All I Wanted Was the Alimony - Chapter 37

It was a plausible reason, but even Lucienne found it quite unexpected.

Mary, holding the blank checks in her hands, cautiously opened her mouth. “A dress exclusively for Her Grace, the Grand Duchess? Do you mean that you want to have complete exclusivity over the design?”

“You understood correctly.”

“E-exclusive designs are very expensive. There is a standard pricing chart for exclusivity, but even the imperial family rarely purchases outfits from private boutiques that way.”

What she received in return was Paello’s indifferent reply.

“You ask pointless questions. Will it take long to estimate the cost?”

“T-the estimate itself can be done quickly. It should be ready by tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is the birthday celebration, so come the day after. What’s your sister’s name?”

“Kelly.”

“Come with Miss Kelly. Write the desired amount on the check. We’ll proceed with the dress commission accordingly.”

“!”

For a moment, Mary couldn’t hide the corners of her lips rising to the ceiling. She quickly bowed her head.

“Y-yes! We’ll visit!”

Paello and Lucienne left the boutique.

Mary bowed deeply, then quickly drew the curtains over the shop window so that no light escaped outside. Once they were isolated from the outside, she shot a fierce glare at Kelly.

Startled, Kelly quickly tried to defend herself. “H-H-His Grace said n-not to s-say anything. I-I even made a s-sale.”

“That’s the only reason I’m not tearing your hair out.”

Mary snorted and interrogated Kelly.

“You didn’t say anything unnecessary, right?”

“U-u-unnecessary? L-like what?”

“Who would eat food cooked by a grunting pig?”

“N-no one would. B-because it’s d-dirty.”

“Exactly.”

Mary flipped through the sketchbook of dress designs. On the very last page was an almost completed, unreleased design.

“What about a dress designed by a stuttering, limping fool?”

Kelly lowered her head instead of answering.

“What about a shop run by a stuttering, limping idiot? Would you go there?”

Kelly’s expression grew even gloomier.

“N-no one came at t-this hour.”

“Still got a mouth on you.”

“S-sorry. I-I’ll be careful.”

“Especially the day after tomorrow at the Grand Duke’s house. Don’t say a single word. Got it?”

“O-okay.”

***

In truth, Lucienne hadn’t stayed standing because she was curious about the conversation inside the boutique.

She had been briefly thinking about the true meaning behind what Paello said, and ended up overhearing the truth inside the boutique as well.

“To commemorate our visit to the capital, I’d like to present a gift to my wife. I’d like you to create a new design exclusively for her.”

Truly, it was a loaded statement. It was certainly in the language of the Holy Empire, yet the true meaning was hard to interpret.

‘He’s ordering an exclusive dress design for me? Why?’

Judging from Mary’s reaction, it was far too extravagant just to create sales.

‘Why would he waste money like that? If he has that much money, he should just give it to me instead.’

Lucienne bit her lip slightly, then a different thought struck her.

‘Don’t tell me he likes me?’

At the same time, a scene from many dramas she had seen played out in Lucienne’s head.

The one where the chaebol male lead, having witnessed the poor female lead being ignored by the villainess, takes her to a luxury store, pulls out his black card, and tells the staff to ring up everything from here to there.

This is the true flex of a chaebol!

And the lucky female lead to receive it is me!

Lucienne’s heart pounded wildly.

But she soon regained her composure. No matter how she looked at it, it didn’t match her situation.

She was the villainess, after all.

At that moment, Paello’s voice suddenly pierced Lucienne’s ear.

“Madam, why are you just standing there?”

Lucienne had simply been standing still for too long, and he could wait no more.

At the same time, Lucienne snapped out of it.

The conversation inside the boutique seemed to have ended as well. Mary’s reassessment was no longer relevant.

“Ah, it’s all done now.”

“?”

Paello looked puzzled, but walked beside Lucienne.

“By the way, Your Grace is impressive.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You became a big spender just to keep Kelly from getting in trouble.”

“That’s true.”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to go so far as to order an exclusive design.”

“What do you mean?”

Lucienne became baffled by Paello’s expression of confusion.

When she stared at him, Paello shrugged. “Hasn’t every dress you’ve worn always been a one-of-a-kind design?”

“H-has it?”

“That’s what I thought. Was it not?”

Lucienne’s gaze turned to Joad.

“I’m not sure… Ah!”

Joad, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, suddenly seemed to realize something.

“Miss Hannah should be arriving soon, right? She’ll be here by tomorrow morning at the latest. Let’s ask her when she comes.”

***

Lucienne decided to leave the matter of the exclusive dress design to ask Hannah when she arrived, but because of it, she couldn’t fall asleep easily.

