57

* * *

Dante flaunted his efforts with money.

Yes, out of the blue, there was talk of an extravagant tour of high-end shops on Antique Street.

“We need to attend the Diorance Club soon, right?”

With those words, he took me forcefully to Madame Tilda’s clothing store to start the day.

“It’s okay; I already have plenty of dresses.”

“Still, buy one.”

Dante responded without batting an eye.

“I can’t stand my lover wandering around looking shabby.”

“…”

For a moment, I was speechless.

I made the maximum effort to persuade Dante.

“It’s not shabby. The dress I wore for the debutante last time, I could wear it for at least another three years.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s a waste.”

“What’s wrong with a little waste?”

“By then, all the trends will have passed.”

“You’re pretty, so it’s okay. If you wear it, it will become trendy again, right?”

I looked at Dante with a dumbfounded expression.

“…”

Dante’s eyes slightly curved.

“Why?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Well, what can you do when the male protagonist wants to spend some money? Just stand by and applaud.

“Welcome!”

Madame Tilda rushed over as soon as Dante and I appeared, taking off her shoes and running out.

It seems she can conveniently ignore the ominous rumors that the Marquis of Offenheir usually carries around.

Indeed, capital is truly magnificent.

“Will you come this way? Some new lace just arrived.”

Madame Tilda warmly stuck close to me.

I looked around with a puzzled expression.

“Why is there no one here?”

Usually, at this time, the ladies should be bustling in the dressing room.

Then, Madame Tilda’s eyes widened, and she asked me with curiosity.

“What? The Marquis of Offenheir informed us in advance that he would visit today, so we canceled all reservations… Is there a problem?”

“The Marquis?”

Surprised, I turned to Dante.

Dante, meeting my gaze, shrugged casually.

“You said you would try, right?”

“…”

I simply understood the dilemma.

Dante’s affection, lighter than a single sheet of stationery and more delicate than a feather, could easily be overturned at any moment.

And so, the person that man could truly love was only one in this world.

I know well that it’s the original female protagonist.

Nevertheless, my heart resents running without hesitation.

Because the irrational affection Elsie, the original character, held for Dante was too burdensome for me.

I bit my lip firmly.

* * *

After that, a situation similar to when preparing for the debutante party unfolded.

I, like a luxurious villainess, changed into several expensive dresses.

Dante, with an inscrutable expression, chin in hand, watched me change into multiple outfits.

Even so, the way he never took his eyes off me was fascinating.

I couldn’t have imagined that this man could display such patience…

“Just wait a moment! We have new fabric samples; I’ll bring them to you!”

Madame Tilda, fueled by enthusiasm for sales, hastily rushed into the fitting room.

Seizing this opportunity, I playfully threw a joke at Dante.

“Are you faithfully following Liam’s advice again this time?”

However,

“Well, not really.”

Unexpectedly, Dante shook his head.

“At first, I thought I wasn’t interested in women’s clothes, but it’s not that simple.”

“What do you mean?”

“So.”

Dante, who had been staring at me intently, replied casually.

“It’s somewhat enjoyable to watch oneself adorned.”

“…”

A seemingly trivial statement, yet it made my heart flutter.

It wasn’t my emotion but that of the ‘original Elsie.’

…It had to be that way.

“Oh, by the way.”

At that moment, Dante changed the subject.

“I’m thinking of moving the dresses you store in the clothing store warehouse to my townhouse. Is that okay?”

“What?”

I doubted my ears.

Then Dante squinted his eyes and asked me.

“Why that expression? Don’t you like it?”

“No, it’s not that… I’m just worried that it might be troublesome for the Marquis.”

“Troublesome. It’s not like I’m the one doing it; the servants will take care of it.”

Dante shrugged and added.

“When we had the debutante party before, you went back to the dormitory late at night, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Staying at the townhouse would only lead to strange rumors.

Dante didn’t take our relationship seriously.

And someday, I would have to escape from Dante.

For the sake of each other, we thought it would be best if our relationship didn’t progress beyond a game of deception.

“Come to think of it, it seems like you don’t have anything in the townhouse.”

Tilting his head, Dante scrutinizes my expression.

“So, on that day, did you just go straight back to the dormitory without staying at the townhouse, thinking there might be some trouble?”

It was a pointed remark.

‘I wonder if I felt bad and went back to the dormitory right away.’

I reflexively became a bit tense.

But Dante didn’t seem to ask to interrogate me.

Dante shrugged and continued.

“Ladies usually have a lot of things they need, right? While moving the dresses, might as well get some suitable loungewear for yourself.”

“Well, I don’t necessarily need to go that far…”

“Why? Are you refusing again?”

Dante, all at once, interrupted me with an arrogant gaze.

“As you well know.”

Then he lowered his eyelids smoothly.

“I hate repeating myself.”

“Well…”

“I’m sure I mentioned it before.”

Dante spoke lazily.

“I said I would try.”

“Why?”

Why are you doing this?

Since when did you start paying attention to me?

Wasn’t our relationship some kind of game?

Why do you keep trying to include me in your daily life?

I feel…

‘Uncomfortable.’

Numerous words circled around inside my mouth.

But…

“…”

I only bit my lip, unable to utter any words.

At the same time, Madame Tilda returned.

“Take a look at this fabric sample! We managed to get this luxurious purple fabric; isn’t it beautiful?”

…Luckily, Madame Tilda was oblivious.

I quickly turned my attention to the fabric sample.

“I like this fabric. Are there other colors?”

“Of course! We have pink and green…”

Madame Tilda enthusiastically continued talking about the fabric samples.

“…”

I felt Dante’s gaze fixed on me.

Although a twinge ran down my spine, I steadfastly avoided Dante’s eyes.

But at that moment…

“If you’re going to get a new dress, wouldn’t it be nice to pick out some matching shoes as well?” Dante suddenly interjected into the conversation.

Madam Tilda also seized the opportunity to showcase her new merchandise.

“You’re absolutely right, Marquis!”

Madam Tilda beamed, her eyes sparkling like jewels.

“Indeed, in our store, we not only sell dresses but also various accessories that ladies wear. Would you like to take a look?”

“Sure.”

Dante responded with a cheerful expression.

Madam Tilda, in high spirits, signaled to her employees.

“Hey, all of you! Bring some shoes here.”

“Yes, understood!”

The employees quickly entered the clothing store.

A moment later, numerous shoes were laid out in front of me.

There were glossy shoes adorned with extravagant jewel decorations, boldly ankle-wrapped shoes with ribbons, and shoes with open toes…

In terms of color and material, these shoes were all different, but they had one common feature—they all had high heels that looked dizzyingly tall.

Amidst all these options, there was one pair of shoes that caught my eye.

‘Those.’

They were more like sandals than shoes.

There were no sparkling jewel decorations, but the material looked luxurious and elegant.

And the most appealing part was…

‘The heel is low.’

The sandal’s heel was surprisingly low.

It was just the right height for walking around comfortably.

At that moment,

“This one’s pretty.”

A hand reached out next to me and picked up one of the shoes.

Dante had chosen the Sakaman shoes, which had a thin and dangerously high heel.

There were no decorations, but the smooth curves of the slender body were graceful.

A faint smile played on Dante’s lips.

“I heard that high heels suit you well.”

Then, he handed me the shoe.

“Want to try it on?”

“…”

Glancing at the shoe with an indifferent gaze, I soon found myself smiling brightly.

“Of course. You personally chose this shoe for me. I’m really happy.”

“Good.”

Dante nodded, gracefully kneeling in front of me like a knight paying homage to a queen. I looked down at him with a delicate expression on my face.