| Chapter 21

Exciting rumors about the Bickman family began to circulate in the world. The story was that the girl who had been accused of killing Baron Bickman was actually an illegitimate child of the Bickman family.

It was said that because Nora Almon, who was known to have poisoned the baron, was the girl’s guardian, the baron frequently visited that house to see his daughter, but Nora misunderstood his intentions and poisoned him.

“I’m telling you, that’s not it. The baron must have seen how much he cared for his daughter and definitely demanded money. They must have fought over that and she killed him.”

“That’s wrong too. Nora Almon was famous for swinging her voluptuous hips at anyone. Today it’s this man, tomorrow it’s that man, she was with someone morning and night. She left all the nursing of her old mother to the maid. And Baron Bickman? He lived a dissolute life with dozens of lovers. So the rumor that Nora was the baron’s lover is probably true…”

“Shh. Watch your mouth. If you talk carelessly and it reaches the ears of the Bickman family, your tongue won’t be intact.”

“Is that daughter really of Baron Bickman’s blood?”

“At least it seems the baron acknowledged her as his blood. She had a very old pocket watch that had been passed down from previous generations. It seems the baron gave it to her to sell and use if life got difficult, but get this, she kept it even while doing hard maid work.”

“The new head of the family must have accepted her because he found such sentiment admirable.”

“If it had been a son, it wouldn’t have happened though.”

“I wonder if the eldest son knows?”

“I hear he’s been holed up in a castle in Glen province for years and doesn’t care about family matters at all.”

The trivial matters of noble families were interesting topics for commoners. Moreover, this Bickman family affair was a stimulating content mixed with murder and secrets of birth, so everyone was busy talking about it.

“I heard the new baron who will succeed the title is quite fond of her?”

“Look, the siblings have just come out.”

“Where, let’s see what this lucky young lady looks like?”

I was nervous. First of all, the clothes and hair ornaments were uncomfortable, and as soon as I got out of the carriage, I felt that all the passersby stopped and stared at us.

For me, who had only gone out to the market and laundry place while taking care of Mrs. Vino in a secluded place, this kind of attention was really tiring. I thought it might be more comfortable to wash diapers with cold-stiffened hands at the laundry place.

“Lucy, you’ll fall like that. I told you to hold onto your brother’s arm tightly.”

Kirhin, dressed in a dark blue velvet outfit elaborately embroidered with silver thread, approached and placed my hand on his arm. His red hair, lightly combed back, shone as brightly as his smile in the sunlight.

He wore clothes embroidered with my hair color, emphasizing that we were siblings, and placed decorations of his hair color on my head. The large hairpins stuck on both sides of my head were quite heavy and made my head hurt, but I didn’t have the energy to worry about that.

I barely started walking, leaning on his arm. My mind was filled only with the thought that I shouldn’t make any mistakes. It was my first outing in about ten days.

When I wake up in the morning, I wash and groom my hair with the help of a maid, then have breakfast. After that, I learned about noble posture and basic etiquette from an etiquette teacher all morning, and in the afternoon, I read books or learned to dance.

I usually had dinner with Kirhin in the dining room. He always came back with a tired face in the evening, probably busy with the matters concerning his succession, but he always asked about my daily life without fail.

It was only ten days, but I painfully realized that even nobles are not always comfortable. Their straight posture and gestures, which seemed naturally elegant, were the result of etiquette and rules trained from childhood. There were too many things to pay attention to even when eating, and there were many questions to ask and not to ask during conversations.

Sometimes I wondered what I was doing here, if I was dreaming. I still woke up early every other day looking for Mrs. Vino.

“Aren’t you cold? Maybe I should have brought a coat. No, new clothes aimed at winter should be out by now. It would be nice to look at them. I think a white coat with rabbit fur would suit you. Bright primary colors might look pretty too.”

“It’s okay, there are already enough altered dresses.”

The late baron, who was generous with gifts to his lovers, had ordered many dresses from various dressmakers. Moreover, there were pre-purchased fabrics, so Kirhin instructed to alter them.

The new dresses made that way already almost filled the wardrobe, but it seemed not enough in Kirhin’s eyes.

