Chapter 4 – His and Her Affection (Which Was) (5)

Chloe leaned against the railing and glanced at Etienne. He must have had a drink of ale, as his eyes were red, smoking like a regular at a social club.

‘Even though I’m an adult, doing all sorts of things to worry my parents, he hasn’t even married by the age of twenty-six.’

Her twenty-one-year-old brother, and even a few years later, was still just a son who seemed pathetic in their mother’s eyes. A youngster who learned to smoke as soon as he became an adult.

‘Oh, look at the smell clinging to your clothes. Smoke less.’

‘Oh, this?’

Etienne sniffed his collar a bit and frowned.

‘Recently, pipe tobacco is popular at the social club, so I guess that smell stuck.’

‘Pipe tobacco?’

‘They’ve got ones rolled with leaves. Western continent merchants are making it trendy these days.’

Chloe reached out, sniffing Etienne’s collar.

‘The smell is a bit different… There was rolled tobacco in Scandar too.’

It was something her husband enjoyed, though she never saw him smoking in front of her. Sometimes, when she smelled something smoky on his fingers and asked, he would say a guest had visited.

A guest?

Recalling that time, a face suddenly flashed in her mind.

A guest who visited her husband once or twice a week. A man who was scrawny and had a sallow complexion but wore flamboyant clothes.

She hadn’t recognized him because he was bald…

The reason the priest she saw at the grand temple during the festival seemed familiar was probably because he resembled that guest.

* * *

“Do you deal with furs as well?”

“Oh my!”

Chloe, wandering through the used clothing shops in the Handlung district, was startled by the sudden voice from behind her. It was the presence of a young girl, so Mirabelle hadn’t particularly warned her.

“Nice to see you again.”

Lucien grabbed the hem of her robe like a skirt and greeted briefly.

“Have you had new clothes made?”

Lucien’s black eyes sharply scanned Chloe and Mirabelle.

“Yes, well… thanks to your advice, Miss.”

After their unexpected meeting last time, Chloe sought out Ryan, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to heed Lucien’s words, as she seemed well-versed in the area. In truth, peasant-style skirts weren’t unfamiliar to Chloe. It was just that she had to throw away the ones that got ruined during the separatist hideout incident, having no excuse to tell her maids.

‘Then, should I take this opportunity to have pants made?’

Moreover, Mirabelle seemed particularly impressed by Lucien’s attire, even amidst her cautiousness.

Ryan, the heir to a prestigious tailor shop, was genuinely delighted to have the chance to make women’s clothes. While Chloe’s clothes were based on her mother’s, Mirabelle’s were essentially scaled-down versions of men’s. Since women’s trousers and dress shirts weren’t commercially available, it was understandable. The shirts had no seams, and the trousers were baggy, but they were sturdy, stretchy, and comfortable for movement.

‘I feel like I could take on seventeen people at once!’

Mirabelle, who had to wear dresses to avoid looking like a common warrior while accompanying Chloe, was thrilled to try out the pants as soon as they arrived. Chloe, too, adjusted her trust level in Ryan, as his craftsmanship and eye for detail were impeccable.

“Last time, you seemed to be looking at gemstone accessories.”

“Huh? Oh…”

Come to think of it, Mirabelle had mentioned being bothered by the presence of Lucien and her escort since entering the Handlung district. Had they been watching all along…

“You deal in gemstones, right?”

“Huh?”

Chloe didn’t realize she was only managing to stammer in response. Had she known, she might have expressed her surprise differently.

Lucien, reading her demeanor, covered her mouth and laughed softly.

“I was too interested, wasn’t I? I’m sorry. It’s my first time meeting someone similar to me.”

At Lucien’s words, Chloe recalled the time she was served tea in Lucien’s carriage.

There was often silence between them. Chloe, unprepared for how to deal with Lucien, couldn’t find the right words to say. And above all…

‘Could the Grand Duke’s daughter possibly want to befriend me…?’

Oddly, pure affection seemed to emanate from her. Feeling burdened by that sentiment, Chloe diverted her gaze to various things inside the carriage.

“By the way, these are all…”

“Oh, these are samples of my products. They’re from Campo. Campo doesn’t just have abundant agricultural products. For agriculture to thrive, there must be abundant resources around.”

As if waiting for Chloe to ask, Lucien began explaining what she did. Her tone contained neither the elegance of a Grand Duke’s daughter nor the youthful shyness of a fifteen-year-old girl.

‘I’ve seen many young ladies give high-level presentations at Ridote, but something’s different.’

Without a hint of humility, Lucien’s confident tone caused Chloe to unknowingly hold a small admiration on her lips.

‘This is the person who is to be Demi’s partner…’

And there was something in that tone that made Chloe feel inferior.

