Chapter 11 - Part 2 – Finding the Sioux

Chapter 11

Part 2 – Finding the Sioux

After she returned to the Duchy with the check in her chest, the rumor spread like wildfire.

Lisa, who came to clean up the decorations, had put something in her hair, smiled brightly, and said.

“Oh, Laria…! I heard you won a huge sum.”

“Yes, I was lucky.”

Lisa was a veteran maid who had worked at the Duchy since she was still young.

She was calm, and her hands were firm, never showing nervousness. You could feel the professional eyes she had every time she put clothes in their chamber.

“Thank you, Lisa. Even from back before, I think you’ll be in the newspaper for making me look pretty.”

Lisa was the one who worked hard to make the combination of clothes and accessories when she didn’t have much time to go out.

She had such a calm personality that she looked stern, but she was certainly a hardworking person.

“Everyone that I have met said that I looked pretty.”

Of course, it may or may not be true, but I still received a compliment anyway.

“Yes, Lady Laria looks good in red.”

“I received a red cravat from Evan, so everyone says it suits me. They must have thought it’s cute because we were a couple.”

“I need to talk to the butler and get a little more budget. I’ll order more red dresses. Your eyes are red, so they must have thought that it is a perfect pair.”

Lisa looked at me in the mirror one more time as if she was proud of her eyes and then changed the topic.

“But what are you going to spend all that money on?”

“Well.”

Laria didn’t let her guard down because Lisa might be a spy that Duke Icard sent.

“It was easy to get the money, so I’ll spend it on something good.”

It was apparent that there would be a trace of where she spent a lot of money that she suddenly got.

Therefore, she decided to mince her words rather than say something useless.

‘I’m thinking of just letting it go and donating it.’

“Oh, to where?”

“I’m not sure. It’s gonna have to take you a lot of time.”

Lisa spoke with an admiring look on her face, and she then murmured, blurring her words.

“Well… to a sick orphan who doesn’t have money…”

The poor, sick orphan was me, so I was not lying. Come to think of it. I was the same in my previous life. My parents weren’t there, I didn’t have money and often fell sick.

The reason why I felt pity for Evan was because he was standing absent-mindedly at the graduation ceremony. My graduation was not a good memory either because I had no one to celebrate with.

“Little Miss, you’re so nice.”

“Just call me Laria. Little Lady sounds a little awkward.”

Lisa laughed as she unbuttoned the back of my dress after she had finished organizing my hair.

“…Madam Matilda was such a warm person.”

My mother’s friend, the Duchess.

Lisa went on in a slightly sad tone.

“They used to make a lot of donations here and there.”

“I see.”

“You’re so lucky that you have such good luck. In a way, she’s very similar to you, Laria.”

“R-really?”

“So, she would also say the title ‘madam’ was awkward, and she then told me to call her Matilda instead.”

At first glance, Matilda seemed to be a completely different person from me, but she happened to look like that to others.

“If Ms. Matilda were alive, she would…”

Lisa said with a slightly sad smile.

“She would probably really have taken care of you, Miss Laria.”

“Would she?”

“Of course, there’s a world of difference between Matilda and the Duke when she’s gone…Oh, my.”

Lisa was whispering but was surprised at the presence she felt inside the room. Then, she silenced her voice and whispered.

“Is he inside?”

The room that Evan and I were sharing was quite spacious.

There were no obstructions, but it was somewhat divided inside and outside.

“Yeah. I told Evan not to come this way because she was changing.”

“Ah…”

“Why?”

Lisa pressed her lower lip as if she made a slip of the tongue.

“It’s just…I wish I hadn’t talked about his late mom in front of him like this.”

It’s nothing but a compliment to his mother.

Well, people here have strangely talked a lot about Matilda.

Probably because the Duke’s atmosphere is completely different when she was alive, to when she’s gone.

When I was secretly eating the Ocrasia fruit in the greenhouse, the servants and maids didn’t often didn’t notice my existence and would pass by saying, ‘When Matilda was around…’

“It’s not Evan’s fault that Ms. Matilda died…”

Duke Icard, the only one who can say and challenge him, has avoided and left Evan alone.

It’s not what she had experienced, but she still felt that Evan wasn’t there.

“Now, you can wash up and change.”

Lisa sighed slightly, unable to hide her uncomfortable expression.

Evan was reading a book with no expression as he went inside the room after washing up and changing into his indoor dress.

I’m sure he heard our conversations, but he didn’t say anything.

“Reading again? You only read difficult books.”

She spoke to him first. Evan nodded his head without even looking at her.

She laid down on the bed first and glanced sideways at Evan.

In fact, there was not much information about Evan Icard for her. In the original, Evan was called Sub Male Lead.

On the other hand, she was just a very non-existent supporting role.

Not even a few sentences from him. He was like that probably because he was always indifferent without doing anything.

‘He was more like a cameo rather than a supporting actor.’

His marriage to Laria ended with just a single line. He didn’t cry, even for a little.

So, how did Seymour, who was a commoner, got up so high?

To the extent that Elaine, the Princess, fell for him?

“You’re younger than me, but you’re amazing.”

“I read this book when I was younger.”

Evan answered calmly.

“This is not much.”

“Really?”

I got up from the bed and said,

“Okay, I won’t do something great from now on.”

I had recovered a lot, but I couldn’t say I am healthy, as I am already out of energy.

It was quite unreasonable to go to the race venue with this paper-like body.

Evan murmured as he yawned and covered the blanket.

“…You don’t have to be so stubborn.”

She blinked her eyes.

Evan’s sullen words continued.

“You’re rather heartless.”

He was so cute that she held back her laughter with her lower lip.

In his childhood, Evan seemed to be pretending to be cold instead of being blunt.

“Well… I don’t think I can attach myself to the Duke when everyone misses Ms. Matilda.”

It was not anyone’s fault, but it was a situation where they had to shrink strangely.

And she was weak for a little intimidated child. She wanted to be nice to Evan, who was going through a lot.

“Well, not only the book but the horse racing was great today. Nineteen times!”

She said with a yawn.

“I was just lucky to take it, but your research was good. You look even better.”

“Well…”

She grinned inwardly when she saw the back of his neck turning red. He was so cute when he was acting shy.

“By the way, did you have fun today?”

She couldn’t overcome the surging sleepiness and mumble for the last time.

“I wish we could go out together more often.”

It was enjoyable.

It was good to go with Duke Icard and be guided to VIP seats, for everyone to be friendly to me, and to praise me with good words, calling me the little mistress of Duke Icard.

They baited money, but the taste of power was also thrilling.

It was also fun to hang out with the Duke, who acted like a ghost every day and dressed beautifully when he went out.

Because she had never lived like this in her previous life.

In fact, the best thing was she had someone.

Even if it was Duke Icard, who might later kill her, and Evan, who wouldn’t blink an eye if she died.

At first, she planned to go alone, but asking Evan and Duke Icard to come with her seemed like a good choice.

She felt strangely good whenever others told her that they were a heartwarming family.

Somehow Evan, who she had caught a sight of before falling asleep, looked like he was nodding his head.