BXBX NOVEL Chapter 92 92. Debut, Part IV
Editor: Aelryinth
Julietta took Amelie and Sophie to the back of the building.
"You two will stay here."
The two women were staying in the dorms in the theater. The annex attached to the main house was decorated as a house where they could stay. With less than a month left before her debut, she was in great haste to decorate the interior of the annex in three days. The two-story annex was with four bedrooms, one reception room, and kitchen, enough space for two.
"Here?"
When Amelie and Sophie asked, Julietta laughed. "Don’t tell me, you don’t think Maribel will let you stay here?"
She did not tell Julietta, but Maribel had urged them to leave the theater. They recalled what had happened a few days ago.
"I advise you to go to Julietta, but if you are not employees of the theater, you can’t stay in quarters in the theater. Find a separate place to live."
This was after Julietta suddenly called and asked if they would like to work with her if she would open a dressing shop. When they accepted the offer with a smile of joy, the boss pouted her lips and recommended they go.
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Born to a poor family and married to a man of means. Sophie suffered a miscarriage while working too hard to make ends meet in her early pregnancy. When her husband was told she would never get pregnant again, he turned to another woman and kicked her out of the house.
It was Amelie who brought Sophie to her home, after she fell down while wandering the streets after a miscarriage, without a chance to take care of herself,. She was a benefactor who saved Sophie from death.
After Sophie recovered her health she began to learn sewing from Amelie. So, Sophie and Amelie got their hands on work from the Eileen Theater before Maribel took over, and the other surrounding theaters, and made or altered stage costumes.
Amelie was living alone after losing her son to illness a few years ago. Since her husband left home a year ago and there was no news, Sophie and Amelie were forced to rely on each other.
Then suddenly, the creditors came. Her husband who she hadn’t heard from ran away with a gambling debt, and he was killed in an accident. Amelie lost her home overnight and was saddled with huge debts. It was Sophie who consoled Amelie, who was dying of gloom, and encouraged her. The new owner of the Eileen Theater put forward conditions to Amelie, who had just been forced to pull herself up.
Maribel said she would change things by creating a prop room inside the theater, instead of getting the stage costumes from other places like other theaters, and she wanted Amelie to come and work in the prop room in her theater. From then on, Amelie worked with Sophie at the Eileen Theater.
The owner of the theater, Maribel, was different from the ones they had seen before. Taking over the Eileen Theater, which was just such a normal theater, she broke down an annex next to the theater which was used as an empty warehouse, and put in staff accommodations there.
Those who wanted to use the accommodations could do so at a certain amount of money off their salary. Most of the employees without families opted to stay in the staff quarters because it was much cheaper than buying a separate house. Amelie and Sophie had rented an inn room after being evicted from their homes, and quickly moved into the employee’s quarters at the Eileen Theater.
When they heard that they had to leave the familiar place because they had spent so many years, they were embarrassed.
"Do we have to move out of the theater?"
"Don’t look like that. I feel like I’ve become a bad person." Maribel frowned at Amelie and Sophie, who were looking at each other with frightened faces.
"I’m sure you’re fully aware of her situation now that Julietta told you why she got the role of Princess Kiellini, and why she designed the dress."
The two nodded at Maribel’s words.
"Of course, even if the dressing shop that designed Princess Kiellini’s debut dress gets noticed, no one will pay attention to the tailors who work there. But I think you should be careful. I’m afraid I should cut off the least bit of anxiety in the first place. Wouldn’t it be strange for people to see you staying in the dorm if you’re not an employee?"
Maribel put down her pipe and looked at the middle-aged women in front of her.
"It’s been almost twenty years since I took over the theater and met you. After Stella was kicked out by Marquise Anais and suddenly returned to the theater, I left Julietta, who was five years old, to you. I know you care a lot about her. You’re the two people she trusts the most."
Maribel took a long breath of her pipe after she said that. "Not long ago, I got a call from Lillian."
"Lillian?"
When Lillian, who was returning to her hometown after retiring, said she was going to be the mistress of Marquis Rhodius, they tried to deter her, as both of them reminded her of Stella. But after much thought, Lillian finally entered the mansion that the Marquis had provided for her.
Fortunately, she seemed to be living without much worry or change, but they didn’t think she would contact Maribel. They looked at Maribel, wondering what Lillian had been saying all of a sudden.
"I heard Prince Killian is looking for Julietta."
Lillian did not tell Maribel what Killian meant. But the Prince never seemed to give up, and she felt like he would send someone to the Eileen Theater, so she thought she should tell Maribel that the Prince was still searching for Julietta.
"Why the hell is the Prince...?"
"I don’t know why. Anyway, I don’t think it’s good for two people who know about Julietta’s past to be traveling between the theater and the dress shop."
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Amelia recalled what had happened and nodded. It wasn’t as cold as Julietta thought it was, but it was true that they were told to leave anyway.
"Yes, I’m afraid staying in the theater is too much."
At Amelie’s reply, Sophie also looked inside. "That’s very nice. I can’t believe I’m going to live in a place like this. It’s so sudden, everything changed, so I’m so befuddled."
Julietta laughed as she admired the bright lemon-colored sofa in the drawing room.
"Take your time and look around. Even though it’s a mansion that’s not been empty for long, I want to change the interior again. I rushed ahead and don’t know if you’ll like it."
At Julietta’s words, Amelie shook her head.
"Don’t worry. You know it’s crazy nice compared to our living quarters in the theater. By the way, when do you start working?"
At Amelie’s words, Julietta brought out a small note from the pocket of the maid’s suit she was wearing in disguise.
"The building for the dressing shop will be finished by tomorrow. Then, the fabrics and the workbench will come in. You can prepare the ones that are drawn on the note first. Make a corset for me first. This is the corset design."
Julietta explained the clothes drawn inside the note to the two: a corset, a hat, and shoes.
"We have about three weeks until the debut party, so we need to hurry up. The most urgent thing is the debut dress, and there are many things to prepare, including party and meeting dresses, casual clothes, coats, and props. You can hire people for shoes, gloves, coats, stoles for winter, or hats. But I really want you to make a dress for me. My figure is very different from that of Princess Kiellini, so no one else should know."
Sophie accepted the note at Julietta’s request. "Yes, I know what you mean. We’ll make everything where they could find out your figure ourselves. By the way, there are quite a few. I’m worried if it’s possible in such a short time."
Sophie was not an expert but said that after looking over the sketches.
"It’s going to be tough. I’d like you to focus on party dresses and meeting dresses first. I’ll come back in a few days to tell you the details. I can’t leave for too long, so I have to go."
When Julietta got up in a hurry, Amelie and Sophie got up, too.
"Anyway, when can you get rid of that ugly wig?"