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Chapter 9
After receiving the order to be confined to the west wing, all the belongings from the main building were moved to this place, including Sylvia’s personal safe.
When I opened the safe, a stack of gold coins came into view.
“Wow.”
The countless gold coins’ intense glare was blinding and made my eyes sore, causing me to exclaim in awe.
By the way, all these gold coins were mine.
‘These are the allowances that Sylvia has saved since she was a child.’
A single gold coin was worth the monthly living expenses of a commoner…
‘If I convert these gold coins into Korean money, how much would it be?
It must be worth billions.’
In my previous life, I was trembling to spend even just 10,000 won for a meal, but here, I had billions of won as my own.
In times like this, it really made me feel like I was living a new life.
“My lady, the carriage is ready.”
Already?
That was fast.
“Okay, I’ll be out in a moment.”
I put some gold coins into a small pouch and went outside.
As I had instructed, a modest and plain, rented carriage was waiting in front of the west wing.
Instead of the family carriage, there was a reason I chose a rented carriage, especially a shabby one.
Sylvia, who enjoyed attention, always rode in the most luxurious carriage, even for her daily commutes.
Therefore, it was clear that no one would suspect Sylvia Atlante to be riding in a rented, shabby carriage.
‘I still have the restriction on going out, so it’s best not to be caught doing it.’
The carriage started to move with a jolt.
‘The ride is really uncomfortable…’
It was the worst compared to a car and even worse when compared to the high-class carriage Sylvia used to ride.
“I think I’m going to puke.”
“Do you feel unwell, my lady?
Should I tell the driver to stop the carriage?”
I was talking to myself, but Belle, who heard it, was startled.
Thinking she would immediately stop the carriage, I quickly waved my hand.
“No!
It’s okay.
I can bear it.”
Fortunately, the carriage stopped shortly after.
Fortrum Street was bustling, living up to its reputation as the best shopping district in the capital.
Having been practically confined in the west wing, but now being among the freely moving people…
‘It feels like my heart is wide open.’
“My lady, are you really sure this is okay?”
Unlike me, who was content, Belle seemed uneasy since earlier.
She seemed worried about ignoring the Duke’s order to stay confined and not bringing any escorts outside.
She followed my instructions without a second thought when I asked her to get the carriage, but now, she appeared to be scared to have actually committed it.
“Don’t worry.
We’ll just do some quiet shopping and then head back.”
“But still…”
“Look, I’m wearing such plain clothes.
No one would think I’m a noble, right?”
The fabric of the blue dress was high-quality, but after removing all the embellishments, it looked quite plain to the point where it even looked kind of empty.
It seemed more like a dress a well-off commoner would wear rather than a noble lady’s.
“But someone might still recognize you…”
“Really?”
Belle closed her mouth.
She was aware too.
Even if someone knew Sylvia Atlante, they wouldn’t think that the person they were looking at now was the same person.
In fact, the more they knew the original Sylvia Atlante, the less likely they would recognize her because people who had preconceived ideas often failed to see the truth.
“See?
Don’t worry and just enjoy.”
I leisurely strolled down the street like a tourist.
The warm sunlight, the moderately noisy and bustling street, and the heavy pouch of gold coins in my possession! Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
It was truly the perfect day for shopping.
More than anything, I enjoyed the absence of people’s attention.
In the mansion, wherever I went, people’s gazes followed, making me uncomfortable, but here, no one paid any attention to me.
There might be a few people glancing occasionally, but that was rare, and it didn’t seem like they were doing it out of recognition.
“Ha, this is nice.”
I couldn’t help but hum to myself.
“My lady, do you have plans to visit a particular location?”
“Uh-huh.
Herbs…”
The moment I tried to mention the real reason for coming to Fortrum Street, a clothing store displaying clothes by the window caught my eye.
‘What did it feel like to try on clothes before buying them?’
After becoming Sylvia, I got to wear as many clothes as I want, other than hospital gowns.
However, they were not to my taste.
Sylvia’s taste in clothing was too overwhelming for me––ribbons, frills, and dresses covered in jewels.
They were even more extravagant and childish than the clothes children played with their dolls.
Moreover, the clothes Sylvia used to wear didn’t just mismatch my taste.
‘As I’ve lost weight, so many clothes don’t fit me anymore.’
Until now, I had worn Sylvia’s smaller clothes after tailoring them.
The dress I was wearing now also had been tailored three times already.
‘The maids said that if the dress was tailored any more, it would look worn out…’
While I had another reason to come to Fortrum Street, I thought it would be fine to buy a few new outfits since I had both the time and money.
“Let’s start with clothes.”
I went into the nearest clothing store.
“Welcome, my lady!”
A middle-aged woman who seemed to be the owner greeted me cheerfully.
“How may I assist you today?”
“I’m looking for some comfortable clothes to wear.”
“Are they for you, my lady?”
“Yes.”
The owner looked at me sharply, then nodded.
