I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 143

A heavy silence, as if weighing down on my shoulders, filled the carriage.

It was hard to breathe, and blood wasn't circulating well to my head, but.

I clutched my apron, struggling to endure, and met the Princess's eyes.

“……”

Her Highness's eyes are only calm.

They were so calm, as if we had been having a very ordinary conversation, that I couldn't feel any agitation.

Thinking simply, Her Highness might have asked without any personal feelings.

But.

That can't be.

Eyes that kept searching for the young master even while working.

The poignant emotion contained in those eyes.

And the corners of her lips that naturally curved upward just by looking at the young master's face.

When talking, she subtly occupies a distance close enough for breaths to touch.

When walking side by side, she sticks so close that her arm brushes against his.

The way she flaunts and forces him to use nicknames in front of others.

Anyone can see that her personal feelings for the young master are overflowing, so there's no way she could ask such a question so calmly.

The image Her Highness showed cannot be a lie, or rather, it must not be a lie.

That affection, so tenderly revealed, was actually fake?

If that were the case, I could never allow it.

I cannot yield the young master to someone adorned with such false emotions.

That's why I wanted to believe that Her Highness was hiding her feelings and testing me.

Otherwise, I would feel too foolish for having stepped back for the sake of the young master's happiness and because I didn't want to cause trouble for him.

“……”

If so.

What is Her Highness's true intention?

With what thoughts did she throw this question at me?

If Her Highness's feelings for the young master are genuine, I thought it might be a check on a possible rival.

It's embarrassing to say it myself, but excluding the young master's family, I am the closest woman to him.

If so, I must tell a lie and clearly show that I have no intention of touching the young master.

No woman would keep a woman who could become a stray cat by her man's side.

If I want to serve the young master until he is officially recognized as Her Highness's, then it is right to tell a lie.

But my heart didn't want to.

Even if there was an immediate risk of being kicked out, I didn't want to say that I didn't like the young master with a false heart.

“Then, I will tell you honestly.”

“Yes.”

I didn't do the cowardly thing of closing my eyes, but looked straight into Her Highness's eyes and made a serious and determined expression.

"I love the young master, also, as a woman."

I didn't play any foolish tricks to escape with vague expressions.

I answered Her Highness very honestly and very directly, and then, I clenched my fist so tightly that I felt pain in my palm, and waited for Her Highness's answer.

“……”

Her Highness's expression slowly hardened, and as she stared at me with cold eyes, a heavy silence once again weighed down on the carriage.

The feeling of pressure, as if piercing deep into my lungs, was so intense that I forgot to breathe for a moment.

"Emily, are you saying that knowing how I feel about William?"

"Yes... of course."

"Why?"

"... I have no intention of coveting the young master's side, but I also didn't want to deceive Her Highness by falsely stating my feelings."

"I could erase you without a sound, you know?"

"Yes..."

“Hmm~”

Her Highness made a humming sound, squinted her eyes, and raised one corner of her lips.

"I knew you'd be like that."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize."

As I bowed my head and hurriedly apologized to Her Highness, who seemed to be in a bad mood, Her Highness lightly waved her hand and dismissed my apology.

"What do you have to be sorry about? Human emotions are something that people can't control, and I was the one who interfered in the first place, right?"

“……”

My head was confused by Her Highness's words, which so simply declared that she was the rolling stone.

Why is Her Highness saying such things?

Why is she encouraging me, who has turned pale?

The more I talked, the more I couldn't understand Her Highness's intentions, and I became more and more afraid.

"Anyway, what are you planning to do from now on?"

"I... I will serve the young master for a few more years, and when the two of you are bound in an official relationship, I will quietly step back..."

"No, don't do that."

"Yes?"

"Stay by William's side and continue to like him as much as you want."

"Yes...?"

"You don't have to lie to William, you don't have to hide your feelings, you don't have to be cautious because of me.

If you happen to 'touch' William secretly like a stray cat, well... I'm willing to let it slide once if it's you.

I've been by that blockhead's side for a few months, and it's not easy being next to someone who doesn't have a clue, Emily, you've been by his side for years? Then I think you have the right to take that much reward."

“……”

It's okay to keep liking him?

It's okay to touch him secretly first?

I don't know what this dog... like sound is.

Has the law of the Empire changed while I wasn't looking?

There's no way that kind of thing could change without me knowing, so the law hasn't changed.

But I don't know why Her Highness is giving off the nuance that polygamy is okay, as if it were natural.

"Wait a minute, Your Highness, what are you talking about? I don't understand what Your Highness is saying at all."

"What do you mean, it means that it's okay for you to be by his side as a mistress, Emily."

“……”

I wondered if I had heard correctly, so I slightly opened my lips and looked at Sera-nim, who was sitting next to Her Highness.

"Ahaha..."

From Sera-nim's appearance, awkwardly smiling and avoiding my gaze, I could realize that at least this statement wasn't something that came out without any agreement.

Then, it's a conclusion that came out after thinking about it for at least a few days...

"... Your Highness."

I belatedly came to my senses and called out to Her Highness.

And, very blasphemously, I dared to put one word that filled my head on my tongue and utter it.

"Are you perhaps crazy?"

"No?"

"Ah..."

I squeezed my eyes shut as I watched Her Highness lightly shake her head with a bright smile.

It was clear that she had lost her mind.

Otherwise, there's no way she would say things like, 'It's okay to be by his side as a mistress,' with such a face full of conviction and belief, so it had to be.

"I just thought things couldn't go on like this."

"Things can't go on like this?"

"An 18-year-old man of marriageable age has no interest in women and only looks at clothes, usually a noble man of that age would be having weekly secret rendezvous with women his age that make his chest tickle, but what about William? Last week was work, this week is work, next week is work, the week after that is work... there's only work."

As Her Highness said, the young master's relationship with women is as clean as a blank sheet of paper, unlike the dirty work he's involved with.

He doesn't meet women at night....

"Ugh..."

Suddenly, my face turns red as a past memory flashes through my mind.

There were no secret rendezvous.

But if you ask me if there was anything 'similar to a secret rendezvous,' I couldn't say for sure.

This is because it is not normal to say that my actions, which were somewhat excessive in trying to stop the overdoing young master, were normal.

"What... were you already making progress behind my back?"

As I slightly lowered my head to calm my flushed face, Her Highness, who had sharply opened her eyes like a keenly honed ax, spoke in a voice filled with betrayal.

"That's not it! There was never anything that Your Highness is worried about."

"Worried about? What on earth did you do?"

"I just, hugged him a little to cheer up the young master..."

"'We only held hands and slept.' You're not going to say something like that, are you?"

"Nothing like that happened."

Now that my head has cooled down, in the awkward atmosphere, it would be a lie to say that I didn't expect such a thing, but if such a thing was going to happen, it should have happened a long time ago.

"Such nonsense... no, if it's William... Ugh...! Let's just skip this."

"Thank you..."

Her Highness had a suspicious look on her face, but she didn't press further and skipped it.

She couldn't understand it with her head, but she seemed to realize that it wasn't impossible based on her experience so far.

"Anyway, I thought it was a problem that William is now more interested in clothes than women, it's a great attitude to be focused on one thing and not distracted, but it's quite shameful as a woman."

"I agree with Your Highness, but what does that have to do with acknowledging the relationship between the young master and me..."

"If things continue like this, I'll be able to legally tie William down with my mother's help, and William will accept it obediently even with a grimace."

At least by the time the young master becomes an adult, the engagement will proceed.

This is because if there is no fiancé even after becoming an adult, various rumors will spring up indiscriminately.

This is no exception even for Her Highness, she may be attacked even more severely.

"I don't like this picture, I still want William to feel affection for me, even if my feelings are heavier, even if William's feelings are infinitely lighter, I want the direction to be the same."

"Ah..."

"But it's impossible to create this picture by myself, I don't know much about William."

"I see..."

"So I want to learn from you how to get closer to William, so that he can clearly express his affection for me."

“……”

She wants to get closer to the person she likes, so she asks her rival for the method.

At the crazy idea that ordinary people can't even imagine, I felt like the common sense I had until now was collapsing. I felt dizzy and lost my words.