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Givenchy continued:
"However, this lady is… rather special."
"She isn't merely unafraid of vampires."
"She's bold to the point of recklessness. Practically no one is worthy of her respect."
"I can guarantee her talent."
"But I cannot guarantee that you will want to work with her."
"Her personality can be… quite a headache."
Henry laughed.
"That's certainly a unique evaluation."
At this moment, Philippe Venet, who had mostly been listening quietly rather than leading the conversation, seemed to realize who Givenchy intended to introduce.
He asked in French with concern:
"Are you sure? You want to involve that woman?"
Givenchy replied calmly:
"Why not?"
"Sooner or later we will have to accept her into our circle. It's only a matter of how."
"Since she can be useful now, I consider this a very fair exchange."
Venet sighed and made a small sign of the cross over his chest.
"My God. I feel like negotiating directly with vampires might actually be easier."
Hearing their exchange, Henry grew curious.
"Is there anything… we should be aware of about this designer?"
After a moment of thought, Givenchy answered honestly.
"She is the illegitimate daughter of Baroness von Hellman."
"But the Baroness was imprisoned for murder."
"Some people believe that the entire incident was orchestrated by that daughter herself."
"And that she secretly transferred the Baroness's assets into her own name."
"Recently, the Baroness died in prison."
"Now that the last obstacle to inheriting the title is gone, she hopes to gain support from members of the nobility."
"And she doesn't want just any insignificant nobles."
"She wants support from someone who is…"
Henry finished the sentence for him:
"Someone like you—a noble with a legitimate title and status in the fashion world."
Givenchy nodded.
"Exactly."
"Although their family developed mainly across the Channel, Baron von Hellman's title is actually French nobility."
"That pirate country across the sea"—he meant Britain—"still uses male primogeniture, where women cannot inherit titles."
"So in the circles she has cultivated over the years, I am the most suitable candidate."
"And if she wants to climb even higher, she needs supporters with real influence."
"And a bigger stage."
"Hollywood might serve that purpose."
London was one of the four major fashion week cities, so it certainly belonged to the core of the fashion industry.
But Paris, the only city hosting Haute Couture Week, stood firmly at the top of the fashion pyramid.
Givenchy therefore had every reason to speak with such confidence.
The woman he referred to clearly came from England.
Henry sighed slightly.
"So this would mean you'd owe her a favor."
Givenchy shook his head.
"No."
"Because of her talent, I would eventually support her anyway."
"The problem is that I don't know what I would receive in return."
"You should understand something."
"Making that woman owe you a favor is meaningless."
"You must obtain something immediately."
"Otherwise she'll turn around and pretend it never happened."
Henry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So that's the kind of personality she has."
"What's her name?"
Givenchy replied:
"Cruella. Cruella de Vil."
"When you see her, you'll understand."
"She's already in her forties, yet she carries herself with the energy of a young girl."
"Her ambition and aggressiveness are unlike ordinary people."
"I suspect that even if a vampire stood in front of her and bared its fangs…"
"She would bite back and drink the monster dry."
---
Henry paused internally.
Wait…
Wasn't that Cruella from Cruella and 101 Dalmatians?
Thinking about it carefully, in this world's Disney film catalog, 101 Dalmatians didn't exist.
Some films that existed in Henry's previous memories were missing here.
Others had appeared instead.
Perhaps some stories had been stitched into this Marvel universe differently.
He'd have to pay attention to that later.
---
Henry returned to the discussion.
"So how can we meet this Ms. de Vil?"
Givenchy thought for a moment.
"As it happens, in two days we'll host a semi-public gathering."
"It's a preparation event for the Paris Men's Ready-to-Wear Fashion Week at the end of June."
"I can take you with me."
"And I'll invite Cruella."
"If everything goes well, you'll meet her there."
"Do you have other plans?"
Henry glanced at the two women he had brought.
Both Charlize and J.J. Harris immediately shook their heads.
Right now, nothing in the world seemed more important than this opportunity in Paris.
Givenchy continued:
"In that case, I can arrange accommodations for you at the Paris Hotel."
"Or if you prefer, you may stay here at the castle for the next two days."
"I can show you more of the collection."
"And we could take a walk through the nearby forest."
Henry turned toward Charlize.
"What do you think, darling?"
Their relationship hadn't been hidden from Givenchy.
After all, Henry wouldn't have used this connection otherwise.
A worldly man like Givenchy understood that immediately.
Charlize smiled.
"I'd love to stay."
"When you have money, Paris can be visited anytime."
"If I wanted, I could even buy half the stores in a shopping street."
"But opportunities to interact with a fashion legend like you…"
"Those don't come just because you have money."
However, she suddenly remembered something.
A slightly worried look appeared on her face.
"But Henry…"
"What about Kitty back home?"
Henry waved casually.
"Don't worry."
"I asked Old Gary to feed her."
"There won't be any problem."
Charlize broke into a cold sweat.
Feed her?
Was Gary supposed to feed Kitty… with himself as the food?
Of course, Henry had his reasons for traveling so far.
BB, his robot, had already been rebuilt.
Gary would simply collect the meat deliveries and leave them inside.
BB would take care of everything else.
Unless…
Kitty destroyed BB again.
Hmm.
That possibility suddenly felt a bit worrying.
Hopefully that big cat would behave itself.
Worst case, Henry could always sneak back home at night to check.
That was his quiet plan.
---
Givenchy asked curiously:
"Kitty?"
Henry grinned proudly.
"My pet."
"A very cute cat."
The two Frenchmen imagined something like:
A Ragdoll
Or a Russian Blue
The kind of cat that truly matched the word cute.
They also knew traveling with pets could be inconvenient, so leaving it at home with someone feeding it seemed perfectly reasonable.
But the two women present—who knew the truth—felt differently.
A four- to five-hundred-pound monster…
Cute?
That was probably the biggest difference in judgment between Henry and Charlize.
---
In any case, the three guests decided to stay.
They were treated to the hospitality of old French aristocracy, living temporarily in a castle that had been declared a historic monument by France in 1984.
Fortunately, the interior had been modernized.
Living conditions were very comfortable.
Unlike the Palace of Versailles during Louis XIV's era.
That palace had rooms for every imaginable purpose—
Except one.
Bathrooms.
And somehow, only the French could have built something that absurd.
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