Chapter 62

Nessi and Mito succeeded in grabbing hold of the Mistress, who they assumed would rush to Etra immediately to report them.

“We’re sorry!” Nessi bellowed, looking petrified.

“It’s okay,” Ilyin said as she laughed. The two maids must’ve thought another maid had walked into the room and realized it was her.

“Are these the clothes that are coming to the warm region with us?” Ilyin pointed at the colorful pile of clothing on the bed.

Nessi bowed, “Yes, ma’am. We heard that it’s also winter in the warm region, so we chose some thicker items for you to take with you on your journey.”

Ilyin took a look at the clothes that the maids had gathered together. Although they were considered a bit thin for the winter region, in the warm region, the clothes would be way too thick. And besides that, none of the nobles over there would wear items such as these in the winter. The higher their status, the more they wanted to wear flashy clothing regardless of whether it was too cold or warm.

As she looked at the clothes that were puffy and cute-looking, Ilyin chose her following words carefully, “These clothes seem to be a better fit for winter region people.”

Hearing her words, Nessi and Mito looked at each other, and Nessi asked, “Are they too thick?”

“Yes. In the warm region, something a bit thinner would be more suitable,” Ilyin replied, taking care not to upset them. She then looked around the dressing room. “Can you show me the clothes that would usually be worn by people when it’s not cold at all?”

The maids led her to the back of the large dressing room. New clothing, that didn’t seem to have been worn by anyone, hung on the railings as if awaiting their new owner. “These clothes are all yours,” Mito said with a big smile on her sweet face.

Ilyin wondered if the clothing had been worn by the previous duchess. She slowly looked over the clothes and remembered that the previous generation’s duchess was Aden’s mother. So she would’ve been middle-aged. Yet, it looked like her style of dress was that of someone younger.

“We prepared it new this time,” Nessi added.

“I beg your pardon?” Ilyin responded despite herself.

Their Mistress looked far too surprised, and Nessi and Mito looked at each other. Nessi then stammered, “That, they prepared it shortly after you arrived, ma’am.”

Ilyin’s mouth opened. She didn’t look around entirely, but most of the clothes in the dressing room looked like there were for women. “Everything in here?”

Even in the winter region, it wouldn’t be strange to buy or change clothing every season. Of course, in the winter region, there would only be winter. But she was told by the maids that Biflten’s seasons were from January to April, where February was not so cold, and April had the lowest temperatures. So there was a way to tell the seasons apart. And it looked like someone had taken it upon themselves to buy all the clothes for January to April already.

“If you don’t like them, I’ll tell the other maids to prepare different clothes,” Mito said quickly. She could see that her Mistress was uneasy.

Ilyin finally came back to her senses, raised her hand, and stopped her, “No, not to worry. I was just surprised that there are so many outfits.” She kept calming the maids down by speaking in a soothing voice.

“If there are any clothes you need, please call us,” Mito said.

As if they still didn’t feel relieved by Ilyin’s words, Nessi immediately added, “And if you need anything else at all, please let us know!”

Ilyin smiled at the maids who wanted to look after everything for their Mistress. “I’m okay, honestly. Thank you, this is more than enough.” She was sincere in what she said, and they weren’t empty words. There were more than enough clothes and accessories for Ilyin to choose from, and even if there were a lot less, she’d still be content. For her, Delrose’s attitude of wanting to do anything for her was more than enough.

As her face seemed to be relaxed, the maids soon recovered their sunny dispositions. “Which clothes do you like the best?”

After searching through many of the outfits, Ilyin picked something much thinner than what the maids had picked out. In the dressing room, there weren’t too many thinly-lined clothes. It was likely that they didn’t know how cold the warm region people would feel. Therefore, they couldn’t prepare adequately.

“Since we’re going because of the Acid Merchant, we’ll probably go to one of the merchant buildings. So I’ll wear these clothes first, and then if we end up staying longer, we can buy more,” Ilyin said. Then her eyes widened. “Oh dear, perhaps there’s no budget allocated for the trip.”

Mito shook her head aggressively, “No way! His Majesty told us to prepare for the trip without anything lacking.”

Ilyin then recalled what Aden had said, “If you come to the warm region with me, I’ll show you how bad of a person I am.” She’d chosen to go impulsively but was still bothered by those words.

Ilyin was also at a loss for what she’d say to her father if she met him in person again. Since she was now the Duchess of Biflten and the Mistress of the Biflten House, each one of her actions could affect the prestige of the Biflten House. She wasn’t sure if she could stand confidently in front of her father and look him directly in the eyes like she had done in her dreams.

As Ilyin’s expression darkened, Nessi and Mito carefully observed her. “Ma’am? Is there something wrong?”

Ilyin shook her head. “If it’s okay, can I see the clothes His Majesty will be wearing?” They’d prepared such thick clothes for her, so it was highly likely they’d done the same for Aden.

The two maids looked at each other and bowed to Ilyin, and Mito said, “We’ll lead you there.”