Chapter 78
Why would the Crown Prince suddenly send a carriage? I ran to the workshop and called the young master. He seemed surprised by the news, but for a different reason than me.
“He’s finally sending it? That’s later than I expected.”
He casually put on his coat, as if he had been waiting. I snatched the shabby work coat from him.
“How can you wear such rags outside?!”
“…It’s my father’s.”
“…You’re wearing rags that are inappropriate for where we’re going!”
I hung the coat neatly on a hook and dragged him to the mansion’s dressing room. I couldn’t let him meet the Crown Prince in just any outfit!
I rang the bell in the dressing room, and the servants rushed in, faster than the guards. They all looked pale, as if they had also heard the shocking news.
“Head Butler Godora was right! He said the young master would be wearing those shabby work clothes!”
“He was planning to go to the Imperial Palace in that?!”
“I was doing laundry, can I go back now?”
I gave instructions to each of them, exercising my authority as his personal maid.
“Bring clothes and perfume that will make our young master, who’s even more beautiful than the Crown Prince, stand out! It’s unacceptable for him to go to the Imperial Palace looking shabby!”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“Can I go now…?”
We couldn’t keep the Crown Prince waiting, so the makeover was done quickly. The young master, although looking annoyed, let himself be dragged around.
“Estella… Crown Prince Umbram isn’t interested in my appearance. He wouldn’t care even if I wore your clothes.”
“I can’t give you my clothes. They wouldn’t fit. Should I find something similar?”
“Don’t you understand figures of speech?”
“Should I explain them to you?”
“Just… I’ll wear anything.”
He chose a navy blue coat that gave him a cool and serious image, a green brooch, a white shirt, and platinum embroidery, which made him look even more attractive.
“Lady Estella, can I really go now? The laundry will get stained…”
“Just one more outfit…”
He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
“This is enough. You should change.”
“I’m a maid, I can wear anything.”
“You think you can get away with wearing that after causing me so much trouble? Change into your formal wear.”
“Ugh, so bothersome…”
“Now.”
He dismissed all the servants and then tossed me into a corner of the workshop. There was a small clothes rack with several outfits for Estella. Had he prepared these doll clothes for me without my knowledge?
They were all high-quality and beautiful. The problem was…
“You have terrible taste, Young Master.”
He, who had been sitting in the corner with his arms crossed, turned and glared at me, his eyes flashing like jeweled brooches.
“What did you just say?”
Oops, had I offended his artistic pride? But it was true. Someone with good taste wouldn’t have chosen these clothes.
“These are all too small for me. Well, I could wear them, but they’re all too short. You chose the wrong size. To think you don’t even know the measurements of your own creation…”
I shook my head. He just stared at me.
His lack of response was suspicious. Then!
“Do you… have a preference for short clothes? Ah, that kind of taste…”
“No, no, no!”
He twitched his lips nervously.
“Well, everyone has different tastes.”
“I said no!”
“There’s no need to make excuses. They’re all pretty, though. The colors don’t really suit me. Too soft. I, the beautiful Estella, look better in vibrant colors and dazzling jewels.”
“Those aren’t your clothes in the first place.”
“What?”
I examined the clothes again. They were clearly women’s clothes.
“Are these… yours, Young Master? They wouldn’t fit you. Are they shirts, not dresses? You have this kind of taste…”
“I bought them for Anna!”
He shouted, then looked startled. Come to think of it, they were my size, from when I was Anna. The pastel colors and cheerful designs were similar to the clothes I used to wear.
“Young Master…”
I chose the outfit I liked the most and held it up.
“The fabric will deteriorate if you keep them stored away. Why did you even buy them?”
“…”
He frowned and glared at me, then muttered,
“I couldn’t give them to her.”
“Because you thought she wouldn’t like them? They’re all pretty.”
“Because she couldn’t receive them.”
I thought about what I was like in the past. I was someone who appreciated any gift. I would have thanked him and worn even rags. I wouldn’t have refused, saying, “I can’t accept such a precious gift from you, Young Master…” even though I was a maid.
“I think she would have accepted them…”
I muttered, then chose an outfit that suited Estella.
He approached me and took a hanger from the back of the rack.
“Oh! This is!”
“This is yours.”
“You’re right! This fits perfectly.”
I liked the design too. Simple yet elegant, perfect for lurking in the shadows behind him.
He held the dress against me, then tossed it at me and left the workshop. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and said, his expression slightly melancholic,
“I didn’t keep them because I thought she wouldn’t like them. I couldn’t give them to her because she couldn’t receive them, even if I held her in my arms.”
“…?”
“No matter how many beautiful clothes, jewels, or toys I brought, she wouldn’t wake up.”
“…”
Ah, he was talking about Anna.
“That’s why I couldn’t give them to her. It’s not that I have strange taste.”
“I see…”
“Don’t misunderstand. That dress is actually closer to my taste.”
He blushed and then left.
“He actually left me alone to change…”
Every time I discovered traces of Anna he had kept, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
What was I to him?
When we went to the main gate, the carriage sent by the Crown Prince was waiting for us. It was covered in roses, so much so that it looked like it was on fire. I nudged the young master, who was frowning.
“Young Master, what do you think the Crown Prince is thinking? Are the roses some kind of code? A signal?”
“Estella. I’ll tell you two things. First, maids shouldn’t poke their masters in the ribs. Second, those roses mean Umbram has lost his mind. The end.”
He then boarded the rose-covered carriage, the scent of roses overwhelming. I followed, struggling with my heavy bag. I was also wearing my vacuum cleaner like a backpack.
“Leave the vacuum cleaner.”
He pointed outside the carriage. I ignored him and put my bag down.
“Why is your bag so big? We’re visiting the Imperial Palace, not moving in.”
“I only packed the essentials! I can’t leave anything behind. Trust me, Young Master. I’ll take care of everything at the Imperial Palace!”
“It’s only a two-hour visit.”
He sank into his seat, and a rose from the interior decorations fell onto his lap. I brushed it away.
“Red roses suit you.”
“…”
“Just like you, they look sharp and dangerous with their thorns, but they actually have the sweetest fragrance.”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“Hmm, maybe…”
I blinked a few times, and then it hit me. That’s it! I finally understood why the Crown Prince had sent so many roses!
The young master and roses!
“Yes, I’m flirting with you. Very blatantly. Did you notice?”
He uncrossed his arms, sat up straight, and leaned closer, our noses almost touching.
“Are you serious?”
“I’ve never been anything but serious with you.”
“You say such things so easily.”
“Because my feelings aren’t easy.”
He chuckled and rested his chin on my shoulder. My perfume, which I had sprayed on him earlier, had a soft, sweet fragrance. Yes, this was it. The Crown Prince was after our sweet, innocent, and fragile young master!
Sending a rose-covered carriage! This was clearly the Crown Prince’s wicked plan to seduce him!
“Young Master.”
I turned to face him. He blushed slightly and lowered his gaze. He looked so innocent and cute.
“You’re being rather… annoying today.”
“Me? The Crown Prince is more annoying.”
I picked up the rose petal resting on his shoulder and threw it on the floor, crushing it with my foot.
“How dare he try to seduce you.”
“…What?”
I grabbed him by the collar and shook him.
“Don’t you get it yet? The Crown Prince is after you!”
“Hey.”
“He told me to become his concubine as a strategy to seduce you! He has that kind of taste! These roses! It’s a proposal! Don’t you understand! Do you really not understand?!”
“Ha…”