Having experienced this many times while doing business.
Rather than seeking an apology, I feared my identity would be discovered. But since the Duke had been thoughtful toward me, ignoring it didn’t seem right either.
After some deliberation, I finally reached this conclusion.
“Ilina.”
Ilina is the deputy head of this trading company.
If I sent her as my representative, I could instill a subtle warning in Ersia without exposing my identity at all.
She would realize that what she had messed with wasn’t just some model.
“Yes, Miss.”
Ilina responded politely to my call, and I spoke.
“You’ll need to go in my place.”
“Me? But I don’t even know what this is about……”
Ilina’s eyes showed she didn’t understand. That made sense since she only knew I had attended the fashion show wearing a mask, not the other circumstances.
After a moment’s thought, I opened my mouth.
“Ersia seems angry at me for taking her dress during that incident.”
“……What?”
“She caused trouble last time. Then His Grace the Duke stepped in, resulting in the current situation.”
At my concise explanation, Ilina finally nodded in understanding.
“Caused trouble? Seriously. She refused to do it herself, and someone else filled in, but now she’s complaining? And to you of all people, Miss!”
“I don’t know what happened, but I don’t like the name Ersia from the start.”
As Ilina expressed her anger, Sherry chimed in beside her.
But that anger soon turned to confusion. Ilina suddenly asked as if she couldn’t understand:
“Why don’t you go yourself?”
“I don’t particularly want to expose my identity to Ersia.”
“……Ah.”
“If you go for me, you can instill some caution without revealing my identity.”
“I see. Oh, it’s cold outside.”
Ilina was polite but always spoke her mind.
Seeing her grumble about the cold, I couldn’t help but smile. I unwrapped the shawl I was wearing and draped it over Ilina’s shoulders.
“Wear this.”
It wasn’t expensive, but it was warm and light—a shawl I’d been using often lately. I had worn it during the fashion show too.
“Oh, it’s warm.”
At Ilina’s exclamation, I smiled and waved my hand.
“Take care.”
“Yes! I’ll be back!”
With that, Ilina walked away and soon disappeared completely as the door closed.
Tired from the earlier reception, I lay down on the makeshift bed.
“Sherry, could you wake me up in an hour?”
“Of course, Miss! Sleep without worry!”
Sherry responded enthusiastically to my request, and I fell asleep with a slight smile.
According to what Ilina told me after meeting Ersia, she seemed unusually anxious, unlike her usual confident self, as if someone had caught her weakness.
She kept asking to meet that model, and Ilina had difficulty turning her away by saying I wasn’t available.
One thing to note here is that Ilina didn’t just turn her away.
She sensibly called out Baroness Dupont and even secured an apology for the Baroness. After apologizing, Ersia reportedly said:
“I’ve definitely apologized. You understand that, right?”
Like a student seeking confirmation that her homework had been checked.
That point seemed a bit suspicious, but what did it matter?
In the end, Baroness Dupont was in such a good mood after Ersia’s apology that she hummed during work hours that day.
Not only that, but Ilina was also pleased, saying it was satisfying to see someone she disliked put in her place.
Seeing them both happy made me feel good too.
But on the other hand, I felt somewhat bitter. Would we have been able to extract such an apology without the Duke?
At the same time, I was newly impressed by his high position.
To put direct pressure on a family just because he didn’t want to see someone around him lose face.
For him, that was probably a very trivial matter.
I could do the same if I set my mind to it, but I feared the losses that would follow.
‘He really is an extraordinary person.’
How did I end up entangled with such a person?
Life truly is unpredictable, I thought.
❀❀❀
Time flowed on, and before I knew it, we were just one week away from the wedding.
And the usually quiet Ophelia residence was unusually noisy from the morning.
“Please eat. The chef has really shown his skills today.”
The large table where the three of us sat was filled with all kinds of elaborate dishes.
‘So that’s why they were making such a commotion while preparing.’
Father usually ate lightly and preferred vegetarian food, but he had clearly made an effort for our important guest.
“Isn’t this too much for just three people?”
At Father’s words, the Duke smiled and replied, and Father burst into hearty laughter.
“You need to store up energy in advance.”
But somehow, Father’s eyes looked lecherous when he mentioned “energy.”
“Father……”
The Duke seemed to notice it too, visibly flinching for a moment. But whatever his scheme was, he soon smiled and answered:
“My future father-in-law speaks wisely.”
“……?”
Just as I tilted my head at his attitude.
Suddenly, he picked up his fork. He began cutting the steak into large pieces and putting them in his mouth.
For someone else, this might have seemed a bit rough, but perhaps because he was from the imperial family, due to his ingrained etiquette, even such actions looked elegant. But my eyes widened at behavior he would never normally exhibit.
Especially since I knew why he was acting this way.
