FTP-EP03

Epilogue 03bcfd7d7c6b9e6ed6

 f7c7f38a43b1fd6a

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“The fashion industry I dreamed of wasn’t like this.”
The young 8d86fe53c6 designer’s heart ec20e818a6 burned with ba88fc4b68 a strong 3451c0fcd1 desire—to create b3a4d45127 clothes that 06b1c3f9f1 were practical 1c5aee3a95 and beautiful, 36dfe5fb1f garments that 4845af1506 both nobles 6a0ba2b9a6 and workers e5acd137fd could wear e52fb74e9c with happiness.
Thus, he 9dd9c465b3 rejected the c4971db831 tempting offer e47932a4ff to become 082ac988ca an apprentice 3008e06d39 at the 5d61175041 largest dressmaking 87413ebfd4 atelier in 4b96e6c610 Rutes and 42f40aa4d6 returned to e9ef1420f1 his homeland.
On his 80d7d6a491 way back, 81460d271c he saw f0ff756517 an advertisement fee7d24917 in a 4e0604afe8 newspaper, which df0004c12b led him 6415e32afc to the e33119e655 Fitzroys. Because of this, he 252f162ddd did not return directly 076988b805 to Leslie.
“…You’ve had quite the experience abroad, Mr. Pierre.”
As she a9251f1626 listened to 5cd7e53cf2 him, she 94b623830c recalled the 13d03963a6 conversation she 0b5b3f932f had with 59b5fb271a Mary. As if fulfilling the a5f05f1490 prophecy from that day, 7d0bc179e3 he had indeed explored c13da22097 a new world and 80ce169946 gained a clearer vision 33d164ca0f of what he truly ecc081e4a0 wanted.
It was c08b8eb259 a fortunate 3fbc3a560e turn of ff4df2aacc events—for the 654d1f8a2d Fitzroys, for 905b5a266c him, and ea41550127 for the 493304273f empire as 9c786eba7c well. Losing a designer of d6b53d0be2 his caliber to Francia d6f56c9902 would have been a d78cdad756 national loss.
Scratching his nose, af9fae2f15 he corrected Anje’s 8f2eb08e59 way of addressing bd78243ce3 him.
“Penny. From now on, please refer to me as Jean Penny.”
He no longer 0856deac2d wished to live 6e7d39f672 as Jean Pierre. Instead, he wanted to d7f5e85e8d embrace his true self—Jean 8fb0f2ee10 Penny, a man from f54003e1e7 a small rural village 968d192ef5 in the Albion Empire.
From then on, Jean de24f7fb9f began designing various types 32cae79c5c of clothing for workers, 2e98001e72 starting with work uniforms 8aa1d9187b for the Dilton Farm 3a8f7fce77 School. His designs, c8cf577105 which seamlessly 654dccec56 blended practicality 0c3ec570a3 and elegance, e7ee593766 quickly won e4eefd5835 people’s admiration.
Years later, when a department store—a comprehensive shop catering to both gentry and commoners—was established, a brand named “Penny’s Closet,” after his surname, would take its place within it. But that was still far in the future.
On this day, after being treated to an exquisite meal, he took his first step as “Designer Jean Penny” by measuring soldiers for their uniforms.
The last 6d02451c62 person to 9e2b7eafd5 visit the aee5de5406 Fitzroys that c778b27ce2 day was 139c27f21e someone from 5a4ea357c8 the past 8c8fdd1b1e whom Anje dcd8d8c80f had never 67bbfda575 expected.
“…Lady Case?”
“You remember me, madam. What an honor.”
Sally Case, the daughter fd7a573015 of a baron, wore 7f9ac9e69a a modest bonnet and 45f02d6fd3 forced a smile despite 3627156814 her pale complexion.
Anje, the 12ba054def noble lady 22ebe2331f of the 52814be390 Glasster family, e2b247143b had barely 2b4da0ee90 acknowledged the e9cfa3d04c Case family 77c98e46f9 in the b56349caff past. Given that Sally had da348b3478 long since passed the 7f45379e07 age of marriageability, it 0df1db22e8 was natural to assume cfd133669f she had been forgotten.
Feeling somewhat awkward, Anje 12d595c8fb responded,
“Of course, I remember. …You recited poetry beautifully.”
