Chapter 54

Louis’s Boutique was an atelier established by Louis Blanc, the most famous designer in the capital and the younger brother of pâtissier Jean Blanc.

‘What was it Zenia said? That if he made it, even a single sock would sell for an astronomical price?’

Even his indoor wear, not just party dresses, came with a price tag that would make you gasp.

Despite prices that most nobles couldn’t even dream of affording, every new release was a sell-out.

I’d heard that a Louis Blanc design was something money alone couldn’t buy.

‘The fact that those vain nobles save up just to buy a dress from here says it all.’

However, I chose Louis not for his distinctive designs or his prices, but for his fame.

His logo, in particular, was so famous that anyone would recognize it.

If we embroidered that logo onto our uniforms, more than a few Hunters would be drooling over them.

It had been the same in my past life.

Plenty of Hunters applied to the guild just for the uniform, and I was no exception.

‘Though I eventually had to give up because they never approved my application.’

Following Duke Ruthius’s instruction to go in ahead, I entered the boutique.

The young noble ladies who had arrived before me all covered their mouths with their fans in unison upon seeing me.

‘What’s with them?’

“Welcome, Princess Astell. This way, please. We were notified of your visit and have prepared a seat for you. We’ve prepared black tea, if that is to your liking?”

“Yes.”

I followed the politely bowing attendant and sat on a sofa.

On the table, a tea set was laid out along with some simple desserts.

The teapot was luxurious, the plates were elegant, and the desserts were almost too beautiful to eat.

I tried a bite-sized cookie sprinkled with chocolate powder.

For a moment, I nearly stomped my feet in delight. It was that delicious.

‘Where do they get desserts like these?’

The skill of the head chef at the Ruthius estate was undoubtedly the best in the empire, but he was somewhat lacking when it came to desserts.

The variety was limited, and the taste didn’t quite match the main courses. A lack of creativity, perhaps?

It was because Duke Ruthius didn’t care for desserts.

So tasting a cookie like this was a real eye-opener.

My palate, accustomed to similar flavors, felt like it was being treated to a feast.

‘They deserve to be called the best. I’d want to come back just for the cookies.’

I reached for a cookie topped with a generous amount of cheese and jam.

“What is *she* doing at the boutique?”

“It’s a bit unpleasant. I thought this place was selective about its clientele.”

“I heard she wasn’t in her right mind and couldn’t even leave the estate, having to order her dresses. I guess that wasn’t true?”

“She’s a Hunter, you know. It must be different from when she was just the Mad Princess.”

‘Huh? Was that about me? Why are they being so blatant about it?’

The young ladies had covered their mouths with their fans, but they hadn’t lowered their voices.

Their attitude was quite different from the ladies I had encountered at Jean Blanc’s Royal Dessert.

“You’ve all heard the rumor about her causing a scene at Jean Blanc’s Royal Dessert, haven’t you?”

“Is there anyone who hasn’t? People were talking for ages about how the Mad Princess lived up to her name.”

“I wonder if she’ll do the same thing here.”

“I should complain to Sir Louis. Does he let just anyone in as long as they have money? It cheapens the place, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps it was difficult for him to refuse a Hunter?”

“That must be it. He was probably afraid she’d do something crazy, like trash the place the way she did at Pâtissier Jean’s shop.”

The back of my head tingled.

Speaking like that, as if they wanted me to hear, was a deliberate provocation.

If I lost my temper and exploded, they would use it as a pretext to humiliate me so thoroughly I’d never set foot in here again.

‘If they have such a problem, they should say it to my face. It’s always the ones without the courage to do so who whisper behind your back.’

I popped the cheese cookie into my mouth and let out a small laugh.

I was far too familiar with situations like this from my past life to be hurt by it now.

“Oh, Ryu Saan is here too? Did Yeonju invite her?”

“Don’t you know Saan is Yeonju’s partner? How could she leave her out when she knows it’s her birthday party?”

“It’s her birthday, she can invite who she wants… But if I’d known beforehand, I wouldn’t have come. It’s just… unsettling. I can’t relax and have fun.”

“Did you have a fight with Saan? Why do you dislike her so much?”

“She’s an orphan. Her home address is the orphanage, and her guardian is the director. You didn’t know?”