“Your Grace, what’s wrong? You’re eating like you’ve been starved.”
When I spoke with a forced smile, the Duke replied with a slick smile:
“I am hungry, aren’t I?”
At that moment, his gaze fell on my shoulder. Specifically, on my bare shoulder exposed by the off-shoulder dress.
Though his tone was playful, I couldn’t help but shiver at his strangely persistent gaze.
“……What?”
“I haven’t been eating well lately because of trading company business.”
The corners of the Duke’s mouth curved like a crescent moon as he spoke. I was dumbfounded by his nonchalant response and had my mouth open when he whispered in a gentle voice:
“You should eat a lot too. As your father said, you need energy.”
“……?”
“Isn’t it tiring working at the trading company?”
Perhaps Father liked what the Duke said, as he finally burst into hearty laughter.
❀❀❀
After the meal, the Duke and I boarded a carriage to go shopping in town.
Since Father had agreed to look after Elysion to get to know him better, only the two of us were in the carriage.
But perhaps because we had eaten such a hearty lunch, for a while, we both dozed off from food coma. Then, after about 10 minutes, when the drowsiness began to fade, a fact suddenly flashed through my mind.
“Ah.”
The Duke looked at me with curious eyes.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Yes, I do.”
This man is really quick on the uptake.
“What is it?”
Perhaps because I was drowsy and mentally hazy? Surprisingly, the words flowed out without hesitation.
“Lady Ersia came looking for me. To apologize.”
“Ah.”
The Duke’s eyes suggested he roughly knew what I was going to say.
‘Just as I expected.’
So it was indeed his doing.
But that knowing look lasted only briefly; the Duke soon wore a gloomy expression.
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t bear to see you being mistreated.”
The Duke seemed to think I found it burdensome. But that wasn’t the case at all.
While I was a bit afraid my identity might be revealed, I had received the apology through Ilina as a proxy, so I hadn’t suffered any impact at all.
“No, not at all.”
The Duke looked surprised at my response. As if countering, I added:
“I was actually grateful.”
The Duke’s eyes widened even more.
“……That’s unexpected.”
After a while of silence, a voice tinged with surprise flowed from between the Duke’s lips.
“I thought you would find it troublesome.”
“To some extent, yes.”
“……Then why?”
His eyes turned to me as if he couldn’t understand.
“Because you did it out of concern for me.”
“……”
“It was too generous for a business partner.”
“What are you trying to say?”
The Duke asked with a voice full of doubt, and I smiled and answered:
“Just, thank you.”
The Duke’s eyes widened at my words. As if he never expected to hear such words from me.
It was a bit sudden.
Since when? I became defenseless in front of him.
Unintended words escaped my mouth. Just like now.
‘I wonder what I really want to say.’
The irony was that I didn’t know my true feelings.
I found it burdensome when he crossed the line, yet I didn’t dislike it. But since that was all there was to it, I didn’t try to correct my emotions.
So this was just a bond that could easily form between friends. There was hardly any need for it.
Our conversation ended when the Duke, after looking at me with surprised eyes, said, “I see.”
❀❀❀
Even as we talked, the carriage continued running without pause. At the end, the carriage arrived at the noble commercial district.
The noble commercial district was a space where nobles could enjoy shopping.
Traditionally, nobles’ consumption activities involved summoning vendors to their homes, but times had changed.
More nobles preferred to go out and see and choose various products for themselves.
That’s why such commercial complexes were developed.
The noble commercial complex was lined with various stores, from all kinds of clothing shops to high-end general stores and shops selling sweet desserts.
I even spotted the café where I had gone looking for Ersia last time.
The thought of shopping excited me.
Until now, I had focused so much on making money that despite having money, I never had time to spend it.
“Where should we go first?”
At my excited question, the Duke thought for a moment before answering:
“I heard there’s a famous jewelry craftsman nearby.”
“Oh, really? But we’ve already matched our wedding rings.”
“Still, you might want to buy something pretty if you see it.”
The Duke had a point. If it’s pretty, I might want to buy it. Having spent so long cutting ties with social circles and just working, my mind had become rigid.
Dresses and jewels used to be almost daily affairs for me.
Feeling somewhat unfamiliar with myself, I nodded.
“Let’s go then.”
❀❀❀
Upon entering the jewelry shop, various accessories filling the display cases caught my eye.
The staff, quickly scanning us both, seemed to recognize our status and requested to show us items in the VIP room, but the Duke and I politely declined.
The charm of street shopping is enjoying the view while standing like this.
Just as I was gradually taking in the beautiful jewels one by one, the Duke suddenly looked at me. When our eyes met, I tilted my head at his somewhat embarrassed gaze.
“What’s wrong?”
Then he said with an awkward smile:
“May I use the restroom for a moment?”
“Ah.”
