The creation of the dresses is progressing smoothly.
About three months have passed since the design was decided and the measurements taken. Several fittings have already been held at the duke's residence, one for each stage of the process.
Since three dresses are being made, the dressmaker has been visiting the duke's house frequently.
Today is the day for the final fitting of the dress that the saint wore in her previous life, before the final stitching. The other two dresses have already undergone their fittings on separate occasions and have entered the final sewing phase.
The owner and the seamstresses have already visited several times, so the tension is not as high as it was when they first came to the duke's residence. In fact, there are many who are eager to make sure they don't miss any opportunity to visit.
Following the list I had the owner submit, I made sure to recognize the number of people and their faces, preparing a tea set and sweets in a separate room for them to take breaks and relax.
They accepted my apology for asking them to make three dresses despite their busy schedules, albeit with some nervousness. Now, they are enjoying a lively conversation, savoring the expensive sweets that only high-ranking nobles can afford.
The youthful, lively laughter of the women was a rare sound in the usually solemn atmosphere of the duke's residence.
Not every seamstress from the store comes on a single visit—depending on the dress or the seamstress's schedule, the members change each time.
Some faces appear regularly, while others have never visited the duke's residence despite being on the list.
Though there are only a few seamstresses who have never visited the duke's residence, one of them is Cindy.
As far as Gloria is concerned, if Cindy were to take this opportunity to try and reconcile with her father, that would be fine as well.
Depending on how she approaches it, the duke's knights would likely treat her as a suspicious person, and it would cause considerable trouble for the store's owner and the other seamstresses.
Even if she avoided being cast aside by the knights, her job would undoubtedly be at risk.
However, it seems that Cindy chose to keep quiet and protect her current life rather than gamble her career and future.
No one among the seamstresses, including the owner, seemed to know that Cindy had been the duke's mistress.
It didn't seem like they were hiding the truth either. The owner had frequently mentioned, "Cindy, the best embroiderer at our store, I wanted to introduce her to you, my lady," without any hint of ulterior motives.
The boldness of saying such things, knowing the truth, was not something the owner would normally do.
After all, this is a kind-hearted woman who, in her previous life, had become a close friend to the saint despite their age difference and would make dresses for her at discounted prices for each party, even though she was from a baron family and couldn't afford to do so.