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I stood with a defiant posture, eyeing Noah up and down.

“Why do you call Axel ‘Uncle’ but call me ‘you’? Did you forget what happened the last time you got in trouble for that?” I asked, reminding him of the time he was scolded, and not just any scolding—he was showered with gold coins from the heavens.

Noah flinched at the memory, though it seemed the lesson had started to fade from his mind, as they say, time dulls all wounds.

“But I’m older than you! How can I, an adult, call you ‘Auntie’ when you haven’t even had your debutante ball yet?”

“Then I suppose it’s fine if I tell the Duke exactly what you said?”

Noah’s bravado crumbled at the mention of the Duke, his previously confident demeanor shrinking away.

“You’re really playing dirty…”

“Call me. Auntie.”

Noah puffed out his cheeks in a sulk but quickly corrected himself.

“Au…un…tie,” he muttered, pouting.

It wasn’t that I particularly wanted Noah to call me “Auntie.” I just wanted to discourage him from sticking to me like glue. It was baffling how this kid who used to dislike me so much was now suddenly so attached.

“Since Noah hates being treated with formalities, maybe this will make him back off.”

Shoo, shoo. I waved my hand dismissively, hoping to send him on his way, but Noah, with a small, quick voice, mumbled,

“…Auntie.”

The words were so quiet that if I hadn’t been listening closely, I wouldn’t have even caught what he said. Satisfied that he’d done his part, Noah straightened his back and puffed out his chest proudly.

“Happy now? Let’s go. I’ve already made the appointment at the tailor!”

* * *

Normally, when getting fitted for clothes, you’d have the tailor come to the estate, but today, we were visiting the tailor’s shop in person. Given that many other noble ladies and gentlemen were also preparing for their debutante balls, it was almost impossible to have the tailor come to the mansion during this busy season.

“Of course, if it were the Elpinard family, they could easily arrange it.”

But after being cooped up in the estate for so long, I welcomed the excuse to go out, so I decided to visit the tailor’s shop myself. The tailor, in turn, was so eager to accommodate us that they assured me they wouldn’t take any other customers during my visit.

When we arrived at the tailor’s shop in a carriage bearing the Elpinard family crest, a quick-footed employee promptly appeared to guide Noah inside. The shop had a “Closed” sign hanging on the door, indicating that they were true to their word about not accepting other customers during my visit. 

Instead of feeling grateful, a cold sweat began to trickle down my back.

‘How much are they planning to charge if they’re even locking the door?’

From what I’d observed, the Elpinard family—including the Duke—had no concept of spending money. No matter how much they spent on the most expensive items, it barely made a dent in their wealth, so they were indifferent to it. And the merchants at these shops knew this very well.

“Lady Elpinard, thank you so much for choosing our establishment. As one of the most anticipated figures at this debutante ball, we were absolutely determined to have the honor of serving you!”

As soon as I stepped inside, the tailor shop staff eagerly rubbed their hands together, pouring all their energy into welcoming us. Noah, acting as if this were completely normal, calmly received their greetings and spoke up.

“Grandfather and Uncle were very clear. No matter what she—uh, I mean, *Auntie*—says, make sure everything is the absolute best.”

“The absolute best!”

The tailor shop staff’s eyes gleamed at the scent of money.

“Of course! We had already prepared everything at the highest, no, the very highest quality for you.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m looking forward to it.”

“You won’t be disappointed. Now, please, this way to our VIP section…”

The staff were bowing so deeply, I started to worry they might actually fold in half. Just as we were about to head inside, the front door of the tailor shop, which had been closed, suddenly opened with a jingle.

A girl around my age and a middle-aged nobleman confidently stepped inside. Their similar faces made it clear they were father and daughter.

“Here we are, my dear. This is the finest tailor shop in the capital. Choose whichever dress you like.”

“Wow!”

Despite the “Closed” sign hanging on the door, the two of them acted as if they hadn’t noticed it, striding in and admiring the displayed dresses. One of the flustered staff members quickly approached them and bowed deeply.

“My apologies, but we are not open to the public at the moment. I’m afraid you might have missed the ‘Closed’ sign at the entrance.”

The staff member’s tone was perfectly polite and professional. Any normal person would have reacted with surprise and apologized for the oversight, but…

“The sign? Yes, I saw it. So what?”

Unfortunately, these two were anything but normal. The man’s bold attitude left the staff member looking uncertain, glancing over at me and Noah for guidance. Noah, already impatient by nature, looked visibly irritated by the inconvenience.

Seeing his expression, the staff member turned pale and bowed again to the father and daughter.

“Excuse me, sir… As I mentioned, we are not open to the public right now—”

“Tsk.”

The man clicked his tongue and looked the staff member up and down.

“Save that nonsense for ordinary customers. Do you even know who I am?”

He carried himself as if he were a king, or at least someone of great importance.

‘Could they be a branch of the royal family?’ I wondered. If that were the case, it would make sense. After all, most royals are notoriously arrogant. The only one I ever met with a decent personality was Kirke.

Curious about their identity, I subtly tugged on Noah’s sleeve. After the young duke had been sent off to a provincial estate, Noah was being trained as the true heir to the duchy. Although it was hard to imagine this kid leading the Elpinard family someday, at least he seemed more capable than Axel.

‘At least better than Axel,’ I thought. Axel had such a rebellious streak that he’d likely sweep away all traditions if he ever took charge.

Compared to Axel, Noah had the qualities of a more traditional nobleman, so maybe once he matures, he could become a decent duke. After all, he was currently undergoing rigorous training to become the heir, so he should be able to recognize most noble or royal figures.

“Noah, who are they?” I asked, curious about the man and the girl who had barged in.

“I have no idea. Never seen them before,” Noah grumbled without a second thought.

That meant they were complete strangers, even to Noah. His scowl deepened, clearly annoyed by these “nobodies” who had just caused a nuisance.

The girl must have overheard Noah’s muttering because she tugged on her father’s arm, her eyes wide with indignation.

“Father! They said they’ve never even heard of us!”

“What? I’ve never heard of *them* either!” the man growled as he stormed toward us.

Despite having completed his debutante ball, Noah was still just a teenage boy, and I was even younger. Maybe that’s why the man felt emboldened, seeing us as easy targets. His overbearing attitude left the poor tailor shop employees in a panic, scrambling to appease the situation.

“Sir, sir, please! These young masters and ladies are—”

“Are you seriously ignoring me to cater to these no-name brats? You’d better throw them out and start serving me instead!” the man sneered, flicking his finger against Noah’s forehead.

“You look like a kid trying to buy a dress for your little girlfriend, but trust me, this place is way out of your price range.”

‘What the…?’ I thought. It was one thing to mock us with words, but physically hitting Noah?

Before Noah could even respond, I stepped forward, blocking the man’s path.

“Apologize.”

“What?”

“I said, apologize. Why did you hit someone who was just standing there?”

Noah’s eyes widened in surprise at my sudden intervention. The man, too, seemed momentarily taken aback by my boldness. But then he quickly remembered that I was just a young girl and regained his arrogant demeanor.