NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2 - Part 1
Chapter 2 – Part 1
Title: The Iron-Walled Lady
Date: October 7, 2022
Madame, the owner of the VIP salon where Eric had drawn the line, knocked and entered the office.
Inside, the woman who had entered the room carrying a stack of documents was sitting.
The woman, Alicia Lancaster, the Countess of Youngae, politely smiled as Madame entered.
For quite some time, despite being engrossed in paperwork, she sat upright.
Madame couldn’t help but commend her for her proper and tidy posture.
Madame first saw Alicia in the dressing room.
Alicia, who oversees the wardrobe accounting and taxation as a business partner intertwined with the wardrobe madame in various ways,
was introduced, and now she was also taking care of the affairs of the salon.
“Are you still working?”
“A little bit left. Do I need to finish it by today?”
“No, no. You can take your time with that.”
Madame entered and sat down on the chair beside Alicia’s desk
“Thank you every time.”
“Don’t mention it. I find it enjoyable too.”
“Seriously? Do you find it enjoyable? Just looking at numbers gives me a headache.”
Madame shook her head and glanced at the stack of documents piled beside her.
Then, she looked at Alicia intently for a moment.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Well, it’s about… words. Do you happen to remember Lord Callen, whom we briefly greeted last time?”
“Oh, yes.”
Honestly, I couldn’t recall, but I nodded nonetheless.
“It’s okay if you don’t remember.
Actually, it doesn’t matter whether you know the lord or not.
The thing is, his nephew expressed a desire to meet Youngae.”
“Madame.”
“Lord Callen is a wealthy man, you know? And his nephew is not only his sole heir but also quite handsome.”
“Madame, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
“I see. Well, I expected that.”
“I’m sorry, Madame.”
“No need to apologize. It’s not your fault, dear.
If anything, I’m the one who should apologize for always bringing up these matters.”
Madame came from her seat without paying much attention to Alicia’s awkward smile, gesturing for her not to worry.
“Well then, I won’t disturb you any longer.”
“I think I can finish it by tomorrow.”
“Take your time, don’t rush.”
“Yes, I will.”
As Madame walked away, she glanced back at Alicia once more. Alicia, though also a half-blood noble and running a VIP salon, seemed different from the other ladies she had encountered.
She seemed to prefer work over men, and indeed, she was intelligent and competent, with grace and tidiness.
Furthermore, her ingrained sense of etiquette was impeccable, making her a lady who could be introduced to anyone without causing embarrassment, yet she was also unyielding.
Madame couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret as she left the office,
thinking it was a pity that someone like Alicia,
who would surely receive gratitude for her work by having several dresses made for her once the arrangement was finalized, remained inaccessible.
“Come to think of it, did Lord Russell visit today? I’m sure I saw a reservation for him?”
Madame stopped a passing staff member.
“Lord Russell?”
“He left after 15 minutes.”
“Ah, getting faster and faster.”
It was not surprising.
When making the reservation, Madame had only allotted 30 minutes based on past experiences, but she had still been anxious just in case.
And as expected, her suspicions were confirmed.
It seemed safe to reserve a slot for about 30 minutes without worry in the future.
Though there might not be a next time.
As Eric finished reporting to the Emperor at the palace and left, he encountered Prince William, the Crown Prince.
“Hey.”
“Your Majesty.”
“They say she declined again?”
“Did rumors spread all the way to the palace?”
William leaned on Eric’s shoulder and chuckled.
“Why don’t you just get married? At this rate, there won’t be any eligible ladies left.”
Pushing away the leaning prince, Eric furrowed his brow.
There wasn’t much to say, and even if there were, he didn’t particularly feel like saying anything, so he simply remained silent.
“So that’s why they call her ‘Britannia 3%’.”
“Who in the world came up with such an absurd nickname?”
“Well, I heard it somewhere too.”
‘Britannia 3%’.
It meant that out of all the unmarried noblewomen of marriageable age within the empire, excluding those who were already engaged, betrothed, or had lovers,
only 3% remained who hadn’t yet drawn the line.
“Where did such absurd rumors come from? No matter what, I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Are you admitting to seeing a lot?”
“…”
Regardless of the prince’s presence, Eric frowned.
“Still, there was no need to be so impudent.”
“And how do you know that?”
“You know about that salon, the VIP one?
They said there was a fuss with some women crying and all.”
“I couldn’t help it. She didn’t want it, but they insisted, so I just went along with it without even realizing.”
When his father, the Duke of Gloucester, first brought up the topic, Eric felt somewhat evasive.
He was worried he might fall for a scam or something.
So he meticulously reviewed the business evaluation report submitted by the company, even breaking his free time to delve into legal review reports, before attending the meeting.
Of course, he felt sorry for causing harm to an unrelated woman.
He usually chose silence over being rude, but this time, he was also angry.
“I might have a chance to apologize someday.
Hmm, what was her name again?
Come to think of it, she was quite…”
He could only hope that his parents would handle it well.
Seeing Eric’s annoyed face, William chuckled before finally changing the subject.
“Is it done?”
“It’s finished.”
“Later than expected, huh?”
“His Majesty’s schedule got extended.”
“Well, since you’re already late, why not have a drink before you go?”
“Here?’’
“Then where?
Do you want me to step out of the palace gates?
Will that make your workload disappear?
Shall we go out with a string of servants following us just to have a drink?
“”Of course, with you around, it wouldn’t be a problem even if a quarrel broke out.”
“Do you always expect quarrels to happen?”