Chapter 6: The Alliance of Scissors and Sword

The next day.

From the morning, the Boronia Palace was bustling with noise.

“Wow, what’s all that?”

“The line of luggage wagons is amazing!”

Reginald frowned as he left the butler’s office after finishing his work, hearing the commotion among the maids.

“What on earth is going on out here to cause such a fuss?”

“Oh, Butler.”

“Well…”

All the maids pointed outside, telling him to have a look.

“What could it be…”

Reginald turned his gaze to the window, and his face stiffened at once.

“W-What is that?”

His eyes widened as if they would pop out at the procession of wagons lined up at the entrance to Boronia Palace.

“I heard from the prince’s maids that His Highness called for a tailor!”

At one maid’s words, Reginald’s eyes narrowed.

“What? A tailor?”

He immediately rushed down the stairs as if leaping and arrived at the lobby.

“What is… this…”

Confusion colored his face.

And no wonder—for the lobby was packed with people carrying piles of fabric.

“Hey, you there! Come here for a second!”

Reginald grabbed one of them.

“What is all this? What’s with all this fabric?”

“Huh?”

The worker scowled, as if he was looking at a strange person.

“Well, we’re carrying in the fabrics for His Highness to examine. We’re here by order of Lady Lucretia.”

“…What? W-Who?!”

Reginald’s complexion turned pale.

He hurriedly ran outside and inspected the line of wagons.

Each wagon bore an emblem shaped like scissors.

And underneath that emblem, in large letters, was written ‘Finch’.

“Heavens…”

Reginald’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

“So the tailor the prince mentioned was Lucretia Finch…”

She was, without question, the most famous tailor in the Empire.

She had burst onto the scene at a young age with extraordinary skill, captivating the capital’s nobles in an instant.

Her clothes sometimes sold for prices beyond imagination—even just a few sets could easily amount to a hundred gold crowns.

Gripping his trembling legs, Reginald forced himself up.

Then he hurried toward the prince’s dressing room.

‘No, my money! I have to stop this!’

He was desperate; he couldn’t help that Lucretia was already here, but if he could stop the prince from ordering clothes, he might be able to avoid a loss.

But…

“You may not enter. His Highness is currently being fitted for clothes.”

“What did you say?”

Reginald was blocked by Martin in front of the dressing room.

“I am the butler of this palace! I have urgent business with His Highness, now step aside!”

“His Highness has ordered that no one is to be admitted.”

“Why, you! You insolent—!”

Just as the furious Reginald was about to lunge forward—

Srring!

A cold sword was suddenly leveled at his neck.

“It is by His Highness’s command.”

“Eeek!”

Feeling the chill against his throat, Reginald had no choice but to wait.

‘Please, please. I have to stop the purchase. I need to find a way!’

He anxiously bit his nails in front of the dressing room.

---

Meanwhile, inside Rohan’s dressing room.

“Your Highness has an excellent eye. Honestly, I never imagined you would pick out these fabrics.”

The tailor, Lucretia, spoke as she measured Rohan.

At her words, Rohan gave a gentle smile.

“Sometimes, clothing is a person’s weapon. Sloppy clothes leave you exposed.”

Lucretia’s hand, busy with measuring tape, paused for a moment at his words.

“Have we… met before, Your Highness?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because that’s something I often say myself.”

At her sharp remark, Rohan shrugged.

“You’re such a famous tailor. Isn’t it possible I overheard your words somewhere else?”

“Who knows.”

Lucretia’s red lips curled into a faint arc.

“Let’s say that’s true. But there’s something I can’t let slide.”

In the next moment, Rohan clenched his teeth.

Somehow, a long darning needle was suddenly pressed against his throat.

“How did you know?”

At her chilling tone, Rohan swallowed dryly.

Looking down, he saw cold, gray eyes flashing dangerously up at him.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re not really going to play innocent now, are you?”

“All right, I’ll talk. But could you at least put down that thing while we converse?”

“…”

Lucretia slowly lowered the needle in her hand.

“Go ahead. How did you find out?”

Rohan rubbed his neck and spoke.

“First, let’s be clear. I haven’t told anyone that you’re the last heir of Hartford. I don’t intend to, either.”

“How am I supposed to trust that?”

Lucretia’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Lucretia Finch, the Empire’s most famous tailor.

The reason such a busy woman had come to Boronia Palace just one day after receiving the tailoring request was none other than the letter sent by Rohan.

Edeline Hartford.

I wish to speak with you about your family. Come to Boronia Palace as soon as possible.

—Rohan Schubert

After receiving that letter, not long after, a formal tailoring request came in.

A request to take charge of the tailoring for the Second Prince, Rohan Schubert.

Lucretia Finch.

Her real name was Edeline Hartford, and she could not ignore that letter.

So the very next day, she arrived at Boronia Palace with wagons full of fabric.