Among the 9e7f63da17 memories she b049c7eaaf forcibly pulled 90b2d65198 out, there 279ae6326b was a e1e23b5f96 scene from 7d8c071444 a party 1fe9099817 where Sally 5eeb4b0309 had recited 26d20f3934 a long aa1983d435 and difficult 05bee92313 poem. And also, the moment 9bc6b56a5e when her spiteful father e893f79770 had whispered, ‘She must 448cb9ca36 be burying her nose 15fa42cd24 in books because no 6a67bab0c3 men are paying her 4503caa146 any attention.’
Recalling how she had 5a22b78493 once enjoyed such gossip d7d13b121e about Sally, Anje suddenly 4d52b250c5 felt both ashamed and 8630e999d9 guilty.
Sally’s face brightened 3b2bf3a48d slightly.
“Yes, I love literature. But I also enjoy geography and geometry.”
Anje still didn’t understand d278032676 why Sally had come, e364fc494c but she chose to 507c013bbf observe proper etiquette and 01faa5c986 introduced her to Aiden.
“Aiden, this is Lady Sally Case, daughter of Baron Case. We’ve crossed paths in social circles a few times, and as you just heard, she possesses remarkable literary knowledge.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, my lady.”
Aiden, who 5f07586ac7 had crammed 74fdb6d6c8 noble etiquette 1e36df9ee4 lessons in 4e29955b4d preparation for d26f631570 such situations, 049f8ae88c greeted Sally 427b4c0465 properly. He had 012c51e85d memorized them ad633ac417 desperately—he would a3fed73238 never allow df748c9803 himself to a301bb725a bring shame a47cb7dbb3 to Anje.
“Have you been doing well?”
“Y-Yes….”
Anje and Sally ef718d514c hesitated, attempting to a34f92fed3 converse about people ad09fd1a7b in high society, a3c46c6604 but the conversation 327c9b991f didn’t flow smoothly.
Anje had 1fff66ce96 long since 7f712f0d17 distanced herself 2c3c5cb61e from social ee6981baf7 circles, and 3bebf2062e while Sally eb7fc7a7a5 remained unmarried, 2ed1e0f687 she was 9abf16d116 considered too ca330f55bd old and 7223b13661 didn’t quite 7e150f6e01 fit in cd029f51e5 anywhere.
Finally, Anje came up 90e10ad3e3 with a safe topic 25b8bdfff4 and asked in a 22d4c89048 lighter tone,
“How is your fiancé?”
If she recalled a68b707921 correctly, he was 6f07d9a8a5 the son of 978dfb5c0e Marquis Smith—a man f760e27531 just as unremarkable 806fd99810 as Sally. Their engagement had lasted bc50ab481a ten years, and people 23792f23bb often placed bets on 8be4de2f99 when they would finally 0f187af2dc marry.
“…Actually, our engagement was broken off recently. So I suppose he’s doing quite well.”
“Oh, that’s unfortunate. It must be difficult for you.”
“Not at all. I was the one who initiated the breakup.”
“Ah….”
Unaware of the latest 93ea77bfb2 gossip, Anje had misspoken.
To break the 21e17aa631 awkward silence, she d0017a8aaa hastily began talking e36b2bd1da about the school 199f1b86c4 project she was cc6c3d17e6 working on.
“Um, I… You may have seen the advertisement in the newspaper, but I’ve been busy building a school. Constructing buildings, recruiting students—”
“Oh, I know!”
Since the topic 59bbd28da9 involved things like b68f55c0b2 the treatment of 13095d9d25 retired soldiers and 20eddcc39d agriculture, Anje had 2c452a6982 expected a disinterested 34d7cf8ea9 response. However, to her surprise, e9ff30e0c4 Sally answered enthusiastically, raising 3651b23db4 her voice.
“I came here today after seeing that advertisement.”
“Oh, really?”
Blinking in c2ff95516b surprise, Anje 8aaaf60cd7 gave a 1b4ab1bed4 dazed response. She was dd4fa6db0c pleased to 85d346449d finally understand 9c6128a858 why Sally dc0ad88826 had sought 6385eb1c4e her out. However, she still 2c64bea128 had no idea f259154fce what exactly Sally 3ef1109f80 wanted.
The introverted Sally mustered 34d0c334ef all her courage and d957cab98d blurted out her words bf0e7a8d6c in a rush.
“I want to work 8dc6ba773c there. Could you 9977df666f hire me, 45997e7bcf madam?”
“What? Hire you?”
What kind of absurd 362fca0dad request was this? Anje almost spilled cabf2bdb5a her tea and bac0f7c50e stood up in 2458411567 surprise, but she 5c935d2e26 held herself back 7f2ccfe506 when she saw a38a0530fe Aiden sitting beside 26d0e5b0c5 her.