“Whoa, seriously? For real?”

“That’s why I’m on edge. How do we know she won’t touch someone’s things while we’re all distracted?”

“Do you think Yeonju knows?”

“Would she have invited her if she knew?”

“We should tell Yeonju later. Tell her to check if anything’s missing after the party.”

That was back in middle school.

Something had gone missing in class once, and everyone suspected me.

My homeroom teacher didn’t even try to find the real culprit.

From the very beginning, she singled me out and scolded me for taking other people’s things.

No matter how much I pleaded that I hadn’t done it, it was no use.

It was later revealed to be the work of another student, but not a single person apologized to me.

Back then, the injustice felt like it would drive me mad.

I couldn’t understand why I was the only one who had to go through this.

I resented this world that judged orphans with prejudice, and I resented the parents who abandoned me.

If I hadn’t learned to manage my feelings through exercise, I probably would have gone down a very crooked path.

So this sort of backhanded gossip was nothing short of laughable.

‘Have they ever had their bag searched in front of the entire class?’

Compared to that day, this hardly even qualified as humiliating.

I looked down at the four cookies remaining on the plate.

‘Would it be okay to ask for more when I’m done with these?’

If not, I wouldn’t mind buying some to take with me.

As I was thinking this, I popped the third cookie, piled high with fresh cream, into my mouth.

Just then, Duke Ruthius’s chilling voice fell upon me.

“What do you think you’re doing.”

“…Huh?”

My mouth was so full of cookie that the sound came out muffled.

As I looked up at him with wide eyes, Duke Ruthius’s eyebrow twitched.

Then he sat down opposite me, elegantly crossing his legs and resting a hand on his knee.

He looked as perfect as a model in a suit advertisement, but his mood was clearly foul.

‘What’s with that expression? Did something bad happen outside?’

I thoroughly chewed the cookie as it melted softly in my mouth.

Duke Ruthius watched me for a moment before letting out a deep, incredulous sigh.

“You can still enjoy your dessert.”

“…It’s going down just fine. It’s delicious, actually.”

“They are sitting right there, spouting insults about you, and you can still taste anything?”

“Wouldn’t it be stranger to let it bother me now? It’s not like this is the first or second time. They’ll get tired of it eventually.”

Now that I thought about it, the chattering young ladies had gone silent.

I glanced over and saw faces that had turned as pale as paper.

They had run their mouths so fearlessly in front of me, but the Duke’s appearance had clearly terrified them.

It seemed Duke Ruthius was far more frightening than the Mad Princess who had become a Hunter.

“Coming out with you has its perks, Duke. It’s nice and quiet. Oh, is it alright if I finish the cookies?”

“…Hmph. Eat them all.”

Duke Ruthius fell silent, his expression one of barely suppressed anger.

He waited until I had finished the last cookie, then suddenly spoke.

“Did you hear things like that at the dessert café as well?”

“It was similar, I suppose.”

“But I heard you got angry and caused a scene there. Why are you so calm now?”

I wasn’t actually angry that time, either.

It was just that Zenia was so upset I couldn’t ignore it.

She was in a position where she couldn’t say a word to those ladies, no matter how angry she was.

But I didn’t want to tell him I had pretended to be angry for someone else’s sake.

‘That’s a bit…’

Just imagining it was enough to make my face flush with embarrassment.

Pretending to be unfazed, I fanned my face with my hand.

Duke Ruthius, completely misinterpreting the gesture, suddenly hardened his expression.

“Is it because of me?”

“…What is?”

“I asked if you are holding back because of what I said before.”

“What? No, that’s not it…”

“Then were you holding back because they are the daughters of high-ranking nobles?”

“I’ve never seen them before today, so how would I know if they were high-ranking nobles? I had no idea.”

‘No wonder they weren’t intimidated in the slightest, unlike the girls at the dessert shop…’

Now I understood their confident attitude. They must have been the daughters of rather powerful noble families.

“Astell, there is no young lady in this place with a higher status than you. No matter which family they are from, they should be bowing their heads to you. Why are you, a direct descendant of the Ruthius line, so concerned with what others think?”

“W-Wait a minute. When was I concerned with what they think…?”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

Duke Ruthius raised a hand as if to say he wouldn’t listen.