Chapter 30

One month had passed since the tea party where the prince and princess were invited. The Stewart family and the mistress Rose frequently interacted. The three brothers, visiting Rose's family, the Valeri Marquess's mansion, had brought a large amount of luggage.

"Emma, even if you're staying overnight today, that's quite a lot of luggage. What did you bring?"

Not only the servants but also the three brothers entered the mansion with a large amount of luggage, which Rose observed from the second-floor window.

"Mommy, is Emma here?"

Princess Jadwiga looked up at her mother happily. The princess, who had been shy and hardly spoke during the tea party, had grown close to Emma over the past month, playing and doing fashion, riding on Georg's shoulders, and being pampered with sweet treats by William. Unlike her brother Edward, the three brothers played wholeheartedly with the princess, becoming her first true friends.

"Yes, Jadwiga, what would you like to do today?"

Rose responded happily. Her usually irritable face had become calm and peaceful. The three brothers always said what she wanted to hear, and they showed no signs of idolizing the prince and princess's black hair. The princess, who used to speak to her mother timidly, had started to be affectionate, even improving their mother-daughter relationship.

"Emma, you say thank you to everyone, don't you?"

The princess asked, puzzled. This was a rare sight in the royal palace, where such behavior was uncommon.

"Princess, gratitude is something you need to express, even if it's part of someone's job. If someone does something that makes you happy, it's okay to say thank you!"

Emma sat down and looked the princess in the eye. Jadwiga nodded in agreement.

"Then, Emma and the others! Thank you for coming to stay overnight today. I'm really happy!"

"Kawaii!!"

William let out a strange sound.

"Princess, we're also very happy. Thank you! And thank you, Rose, for inviting us today!"

At this point, the three of them finally bowed as subjects. Despite Rose's earlier suggestion to skip the formalities, they insisted on showing respect to Rose's beauty at least once, and so they always bowed politely.

"Well, what would you like to do today?"

Their interactions were essentially play. In the capital, noble interactions often involved information exchanges, posturing, and bullying, but the three brothers showed no signs of such behavior. Their play, whether it was hide-and-seek or tag, was centered around Jadwiga.

"Today, we thought we might..."

Rose corrected their overly formal language.

"Emma, after the formal bow, you can speak informally, right?"

"Sorry! We're friends now!"

Despite being from a noble family, the three brothers were terrible at formal language. They seemed to realize this and always spoke formally, so Rose had suggested they speak normally during their last pretend play session. Emma cleared her throat and continued.

"Rose, let's play dress-up today!"

Her casual tone seemed to ease the tension, and she looked very lively.

"Then, I'll have the dolls brought in."

"No need!"

William took a caramel from his pocket and gave it to Jadwiga, still not using formal language.

"Rose, you'll do the dolls."

Georg placed Jadwiga on his lap and continued. His formal language was still a bit off.

"Me?"

Looking puzzled, Rose watched as the three brothers exchanged glances and began unpacking their luggage.

"Oh!"

"Dresses! So many! So beautiful!"

Jadwiga and Rose exclaimed together. The dresses were of various colors.

"Actually, I wanted to make a few more, but when I heard we were returning to the capital, I brought what I had."

Emma showed one of the dresses to Rose. Since Rose was taller, she stood on the box of luggage to match the shoulder line.

"Mommy, you look beautiful!"

Jadwiga was excited. Touching the dress, Rose was amazed by the incredibly smooth texture. Compared to the dresses she usually wore, this one was a simple, modest navy blue with less exposed skin, but the fabric was much softer than the usual silk.

"This... fabric?"

"It's EmmaSilk."

Georg answered casually.

"!!!!!!!"

EmmaSilk! The silk named after the nobleman's beloved daughter was said to be more expensive than gold of the same weight. It was rarely seen in the market and could only be obtained through connections with the exclusive merchant who handled all the silk in the palace. Given its price, it was usually only used for ribbons, accessories, or small parts of dresses. This EmmaSilk?

"Of course, Rose, navy blue suits you! You look so intelligent and beautiful."

