Sir, did something amusing happen?”

Jackson stopped walking. He glanced around, then fanned his flushed face.

“Don’t even start. I’m honestly at a loss.”

“Did Miss Anette say the budget was too small?”

“No. The wedding planning went perfectly.”

The knight tilted his head. If it wasn’t the wedding, then what had upset him?

“Then why are you so irritated?”

“I asked her about her hand care secret, right? Because her hands are ridiculously smooth.”

“And?”

“She told me to boil water with these twigs and wash my hands with it.”

He showed a bundle of dark purplish twigs that Anette had given him, claiming it was her secret.

Jackson, who had expected something like shea butter or snail mucin cream, was visibly disappointed.

“Tch. I knew noble ladies could be scary, but I didn’t expect one to prank me when I was asking seriously.”

“Still, you never know. Maybe try it.”

“Are you pure or just stupid? You try it, then.”

Jackson jabbed his subordinate in the side with the twigs.

Since the wedding prep began, time had flowed like water.

The sky outside was now tinged orange.

I stretched my stiff body and stood up for the first time in hours.

“Miss. I think you need to come down for a moment.”

I followed Betty down to the lobby, where Madame Luanna was waiting with a young girl in ragged clothing.

“Luanna. I was just waiting for you.”

I warmly grasped the hand of my familiar guest.

“Come inside.”

But she hesitated. Unlike her usual calm self, her expression looked troubled.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

At my concerned question, she hesitated, then pulled the young girl beside her forward. She looked to be around my age.

“I’m terribly sorry, Miss.”

Luanna bowed her head, and the girl followed suit.

“This child, who runs errands for our shop, made a mistake. Apologize quickly.”

“I-I’m sorry. I truly am.”

The girl bowed repeatedly, voice trembling.

“The dress was ruined, wasn’t it?”

There could be no other reason for an apology.

“She was told to move a flowerpot but stumbled and dropped it… Why she went near the dresses instead of outside, I can’t understand.”

She scolded the girl beside her.

“Is it completely unwearable?”

“We tried brushing off the dirt, but it only left stains. It’s beyond saving.”

The girl kept bowing, her calloused hands clasped together. Her hands looked rough—probably from lots of manual labor.

“I-I’m sorry. The dress was so beautiful, I ended up staring at it… and slipped. I deserve to die.”

“I understand what happened. It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be undone. I won’t make a fuss.”

Honestly, I was annoyed.

We had just finished preparing the wedding, and now this?

But I didn’t want to cause a scene with the ceremony approaching. Getting angry wouldn’t fix anything, and I could just wear a different dress.

‘Herthian picked that one out so carefully, though…’

That was the only real disappointment.

“Thank you, Miss Anette. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”

“Please make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I don’t think I have time to serve tea today. Is that alright?”

“Of course. We’ll be going now.”

As the girl followed Luanna out, her dull blond hair made her look like a calf being led to slaughter.

“What happens to that girl now?”

Noble dresses are expensive—too much for any commoner child running errands to repay.

“How will she repay the dress?”

Luanna was a fair person, so I didn’t think she’d be cruel. But if the loss was severe, she might not let it go.

Then came a voice from behind.

“She couldn’t repay that dress even if she sold her life ten times over. Tsk.”

It was one of the maids who had been watching the situation. She wasn’t wrong.

“Just curious. I’ve heard Luanna’s shop only uses top-quality materials and gems. So how would they calculate the dress cost once they leave?”

“That… I haven’t thought about it.”

I approached the girl. Her braided hair trembled.

“If Luanna gave you the chance, how would you repay it?”

“…”

“Staying silent won’t solve anything.”

Someone had mentioned slavery. The girl widened her eyes, wet with tears.

“Just kill me instead… I’d rather die than be sold as a slave.”

Becoming a slave must be terrifying.

Still, I was a bit irritated.

“Are you sick?”

“N-no… but if you try to sell me, I’ll cripple myself. I won’t go.”

She spoke those awful words so easily. She must’ve misunderstood me. I scanned her up and down. She seemed healthy and about my age.

“You’d throw your life away over one dress?”

“But I have no money to pay for it…”

“There’s more than one way to repay a debt. Are you brave or just foolish?”

She gave me a confused look, as if wondering who was really the foolish one. I glanced at her clothes.

“The pattern on your outfit is unique. What’s it made of?”

Startled by the question, she clutched her clothes tightly.

“I-it’s made from old tapestry cloth we used in winter.”

Tapestry.

Fabric used to keep rooms warm in winter. I hadn’t expected that—curiosity bloomed.

“What’s your name?”

“Bonisa… I don’t have a surname.”

She avoided my eyes like she was being interrogated.

“Bonisa, do you know how to make tapestry?”

“My hometown was very cold in winter, so we used to make them often… But why are you asking?”

I smiled brightly.

“I think I’ve found a way for you to live.”

Bonisa agreed to return tomorrow, bringing a tapestry she had made.

“Miss, why are you calling her back?”

Betty clearly didn’t approve.

“I always support what you do, but I don’t get this.”

“Because I’m annoyed.”

“Exactly! Saying she’d rather die than be sold as a slave? That means she has no will to repay anything.”

“No, not that.”

I pressed a finger to her duck-like pouting lips, and she finally went silent.

“She said she’d rather die than live as a slave. She’s younger and healthier than me, but she’s ready to die over one dress.”

I’m doing everything I can to survive. It angered me to see someone ready to give up so easily without trying.

I couldn’t stand that kind of person.

The next day came.

As promised, Bonisa returned with Luanna.

“Did you bring it?”

“Yes. Here.”

She brought the tapestry. Betty unfolded it—inside was a large, heavy piece.

I sat down and examined the design.

“You made this in one day?”

“Yes.”

“You’re lying, right?”

“Commoners like us don’t hoard things we can sell. We sell them right away.”

The quality was too good for something done in a day—no loose threads or sloppy details.

“When did you learn this?”

“Since I was very little. I’ve been making them with my mother for as long as I can remember.”

Her eyes dimmed.

I set down the tapestry and approached Luanna.

“Luanna, I’ll buy the dress the Grand Duke ordered. But please don’t punish this girl.”

“Miss Anette, you don’t need to go that far. She’s just a child.”

“Still, it would weigh on me if something happened to her because of my dress.”

Luanna didn’t have a better solution either, so she accepted my offer.

I told Betty to have the tapestry sent to the Count’s estate.

“Bonisa, live a long life.”

As always, I turned to leave after giving the girl with the cute twin braids my farewell—

“Miss!”