After being momentarily flustered, I soon smiled and nodded.
“Yes, go ahead.”
The Duke whispered in my ear with an apologetic expression:
“If there’s anything you want in the meantime, feel free to buy it. Please bill it to House Esteban.”
With those words, the Duke turned around and soon disappeared in search of the restroom, leaving me alone in the store.
More precisely, I was left with the employees.
“My lady, is there any product you’re interested in?”
A female employee approached me. She had clearly been unable to properly sell due to being mindful of the Duke and was only now approaching.
The other employees were whispering among themselves, and it was obvious they were talking about me and the Duke.
That made sense because until now, my outings with the Duke had only taken place in nearly deserted places, his mansion, or stores he owned.
It was the Duke’s consideration, knowing I disliked media exposure.
But now, with the wedding just a week away, we had ventured out for the first time in a while.
Yet the gazes that followed stung like thorns in my neck.
Despite having anticipated this, I couldn’t help but feel intimidated by gazes that seemed to say, “That woman with Duke Esteban?”
Perhaps that’s why. Although the Duke had told me to send the bill to him, I didn’t feel like spending money that way.
I could clearly see how they would gossip behind my back for this behavior.
‘They’ll probably see me as an old divorcée approaching the Duke for his money.’
I once stood at the center of social circles.
Knowing well how divorced women’s lives were devalued and judged, I had to be careful with every word and action.
I glanced at the employee and began scanning the display case.
Seeing the bright accessories momentarily stirred my desire to buy, but I soon shook my head.
‘That’s just greed.’
Since I wouldn’t be attending parties anyway, buying something just because it’s pretty…
Of course, I had more than enough money, but most of Black Rose’s employees were commoners from single mother backgrounds.
Perhaps from seeing lives struggling without a few coins, I didn’t feel like spending money on vanity.
Especially since accessories targeting nobles typically cost more for craftsmanship than the actual gemstones. When resold, if the design’s trend had passed, the price could drop to less than half the purchase price.
There seemed no reason to buy something with zero value as an asset.
However.
‘Maybe I’ll buy a watch.’
My gaze unconsciously turned toward the watches. Specifically, toward the men’s watches.
‘I’ve been on the receiving end too much.’
Since it was the Duke who proposed this contract marriage, it had mostly been the Duke spending money so far.
In noble society, when a man and woman date, the bill is shown only to the man—that’s how entrenched the culture of men spending money is.
Feeling subtly apologetic, I headed toward the corner displaying watches.
I planned to buy one before the Duke returned and surprise him later.
Regardless of how much money one has, a surprise gift always feels good.
‘Which one would be good?’
Afterward, I spent a while looking for a watch that would suit the Duke.
In the end, one watch caught my eye.
‘It looks just like him.’
The watch that naturally evoked such a thought had a black strap with a silver face.
The tiny rubies and diamonds adorning it matched the Duke’s image perfectly.
After looking at others, none seemed to suit him better than this one.
Without further hesitation, I called an employee.
“I’d like to buy this one.”
“Oh my, you have good taste. Are you buying it as a gift for your boyfriend?”
The employee complimented my taste verbally, but she couldn’t hide the look in her eyes.
The sharp gaze contained scrutiny, asking why I was trying to buy his gift with his money.
Perhaps that’s why. I deliberately spoke in a firm voice:
“That’s right. Put the bill under Ophelia’s name.”
And as if proving my suspicion correct, the employee’s gaze wavered.
“O-Ophelia?”
Her tone was as if confirming whether I had spoken correctly.
“Yes.”
But disliking causing a commotion, I simply answered quietly.
Afterward, the employee packaged the watch and handed it to me, and as I was putting it in my handbag, I suddenly looked at the clock.
‘It should be time for him to return.’
More than 10 minutes had passed since the Duke went to the restroom. It was strange that he hadn’t returned yet.
‘He seemed to be heading outside earlier?’
I tried to recall my earlier memory and left the store, looking around.
But I couldn’t know the direction of the restroom, nor could I see any trace of the Duke. Just as I was thinking of going back in:
“Oh my, Lady Ophelia. It’s been so long.”
An unfamiliar yet familiar voice penetrated my ears.
Turning my head at that voice, I saw familiar faces.
“Lady Ophelia? Oh, it really is her.”
“We were worried you might be sick since we hadn’t seen you for a while after that incident, but here you are.”
I knew well the three ladies throwing comments at me.
They were part of a group I used to hang out with when I was actively participating in social circles.
From left to right: Lady Rolls, Lady Adeline, and Lady Richard.
Translator
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bluemoon238
That would quite literally piss me off. What right would a sales person have to give judgmental looks or comments to clients willing to spend? Sure, if one causes trouble in the store, but not to those keeping polite and willing to pay up. Bad for business.