Chapter 37

“It’s been a while since I saw you, Young Master Kaon.”

“How have you been?”

Deborah, the famous seamstress from Briar, bowed respectfully. Her boutique had become famous in recent years, and had grown to the extent that it was sought after not only by the nobles of the Duchy of Ferdinand, but also by those from nearby territories.

As such, Leonida chose to invite Deborah to their estate rather than to have their outfits tailored in the distant capital.

“I am living comfortably through your grace and trust, which I shall do my best to repay.”

“Simply do what you do best and all will be well.”

“Thank you.”

After the ritual words of courtesy were exchanged, Deborah immediately set to work, diligently measuring and recording measurements with admirable accuracy.

Even as someone who had no interest in fashion, Kaon could recognize her skill.

“You don’t have enough time, do you?”

There was only a little over a month’s worth of time left before the court banquet. She might have been a wonderful seamstress, but it was still difficult to make new clothes in that short a time.

“If I had to make them from scratch, yes, but the young master’s clothes were prepared since last autumn so I simply need to alter the sizes.”

“…Since last autumn?”

“Yes, Baroness Robert had visited me then, so I was able to prepare a number of patterns.”

Convinced, Kaon nodded.

“When Miss Alessia’s dress has been chosen, we’ll just have to decide which of the fabrics and designs will be used for your suit.”

The statement was rather bothersome.

In short, Alessia’s dress had not been decided yet.

If a month was not enough for a man’s suit, then it surely would not be sufficient to make a woman’s dress.

“…Alessia’s dress is being made separately?”

“Well, I hadn’t heard anything about making her a new dress. Up until today, I’d thought that it was getting tailored by someone else.”

“Untill… today?”

“When I got here, Baroness Robert asked me if I could make a new dress for Miss Alessia, I explained that it was impossible because that I would be too pressed for time, so today we decided on having an existing dress altered to her size.”

“Only today.”

Kaon was at a loss for words. Baroness Robert was well versed in social activities. She couldn’t not have known how long it would have to take to make a dress.

She must have known, seeing that she’d given Deborah notice of new clothes for him last autumn.

“Do I have to stand here for a long time?”

“No, it will be over soon. If you’re busy, I can speed it up.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could do that,” he responded briefly, eyes darkening.

***

“I heard you called, Young Master.” Baroness Robert bowed, graceful as always, a familiar affection in her gaze.

“Beverly, have a seat.”

“Yes, Young Master Kaon.”

Looking back, he knew that she had always taken care of him and Leonida with love. Sometimes harsh, sometimes warm.

Their mother had also relied on her heavily during her life. While the baroness had not pleased with her humble origins, she did her best to support the new duchess.

It was Baroness Robert who restored order in the estate after the deaths of their parents. Even their uncle, who was eager to gain legitimacy by tricking the vassals into supporting him, did not dare cross her. It was not a stretch to say that she was more like family to him then his other relatives.

Kaon also cared for her deeply, so he had no intention to criticize her too much. However, he wanted stuff like this to be avoided in the future.

“I heard that Alessia’s dress was not prepared in advance.”

“Yes,” she affirmed calmly, as if she had already predicted this situation from the moment she was called.

“Can you tell me why you did not prepare it?”

“Because it’s not my job.”

“It’s not your job?”

“Yes.”

Kaon frowned. If it was not Baroness Robert’s job, then whose was it?

She spoke again, explaining, “Miss Alessia’s dress must be prepared by Ingelos. My position is in service to Ferdinand only, so if I get myself involved in that, I will be overreaching.”

“But she’s staying in Ferdinand now. She’s my…” He hesitated briefly, “…She’s my fiancée. You know that she didn’t have a lot of things with her when she came.”

“And that’s the thing, isn’t it?”

“Beverly!” Kaon’s patience broke, finally raising his voice for the first time against the baroness.

She, too, seemed a little agitated, the thin crack in her composure mending itself quickly. “Young Master, Ingelos did not send a dowry.”

“Alessia and I are not married yet. The dowry is sent when the ceremony is about to be held.”

“Of course, that is usually the case, but an engagement wherein one party moves to the other’s estate is a different story.” Her dark turquoise eyes flashed with contempt. “Like you said, she arrived in Ferdinand with practically nothing but her own body. There was only one carriage, with not even a wagon to be seen following…”

Kaon kept his mouth shut. Baroness Robert was not wrong.

In fact, Alessia was not well-received the first time because she brought no gifts with her, let alone a dowry, which was tantamount to ignoring Ferdinand outright.

“If Ingelos really respected Ferdinand, would they really do that? If they had seriously considered this engagement, they wouldn’t have. It was Ingelos who betrayed their duties first, not me.”

He couldn’t refute the things she said, all the more so because he knew how much she cared for the duchy.

“Young Master Kaon, I will never do anything to harm Ferdinand. Not in the past, not in the future.”

His determination to have the last word faded, and he had no chance but to let her excuse herself.

***

Kaon glanced around the conference hall and the empty seats in it. It was the day for deciding the new inspection route, but Alessia wasn’t there.

Actually, she hadn’t been around for some time.

“What about Alessia?”

“The maid came earlier and took her for dress fittings, apologizing for the rush.”

“Ooh, a dress? It seems that the lady will also be attending the court banquet. Hm, I will defend her with all my might, so can you take me with you?”

“That’s enough, Maurice. It’s not your place.”

Kaon looked at Niels gratefully for saving him the trouble of opening his mouth.

‘Has the dress been chosen?’

With less than two weeks left until their departure, it obviously had been, but he still felt uncomfortable.

Although he didn’t like it, the court banquet was an event that most nobles dreamed of attending. In particular, the one held in spring was famous for being beautifully decorated, and was awaited by many young ladies.

He heard that those attending were fully prepared to stand out—something that his cousin Gideon probably said, as someone who enjoyed banquets.

In order to keep up with the latest trends or create new ones, any decent family would have hired a famous seamstress and put all their efforts into receiving an excellent product.

But now, Alessia was going to attend with a mended dress.

Kaon knew that Baroness Robert was right, but he was still worried. He wondered if it was the right thing to do in response to the offense Ingelos committed.

“Ah, how beautiful Miss Alessia must be! You must be careful with your eyes, Sir Kaon.”

“What about my eyes?”

“Why, you may be blinded by her beauty!”

Kaon glared at Maurice, who didn’t budge at all, being so used to such annoyance directed at him.

“Oh, Sir Kaon, the man who has good fortune truly is not aware of it! I suppose you will only feel regret when a smitten man challenges you to a duel for her hand.”

A duel, just for that? What sort of man would do such a thing? And even if it did happen, what was it to him?

He snorted. If it was his former self who liked Alessia, he might have been affected, but now he would rather laugh if some crazy man fell for her act.

It would be a big, hearty laugh, too.

Thus, Kaon began mentally preparing for something that had not yet happened.

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