Chapter 59 | Always By My Side
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[Hayley] “Is this satisfactory?”
Hayley, the owner and lead designer at La Vie en Rose, bit back her anxious nerves, asking this question of the VIP sitting in front of her.
The man now existing right before her eyes seemed like the perfect replica of a fairy tale prince, but in reality they lived in, he was the Imperial Prince himself and a member of the Imperial family’s direct line.
He had always been a VIP of La Vie en Rose, but he was surprisingly humble when it came to his clothing. Aside from coming in for the occasional alternation and measurement, he utilized their services for precious little else.
And in line with that, he was always an easy customer. He wore things as they were originally designed without ever making a fuss when he came in for new attire.
Besides, he looked very good in anything he wore, so nothing needed to be said about the designs of the clothing they gave him. He spent his money freely whenever he made purchases, and as such, was a very valuable customer because of it.
When it came to the nobility, there were many who felt the need to flaunt their power and authority, and would do so in the strangest of ways.
There were more noblemen than was fair that only felt satisfied after causing a fight over nothing and then having the employees grovel at their feet for forgiveness at the end of it.
Some of them would change their designs for no reason at all, even if it was not the cause of the disagreement, and would sometimes even make the order the original design be restored later. Flipping and flopping, back and forth they did, but the Prince never acted that way.
Even as a VIP among VIPs, never once had he shown such uncouth and rude behavior.
He was a gentle Prince during the day who had a good personality and was always smiling even when he laughed or poked fun.
But right now, that very same unfussy and easygoing Prince was causing a bit of a commotion, not over the attire he was wearing now, but rather over a woman’s dress of all things.
[Lexus] “Hm. That looks nice.”
He was sitting on the sofa, leaning back in a very relaxed looking position, staring at the dress shown to him by Hayley with a glint in his golden eyes. When he finally answered in a somewhat favorable manner, Hayley finally breathed a sigh of relief.
To think I’d live to see the day, she thought.
In her mind, the Prince’s body was like a hanger—good for showing off nice clothing. She assumed that he held little opinions or ideas about the clothes that went on it because he never said a word about them.
But contrary to her suspicions, his sense of aesthetic was actually rather high.
No, high was an understatement. It was formidable, and difficult to please. Because of his scrutinizing eye, she felt like she’d gone back to being a design student, desperately trying to please the judgment of her professors.
But she couldn’t show off her nervousness. She was a professional now, which meant she needed to always look calm and collected in front of a customer.
[Hayley] “Then, shall we proceed with this design?”
[Lexus] “Alright.”
[Hayley] “You mentioned this would be for the graduation ceremony, correct?”
[Lexus] “That I did.”
[Hayley] “You are very kind to consider even a graduation dress for the lady.”
[Lexus] “If I didn’t, then she’ll likely just end up throwing on whatever.”
That seemed very likely for an indifferent woman such as she.
The graduation ceremony would be their final official day at the Academy. He knew he would never be able to grasp exactly how she lived her everyday Academy life over the years, but at the very least, he wanted her to be able to end on a high note in a beautiful dress.
And so he decided to go ahead and stick his nose into the business of Valentia’s dress without her knowledge, even though he was a little unclear about whether she’d accept it or not.
[Hayley] “This must be the lady that wore the beautiful dress from before.”
Lexus laughed at Hayley’s comment.
[Lexus] “I’m not sure which of us you’re actually praising.”
[Hayley] “Obviously you, Your Highness.”
His phrasing was a little twisted, digging to see if Hayley was actually complimenting herself but she caught his words with skill and threw them right back at him.
Lexus was the one who altered the design from the basic framework, while Hayley would add in a little advice here and there wherever she thought was necessary.
It was exceedingly common for men to buy dresses for their lovers. Some would even put in a little extra legwork and purchase numerous other things like jewelry and accessories if they had the financial capabilities.
But this was her first time helping a man design a dress for his lover.
[Hayley] “I would not have expected you to be so sensitive. Your lady must be quite happy.”
Lexus gave a very twisted smile at those words. It was such a bittersweet look that Hayley felt like her heart was sinking in her chest.
Hayley, dedicated to her work as she was, came to think of Lexus, the best man in the Empire, as the best kind of hanger to display her clothing, but even she could not help but admit it at this moment.
The Prince truly was unfairly handsome.
But though his expression was wistful and bittersweet, his mood was in truth really bad right now.
[Lexus] “Actually, I don’t think she’ll like it.”
[Hayley] “That can’t be! Who could ever hate it when you’re putting your heart out on the line like this, Your Highness?”
[Lexus] “As I live and breathe, I found her. Such a woman really exists.”
And so he felt anxious, wondering what he could do for such a person who wanted nothing from him.
[Hayley] “Oh. You’ve given your heart to an indifferent woman, then?”
It was just as she said. But the funniest part about all of it was that he had been told by many women that he was the cruelly indifferent one.
When people saw his kind and gentle appearance, noticing how well mannered he was, all who met him would assume he was a sweet man at first.
However, the truth was that his appearance was something he was born with and his manners were something that he learned. Deep down, he was actually a very cynical and bitter man.
But every time that aloof woman smiled at him, he felt good.
Lexus was born into this world wanting for nothing, and appeared to have everything he desired in short order. He did not know what it was like to be left lacking in something.
Affairs concerning the human heart were very similar in that way for him. All the women he showed minor interest in ended up loving him, so he was never left empty handed when it came to the love of others, either.
But living like that, never knowing what it was like to miss something, he could not know satisfaction either. For one to understand fulfillment, one must first understand what it felt like to be empty.
