I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 55

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 55
Meanwhile, Simona, who ran the largest dressmaking shop in the Dukedom, was sighing heavily as usual.
What she held in her hands was none other than a catalog.
“Ah, once again this year the Empress’s ateliers in the Capital are setting the fashion trends.”
It was a collection of items that had swept through the fashion world that year.
The Empress had been leading fashion trends in clothing for several years now, and it had practically become her monopoly.
Simona, leafing through the catalog with half-hearted fingers, slumped against the counter.
“It was fine that I, a mere seamstress, scrambled to survive and opened a respectable shop here in the Dukedom. But that’s where my luck ended.”
She had caught Zigmund’s eye by chance, received his patronage, and had her skills recognized.
But Simona’s fortune stopped there.
“What else can I do? The domain’s folk here don’t care one whit about fashion.”
Perhaps they had inherited the frugal temperament of their lord, Zigmund, an Alchemy enthusiast.
Most people showed far more interest in Alchemical research than in adorning themselves.
Because of this, the wind of fashion had never once blown through the Dukedom.
No wonder the Capital whispered of these people as “provincial bumpkins.”
“If only, just once, I could see my name listed in this catalog…….”
It was when Simona, muttering to herself, laughed at her own ambitious dreaming.
Ding!
“Simona! What on earth are you doing here?”
The door burst open and Tienco, a neighboring jewelry artisan, looked bewildered.
“What am I doing? Just minding a shop where flies are the only customers.”
Simona answered curtly, and Tienco stifled a bitter laugh.
“You really haven’t heard the news?”
“News?”
“Yes! The Duke is coming here right now! And he’s bringing his disciples with him!”
“What? Is that really true?”
Simona, who had been draped over the counter until now, shot up to her feet.
The Duke’s household coming here! Could they be shopping?
‘If so, this is my moment!’
The only people in the Dukedom who bought any clothes at all were the Duke’s household.
Moreover, recently, with them having a young lady in their care, they had been purchasing quite a lot of girls’ clothing.
“What are you waiting for! Quickly, change the displays to clothes that will captivate the young lady!”
“Y-yes! Thank you for letting me know, Tienco!”
Simona, suddenly bursting with energy, began hastily rearranging the entire shop.
Not long after, she heard the sound of crowds stirring in the distance.
The Duke’s household disciples rarely ventured into the commercial district.
There was no need for them to do so—the merchants went to the castle instead.
Thus, people had already crowded the streets, eager to witness this rare spectacle.
“Is the young lady coming out with them today?”
“Someone who saw her in front of the Court the other day said she’s incredibly cute!”
Moreover, with today’s rumor that Mabel was coming along, people’s anticipation grew even higher.
Clop, clop.
The carriage, moving slowly through the crowded street, came to a stop in the Plaza.
Apparently ready to disembark, the coachman lowered the steps and opened the door.
“Mabel, we’re here.”
Zigmund descended first.
The eyes of those watching the lord widened in shock.
“The, the lord……?”
“Wh, what……?”
“Thank you!”
Mabel answered brightly and, taking Zigmund’s hand, carefully stepped down from the carriage.
“Ugh, it’s so hot.”
Kellic descended next, already fidgeting and frantically waving a large fan.
“You’ll feel better once you have something cool. Just bear with it a little longer.”
And finally Aselt, who came down worrying about Kellic—all of them.
“Wait……?”
“Aren’t those sunglasses?”
They were all wearing Sunglasses!
“Could it be that they’ve all had vision problems?”
“Does this mean the Duke’s health has deteriorated?”
But Zigmund appeared far too healthy for that to be the case.
Beyond that.
“Those sunglasses, though… don’t they look a bit different somehow?”
“Hmm? Oh yes, now that you mention it? The lenses aren’t black, are they?”
“Ah, is it because the frames are different? They look just like jewelry.”
“Who says otherwise. They suit the young lady’s dress perfectly!”
The sunglasses worn by the Duke’s Castle household each had a distinct appearance.
Zigmund’s sunglasses resembled dragonfly eyes in shape, sitting gracefully upon his high, elegant nose.
Kellic’s were rectangular, and contrary to rumors of him being unruly, they made him look quite intellectual.
Aselt, too, wore sunglasses in a rounded inverted-triangle shape, which accentuated his sharp image all the more.