“As soon as we receive permission from the royal family, the succession ceremony will be held soon. I’m thinking of introducing you to people for the first time then. I can’t let you wear someone else’s clothes on such a day. Because you’re my lovely little sister.”

Kirhin, who tapped one of my cheeks with a smile, soon began to walk, enjoying people’s gazes. I blinked, concentrating on each step.

…Wouldn’t it look strange to be too fond of a half-sister who suddenly appeared?

People seemed to think he resembled his father a lot. That his attitude of not thinking deeply and just trying to enjoy life dissolutely was exactly the same as the late baron. The fact that he had many lovers thanks to his splendid appearance and still didn’t pass by a new woman also played a part.

But my thoughts were a little different. I didn’t know much about the late baron, but at least Kirhin was more than those rumors. He often took long walks alone in the garden late at night or sat in the study looking at mountains of documents. No one outside would know his face at those times.

“If you understand this big brother’s heart wanting to dress up his little sister nicely now that he has one, could you please loosen that tired expression?”

When Kirhin whispered those words and leaned slightly, I barely moved my gaze from staring straight ahead to him. The corners of my mouth softened a little.

“I’m not tired, I’m just nervous. There are too many people.”

Moreover, because Kirhin’s appearance and attire were flashy, he was attracting people’s gazes like a magnet. It was killing me to receive even gazes I shouldn’t have to.

“I wanted a little sister. The child who didn’t make it out of mother’s womb was a girl.”

My eyes widened at his sudden words. I knew his mother had passed away during childbirth, but I didn’t know it was a girl.

Kirhin’s blue eyes, which had been quietly looking into the distance, turned to me. His charming eyes were now full of smiles as if nothing had happened.

“It means you don’t need to be nervous because this big brother will protect you well so nothing happens. Understand, pebble?”

He certainly had a way of making others feel comfortable. Listening to Kirhin’s words sometimes made me wonder if the times I slept in the stable with my parents were just a dream.

I smiled without realizing it, then quickly bit my lip. Kirhin stroked the fur decoration covering my neck and whispered.

“And you need to develop an eye too. For what’s quality and what’s not. That’s also one of the virtues of nobility.”

“I can distinguish fresh vegetables or fruits well.”

“Then shall we learn how to distinguish jewels and fabrics now?”

As we went around dressmakers and jewelry shops, I felt my mind becoming hazy. And during that tour, I realized one more thing.

Kirhin wasn’t a good shopping companion. He was very picky and wouldn’t be satisfied until he saw every item in the store. By the time we reached the eighth shop, I felt like I wanted to faint on the spot.

“Your father really liked our shop too. As you can see, all the best luxury items available in Edmus are here. It’s an infinite honor to serve the second generation baron like this.”

“I came to buy some accessories. What do you have that could adorn the head and neck of my beautiful sister here, Anton?”

“She is truly a beautiful sister, Baron. With such beautiful hair. If you come this way, I’ll show you our shop’s finest items.”

The owner was very courteous and had a great talent for selling. While Kirhin and he were having a heated discussion about accessories, I took a moment to catch my breath and look around.

There were brilliantly crafted jewels everywhere, but to my untrained eyes, they just looked like colored stones.

To think that distinguishing such luxuries is one of the tasks of nobles.

Feeling somewhat bitter, I was casually looking at the display when my eyes suddenly stopped at one spot.

On that display, white fur was laid out to highlight the colors of the jewels, and in the middle of it was a green jewel emitting a lustrous light.

A clear and cold green light. It resembled his eyes. The object with the jewel embedded in it was a perfume bottle that could be attached to clothes.

It was small in size, but that made its intricate craftsmanship even more noticeable. The green jewel in the center was surrounded by engraved flowers and branches as if protecting it.

I felt a bit dazed as it was the first time in my life I thought I wanted to own something. I wanted to check the price, but the items on this display didn’t have prices marked.

Though I didn’t know much, I could guess that the things here would be very expensive.

“…so I’d still prefer if we could find a sapphire with more of a purple tint. Is there anything you like here, Lucy?”

Startled by Kirhin’s presence approaching me as I was staring at the perfume bottle, enchanted, I stepped back. The owner’s face brightened as he rushed over in one step.