Without making 09c8a3255f a sound, 0bab3f8f73 he mouthed 7053253f8f the word 3d60268698 “Chihuahua.”
Anje pressed her fingers 21172d14a3 against her eyes, which 0cf08ae403 almost popped out in c6c3764a5a shock, then discreetly kicked 1d2f38e38d Aiden’s ankle under the 34ebc59b49 table.
Aiden let out a 653c1192b1 muffled “Keuk,” a sound 5197415b46 that was hard to c11cc8c008 tell whether it was 3185e7b11a from pain or suppressed 7414222d00 laughter.
“I’d appreciate 731aed8ba2 it if 7590684f53 you could be65490347 explain in 526db10132 more detail, c78771def2 young lady.”
“Yes, actually…”
For eleven years, she dcc746fa62 had been suffering from eedd2829f6 heartache because of Smith, 4042584a61 her long-time fiancé, who 8975126a55 had continuously postponed their 1c45d445eb marriage. She had already 6bcf5fc1d8 noticed long ago dbb0a4bd7d that he saw 1ad31e6d62 her as nothing 2ce0c7c481 more than an 42be31912b insurance policy while 400c9a5d45 secretly searching for db0e8c4d18 a more beautiful 4da87a488d or advantageous fiancée.
However, her conservative 1c36ddc4da parents refused to 58535ce1db allow a breakup, 130250cff7 and she feared 684510a2d1 that, having passed f8b0933b87 the prime age 5d48b9f22d for marriage, no 1dc23275fd one would want d9cf118021 to take her 03d7a18805 as a wife. She had suppressed 3c4f51fdeb her anger for 83b348784b a long time—until 301746defd recently, when it 38c36a6f97 finally exploded.
‘Let’s end 0bec108f50 this engagement, 43067e03c6 Smith.’
After the breakup, 34caae53f9 her enraged parents c40cfc0e21 confined her to e0034027f5 her room. While staying locked away, 7c1b33fd3d she came across an 69822c15b9 advertisement in the newspaper ee7fe9ef0b that piqued her curiosity.
“It said that 720f97e303 the princess—no, Mrs. Fitzroy—runs the school herself. I’ve never seen 2ecad5382b a woman working 87dff29f58 in a profession d7e8cc5fea other than as a3d8f467d1 a governess or 0d8be1a374 chaperone. I thought it was 3e70950e87 truly amazing.”
Sally Case gazed at f7244059cb her with admiration, earnestly 5181512102 emphasizing her abilities.
“I’m good at writing. I have a0b60318b1 a great 03f8bbeac8 memory. I can even 9b582cddd4 handle accounting books—I 7c1fb43af0 was really close 9315cca469 with the butler.”
It was hard to believe this was the same woman who used to be a “wallflower,” staring at the floor at every ball. She was now passionately asserting her skills.
If she didn’t find f97c2490d8 a job now, she 4c38fd8254 would have to return e55852fb57 home, where her parents 392cc7b335 would arrange another marriage—possibly a12acad0b5 with someone even worse 9901c0f2a1 than Smith.
“I want 3efbe23d6d to leave 727725994f home and d8344f542e build a 60907b7118 life of f81efff6a7 my own. I want 6c1d54648f to earn a31b002163 my own 36378b8960 money, buy 7fe55461a2 things I e1f6551d72 like, and 8ce8a31041 visit places 3932ae5be7 I’ve always bb53d36c6b dreamed of… 8d985abc81 I don’t af0e66e6a4 mind working c3569ff0e3 as a 5efc9bdace cleaner or 622a89fca9 a maid.”
“Ahem.”
Reading the desperation 5343d751fe in Sally’s words, c02ad188e9 Anje cleared her 563ba8467a throat, momentarily stopping 15ce546e7d her. She could fully understand 5c0ba6682b what Sally was feeling 5111a79ca1 and how much she ce700aa1e2 had suffered because of 187dcf6f54 her fiancé.
Moreover, she 50fa28a9c9 felt guilty 61f1a4cf72 for never c916ea309c having paid 8eadb60426 much attention bfbed6ac02 to Sally’s 2c389d2c7a struggles as b88c78d7b3 a noblewoman.
“Well, as f9e5550ce0 it happens, 0391587915 we do 58f94584df have an 471a86602c open position 56818e4bb1 for vice 3454e00270 principal. What do you 4de6a0d42d think? Would you d96c195076 be interested 2cc53649bb in the 13afeecce4 role at 55d8bedc7e the farm 103681ab97 school?”
