Chapter 91
“…It’s a pleasure to meet you. Since you already know my name, I suppose there’s no need for a separate introduction.”
“Yes. His Grace personally summoned me and kindly sent prior introduction, Lady Sia, and asked me to be careful not to make any mistakes.”
Hoho, Diana laughed softly as she swayed closer. She was clearly a type Sia had never seen before. Her red hair and deep green eyes made her look as alluring as a single blooming rose.
Meanwhile, Sia realized just how much Nox had put thought into this. Perhaps because of the unpleasant incident with the previous atelier, he seemed to have been worried.
Really, he was a far more attentive man than she had expected.
“Today’s work will proceed in whatever order Your Ladyship finds most comfortable. Would you prefer to take measurements first, or would you like to look over the dress designs first?”
“Hmm, I’ll look at the designs and fabrics first.”
“Yes, then I’ll prepare everything.”
Sia focused more on the fabrics than the designs. No matter how fine the materials here might be, she thought they would still fall short of modern products in terms of functionality. So she needed to have her clothes made with the best possible fabrics available if she wanted to get through the winter more warmly.
The atelier staff were not as skilled as the Madame at managing their expressions, but compared to the employees from the previous shop, they were fairly decent. After being handed the design book, Sia slowly began flipping through it from the very first page.
Diana watched her closely, as if observing her. Although she had ominous black hair, this was a task personally ordered by the Duke who ruled Blois.
Not only that, she had been told to avoid offending her at all costs… No, she had even received a warning. The woman the Duke adored also had black hair, but that did not matter much to Diana.
Having grown up in an orphanage, she had endured many hardships before becoming the Madame of the most famous atelier in Blois. In an industry where talent alone was not enough to survive, money mattered far more to her than an uncertain superstition about bringing misfortune.
She knew very well how unhappy a person could become without money. That was why she had no intention of ever offending an important client, or the master of this land.
She stood politely upright, applying silent pressure to an employee who could not keep their expression in check. The soft rustling sound of pages turning continued at a steady rhythm, then suddenly stopped, and Diana reacted immediately.
“Do you like that dress?”
“Mm, it looks the most practical.”
“Actually, you could think of that as a base design. From there, we can add gemstones or lace according to the customer’s request.”
“Oh… that’s a very efficient idea as well. Then it would also be possible to make this design we saw earlier without the decorations, right?”
“Of course. At the Silver Silhouette Atelier, rather than insisting on completed designs as they are, we fully accommodate the customer’s requests down to even the smallest details when crafting our garments.”
“Custom-made service…”
Murmuring softly, Sia glanced sideways at Diana. Though brief, her experience working at Karin’s shop allowed her to glimpse just how strong Diana’s professional ethics were.
“Then you can also make something based on a design I request?”
“Do you have a particular style of clothing in mind?”
“Marie, could you bring me some paper and a pen?”
“Yes, Madam.”
At the form of address the maid, who had been standing beside Sia the entire time, used, all of the atelier staff present were startled. Diana was no exception.
Of course, she knew how much interest the Duke was pouring into the woman before her, but to think that internally their relationship was already being treated as that of a married couple, even though they had not yet held a wedding ceremony.
Sia earnestly sketched on the paper, clumsy though the drawing was. Unable to ask for trousers like the ones she used to wear in Korea, she decided instead to request a two-piece style dress.
Keeping it from standing out too much in this world, she drew a moderate length and design, then handed the sketch to Diana and added,
“It’s meant to be worn in winter, so I’ll explain in more detail while we look at the fabrics. And this is…”
Sia drew a coat on another sheet of paper. Robes looked mystical, but they were somewhat inconvenient in terms of practicality. After roughly sketching a long coat, like a long padded jacket that could cover her entire body, she looked up at Diana and asked,
“Is something like this possible too?”
“…It’s a bold design and not one I’ve seen before, but there is nothing that is impossible for the Silver Silhouette Atelier.”
“That’s reassuring.”
At the assurance that anything was possible, Sia grew excited and continued looking through the design book. She carefully selected only dress designs that were easy to put on and take off, then examined the fabrics the atelier had brought.
Some of the fabrics looked familiar, but most of them were ones she was seeing for the first time. Sia carefully selected the fabrics, even lifting them onto her hand to feel them. Just then, a knock sounded, and the door opened right away.
“Sia.”
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