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At my shout, the carriage came to a sudden halt. I held onto the handle tightly to keep it from falling. As soon as the carriage stopped, I leaped out without any assistance from the maidservant.

I hurriedly moved towards the door. The closer I got, the more convinced I became.

Etienne dismounted from his horse and approached me.

“Are you sure this is the one?”

His voice was filled with doubt.

“Yes. I’m certain. This is definitely it.”

“You mentioned seeing it while passing by, but when did you pass by here?”

“That… must have been before we got married. Ahaha, let’s go inside and find out.”

Etienne shot me a stern look. I quickly put on a fake smile and firmly grasped the door handle.

Avoid eye contact, hurry.

Creak.

I opened the heavy door. Despite its dilapidated exterior, the interior surprisingly looked cozy.

Though faded, the purple carpet on the floor was plush. Moreover, the dresses adorning the walls were glamorous and beautiful.

Wow… Yes, this is it. Such grandeur! If I had entered this world, wouldn’t it be only fitting for me to wear such clothes?

I wanted to immediately discard the plain dress I had been forced to wear for the past few days.

However, before stepping inside, I turned to Etienne.

“Are you going in too, Etienne?”

“Would you feel uncomfortable?”

“Yes!”

Oops, did I answer too sharply?

“It’s embarrassing.”

In an attempt to cover up, I forced a naïve and innocent laugh.

“Well, I have some business to attend to, so you can go inside.”

For a change, Etienne responded without hesitation. Not only with words, but he also turned around and distanced himself. I stared blankly as he disappeared from sight.

Why has Etienne been acting like this? Did he eat something wrong this morning? Why is he actually listening to me?

Anyway, it worked out well for me.

“Phew, I was afraid he would join me in choosing the clothes. I’m going to stock up on dresses so I can sell them at a profit later, but I don’t want Etienne around.”

I have just snatched the investment money from reluctant Penny. It seemed that Penny had saved quite a lot of money from her hard work.

With that money combined with mine, I could buy a significant number of dresses. And that would be my safety net.

At the upcoming banquet, Sophienne, the female lead of the original novel, would wear the dresses from this place. Then the tailor and his style will be in vogue all over society.

I will resell the stocked dresses at an even higher price!

In case I end up getting divorced, I need to have enough money to survive on my own. If Etienne were to find out that I have such a cunning side, wouldn’t he be horrified?

But what can I do? People always have to explore multiple paths to make a living. Money doesn’t betray you, after all.

I hummed a tune and slowly entered the store.

There was no sign of anyone inside.

“Is anyone here?”

No response. Maybe they went to the restroom. Well, I’ll count that as an excuse.

I decided to take my time and browse through the clothes until someone showed up.

There was no sign of the blue dress that Sophienne had worn. That meant she had already come and gone.

I wondered what Sophie-Anne looked like. She must be a beauty, right? They said she was a blonde beauty. I really wanted to meet her. Cute and charming, a beauty! The female lead!

Lost in my thoughts, I continued to browse through the dresses.

Among them, one dress hanging in the middle caught my eye. It was a lilac dress that revealed the neck and shoulders.

It had a subtle and understated radiance. The other dresses paled in comparison to its beauty.

Just like… me!

I was certain at first glance. That dress was mine!

Then, someone emerged from the hidden interior.

“Who is it?”

A brown-haired man glanced at me and asked, “Who is it?”

Oh, he’s not much of a talker?

The man didn’t appear to be much older than me. In fact, he seemed younger.

He was much smaller in stature compared to Etienne, and his delicate frame was noticeable.

Moreover, he didn’t seem like the owner of the store.

He was dressed unusually.

The exaggerated puffed shoulders were slightly over the top, almost swallowing his face.

He was also wearing a half-mask in a deep purple color, adorned with intricate embroidery.

Is he a thief? But his attire is too extravagant for that. Could he be the owner’s son?

But why the mask? Is he the type who enjoys attention?

I observed his face quietly. Only half of it was visible, but there was much to discern.

His face was smooth like a peeled egg. Round and slender facial features with small, smooth lips.

Especially the thick, lush eyebrows above his dark brown eyes seemed impossible to achieve even with the help of professional sticking eyebrow extensions.

He too stared intently at me.

What’s up? What are you looking at? You little thing.

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