Dear Contract Husband, I Didn't Know You Were Like This? - Chapter 74
It would have been fine if she were alone.
But in the capital, Maya was currently carrying the name of House Bayarden.
Since she was directly connected to the house, she wanted to be cautious where she could.
Doshen’s wrinkled eyes softened as she patted Maya’s shoulder.
“New experiences are always exciting. Shall we go?”
It was an irresistible magic phrase. Maya boarded the carriage with Doshen and headed to the shop.
The carriage headed to the busiest part of the capital and stopped in front of the largest dress shop, Madame Offrage’s.
Even Maya, who knew little about dresses, recognized the name as a significant one.
Offrage’s shop was one of the most popular places in the capital, and her dresses were always in high demand.
There was a saying that her dresses were so popular they couldn’t be bought, but in fact, before Maya’s regression, that fame didn’t last long.
After refusing to make dresses exclusively for Emperor Reserfield, the shop couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to close down.
Due to the emperor’s order, Offrage was expelled from the capital, and her whereabouts became unknown.
‘I remember her as someone quite confident in her clothes.’
Maya remembered because she was the one who had first brought Offrage to the emperor.
At that time, already known as the captain of the emperor’s knights, Offrage couldn’t hide her hostility towards Maya.
‘I despise people like you with no pride! How can you work under such an emperor?’
Maya had always had plenty of people who disliked her, but someone who openly despised the emperor was rare, so the memory remained vivid.
‘I wonder how it will be this time.’
Now that she was no longer the emperor’s pawn, could she maintain a good relationship?
Old yet new encounters always stirred strange feelings in Maya.
A relationship where she knew the other, but they didn’t know her.
Taking a deep breath, Maya stepped out of the carriage.
The luxurious sign bearing Offrage’s name caught her eye.
As they entered, Offrage warmly greeted Maya and Doshen.
“Welcome!”
Offrage, with her freckled face and striking copper curly hair, had eyes reminiscent of a puppy. Her seemingly thrown-together dress and accessories displayed a remarkable harmony. The bright green and red colors, close to primary hues, appeared more sophisticated than tacky.
“You must be the Madam of House Bayarden that Lady Doshen mentioned. It’s an honor to meet you.”
It was fascinating to see Offrage bowing and energetically greeting her.
‘So this is what she’s like.’
She seemed entirely different from the person who had been so angry before. The circumstances with the emperor must have driven her to that point.
Recalling Offrage’s drastically changed life after Maya had brought her to the emperor filled her with guilt.
“…I’m pleased to meet you too.”
Determined to do better in this life, Maya swallowed and accepted Offrage’s greeting.
“I’ve cleared the shop for today, so feel free to choose whatever you like. Would you like to have a seat?”
“Sure.”
Maya sat down. Offrage handed her a catalog prepared for the day.
“Here, please choose the dress you like.”
Maya flipped through the catalog filled with dress sketches.
However, she had no idea what kind of dress to choose.
Everything was too unfamiliar.
“What do you think would suit me?”
Maya decided to trust Offrage’s eye.
“I’ll leave it entirely up to you.”
“Oh, my choice?”
Offrage, who had been smiling brightly, blinked in surprise, unable to hide her confusion.
She was someone who valued her work more than the emperor’s orders.
A person who had maintained her pride in front of the emperor and cherished her creations.
“I trust your choice.”
Maya felt she could believe in her.
***
After choosing a dress, Maya left the shop in high spirits.
“Is there any place you’d like to visit before we head back?”
“Oh, yes, I’d like to stop by Red’s Dessert Shop.”
It was the first place she thought of when she arrived in the capital.
“Then I’ll take you to the dessert shop.”
Maya happily got into the carriage.
However, as she reached for the door handle, her eyes narrowed.
‘Was it just my imagination?’
The figure disappearing behind the wall felt unpleasantly familiar.
‘It looked like Maguire.’
He was someone more accustomed to gambling dens than this place, so it was probably a mistake, but it left an unsettling feeling.