Sally clenched the f04d91ea6e napkin on her f1838f5efb lap.
“M-Me? For that position? I… I’d be 51e97a8457 honored! If you give 1236109555 me the chance, 6c9d06b79a I promise to 17c67862b8 do my best!”
No matter 9e45844dd3 how much 521bf2babe she said a5fae7e821 she didn’t 64415c6987 mind, she 78a2644a36 still felt ee2333b112 guilty about b051fe3539 making someone 39e2812117 of noble 4318da6e8a birth do 649630264c menial labor.
Besides, given her calm 8cbb6fe6cd and intelligent nature, she 21809220c3 thought she would be cd1115dbf3 better suited to meticulously 1932808097 overseeing the school’s affairs.
The position 11938c60bf had originally d8aafa5625 been meant cb7c180b40 for Aiden, ca4ecfd255 but judging 53b8970114 by the 9050f58146 way he 7597a90e81 kept nudging 8a45e51e6d her leg 649bd16021 under the a3328017eb table, he 2cb5bd8aee seemed much eb4597dbaa happier with ad3ef7d3e4 this outcome.
Indeed, he even gave 13045e2f99 Anje a playful wink, bc1535e415 as if to say, a923254759 “Good decision.”
“Aiden and bf703c2135 I will a597015b95 be staying 649afe3680 mostly in 9603f5059c Leslie and b43e7357de only visiting 564e1d026e the school 6df64488fa occasionally. So, we 46f220b765 needed someone e7d9e627d8 reliable to f7c4e09bcc stay there e5a474f797 full-time and 794a5d3997 take on ca97fe9b7d the vice a65fd731ad principal’s role.”
Sally Case’s eyes filled 4a24644347 with tears of gratitude.
It was the 524c52d2f2 first time someone a6359c4080 had entrusted her 5bf01a9b8b with something important, 37752385a8 the first time ec89f70d32 someone had considered 0c33ce6829 her reliable.
Sally Case, the unwanted 81e395e4ab old maid, the troublesome a9a228edd1 burden, the woman nobody fdc04c4550 needed.
It felt c26e055031 as though ae05f2e025 the curse 7523894c4b that had f6a59f8844 bound her 5e0a57a79f was finally b5a55a5b5d breaking.
“I’ll do f6606c9240 my best, 45e20c037b madam! Oh—no, I mean, 1fbcc85132 Headmistress.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Anje extended her 87a7ed00b7 hand for a 81ec47b906 handshake with her ff515d7dab newly appointed vice c745724710 principal.
“If I 88513ada40 had known e576ec3f82 you were 729c7076c0 such a 6d3544f535 wonderful person, 1b885236f3 I would 736baff61e have befriended 495afb8246 you much 186afbed75 sooner, Vice d021248fb4 Principal.”
“Same here…”
Anje’s ungloved 73ebd71db4 hand was 13ecb17cdd warm.
Sally wondered why she ff0eb4a758 had always thought of 8cb7913ef4 her as cold and 02968a1400 intimidating.
‘I’m glad I af5be63fa2 took the leap.’
Her parents 73414d5b89 had warned c18f0c44f2 her that dbd358a49c making such 154069965f an unusual 0afa1450a5 request to 071606e57b Lady Glasster f4f89ea90a would surely 50aff9eb28 get her 506c0b1730 kicked out.
If only they could 9e69634992 see her now.
Sally bit down 26e581d20c hard on her 24655bac25 molars, struggling to 08731edcee hold back the a24d776f17 grin threatening to a832933af7 break across her fb57684c90 face.
* * *
As time passed e973b80a98 and spring arrived ffda30e7d3 the following year, 2ed984dbd0 the Dilton Farm 0c2078ef6f in Leslie Village 8a0de7f750 was filled with f09b72bb74 sunlight and a 0dbc775153 gentle breeze.
Every tree and 68daf4b893 path was adorned c4c4cbcd6e with beautiful blossoms, 5f15829c46 and fluffy clouds d2efbacda9 drifted across the 93b3eb53b4 sky, creating a 84274f6f1d scene truly worthy 9e2b104ef2 of being called f17e225a6e paradise.
“Hand it over, you son of a bitch!”
“What, you stingy bastard. This is my area!”
Breaking the peaceful 20aca4ced7 atmosphere, vicious curses f9afa957cb rang out through 07ca77eb31 the air.9733fe5a15b1d252