Having grown up absorbing the commercial atmosphere of Orifone, Lucien saw everything from Campo as having enough value to be sold as products in the city. Livestock raised on farms, the plains where they grazed, the wild animals and monsters lurking around the plains, the perpetual forests they inhabited… Items like leather and high-quality wood obtained from there might be common in Campo but could be sold as luxury goods in other territories.

“Isn’t it all business to buy at a price lower than my value and sell it for more?”

Though the meeting with Lucien was filled with confusion and discomfort, that one phrase left a deep impression on Chloe. She resolved not to forget her gratitude towards Lucien, regardless of her own troubles.

Recalling the memories of that day, Chloe quickly erased her flustered face and spoke in a voice bolstered with confidence.

“Yes. I’m looking for gemstones or furs traded at prices much lower than their value.”

A smile appeared on Lucien’s face. It was once again a clear expression of affection.

“If you’re looking for second-hand furs, the second-hand market held on Sundays would be better. Here, they mainly deal with items that can be distributed in large quantities.”

“Second-hand market?”

“Didn’t you know there’s a flea market held every Sunday by the Riviera River?”

“By the Riviera River?”

Even if one lived in Gotiue their whole life, it would be difficult for noble young ladies to know about the flea market on the outskirts of Gotiue. Seeing Chloe’s puzzled reaction, Lucien chuckled softly, as if understanding.

“The Handlung district is basically close to a wholesale market. Second-hand furs are hard to source in large quantities, so you won’t find them here. The flea market by the Riviera River, held every Sunday, deals in a variety of second-hand goods, attracting many people with a hobby for collecting.”

“I see…”

Seeing Chloe’s face calm down, as if her mind was busily working, Lucien realized that her knowledge had been helpful once again.

Lucien’s guess was indeed accurate. Seeing Lucien dealing in leather, Chloe recalled the silver-gray sable fur and golden fox fur that adorned Scandar’s winter attire. The wild animals inhabiting the Gomber Mountains, which occupy a third of Scandar’s territory, had fur colors quite different from what was generally thought in the Empire.

‘I was so fascinated when I first saw silver-gray sable fur. In Arthuzen, all sable fur is black or brown.’

As Scandar was closed off and not well-known, there had been no demand until now, but Chloe was thinking of looking into it, wondering if its exotic and mysterious charm could be utilized.

“You’re really knowledgeable about this field, Lady Lucien.”

“Yes, well, I’ve been coming here for over five years…”

Lucien trailed off, seemingly lost in thought, as she fastened the front of her hood. Trying not to show she was a girl, she seemed to have tied her hair low and tucked it into the robe, but it would be hard to see her delicate features as those of a boy.

“If calling you by name is uncomfortable…”

Seeing the hint of vigilance in Chloe’s eyes, unable to hide her awkwardness, Lucien smiled awkwardly and spoke.

“We’re probably the only ones here addressing each other with such… titles.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Was it something I didn’t know again? 

Chloe nodded inwardly, yet she looked into Lucien’s black eyes, wondering if there was a hidden intention.

‘When we met last time, I thought it was just my imagination…’

The mysterious affection in those inscrutable black eyes never disappeared for a moment.

‘Why on earth?’

Not only the social world but also lacking proper friends within the Empire, could I have somehow felt a fresh charm for this young lady who came to the continent’s most bustling city only to work and leave? But…

Does being close with Demi mean nothing at all? Is it that she is the betrothed anyway?

Lucien, who should have been just as uncomfortable with her as Chloe was with her, was instead acting friendly, only amplifying the unfairness between the two.

‘There’s quite an age difference, we’ve only met twice since introducing ourselves, and we probably won’t see each other much in the future…’

Trying to justify her discomfort with numerous reasons, in the end…

‘And she’s Demetrian’s betrothed.’

It all boiled down to that one reason.

Thinking about this, Chloe felt her heart being pricked by her own pettiness.

“If calling by name is uncomfortable…”

Chloe’s eyes darted around when she couldn’t meet the waiting eyes head-on.

“Oh!”

A familiar figure caught her eye from across the alley.

“Sir Wensley, hello.”

“Oh, hello?”

A woman with silver-gray hair cut near the chin, wearing a police uniform, Noel Wensley, who had visited the Count Palatine’s residence regarding the separatist arrest case.

‘We’re not close enough to be this happy to see each other…’

The fact that she felt like a lifeline made her voice sound overly friendly. If you had to choose between someone who emotionally burdens you and someone with whom you have no emotional exchange, wouldn’t you naturally choose the latter?

Even Chloe could feel the difference in how she treated Lucien, and once again, she felt a pang of guilt.

“I didn’t expect to see you in the Handlung district.”

“I heard there’s a lot of interesting stuff, so I came to have a look.”

“There are such rumors, indeed.”

As Noel Wensley replied, her gaze shifted from Chloe’s face to Lucien behind her.