“But he… his talent was not appreciated. As you know, sometimes being too ambitious is not good. That was what happened to him as he didn’t know how to leave out spaces when designing. We were close friends and prepared for our promotion exam together. We showed designs to each other, advised each other…”
Khanna stopped there and took a deep breath. She now looked really sad? What was the problem? Friendship? Ambition? Or anxiety?
“And, on the examination day, he gave the presentation before me, and… he presented one of my designs as his. He received many applauses, but I presented the same design without knowing about it. People then accused me of stealing my friend’s design.”
Rubica couldn’t believe it and covered her mouth with her hands in shock.
“After that, I ran back to my hometown, met my husband, and got married. I was never going to work as a designer ever again… but that changed when I had no other way to support my children. However, I cannot claim a design that isn’t mine as my own.”
Rubica couldn’t say anything for a while, but she didn’t need more explanations to understand that this was Khanna’s conscience and pride as a designer.
“I… I see. Then that friend is now…”
“He runs the most famous boutique in the capital.”
“Then…”
“Yes, his name is Christopher.”
Rubica’s eyes widened since Christopher was a really famous designer. She had heard about him even during her previous life. The stylish sleeve that highlighted the thin wrist with full laces, which he presented as his first work as a designer, had been praised a lot.
“You’re saying that Christopher’s famous sleeve design is actually…”
“Mine, yes. Even though everyone thought I was blinded by jealousy and lying about it.”
Khanna replied with a sad smile, and Rubica didn’t know what to say. Khanna’s dearest friend had stolen her design and so many people were now praising Christopher while wearing Khanna’s design. Nobody would listen to her and, even if they did listen, they just thought she was too jealous of Christopher’s success.
“Khanna.”
Rubica couldn’t even guess what it must have felt like. She took the designer hand, but Khanna didn’t cry. Her heart had been pierced by hundreds of needles already. By now, she didn’t feel the need to cry about what happened back then.
She had thought she was done with clothmaking, but when the living of her family was at stake, she eventually grabbed her scissors and needles again. She had sacrificed a lot to continue living, but she didn’t want to be like Christopher. She couldn’t present Rubica’s design as hers.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t change my mind after I said I’d do it… but after I realized it isn’t mine… I just can’t… maybe that’s why I’m still…”
Someone did not hesitate to sell his conscience to become a famous designer. However, Khanna couldn’t do that just for an opportunity.
‘It’s not fair.’
Rubica hated the world where people like Khanna were losing while people like Christopher were enjoying their lives. She thought it was just too unfair. The chance was too good to be thrown away like this.
“Khanna is not your real name, is it? Neither is Christopher.”
“Yes. Most designers work by easy names to be remembered by the customers.”
“Then I can do that as well. You can introduce me as a designer, not the duchess.”
“What?”
“You can say your designer friend gave you the idea, but she prefers to not be known.”
Khanna’s eyes widened at the idea. Rubica hiding her identity and using a false name? She didn’t even think of that.
“Um, I should go by… Berry. Yes, that’s a name easy to remember.”
“Berry?”
“Yes, someone I like enjoys eating berries.”
Rubica was talking about Arman. However, everyone knew that Duke Claymore liked berries, so Khanna blushed at Rubica’s sudden confession of love.
“That’s a very nice name.”
“And I have a confession to make… actually, I’m not the one who invented that knot. A sailor taught me how to make it.”
“What?”
A tough sailor had taught her how to make such an elegant and pretty knot? That was hard to believe. More than that, how did she meet a sailor?
‘Oh, right. She is from a trading family and used to live close to the port.’
Still, a baronet’s daughter and a sailor? That was an odd combination. Yes, Khanna bought it, thinking it was likely judging from Rubica’s personality.
“His name was Chris and his wife used to like his knots. So, even after she passed away, he would invent knots when he got time. He taught me that and I just made it a little easier to make.”
“Then, can I meet him?”
“… oh.”