“You have such a lovely figure that any outfit will suit you well!”
This was the first time I received such a compliment.
Before I got sick, I was chubby, and after getting sick, I was so skinny that I heard I looked horrible.
And Sylvia… was the exact opposite.
“The seamstresses must have had a hard time making clothes to fit your body.
Because it must have been at least twice as much effort compared to others!”
A young noblewoman’s face appeared in my mind who used to indirectly mention, ‘You are fat,’ to Sylvia.
She was friends with Eileen, but she disliked Sylvia so much that she would say things like that in front of her.
Well, Sylvia had heard about herself being fat countless times other than that.
Each time, she would turn red in humiliation and lash out at the person.
However, people would blame Sylvia for her reaction, not the person who insulted her.
“I heard Silvia Atlante threw something again at the party this time!
Such a bad habit, tsk tsk.
Duke Atlante must be having a hard time too, right?
With such a daughter like her.”
The bigger problem was that Sylvia would binge eat to relieve stress after such incidents.
As she binges ate, she gained more weight, then heard more insults, got angry, and binge ate again.
‘It was a continuous vicious cycle.’
Anyway, the old Sylvia could never buy ready-made clothes and always had to call a seamstress to the house to tailor clothes to fit her body.
‘Wealthy nobles, of course, consider it natural to call a seamstress to their home.
But there’s a difference between not being able to do it even if you want to and not doing it because you don’t want to.’
Just so you know, Sylvia was the one who couldn’t do it even if she wanted to.
So, it felt strange to wear ready-made clothes like this.
“How about this? New chapters come out on g.com first.
It’s a brand-new item for this season!”
The owner recommended a knee-length forsythia-colored dress.
The dress, adorned with small flowers embroidered with green thread, looked lively.
When I came out of the dressing room, trying on the recommended dress, the owner clapped her hands.
“I knew it would look perfect on you!
It’s like this dress was made for you.
Not everyone can pull off this kind of dress, but with your skin––”
She was good at giving compliments.
But since this was my first time receiving such praise, I felt a little embarrassed and quickly cut her off.
“Anything else?”
“Of course!
How about this one?
It’s not a new arrival, but it’s still trendy and sells well.”
I tried on the clothes she recommended one by one, and each time, the owner and Belle were busy flattering me, seemingly competing.
“Wow!
That one looks great on you too, my lady!”
“That’s right.
She has a good eye.
Actually, this design suits people with long necks like you.
Now, try this one on too!”
The fashion show continued for quite some time, and only ended after a small hill of clothes I had tried on had piled up.
The owner asked in a soft voice, “Shall I help you with the payment?”
“No, I still have more to buy.”
I called Belle, who was idly waiting nearby.
“Belle, you choose something too.”
“… Pardon?!
How… How can I!”
“Shopping alone is no fun.”
“B… But, my lady…”
“Come on.”
As Belle hesitated, not knowing what to do, the owner quickly jumped in, seeing an opportunity to make more money.
“We have clothes that will suit this customer too!”
Belle reluctantly followed the owner and changed into a new outfit.
She looked her age, like a young girl, in a refreshing colored dress instead of her usual maid-like outfit.
“Uh, uhm…”
Belle fiddled with the dress while glancing at me, trying to read my mind.
I smiled at her and replied, “It suits you.”
Watching Belle blush as if she were shy, I picked out a few more outfits the owner had brought.
Next to the mountain of my clothes, a smaller pile of clothes was stacked.
“Have you decided?” The owner asked with sparkling eyes, thinking she would make a profit even if she sold only half, no, even a quarter of these.
I replied with something that I had been wanting to say ever since I saw it in a TV drama, “For now, I’ll just buy these.
Calculate the total for everything you’ve picked so far.”
“Uh… All of it?”
I smiled proudly at the owner’s astonished look and said, “Yes, all of it, without exception!”
Swallowing nervously, the owner quickly started packing the clothes, fearing I might change my mind.
“Ah, my lady!”
“Hm?”
Belle finally reacted, “This is, this is too much…”
“It’s fine.
You know I have a lot of money.”
It wasn’t just about the money; in truth, Belle was worth this much.
As Sylvia’s personal maid, Belle had gone through all sorts of hardships, and even after a month, she still occasionally seemed afraid of me, which made me feel even more sorry.
‘I want to apologize soon.’
I felt that only when Belle fully opened her heart to me would my apology be sincerely received, so I hadn’t been able to say sorry yet, and it weighed on my mind.
‘Money isn’t everything, but it helps to express my feelings a bit.’
With that thought, I finished paying.
Even after buying so much, the weight of the purse full of gold coins hadn’t changed much.
No, actually, the purse would be even heavier after receiving change.
‘But if it gets any heavier than this, I might be uncomfortable moving with it.’
After a moment of deep thinking, I came up with a solution.
‘Then I won’t take it.’
I grinned and told the clothing store owner, “The change is your tip.”