Chapter 23

“Anna, I distinctly remember telling you not to take on any side jobs and to focus solely on your work here at the atelier.”

Anna bowed her head.

“…I’m sorry, but I had no choice. I didn’t have enough to cover my living expenses this month.”

“If this keeps up, I’ll have no choice but to let you go, Anna.”

It was an ordinary conversation, perhaps a touch sad, yet my eyes kept drifting toward them.

“What’s so interesting?”

Alice, who had just returned from chatting with another designer, followed my gaze.

“Ah, Anna Merrill.”

“…Anna Merrill?”

“That short-haired girl over there. Well, not exactly a ‘girl’ anymore, but you get the idea.”

Even though Alice went on explaining about Anna Merrill, none of it registered with me.

‘So that’s Anna Merrill.’

She was exactly the emerging artist I’d had my eye on to paint my wedding portrait.

“She’s known for her skilled hands and for crafting exquisite jewelry, but as for painting, she’s an unknown. I wouldn’t hire her as an artist.”

Given that Anna rose to fame under Alice’s patronage in the original story, the remark struck me as deeply ironic.

“Shouldn’t we at least see her paintings before making that decision?”

“You hardly have the time for that, do you?”

It seemed Alice was deliberately trying to warn me off, afraid I might ask Anna to paint my wedding portrait.

“Besides, she works here at the atelier. If you try to lure her away so openly, it won’t go over well.”

That much was true.

“Perhaps it would be better to look for an established artist, even now…”

Alice’s words trailed off, cut short by the sudden arrival of an unexpected visitor.

“What’s this? You claimed business was slow, but why are there so many staff around? So you were lying about not doing well, weren’t you?”

A young man with distinctly foreign features was making a scene. From his accent and the odd words he mixed in, I guessed he must be from the Kingdom of Valentin.

“Ah, so that druggie shows up here,”

I didn’t miss Alice muttering under her breath in annoyance, so I asked.

“Druggie?”

“…Forget it. Pretend you didn’t hear that, and whatever you do, don’t get involved with him.”

Alice hurried me along, insisting we pick out a dress and leave as soon as possible. It seemed he wasn’t just some unpleasant character, but he was entangled in all sorts of complicated affairs.

“Don’t you know who I am? Do you really not know?!”

The man, spouting the typical nonsense of a troublemaker, began to throw catalogs everywhere in a fit of rage. He really did seem like he was on something.

“Who is that man?”

“…He’s the aide to the second prince of the Kingdom of Valentin, the leading candidate for the next king.”

No wonder. If that were the case, even the head of the atelier would be powerless to intervene, let alone the staff, since a single misstep could easily turn it into a diplomatic incident. It was understandable why Alice, who was so full of the righteous spirit befitting a female lead, was hesitating, unable to step forward. If she tried to intervene now and it somehow led to war, countless people could end up bleeding for it.

“Excuse me, would it be possible to see the oldest catalog you have?”

I gently stopped one of the anxious employees nearby and made my request. Though flustered, she complied without protest.

“Here you are.”

I was about to look through the catalog when Anna suddenly sprang forward to stop the man.

“Please, that’s enough!”

“Enough? And who do you think you are, you little brat? How dare you look at me like that?”

The moment he grabbed a fistful of Anna’s hair—

Thwack!

The catalog, which a staff member had just handed me, slipped from my hand and struck the man square on the back of the head. The entire atelier, not to mention the furious man himself, was plunged into stunned silence.

Alice looked not just shocked, but utterly appalled.

“Oh dear…”

I, on the other hand, added shamelessly.

“Forgive me. I meant to toss the catalog aside, but my aim was a bit off.”

‘You’re not the only one who can make a scene.’

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“What on earth were you thinking…”

Alice’s stunned words trailed off, cut short as the furious man, his face twisted in anger, strode toward us.

“And who do you think you are? Don’t you know who I am?”

He approached menacingly, speaking fluent Imperial, but I didn’t even spare him a glance. From what I’d heard earlier, his name was Ren Reichsten.

“Am I supposed to?”

“…What?”

“I asked if I’m supposed to know who you are.”

Frankly, I couldn’t see any reason I should.

I tacked on the last part loud enough for him to hear, then ignored him entirely, sipping my tea and asking the staff to bring me a new catalog.

Bang!

“So, you think just because you’re a woman, I’ll let you off easy? How insolent!”

For all his bluster, he didn’t dare lay a finger on me. After all, if he caused an international incident by touching me, it would be the second prince who would’ve to bear the consequences.

“…If you truly don’t know who I am, I’ll let the matter rest. But—”

In the end, Ren Reichsten struck a compromise of his own and pointed at someone.

“I’ll have that girl’s apology. Right here, right now!”

When I realized his finger was pointed at Anna, I nearly laughed aloud. He wasn’t certain of my status and didn’t want to risk it, so instead, he targeted Anna, who seemed an easier mark. An apology from her would let him save face without further trouble.