Currently, Chris should be about ten years old. He must be learning how to be a sailor from his father at a port and fishing with his friends.
“That’s not possible. I lost contact with him.”
Even if they met, Chris didn’t know how to make that knot yet. If Rubica said it was his knot, he would just blink and ask if she was out of her mind.
“What was the name of his wife?”
“Ivonne. Pretty name, isn’t it?”
“Then… how about this?”
Khanna took out some lace and tied a pretty knot with it, just like Rubica had taught her.
“Actually, a name is very important in a design. No matter how pretty it is, if we introduce it as a ‘knot’, it would be nothing more than a knot to tie sails and twigs. That is what knots are used for, after all. However, if we give this knot a special name, it would be a special knot that exists only for noble ladies.”
“Oh…”
“Why don’t we give it a name? It should be about Mr. Chris. How about naming it after his wife Ivonne and calling it ‘ribbon’?”
“Ribbon.”
Rubica repeated what Khanna said. It was pronounced softly and felt luxurious. More than that, she liked the fact that it was named after Ivonne.
Would Chris, the Chris she will meet in the future, be delighted to know this?
‘He looked so happy every time he talked about his wife. She died so early, and he always missed her.’
She recalled how shy he had been when she asked him to teach her how to make that knot, but he kept asking if his late wife would have liked that knot.
“Yes, that name is good.”
Maybe this time, Ivonne would get to see the knot Chris made before her death.
“Then I will come back a week later with the dresses.”
Khanna left, relieved of her burden. Rubica had a short break after that and then started to look for something in her basket.
“Your Grace, are you looking for something?”
Ann, who had come back after finishing what she had to do, asked.
“Yes, the handkerchief I’ve embroidered. It’s gone.”
“You mean the handkerchief where you embroidered your husband’s initials?”
Ann asked back in shock. Rubica had embroidered Edgar’s initials, but hearing someone else point that out was quite embarrassing.
“Yes, but…”
“Then we must find it!”
The maids started to look for it before Rubica could order them to. They looked everywhere, from the sewing room to the bedroom and the reception room. However, they couldn’t find it.
Of course, they couldn’t find it. The handkerchief was on the table in the middle of Edgar’s office, who would sometimes look at it and smile.
However, there was no way Rubica and her maids knew it. They even moved the sofas to search for it but, in the end, they had to give up.
“Has a ghost taken it or something?”
A maid murmured and Ann got mad at her for not being careful with her tongue in front of the duchess.
“No, it’s okay. You’ve done enough.”
Rubica stopped them, a little surprised to see them take it so seriously. She had made that handkerchief to pass the time. She just added Edgar’s initials because Elise insisted on it, but she had been too embarrassed to give it to him. She thought it was better that way. Maybe the dogs had torn it apart.
“… Your Grace.”
The maids were deeply moved by Rubica not blaming them.
“No, there’s no need to look at me like that! I just made it to pass time.”
However, one of them even cried. Why was this happening every time? Rubica desperately tried to think of a way to move on to something else. She had to change the topic.
“Ann, as for the guests to invite to my tea meeting…”
“Oh, yes. Are there more you want to invite? I’ve done my best to choose, but…”
Ann sounded a little worried. Thankfully, everyone shifted to the new topic. Ann was betting a lot on that tea meeting on her own.
“Um, if they have daughters, sons, nephews, and nieces at the right age to be married, we should invite them as well.”
“What?”
That was unexpected, so Ann had to ask back.
“And choose a few good-looking men among our knights. Oh, and would there be some fine bachelors among our scholars, too?”
“Your… Grace?”
Rubica smiled naughtily.
“Ann, do you know why so many people spend so much money to host or go to balls?”
“To brag about their power and wealth, and to meet with each other and make connections. And…”
Ann realized what Rubica was talking about.
“Son-in-law hunting?”
Ann used a secret word only married ladies of her age used. However, Rubica only laughed.