“I don’t care if you believe me. But one thing’s certain—we share the same enemy.”

“…!”

“Kazin Fabian. You became a tailor, hiding all traces of your identity, just to get revenge on him. You approached the nobles to gather information.”

At Rohan’s words, Lucretia’s eyes trembled.

“H-How do you…”

“If I say this, you’ll be even more shocked. The name of the information network you run is ‘The Embroiderers’.”

“…!”

Lucretia raised the needle she was holding and swung it at Rohan.

Tak!

But Rohan blocked her hand.

“Get a hold of yourself, Lucretia! I called you here to help you.”

“What do you think you know, Your Highness? A fourteen-year-old prince, just recently entered the Imperial family, says he’ll help me?”

“My mother is dying.”

“…!”

Rohan looked straight at Lucretia as he spoke.

“The Fabian family destroyed my mother’s life. She lives facing death every day. If you have ears in the right places, you must know what state my mother is in!”

At his words, Lucretia’s lips trembled.

Of course she knew.

Was there anyone who didn’t know about the tragic Empress Amanda Schubert?

But to hear that it was the Fabian family that had brought her to such ruin—

How Rohan learned her secret no longer mattered.

What mattered was…

“…What is it you want from me?”

She needed to know what this young prince, who knew everything about her secret, truly wanted.

Rohan let out a small sigh and released her wrist.

“…I’m not trying to take anything from you unilaterally. I called you because I wanted us to help each other.”

“Are you serious?”

“I told you. We have the same enemy.”

“Ha…”

Only then did Lucretia, her strength gone, sink to the floor.

She could sense it.

The prince was not lying.

The reason she had become the most famous tailor in the Empire in such a short time was not just her skill, but her keen insight into people.

Lucretia brushed her disheveled hair back and stood up again.

Her demeanor was calm, so much so that it was hard to believe she’d been so agitated just moments before.

“All right, Your Highness. Then, I’d like to hear what it is we can do for each other.”

She felt her rational mind clicking back into place.

If the prince truly wished for revenge on the Fabian family—

‘This is an opportunity from the heavens.’

For her, it meant gaining an extraordinary source of information.

And her partner was none other than a prince of the Empire.

Rohan raised his eyebrows at Lucretia’s question.

“Isn’t it obvious? I use your information network, and in return, I use my position to assist you.”

“Ha… Haha!”

Lucretia burst into laughter.

“It’s obvious, but I like it. I suddenly feel like gambling on Your Highness.”

“How high are you willing to wager?”

At Rohan’s sly question, Lucretia rolled her eyes and replied,

“Well, that depends on how sharp Your Highness’s sword is, doesn’t it?”

A subtle smile played at her lips.

“After all, who would bet a fortune on a gladiator wielding a dull blade?”

---

“Well then, Your Highness. That concludes today’s measurements and fabric selections. You may look forward to the perfect attire very soon.”

Lucretia offered a graceful bow as she exited Rohan’s dressing room.

“I’ll look forward to it. I hope your reputation is not for nothing.”

With arms crossed, Rohan saw Lucretia off.

“…Ah!”

Reginald hurried after Lucretia all the way to the palace gates.

His eyes were a mix of desperation and despair.

“E-Excuse me, Tailor, a moment please!”

Just as she was about to board her carriage,

Reginald hastily stopped her.

“…And who might you be?”

“Well… That is, I am Reginald, the butler in charge of Boronia Palace.”

“Yes?”

Lucretia tilted her head innocently.

“Ha, how should I put this…”

Reginald hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“The truth is, our prince has been in a rather foul mood lately. I think he called you a bit impulsively, so perhaps you could postpone the commission for a while?”

“In a foul mood? I didn’t sense that at all.”

“His Highness sometimes acts on impulse. It’s happened before—why, last time he tore up all the clothes he’d ordered!”

Reginald had heard that Lucretia Finch took great pride in her work.

He hoped that if the prince seemed likely to rip apart her meticulously crafted clothing, she might reconsider making them at all.

However, Lucretia merely chuckled at his words.

“If that happened, it just means those clothes were garbage.”

“W-What?”

“The clothes I make are different. That will never happen.”

“N-No, wait—”

Without another word, Lucretia turned and climbed briskly into the carriage, slamming the door.

“Oh, right.”

She stuck her head out the window with a bright smile.

“The invoice for the clothing has already been sent to His Highness. Please process it promptly, Butler! I’m busy, so farewell.”

Clack!

The curtain dropped, and she disappeared from view as the carriage set off at once.

“Heavens! What is the meaning of this?!”

Reginald fumed, unable to hide his frustration.

“Damn it! I was so close to being done after this month!”

And watching him was a pair of eyes.

“Honestly. The game hasn’t even started, and he’s already losing his mind.”

Still in the dressing room, having watched the entire scene, Rohan clicked his tongue and shook his head.