Yet among them all, the most striking were undoubtedly the sunglasses worn by Mabel.
Unlike the others, her white frames were set with tiny jewels that sparkled whenever they caught the light.
“Ah, they’re brighter than I expected?”
After parading the sunglasses about for some time, ostensibly admiring the surroundings, Mabel retrieved a new pair from her bag.
This time, the frames just above the lenses were adorned with small decorative rabbit ears.
“Wow… how adorable….”
“I want a pair too!”
The children’s voices burst forth with envious exclamations at the charming design.
‘Perfect, just as planned!’
Mabel stifled a laugh inwardly, having successfully captivated the children who had shown no interest in sunglasses before.
Sunglasses had long carried the image of being worn only by those who needed to protect their eyes.
People like basilisks who wished to conceal their gaze, those purchasing them for medical purposes, or outdoor laborers had rushed to buy them.
‘But sunglasses are actually used far more for fashion.’
The problem was how to convey this fact to people effectively.
Then, upon seeing Aselt, who was handsome enough to be a model, understanding had dawned.
‘We simply had to become models ourselves!’
Thus was born the grand plan: the Duke’s Castle household celebrity initiative!
And sure enough, the moment people saw the model wearing sunglasses just as Mabel had envisioned, their perception shifted.
“With the frames adjusted like that, they’re perfect for going out!”
“I never knew sunglasses could suit a dress so well!”
Among those watching with gleaming eyes was none other than Simona.
‘This is it…!’
Simona, observing the Duke’s Castle family from a distance, trembled with barely contained excitement.
‘Now our Dukedom can lead fashion!’
Uncontrollable thrills and joy set her mouth watering, her heart racing at a frantic pace.
The very next day, Simona rushed headlong to the Duke’s Castle and succeeded in negotiating the copyright fee for the sunglasses.
Simona threw herself wholeheartedly into designing new styles, and countless varieties of sunglasses came into being.
When Mabel’s portrait from her outing day was used as a poster, it proved the perfect finishing touch.
Of course, Mabel protested vehemently that she was embarrassed, but she was completely overcome by the persuasion of the Duke’s Castle household, eager to showcase their young lady’s charm far and wide.
And so, that summer, a new paradigm swept through the fashion world of the Greenhurst Empire.
The sunglasses craze, that is.
* * *
Knock, knock, knock.
“Enter.”
The woman gazing out at the autumn-tinted garden turned at the sound of the measured knock.
“I have brought the first half of this year’s Alchemical Journal published by the Hermetic Kingdom, Your Majesty.”
Francesca, the Empress, turned at the news she had been awaiting.
She was a woman whose elegantly pinned auburn hair and green eyes gave her a most intellectual appearance.
“So… the Horned Spirit Summoning Ritual was indeed published in this issue?”
“Yes, and the sunglasses invented by Grand Duke Zigmund of Eschlide is also featured.”
“Sunglasses….”
Francesca’s red lips curved slightly, as she murmured the word softly.
“Indeed. The Eschlide household was quite active last summer.”
Time had passed, and autumn had come to the Greenhurst Empire.
The legal disputes between Eschlide and Asilonia that had heated the empire all summer long, the question of custody over the young lady Mabel, and Zigmund’s various research presentations had all begun to lose their momentum.
Yet the sunglasses craze, which had swept not merely through the empire but spread across the continent itself, remained as popular as ever.
Consequently, the fashion business in the Capital, which Francesca had been leading, had completely fallen through.
By nature, the Eschlide Grand Duchy was a quiet household with little issue beyond Alchemy.
They made scarcely a ripple—not in fashion, not in anything—so what wind had suddenly begun to blow?
As Zigmund stood second in line to the throne by rank, the imperial court found itself forced to keep close watch on the Grand Duchy, which had begun to move in entirely unprecedented ways.
Francesca turned the pages of the Alchemical Journal, her thoughts dwelling on the Dukedom, when she posed her question.
“By the way, what’s come of that investigation I ordered?”
The attendant quietly handed her the Investigation Report.
Francesca read through the entire report in silence, and a lazy smile curved at the corners of her mouth.
After a moment, she issued her command.
“Send word to the Duke of Asilonia. Have him visit the Imperial Palace at his earliest convenience.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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