Rose's fingers trembled as she touched the fabric, but Emma casually praised the dress. Georg and William nodded in agreement as they continued to unpack.

"Rose, this one is beautiful too!"

Jadwiga was enchanted by the dress, which sparkled with beads.

"Here, Rose, try these three on!"

Emma handed the dresses to Rose's maid. The princes said they would greet the prince in the library and left while Rose changed.

The poor maid, holding the extremely valuable dresses, was shaking.

"Rose, I'm scared to touch such precious dresses!"

With tears in her eyes, she appealed to Rose. Rose was also genuinely afraid to wear them. The dresses were beautiful, but the thought of the compensation cost if something happened was terrifying.

"Emma... I don't think I can wear these..."

"Do you not like them?"

Emma asked, looking worried.

"They're beautiful, but I can't afford to pay for them if they get dirty or damaged."

As a mistress of a country, it was embarrassing, but EmmaSilk was that expensive. Emma, however, tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh! These dresses are all yours, Rose. They're gifts from us. You don't need to pay for any damage, and EmmaSilk is stronger and easier to handle than regular silk."

"Gifts?"

There were still about 20 dresses that hadn't been tried on... all of them?

"No way! I can't accept such expensive gifts."

Even a mistress known for her extravagant spending had some sense of propriety. Accepting such gifts would be impossible to reciprocate.

"It's fine. I designed all these dresses. My brother drew the patterns, and we made them as a family, so there were no labor costs. The Stewart family starts helping with the business as soon as they're old enough, so we can do everything."

Creating over 20 dresses in such a short time was no small feat, but the entire family, inspired by Rose's beauty, worked enthusiastically, and the dresses were completed in no time. They spent their family time talking about Rose while their hands worked quickly to finish the dresses.

"Besides, these dresses are made specifically for your size, so they won't fit anyone else."

"My size?"

One reason Rose was known for her extravagant spending was that ready-made clothes didn't fit her, so she had to order everything custom-made. Her exceptional figure was a double-edged sword. However, Emma had never measured her.

"I've been observing insects and making clothes since I was little, so I can tell the size just by looking!"

This special ability, a result of combining the Stewart family's business and Emma's hobby, was often useful for surprise gifts on servants' birthdays.

This girl... despite her innocent appearance, she was very capable. Rose was amazed by the talent of the girl in front of her. The dress designs and sewing were professional-level work, and the ability to determine measurements just by looking was unbelievable.

"But, Emma, this fabric is very expensive, isn't it?"

What concerned her most was the value of the EmmaSilk.

"EmmaSilk? I improved it based on my uncle's research, and we have a lot of it at home. The merchants don't buy it easily, so it keeps piling up. If you wear it, it won't go to waste, and it will help us."

"Emma, you made it?"

Jadwiga, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

"Yes, silk is made from the cocoons of silkworms. I've loved insects since I was little, and if I hadn't been born into the Stewart family, I wonder how people would have looked at me..."

Even now, she is often seen as strange, but thanks to the family business, her skills are useful. It would be difficult for a regular noble girl to develop such skills.

This family, this girl. Emma had become who she was, and had grown up to be who she was. Rose respected the Stewart couple for nurturing Emma's talent to this extent.

"So, it would help us if you could keep this a secret. We'll be living in the capital next year, and we want to live as normally as possible. The merchants said it's fine if only you wear the EmmaSilk dresses, so I'd be very happy if you wore them."

"Meg... please put the dress on me."

Rose decided and instructed the trembling maid. She couldn't refuse after all this. She would have to remind Meg and Jadwiga to keep the secret later.

That day, Rose's solo fashion show, where she tried on all the dresses, ended with the three brothers' enthusiastic praise. Even the marquess family, who were used to Rose's beauty, were momentarily speechless by how well the dresses suited her.

The precious and luxurious fabric enhanced Rose's beauty, the modest designs made her look even more alluring, and the bold designs emphasized the beauty of her skin. The dresses, made for Rose by Rose, shone elegantly.