The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 23

“You’ll need to have a dress made.”

What?

Sasha was completely caught off guard by something she hadn’t even thought about.

“You should visit the boutique in person to see which designs suit you. After that, you can have the designer come here for future fittings.”

While Sasha stood there speechless, Rose continued explaining as if she had already planned everything in advance. It seemed like she might even suggest they leave right now.

“If you don’t have any plans after today, it would be a good idea to go out now.”

Was it just her imagination, or did Rose’s eyes sparkle for a moment?

Well, if she was suggesting it, then it must be necessary. It was probably important enough to do first. Sasha nodded hesitantly.

“Alright. Would it be okay if we go after lunch?”

“Of course. Go ahead and wash up, have lunch, and then we’ll leave together. I’ll get ready as well.”

Rose stood and gave a small bow. She didn’t move afterward, which made it pretty clear she was waiting for Sasha to stand too.

Sasha felt a little strange about it, but she stood up. Rose watched her carefully, then turned and walked briskly back toward the estate.

“Have a safe trip!”

All the maids gathered at the entrance bowed deeply to Sasha. They somehow looked cheerful. Even their voices sounded unusually bright.

“You all know that if something goes wrong in the estate while I’m gone, you’ll be in twice as much trouble, right?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Rose followed Sasha into the carriage. From inside, Sasha could see that Rose leaving with her was probably a big deal for the younger maids, like a break in routine. Maybe she had earned some points with them just by taking Rose along.

As the carriage began to move, Sasha smiled in quiet satisfaction.

The boutique wasn’t far. It was only Sasha’s second time riding in a carriage, so she watched the changing scenery outside with full attention.

The boutique was surprisingly structured, with two floors. As the two of them stepped inside, everyone in the room turned to look at them.

“Welcome!”

A high-pitched voice called out and quickly approached. The woman had a sharp business smile and scanned them efficiently.

It was clear that Sasha was the noblewoman, but since her face wasn’t familiar, the woman looked toward Rose, who seemed like a middle-aged maid accompanying a young lady. But even Rose’s face didn’t ring any bells.

Sasha noticed her uncertainty and let out a small laugh.

“Rose.”

“Yes, madam. We’ve come from the House of Ignote. Is the Madam in?”

When Rose spoke softly, the staff member quickly understood the situation. Her eyes widened, and she turned her full attention to Sasha. She had looked like a modest young lady at first, but now she realized her mistake.

“Oh, please wait just a moment. Madam! Madam!”

After a quick bow, the woman turned and rushed to the back, calling loudly for someone. It seemed that this Madam was the owner of the boutique, probably the designer.

With Rose by her side, Sasha didn’t feel nervous. She calmly looked around the boutique. Dresses hung on racks and mannequins, sparkling under the light.

There were dresses at the duke’s estate as well, but most of them were in dark, muted colors. They had belonged to Kyler’s mother, so perhaps that style had been popular in her time.

But here, many of the dresses were bright, full, and ornate. Sasha didn’t usually prefer flashy clothing, so she had a feeling this was going to be a bit of a challenge.

“Oh my, hello! Duchess of Ignote! Thank you so much for visiting our boutique!”

A flurry of quick footsteps echoed from the back, and a woman rushed forward with a wide, beaming smile. She bowed deeply before Sasha, then looked at her closely, their eyes meeting briefly in greeting. Right away, she turned to the side and her smile grew even wider.

“Rose! How long has it been?”

“It’s been a while.”

Sasha’s eyes widened as she watched the two of them greet each other warmly. If she hadn’t been standing between them, they might have clasped hands and shared a full reunion.

“You used to only send those young maids. What’s the occasion today? Oh, I’m so sorry, madam. This outing must be for you, of course. Right?”

The woman’s voice was fast and full of energy. Sasha found herself nodding, not quite able to keep up with the pace.

“Why didn’t you have us come to the estate? If you had summoned us, we would have come right away.”

“First, I want to figure out which designs and colors suit her best before we start making anything.”

The Madam rested her chin in her hand and thought for a moment. Then she gave some instructions to a staff member nearby and nodded politely.

“Please follow this staff member inside. I will bring out a selection of dresses for you to look through.”

As the smiling Madam walked away, the staff member led Sasha and Rose deeper into the boutique. In the farthest part of the shop, there was a space with a sofa, a changing area, and a large mirror. With high partitions, it could easily become a private fitting area.

“Please take a seat and wait just a moment. I will bring some tea first.”

The staff member spoke kindly and quickly left.

“They must be doing well here. Everyone moves so fast.”

Sasha finally spoke as she watched how active the employees were. After spending time around the calm and quiet atmosphere of the duke’s estate, this kind of energy felt unfamiliar to her.

She had said it expecting a reply, but Rose said nothing. Sasha turned to look behind her. Rose was standing there, but her attention was elsewhere. She had her body turned slightly and was looking toward the area where the dresses were displayed.

Was she waiting for the Madam to return? Sasha found it odd.

“Rose?”

“Yes, Lady Sasha!”

Startled, Rose jumped slightly and turned toward Sasha. Sasha had expected a casual response, but Rose looked like she had been waiting for Sasha to say something else.

You weren’t listening at all.

Just then, the curtain opened, and a tray was brought in first. A few elegant tea items were placed on the table in front of the sofa. As soon as the tray was taken away, the Madam returned with a full rack of dresses.

“Wow.”

Sasha opened her mouth in amazement.

In such a short time, the Madam had brought a wide variety of dresses, each with different colors and styles. The rack looked almost too full to hold them all.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Since you can’t try all of them on, we’ll hold them up one by one and pick the ones that suit you best.”

With the Madam’s clear explanation, the dress fitting session began right away.

There were halter-neck dresses, off-shoulders, and some with full coverage. Most of the skirts were not the simple single layers Sasha was used to, but thick, voluminous gowns made with many layers. Each one was held up and compared against her, then set aside to make space for the next.

“How is this possible? Every single one of these designs looks amazing on you.”

While the Madam examined the options with great care, Sasha silently reminded herself to keep up with the fast-paced energy of the boutique.

“I had already set aside some dresses I thought might suit you. I planned to go through them one by one and separate them into categories. But now I don’t know what to do. I can’t narrow them down. What a lovely problem to have.”

Sasha had noticed earlier that the Madam seemed cheerful, but she hadn’t expected her to actually be enjoying herself this much. Feeling a little surprised, Sasha smiled softly.

“I’ll try them all. If we run out of time or get too tired, I can always come back.”

She figured that if she had to go through the process anyway, it was better to do it properly.

“If this takes up your time without actually helping the dressmaking process…”

“Not at all, madam. I’m honored. I rarely get a chance like this. It’s not often that I meet someone who looks good in so many different styles.”

The Madam answered with a bright smile and moved the selected dresses to a separate rack for Sasha to try on later.

Sasha felt a little happier seeing someone enjoy their work so much. But then she remembered something she had overlooked. Rose would likely spend most of her workday here helping pick out dresses, and Sasha felt a bit sorry for her.

“Rose, I can try the dresses myself and come back later. Would you like to return to the estate ahead of me?”

Just as she finished speaking, Rose’s cheerful expression disappeared. The sudden change surprised Sasha.

“Lady Sasha, are you sending me back? Could I stay, please? If I watch the fitting, I can remember which ones suit you best and keep that in mind for next time.”

Rose spoke quickly and looked unusually serious. Her words made sense, but her tone sounded more personal than professional.

“Rose, do you like dresses?”

Sasha asked gently. Rose pressed her lips together and didn’t answer right away. She looked too shy to say yes, but her silence gave everything away.

“It’s true, isn’t it? Now that I think about it, there hasn’t been anyone in the Ignote household who needed dresses in a long time.”

Sasha realized how hard it must have been for someone who loved dresses to work in a house like Ignote. For someone like Rose, this moment might have meant much more than just a fitting.

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