Welcome To The Imperial Palace (11)

“Your Grace.”

Just as Alicia was about to express her displeasure, Reichardt shook his head.

Then he removed the leather gloves he was wearing.

His bare hand reached out toward Alicia.

“Please, hold my hand.”

According to the information they had exchanged, Reichardt’s health declined when he left Tessen.

It wasn’t that noise from a specific location directly harmed him, but his condition could worsen at any time.

“Ah, are you unwell?”

Alicia hurriedly grasped his hand.

Reichardt shook his head again.

“Nothing has worsened in particular. But after hearing sudden news and rushing over, worried my fiancée had committed murder, the noise got a bit louder.”

That was what most would call a clear sign of worsening.

“My apologies.”

As Alicia squeezed his hand tighter in apology, her thoughts shifted.

She remembered the bizarre things Reichardt had shouted upon bursting into the audience hall.

Judging by how he was speaking now, he had genuinely meant every word he’d said earlier.

-Excuse me.

Alicia very nearly voiced her protest.

“Since His Majesty has begun to doubt you, it’s necessary to show that Alicia Rain is harmless. There are many of the Emperor’s hidden spies in the Grand Duke’s residence. Please stay there for a few days and behave as normally as possible.”

Reichardt whispered softly, leaving his hand in Alicia’s grasp.

No one would suspect him of being a royal.

Nor that he was fully aware of the Emperor’s spies residing in his own residence.

Nor that he used that knowledge while appearing loyal to the Emperor.

“But earlier…”

Alicia hesitated, her confusion surfacing slowly.

She tried to focus on the question she had intended to ask.

“But do you really not have even one friend?”

Reichardt cut her off mid-sentence.

His expression looked as if he were staring at something incomprehensible.

Alicia responded by squeezing his hand tightly again.

Of course, her gesture had no effect on Reichardt.

A melodious voice spoke proudly.

“The girl with the pearl necklace, the vase with emerald earrings, the amethyst violet, and the rabbit wearing a black pearl crown. These four are my recommendations.”

Katrina, a perfumer from the Western Continent, smiled brightly.

Lavish perfume bottles sparkled across the table.

With different rings on seven of her ten fingers, Katrina looked more like a jeweler than a perfumer.

“May I try the ones you recommended?”

Alicia asked as she examined the ornate bottles.

Katrina’s face momentarily betrayed surprise.

After a brief pause, she responded with a delighted smile.

“Of course.”

Perfume was a time-honored cosmetic.

Even after makeup became widespread, perfume remained one of the essential products.

It was used mostly by the noble and the wealthy, though perfumers themselves hadn’t yet gained proper recognition.

Thus, many perfumers didn’t just sell scents.

They packaged them in luxurious bottles and sold them at even higher prices.

In this era, the perfume bottle was more eye-catching than the scent itself.

Katrina spritzed small amounts of each perfume onto blotting papers and handed them to Alicia.

Almond, sandalwood, bergamot, silver wattle, neroli, hyacinth.

As Alicia sniffed the bases, her expression grew serious.

Katrina’s face was full of anticipation.

After a moment of thought, Alicia said calmly:

“I’ll take the girl with the pearl necklace and the rabbit with the black pearl crown.”

Though she spoke plainly, Alicia’s feelings were conflicted.

“An excellent choice.”

Katrina responded with a radiant smile.

“Hrm, please prepare the emerald and amethyst ones as well.”

Henrik, who had been watching from the side, added.

Katrina’s face lit up again.

“Of course.”

“We’ll pay upon delivery.”

Alicia glanced up at Henrik.

“His Grace ordered us to purchase everything Lady considered. There’s plenty of space to store them.”

Henrik said with a kind face.

His words weren’t wrong.

Yes, there was certainly enough space.

Alicia nodded as if she understood.

“Master Katrina.”

“That’s too grand a title, Lady Alicia. Please, just call me comfortably.”

Katrina waved her hand modestly.

Alicia handed the woman a slip of paper she had written on.

“Please contact me when you release a new fragrance.”

“You’ll be the first to hear from me. I’ll take my leave.”

Katrina accepted Alicia’s handwritten note with care and exited.

Alicia saw her off with a complicated expression.

The atelier master who seemed completely immersed in extravagance from head to toe would soon become famous.

Veil Eau de Toilette, Veil Eau de Parfum, Veil Esprit de Parfum.

The “Veil Series” from Katrina’s atelier, Veil, would shake the Empire of the Eastern Continent and spread across the continent.

The capital’s nobles would soon be obsessed with the sweet yet cool scent combinations of the Veil Series.

The scents were appealing, but it was Katrina’s business savvy that truly stood out.

She produced the same fragrance in different concentrations of perfume oil, allowing customers to choose according to their preferences.

Those with strong body odor could opt for the potent Veil Esprit de Parfum.

Those with lighter scents who liked to reapply often could choose Veil Eau de Toilette.

The ability to tailor strength to personal scent was part of the Veil Series’ charm.

Alicia sniffed the scent strip again.

