Chapter 27

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Chapter 27

“My lady, we have arrived.”

“Ah…”

My mind was blank. I had that dream again. The dream in which Selena appeared and clung onto me. Even though I really tried to push her away…

It seemed that my warning to stop showing up had gone in one ear and out the other. ‘As expected of our Selena.’

“Ngh… right. Thanks to you I arrived comfortably. Thank you for the blanket, Aiden.”

“…I’m relieved. Shall we get off when you’re ready?”

I ran my hand through my hair. It was recently brushed, anyway, so I straightened it with my hands and it went back to its original state. That was enough.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

There was about an hour left until the arranged time to meet with Young Lady Jonas. We arrived much earlier than expected… In fact, there was a reason why. It was to make it appear that my outing was simply for enjoyment.

No matter how much Aiden claimed to be an ordinary servant, wasn’t he actually a wizard? It was clear that if I made a mistake, I would be dragged away before I could even implement the ‘pla’ of my plan. My new rule was: no more failures.

“My lady, there’s a long time before the appointment… What should we do?” Aiden bowed his head and asked.

‘What to do… Going anywhere is good. To a place where I can sit down, preferably.’ Without audibly answering the question, I looked around slowly. I was sure there was a place I saw a few days ago when I went out with Lucas…

‘Oh, I found it.’

What I saw was a large two-story cake shop, the most famous place for tea and cakes in the square. Although there were few people, cakes were luxury goods, so it wasn’t as crowded as other places. Besides, I was going to trick Aiden and run away today, so I should’ve fed him something he liked, at least.

“There.”

Aiden turned to where my finger was pointing and then looked back at me.

His eyes appeared to be saying, “Really? Over there?”

Aiden seemed to have stopped his pretenses these days, so was being an actor not his taste?

I shrugged and repeated myself to the dumbfounded Aiden. “There.”

We settled on the second floor with a good view of the outside. The round table looked pretty cute with its engraved flowers.

Soon, a staff member with a menu board walked in. On the menu board, colorful cakes were drawn with pictures, and their names and prices were written next to them.

It certainly wasn’t a cheap price to ordinary people. Aiden’s eyes twinkled as he looked at the cakes, and then frowned when he saw the prices.

“What looks good to you?”

I moved the menu so that Aiden could easily see it. ‘Cake’ was Aiden’s only luxury, so he might’ve known better.

He glanced at me and looked back at the menu.

“Well… I think the lemon yogurt cake would be fine… Strawberry shortca- ah, cookie cheesecake…”

Although I heard him listing the cakes, I honestly couldn’t understand a word.

‘What…? Short…? Yogurt cream…?’

As Aiden talked about the cake types, I heard stories as he pointed out the ones that were good with his finger and a bright face. He was explaining the tastes. The employee who was standing next to him also looked curiously at Aiden, who was excitedly babbling about cake.

And how long it had been for… I was sorry to cut off his exciting explanation, but I was getting bored. The employee next to him also had a strange look and changed his expression to, ‘Now stop it and place an order please.’

‘Should I offer the employee seat next to me? Isn’t this almost a party reunion?’

Snap~ When I flicked my fingers, Aiden, who was immersed in the cake world, raised his head.

I asked about what cake looked good, not about how each cake tasted. It was the moment when I had to wake him up, because I didn’t have time to listen to the cake lecture.

“Stop. I won’t even eat any cake at this rate.”

“I apologize, Milady.”

Aiden bowed his head, thinking that he had gone too far. ‘What are you bowing and apologizing for?’

I shook my head lightly and handed out the menu to the employee, who had suffered for a long time.

“Three of the most popular things here and two of the most popular teas.”

‘Mister Employee, I’m sorry.’

The cake that our extreme-job-employee brought was a chocolate cake decorated with strawberry whipped cream, lemon yogurt, and full chocolate.

‘Oh, I should have asked you to leave out the chocolate cake. It’s my fault for not telling you in advance, what should I do?’

I shrugged and pushed the chocolate cake to Aiden.

“I should’ve asked to remove the chocolate cake.”

“It’s fine, you eat it well.”

“But, my lady, you don’t like it,” Aiden said as he looked at me. His wrinkled forehead as he looked at the only cake I wouldn’t eat made it seem like he was worried about me.

When I thought about his words…

‘My lady doesn’t like it.’

For someone to know what I liked and disliked… It was new.

In my previous life, no one cared about ‘my’ likes or dislikes. Not even myself. I always had to take care of my parents and act while thinking about what they, and my younger sister, would like or dislike…

I slowly lifted my fork and ate the yellow cake in front of me. A sweet and refreshing taste lingered in my mouth. It was a cake I had never eaten during the Duke’s tea time. Not too greasy and not too sweet. It was perfect for the last supper.

Though, naming it ‘the last supper’ was quite funny, as I only ate one or two bites of lemon cake and strawberry cake and handed it all over to Aiden.

[tl/n: Referring to the mural painting ‘The Last Supper’ by Leonardo da Vinci]

Strangely, my throat was so dry that I couldn’t swallow the sweet stuff anymore. As if my body was rejecting it.

Actually, sweets didn’t fit this life.

I looked out the window after watching Aiden smiling happily while eating the cake I handed over. Even though the sun outside the window was warm, I felt a strange chill, and I swept my arm with the palm of my hand.

The place where I decided to meet Young Lady Jonas was at the Rose Velvet Salon in the Duke’s estate. Considering me, who wasn’t fully recovered yet, they decided to meet at the salon within the Duke’s fief. Well, regardless of that, it was said that this salon was quite famous in the capital.

“The Duke’s Esteemed Daughter, Selena!”

[tl/n: Here ‘esteemed daughter’ is used as a title. In ancient times this title was used to refer to high-ranked children]

As I got out of the carriage, a lady standing in front of the salon ran up to me. Strangely, her face was somewhat familiar.

Come to think of it, I think the invitation had a name other than ‘Count Jonas’s Young Lady’ written on it… What was it?

‘Vi… Vi…’

“Young Lady Vivian.”

“Oh my! You remember me!”

The lady in front of me looked as if she was thrilled and smiled broadly.

‘I guess I got the name right.’ Come to think of it… It was probably this lady here who approached me before attention-seeker Mia approached me at the party… Due to the attention-seeker’s momentum, Vivi’s presence almost completely faded.

When I saw her face in person, I barely recalled the face of that day.

“Of course. Thank you for accepting my request, Young Lady Vivian.”

“I’m so happy to be able to see Young Lady Selena again! