Episode 43
“Ke sini! Ke sini!”
“Kirimkan buket bunga itu ke sana!”
Istana Reinhardt sedang dalam hiruk pikuk aktivitas.
Dengan waktu kurang dari dua hari tersisa hingga pesta debutan Aria, dekorasi terus dibawa ke rumah bangsawan. Rangkaian bunganya terbuat dari bunga freesia dan bunga lili.
‘Mereka pasti memilih ini dengan mempertimbangkan Ibu Suri.’
Lebih khusus lagi, dengan tujuan untuk mendapatkan dukungan dari Putra Mahkota.
Bagaimanapun, aku tidak bertugas mengatur debutan Aria. Peranku sudah berakhir. Sang Duke tampak puas karena Chris telah dicegah menjadi mitra Aria.
“Yang berarti aku tidak perlu khawatir terseret ke hal lain.”
Tetapi ada satu hal yang terus mengganggu saya.
Sehari setelah saya kembali dari memilih perhiasan debutan bersama Chris, saya menerima kotak hadiah yang dikirimkan kepada saya secara rahasia.
Di dalam kotak itu terdapat sebuah bros yang dihiasi berlian kuning yang indah.
Bersamanya ada catatan singkat.
Untuk Lady Reinhardt.
Aku menanti hari saat aku bisa mengembalikan sapu tanganmu.
Tidak ada tanda tangan, tetapi jelas siapa pengirimnya—Putra Mahkota.
“Keberanian.”
Sebuah hadiah anonim, tak kurang.
Isyarat semacam ini biasanya diperuntukkan bagi gundik atau dalam situasi-situasi sensitif lainnya antara bangsawan atau keluarga kerajaan.
‘Berani sekali dia, tidak berusaha menyembunyikan kenyataan bahwa dia menganggapku tak lebih dari sekadar khayalan sesaat.’
Sebagai pelengkap, bagian belakang bros itu diukir dengan inisial. Hanya satu huruf: ‘A.’ Itu mungkin merujuk pada nama Putra Mahkota.
Fakta bahwa dia tidak memilih karya baru, tetapi malah memberiku sesuatu miliknya sendiri, menunjukkan niatnya dengan jelas…
“Tetapi itu bukanlah perhiasan yang cocok untuk mengenang awal baru seorang debutan.”
Sambil menggelengkan kepala pelan, aku berjalan menuju kamarku, aku melewati kamar mandi Aria.
“Bagaimana kamu bisa melakukan ini?!”
Sebuah suara yang dipenuhi keputusasaan bergema—suara yang begitu sarat dengan emosi sehingga siapa pun yang mendengarnya harus berbalik.
Bahkan saya pun tidak dapat menahannya dan mendapati diri saya berhenti.
“Bagaimana bisa, saudaraku…”
“Aria!”
“Kamu bilang itu rahasia dan tidak mengizinkanku melihatnya, jadi aku menantikannya!”
Kepedihan dalam suaranya begitu kentara hingga membuat hatiku ikut sakit.
Perlahan aku melangkah ke ruang toilet.
Countess Claire, Lady Ellie, dan para pelayan semuanya memasang ekspresi terkejut saat mereka melihat Aria dan Servi.
Servi buru-buru angkat bicara.
“Maafkan saya. Sebagai tuan muda, saya terlalu banyak pikiran.”
“Ini terlalu berlebihan, Tuan Servi,” bahkan Countess Claire, yang merupakan orang luar, berbicara dengan suara penuh kekhawatiran.
“Bagaimana kau bisa melupakan gaun debutan untuk sang debutan sendiri?”
Begitu mendengar ini, saya menyadari bencana besar telah terjadi.
‘Servi lupa sesuatu seperti itu?’
He must have been preoccupied with something serious. The only thing that could have disrupted Servi recently was…
‘Was it because of the Oracle’s visit?’
As I pondered, the conversation continued.
“Why can’t you find a dress designer immediately?”
“That’s right. For Lady Aria’s debutante, designers would jump at the chance!”
“…They’re all fully booked. And the fabric supply is…”
It seemed that with the entire nation’s young ladies commissioning new dresses for Aria’s debutante, there were no designers or high-quality fabrics left to make Aria’s dress.
‘Even if they tried to cancel other reservations now, it would be difficult to get her dress made.’
A debutante dress is crafted with the finest materials and meticulous attention over a long period.
Now, with less than two days left until the debutante, it would be almost impossible to create a dress that was both fashionable and elaborate without the right materials.
‘Any designer who takes on this task and fails would only harm their reputation.’
Servi spoke again, his voice heavy with regret.
“I assumed my steward would handle the request… It’s my fault. I’ll have him flogged and dismissed.”
Shifting blame onto his subordinate was typical of Servi, just as he had done to me before.
Aria was nearly collapsed on the floor.
Finally, a long, heart-wrenching sob escaped from her. It was a pitiful sound.
“How could you, brother? How could you…?”
“Miss, please don’t cry.”
Everyone was at a loss, unsure how to console Aria.
I watched the scene for a moment before stepping forward. Servi was the first to notice my presence, and he flinched.
“You—how dare you show up here…?”
Ignoring Servi, I spoke directly to Aria.
“Mindia?”
Aria looked up at me, her eyes full of uncertainty. I met her gaze steadily.
As I thought about my own miserable debutante, I couldn’t help but feel that perhaps it was only fitting for Aria to face some adversity at her own. But at the same time, I wondered if it was truly right for her to bear the full brunt of this misfortune.
After all, I knew all too well how painful that feeling could be.
‘Besides, she did give me her dress when I needed it.’
I softened my expression as much as I could and smiled gently. The maids quickly lashed out at me.
“Are you here to gloat? To mock Miss Aria?”
“You stole her partner, and now this!”
“That’s not it.”
I knelt down to make eye contact with Aria. I could see the anxiety reflected in her eyes.
“I still have the dress I wore for my debutante.”
“You do?”
The maids frowned again, but I hurried to explain.
“I’m not suggesting you wear it as is. It’s not exactly the best dress.”
The Duke had certainly not given me a dress of the highest quality for my debutante. Only certain parts of it were of good quality.
If he had given me something better at the time…
‘Then it would be a dress that Aria wouldn’t be ashamed to wear now.’
The maids, knowing this fact, still looked at me with distrust. Countess Claire and Lady Ellie also watched me closely.
“I’ll ask Lady Helena to help with the dress.”
“Lady Helena?”
“The Stein family owns several salons and boutiques.”
I had recently heard rumors that Count Stein had gone missing. Helena would likely be in a good mood now.
‘She should be willing to do me this favor.’
“We can take the good fabric from my debutante dress and combine it with the fabric from another of your dresses to create a custom gown.”
“…”
“Since it’s just a matter of matching the existing fabric to a pattern, if all the designers in the boutique work together, they could finish it in a day.”
“You’re suggesting that Lady Aria wear a patched-up dress…?”
“It’s the Orland fashion trend. It’ll probably become popular in the Empire next season.”
I firmly stated, countering the maid’s insulted expression.
Orland was a small southern kingdom, but it was known for leading fashion trends across the continent.
Trends that began in Orland usually spread to the Empire shortly after.
I knew this because I had already lived through this period before. Around this time, Orland’s textile industry had been severely impacted by floods.
Orland tried to turn this crisis into an opportunity.
To demonstrate frugality and set an example, they made a trend of deconstructing existing dresses and reassembling them like patchwork.
What had once been rags when worn by the poor were transformed by the hands of Orland’s artisans and sophisticated designs into stunningly beautiful fashion.
“And how can we trust your word!”
“Actually… it seems like a good idea.”
Surprisingly, it was Countess Claire who spoke in my favor.
‘I knew she would.’
Countess Claire, like Count Stein, was a shrewd businesswoman and a major player in society. She had a talent for predicting the next big trends.
She likely knew about Orland’s fashion trend herself.
“Although the trend is just beginning…”
“I agree as wel.”
Lady Ellie added. With both chaperones nodding in agreement, the maids’ eyes widened.
“But, madams…”
“I’ve heard that in Orland, chaperones contribute pieces of their own garments to match the young lady’s patchwork dress. I happen to have some fine fabric from a dress I wore in my youth. Lady Ellie?”
“I do as well, of course.”
With Countess Claire taking the lead, the maids and Servi fell silent. Aria still seemed confused, though.
“Mindia?”
“Don’t worry. Helena knows the perfect designer for this,” I reassured Aria. As I spoke, I could feel Countess Claire looking at me with a newfound curiosity, as if reevaluating me.
“I’ll ask them to add pink accents to match your brooch.”
I comforted Aria with these words before rising to my feet. Servi, still seething with anger, glared at me, but I ignored him.
As I walked out of the toilette room, filled with a strange mix of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness, I wasn’t surprised when Servi followed me out.
“What are you trying to do?”
“I’m simply helping Aria as a fellow noblewoman.”
“You…”
Servi bit his lip, his distaste for me obvious. I looked at him with a smirk and whispered,
“Ngomong-ngomong, Tuan Servi, bukankah akan menjadi ide yang bagus jika kita menulis surat kepada Yang Mulia Putra Mahkota, memintanya menjadi pasangan Aria, saat dia masih terlalu sibuk?”
“Berani sekali kau…!”
“Kau hampir merusak gaun debutan Aria. Apa kau ingin dia membencimu?”
Saya menyaksikan tangan Servi gemetar karena marah, menganggap pemandangan itu lucu.
“Di sisi lain, aku harus mencoba gaun debutanku. Aku sudah memesannya jauh-jauh hari. Tentu saja gaun itu tidak akan semewah gaun Aria.”
Servi akhirnya terdiam, berjalan cepat melewatiku dengan langkah berat. Saat melakukannya, dia memastikan untuk menyenggol bahuku dengan keras.
Mengabaikan rasa nyeri berdenyut di bahuku, aku hanya tersenyum.
“Setidaknya lakukan tugasmu yang lain dengan baik jika kau ingin dianggap sebagai saudara yang baik.”
Bukan berarti aku sendiri pernah punya saudara laki-laki sejati.
Aku juga harus bersiap. Aku menuju kamarku.
Ruangan tempat bros yang Chris berikan kepadaku telah menanti.