“……”

She still couldn’t tell.

Alicia had lived her entire life as a lady before falling into hell.

Even back then, she’d always suspected she lacked an eye—or nose—for perfumes and fashion.

Now, she was sure.

She had absorbed some intuition from years of being surrounded by refined tastes.

That had prevented her from making truly ridiculous choices.

But though she could pick something acceptable by others’ standards, she never really understood what was good or why.

No matter how much she smelled the rabbit with the black pearl crown—known as the original of the Veil Series—she couldn’t grasp what about it had made people so excited.

Before falling into hell, she had thought she was just a bit dull.

Now, looking back, she wondered if she had simply been born without any sense of aesthetics.

“I don’t get it. Seriously.”

Alicia kept sniffing until her head started to ache and gave up trying to distinguish the scents.

“Lady Alicia. This way, please.”

Henrik spoke as he watched her.

Before she realized it, he was already standing at the inner door of the room.

“Is there more on the schedule?”

Alicia rose and walked toward Henrik.

“You’ll need to get fitted for a riding outfit for the spring hunt. And for dresses as well.”

“But I already had six spring dresses fitted yesterday.”

“Those were for outings, weren’t they? You also need light indoor dresses for mornings and casual wear.”

Henrik spoke in his usual kind tone, though firmly.

“Since dawn today, we’ve ordered teacups, furniture, custom rings, and perfumes. Can we buy the dresses tomorrow instead? I’ve already handled five appointments a day for three straight days.”

By “appointments,” she meant the number of merchants she’d met.

“Lady, tomorrow you must be fitted for summer dresses. Since those take time to produce, you must do it early. You’ll also need matching accessories for today’s and tomorrow’s dresses. And you’ll be reviewing items for the study. We’ll also need to see the shoemaker and the leather artisan. Shall we go?”

Henrik asked with an unflinching face.

“Yes.”

Alicia replied meekly, offering no further resistance.

It was an ordinary day in the life of a noble.

In front of the Grand Duke’s residence in the capital, three pages were standing.

The boys offered their bows as soon as the door opened.

Reichardt answered their greeting with a hand gesture.

“You may go now.”

He gave a nod to Roderick, who had opened the door for him.

“I take my leave.”

Roderick replied curtly and stepped away.

The tallest of the boys followed Reichardt.

The one of average height went off to find the Baron of Rens.

The smallest boy stayed behind to see Roderick off.

Reichardt removed his gloves as he headed for the stairs.

“The Grand Duchess?”

The boy maintained an appropriate distance as he received the gloves from the Grand Duke.

“She’s in the study.”

Reichardt’s question was answered with polite clarity.

Everyone in the Grand Duke’s residence referred to Alicia as “the Grand Duchess.”

Although the two hadn’t officially married yet, they were engaged, and in practice, it was the same.

No one addressed her as “Grand Duchess” to her face, but within the estate, that’s who she already was.

“The study?”

“Yes.”

“Have the Clan Masters been by?”

Reichardt paused for a moment, keeping some distance from the door.

The boy quickly opened it and stepped aside once again.

“Yes. It seems the Grand Duchess gave an invitation to the perfumer from the atelier. And since she hasn’t had many indoor dresses made, the Baron of Rens expressed concern.”

Reichardt entered the dressing room next to his bedroom.

Each time they reached a door, he paused.

And each time, the boy stepped ahead to open it and withdraw.

Having stored the gloves, the boy now helped remove the Grand Duke’s jacket.

The service was as smooth as flowing water.

“You may go.”

“Yes.”

At Reichardt’s words, the boy immediately retreated.

Normally, being dismissed while attending to someone would make a servant worry they had made a mistake.

But since the Grand Duke rarely kept attendants nearby, the boy backed away without concern.

As Reichardt unfastened his shirt, he spoke.

“I’ll head to the study shortly.”

“Shall I prepare a meal next to the study?”

“No.”

“I’ll inform the Baron.”

The boy said no more and closed the middle door of the dressing room.

Henrik, upon hearing the page’s message, served tea in the study and ordered dinner prepared in the grand dining hall.

These days, the Grand Duke’s residence buzzed each evening as if hosting a dinner party.

The head chef served meals for the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess with the formal etiquette of a banquet.

Since leaving the Imperial Palace, Reichardt had shown no interest in extravagant meals.

As a result, the head chef was often looked down upon by fellow chefs.

They’d say things like, “You’re good at boiling eggs, at least,” in mocking tones.

Or, “Since His Grace spends so much time at the border and eats whatever, you must have it easy.”

It wasn’t just the chef who heard such things.

Even the maids faced subtle disdain when they said they served at the Grand Duke’s estate.

Some would feign envy and say, “Must be nice that your master’s hardly ever home.”

Everyone in the estate wished the Grand Duchess would marry the Grand Duke soon.

And if not that, at least that Alicia would continue living at the residence.

Alicia, having finished the day’s errands, was now resting in the study.

She’d decided to think about tomorrow’s plans when tomorrow came.

Her face as she sipped tea was one of calm satisfaction.