And because he could not recognize what it felt like to be missing something, he couldn’t recognize what it meant to feel content, and so he could not adequately describe the feeling of fullness he felt within his heart whenever Valentia smiled. (1)
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Was this the karma he was paying for living his life as he did? But would he even be able to recognize this kind of karma?
Lexus gestured to the dress design.
[Lexus] “Proceed with this look.”
[Hayley] “Thank you for your approval. Ah, but that reminds me. I received a bolt of lace from Sal’s, but I don’t have much, just enough for one dress. Would you be interested?”
Gathering together all of her design sketches, a sudden thought hit Hayley, and so she decided to ask him.
Sal’s was the name of a shop belonging to a threadmaster and clothier, famous for his lace. Many shops relied on machines to weave their lace, but Sal’s was a place that still staunchly adhered to the old ways of dealing with their bolts.
Laces threaded by a machine could be finished faster, but the pattern wasn’t anything special, fixing to a single look that matches with the machine’s capabilities, but Sal’s lace was completely unique.
It took the shop a very long time to work, and their product was so expensive that it was unrealistic to use it to complete one entire dress. With this kind of hand threaded lace that told a magnificent story with its design, it would be cheaper to inlay one’s dress with gold instead.
[Lexus] “Is that so? You must have more talent for procurement than I thought.”
[Hayley] “Let’s just say I……put in a lot of money for it.”
Lexus smirked.
This was something that was so expensive and rare that only a limited number of people could ever purchase it, but still, wasn’t it the virtue of any customer to make sure a business sold it well?
[Lexus] “Then use that.”
[Hayley] “My, most generous.”
Both the price and the rarity of this dress was quickly rising, all to be given to a person who would have no idea.
[Lexus] “I’ll leave this in your hands now.”
[Hayley] “Very well. Rest, Your Highness.”
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Right now, Lexus’ situation was complicated in more ways than one.
The other day, the news that Yusef had brought him was so important that he had to leave his seat in the middle of his date with Valentia, and then after hearing the report itself, he had a difficult time controlling his expression for a moment.
When Yusef told him he’d found a trace, he immediately knew what that meant.
[Yusef] ‘As you ordered, I ceased my tracking and started investigating instead, but I think pushing any further might result in my being caught.’
This particular prey was the type to stop moving completely if they thought the hunter was chasing it. Rats were cautious creatures, and so they rarely made a move, even after being assured that the hunter had left.
So he had no choice but to pull back for now.
[Lexus] ‘For now, we’ll just watch things.’
[Yusef] ‘Do you really think he’s still alive?’
The body they found that day definitely seemed to belong to that man, but it was so horribly mangled and burned that it would be impossible to tell for certain. And given all the suspicious circumstances, he couldn’t help but think of this possibility.
The possibility he might still be alive.
[Lexus] ‘We can’t know that for certain right now, but it’s highly likely at this point.’
[Yusef] ‘Understood. I will keep a watch in the meantime.’
He thought this problem was far behind him, but if there was a chance he could catch him and finish this entirely, he couldn’t let go of this.
But funnily enough, when he returned after hearing such shocking information, Valentia’s words somehow managed to shock him even more than Yusef’s report did.
[Valentia] ‘Should we just stop this now?’
Just thinking about it made his mood take a downward spiral. Hearing those words as soon as he got back made his already soured mood turn worse.
Just stop, she says.
Lexus wasn’t that dimwitted. He immediately understood what she was saying, but he purposely played the fool, pretending not to get what she was so clearly hinting at, leaving that idea to fizzle out into the air.
Perhaps she assumed they would end their relationship once they graduated, but he didn’t want to do that yet. He couldn’t see it happening anytime in the future, much less on that day.
And it was only now that Lexus realized that he hadn’t considered when their relationship would end until right this very moment.
Lexus pulled out a nearby drawer, producing a small box from within. It was light blue in color, made of velvet and small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. When he popped open the lid, inside and embedded in the velvet interior was a small ring, within which was a delicate looking diamond.
Thinking of giving something like this to a woman who wanted to leave him, he could scarcely believe it himself. He had no choice but to think himself a fool for it, but even so, he had no intention of taking it back.
After all, it was obvious that he carried feelings for Valentia, but since this was Lexus, he couldn’t speak on what those feelings were very well.
And so, if one were to ask him what this emotion was, he wouldn’t be able to answer because he himself did not know. He didn’t know when or how it was going to end, but within him was the desire to treat this relationship with seriousness.
So don’t ever say that again, okay?
He was a very foolish man—a man who wished to give her this ring all while not knowing the name of the feeling that gripped his heart.
Habitually, Lexus’ hand fell to his side, searching around for the soft and warm fur that was normally always by his side. Without Goldie here, his absence was very noticeable.
[Lexus] “……Never thought I could feel lonely just because a dog isn’t here.”
Goldie would always spend his time lying down next to him, and Lexus didn’t even realize how used to it he had become since it was a part of his everyday life.
He let out a sigh.
He took in that dog for a purpose, but over time, he grew fond of him. Dare he say he even loved him? When Valentia told him she wanted to hold onto him for a little bit, he nearly caught himself saying no.
….But, I hope you’ll always be by my side.
And right then, he caught such an inadvertent thought entering his mind.
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But one cannot say for certain if he was thinking of the dog or of Valentia.
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T/N: (1) The idea being conveyed here is that you can only know fulfillment if you have a need that wasn’t being met previously that’s now being met. Because Lexus has never understood what meant to feel empty, he can’t recognize the ‘fullness’ that Valentia gives him. Kind of like the saying “You can’t know happiness until you know sadness”. I hope that comes across well ;-;
astralmech’s t/c: I kind of love Lexus’ character development. I love that there’s clearly a nugget of a good person inside of him, he just doesn’t believe he’s someone who has the capability of being good, so he leans into this scumbag rhetoric.
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