Chapter 69

Lady Nordic continuously paced the room, grumbling about Meia.

“How do we get rid of that sharp-tongued Lady Hatzbellua? Ash, don’t you have any good ideas?”

Ash scratched his head irritably and replied with annoyance.

“It doesn’t seem like things will go as planned, Mother. That lady is not an ordinary person.”

Diana, sitting on the bed, expressed her frustration.

“My dress became a second-hand dress! She laughed at me. The Grand Duke doesn’t even look at me.”

“Diana, the timing wasn’t right. You should have tried to seduce him when he was alone.”

“I don’t know! I don’t know! I really don’t know!”

Diana felt so disheartened that all her efforts leading up to today seemed meaningless.

There had never been a man who rejected her so coldly. It was always she who did the rejecting.

Yet, she found herself attracted to Theodore, who had rejected her outright.

A flower blooming high on a cliff is more beautiful and hard to obtain, but if it can be had, it’s worth not giving up.

“Mother, I really desire the Grand Duke.”

“Just because you desire him, do you think he’ll marry you?”

“I just need to make it so he has no choice but to marry me.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

“Should I sneak into his bed?”

Surely, a man of his youthful age wouldn’t be able to refuse her.

“You’re not joking about that, are you? It’s not right for a noble young lady. What if you get rejected? It would bring shame to the family.”

“It would be nice if we could at least drink together.”

“He hasn’t had his coming-of-age ceremony yet. Don’t forget, the Grand Duke is seventeen.”

“Even at seventeen, he’s the head of his family; if he wants to drink, he can!”

“The Grand Duke just rejected your request earlier. Do you think he’ll agree if you ask to drink together? Diana, be a bit more rational.”

“I don’t know! Brother, think of something. Or frame that lady or whatever she is and get her thrown out.”

Ash’s original plan was to ‘seduce Meia.’ A woman in love becomes very foolish.

He intended to make her fall for him so he could manipulate her.

“Damn it!”

But Theodore never left Meia’s side. His gaze was always fixed on Meia. He barely acknowledged their greetings. There was no chance to get them alone.

Moreover, whenever Meia stood up, Theodore quickly approached, extending his hand to escort her.

<Where are you going?>

<The library.>

<May I accompany you?>

Wherever Meia went, he escorted her. Even a dog wouldn’t follow its owner this diligently.

And it was clearly the gaze of a man in love. Meia also became gentle when looking at Theodore, completely different from when she looked at him. They were undoubtedly in love with each other.

How could he possibly seduce her in this situation! There was no opening, and it was disheartening.

Ash sighed, and while Lady Nordic was gossiping about Diana and Meia, late afternoon had already arrived.

*

Meia returned to her room and pulled out a dress from her magical bag.

This dress was a creation by Clairira. It was the only one of its kind in the Carpen Empire.

The reason was that no one ordered it.

The dress Clairira gifted Meia was designed to perfectly reveal the elegant curves of her body. The fabric was thin, making it impossible to wear a corset that cinched the waist.

With a line down to the knees and a skirt that flared from the thighs, adorned with lace and elaborate embroidery, the dress showcased a slender and alluring silhouette.

Called the ‘Mermaid Dress,’ it couldn’t be ordered by anyone who didn’t have the figure for it.

Moreover, someone too skinny couldn’t wear it. It would look unimpressive.

But when Meia wore this dress to a banquet, Clairira received an overwhelming number of inquiries, and many refunds were requested with the reason, ‘I can’t wear it like Lady Meia.’

So, Designer Clairira added a cute ruffle to the waistline of the mermaid dress, which allowed her to sell many.

“Agnita.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“I’m going to wear this dress.”

“Oh my! It’s the mermaid dress.”

Agnita was well aware of Clairira’s mermaid dress.

She remembered how, after Meia wore the mermaid dress to a banquet once, many designers were inspired to create similar dresses and sent them as gifts.

A dress everyone wanted to wear but couldn’t! A dress that only Meia could pull off!

Agnita was thrilled just by looking at it.

“Miss, are you really going to wear this? I’m so excited!”

Meia smiled broadly and said,

“Please do my hair and makeup to match.”

“Of course, Miss!”

Agnita, with a blissful expression, happily arranged Meia’s silky hair.