The price of a single dress worn by nobles costs at least several months’ worth of a commoner’s living expenses. It was said that luxurious dresses could be worth the price of an entire house.

Lucienne’s dresses in the northern territory weren’t the luxurious and flashy type due to the climate, so they probably didn’t cost as much as a house.

But if every dress she owned was exclusively designed, that changed things.

It meant that an astronomical amount had gone into her dresses.

‘Honestly, that’s absurd. Didn’t the Grand Duke just say that to smooth things over?’

If she thought of it that way, the reason he said it seemed to be only one.

‘He really does like me, doesn’t he?’

Thinking that made Lucienne’s heart thump wildly. Her mood lifted for no reason, and a silly smile spread across her face.

She didn’t love Paello, but she didn’t question her own state of mind.

What woman wouldn’t be pleased if a very attractive man—her legal husband, no less—said he liked her?

If Paello were to sincerely court her, it would only be a matter of time before Lucienne fell completely.

So Lucienne even considered scrapping her entire plan and rebuilding it.

Love.

If love existed, it could overcome every crisis. There was nothing stronger or greater in the world than love.

‘If we truly fell in love, then I wouldn’t need to get divorced, and the original story could completely change.’

Lucienne fought against the sleep that wouldn’t come, wishing Hannah would hurry and arrive.

The moment she confirmed the truth from Hannah’s mouth, there could be a major change in Lucienne’s plans.

And the next morning, Hannah arrived.

“Your Grace the Grand Duchess! Thanks to your care, I was able to arrive safely and in good health.”

Hannah politely greeted her and, upon seeing Lucienne’s face, was startled.

“Oh my, did you not sleep well?”

“Well, a little. I had some things to think about.”

Hannah immediately became busy.

“Please lie down over here and get some rest. I’ll apply a facial pack while you nap. Once it’s done, you should get a massage too.”

Soon, having brought her materials, Hannah laid Lucienne down on the long sofa and began preparing the facial pack.

“You must be the most beautiful at today’s party, Your Grace.”

“Hannah, I have something to ask.”

“Yes?”

“I heard that every dress I wear is exclusively designed?”

Hannah answered immediately, “Yes. That’s correct.”

“What? Really?”

Lucienne was truly surprised, but Hannah continued as if it were obvious.

“Who would dare wear the same dress design as the Grand Duchess of Ronatere? All of your dresses are exclusively designed so that no one else can use the same design.”

So Paello had known exactly what he was talking about. It wasn’t because he liked her.

Realizing this, Lucienne let out a faint, bitter laugh.

‘Ah, it was just my delusion.’

She now found it ridiculous that she had lost sleep over it.

‘I really got ahead of myself.’

“Your Grace, I’ll apply the pack now.”

Lucienne closed her eyes.

Coming to the capital had twisted the original plot a bit, but on closer thought, it hadn’t gone too far off course.

She had slammed into Verdi without holding back and shown her villainess side.

There was no problem with that.

That was the role of a villainess, after all.

But even that only worked until about the middle of the novel.

In the beginning or middle, even if the protagonist stumbles, they get to smile in the end. It’s the villain who gets punished.

‘In the end, Paello will be Verdi’s man. If I make the wrong move, I’ll end up executed.’

As the novel progressed into its later stages, Lucienne’s fate couldn’t be guaranteed.

‘Let’s not get confused anymore.’

Lucienne made a firm resolution.

Even if she wavered in the middle, she would stick to her original goal: to get divorced and step out of the original story.

And today’s party was the perfect stage for that.

Lucienne was fully determined to cause a scene at the birthday celebration that would leave Paello unable to show his face.

Even Paello, who had said nobles never divorced, would not be able to bear it and would throw divorce papers at her. He had once mentioned the possibility of confinement, but that applied to ordinary women, not to Lucienne.

Lucienne had more than enough strength to break everything and walk away.

***

While Lucienne was having her facial pack applied, Paello was receiving a report from Sebastian, who had brought the dress Lucienne had worn yesterday.

“Your Grace, the laundry staff requested a confirmation regarding damage to the dress.”

Laundry staff in noble households would thoroughly inspect garments before starting to wash them. If any issues were found, they would have the condition confirmed by the employer or manager in advance.

It was a professional habit.

Not so much to prepare for mending, but rather to guarantee that any damage was not their responsibility.

Since they had gone to the hunting competition yesterday, it was entirely possible that the dress’s fabric might have been scratched or torn.

So it wasn’t unusual for Sebastian, the butler, to check it himself, but it was curious that he brought it all the way here.

“Is the damage severe?”

“The dress seems reparable, but I found something strange. I thought Your Grace might recognize it, so I brought it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Please look at this part.”