“Miss, since you’re wearing the mermaid dress, how about braiding your hair and pinning it up with floral pins?”

“Agnita, that’s a good idea, but skip the floral pins and make sure not a single stray hair falls.”

“Should I pin it up without braiding?”

“If you can pin it all up neatly, braiding is fine.”

The mermaid dress accentuates the facial line, neckline, and collarbone, enhancing an alluring atmosphere.

“Understood, Miss.”

After doing her hair and makeup, Meia put on the dress and looked in the full-length mirror.

“It’s nice.”

“Miss, it seems you’ve lost a little weight.”

“I’ll increase my food intake.”

“Yes, you should eat a lot for dinner today.”

“I’m looking forward to dinner tonight anyway.”

Her smile didn’t fade as the pleasant evening approached.

Theodore was waiting for Meia to come out, standing behind the corner of the hallway.

<It will take about an hour or two to change and prepare.>

<I’ll wait in front.>

<It takes time.>

<I want to wait.>

Meia told him not to wait because it would take time.

He should have listened, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Theodore’s dilemma deepened.

Should I return to my room? Or should I wait? 

As he pondered, he realized quite some time had passed.

If he stayed a little longer, Meia would soon come out.

Even the time it would take to return to his room and come back felt wasteful. So the answer was clear.

In case Meia opened the door and came out, he peeked from behind the corner of the hallway, waiting for her.

Maid Ellie, passing by, found Theodore hiding behind the corner and was about to greet him, but another maid, Rita, covered Ellie’s mouth and passed by.

“Your Grace, Grand Duke….”

“Shh!”

Maid Ellie nodded repeatedly, looking at Rita, who had covered her mouth.

Then, several servants discovered Theodore hiding behind the corner and were surprised, but fortunately, they skillfully pretended not to see him and passed by.

That was their way of showing respect to the master they served.

Theodore peeked out from behind the hallway wall, unsure when Meia’s door would open. Then he hid again.

When Meia’s door opened, Theodore rushed to the front of the door.

“Oh? Your Grace, you arrived just on time.”

The moment he saw her directly, his face turned bright red.

She was beautiful, wearing a dark navy dress that perfectly matched her fair skin and blue eyes. It felt like a noble goddess had descended before him.

Moreover, the dress clung tightly from the upper body to the knees, revealing her figure, making her shoulder line and neckline clearly visible, leaving him unsure where to look.

Somehow, looking at her made him feel like a bad person, but he couldn’t not look. Though he had escorted her more than once, his hands trembled.

Every time she walked closer, the dress’s hem spread out on the floor, shimmering like the stars of the Milky Way, making her look even more beautiful.

“Grand Duke Theodore, were you waiting for me?”

Seeing him flustered with a red face and rolling eyes, it was clear he had been waiting for her.

“I hate being apart. I waited because I want to be by your side even for one more minute.”

He recently detested being apart from her.

After she allowed one hug, he didn’t hesitate to hold her hand and embrace her at every opportunity. Of course, she liked having Theodore by her side. He was reliable and trustworthy, and she didn’t dislike being in contact with him.

“I’ll have to go to Carpen for the coming-of-age ceremony soon; what will you do then?”

“I heard that dignitaries from each empire can participate in the coming-of-age ceremony in the Carpen Empire. I will attend as a dignitary and stay by your side.”

Meia smiled and said,

“Then you can come with me to the Carpen Empire.”

He raised the corners of his mouth endlessly and said,

“Of course, I’ll go with you.”

“You can stay at our duchy.”

Meia found Theodore’s smiling face so adorable that she approached him.

As she got closer, he shyly covered his face with his large palm, then lowered his hand and whispered as he moved closer to her.

“May I lean on you, my lady?”

“Today, you’re asking before leaning.”

Saying that, Theodore laughed heartily and suddenly embraced Meia’s shoulders tightly.

“Thank you for allowing me to go with you.”

Once he hugged her, he wouldn’t let go.

Meia patted Theodore’s back as he hugged her and said,

“The guests are waiting, so let’s go quickly.”

“Who is she?”

“Do you remember Lady Marienne? The one we met at Elrn Port.”

“Of course.”

“Lady Marienne and designer Clairira are very similar. They like me a lot. They always send their best creations to me first. So I’m very grateful.”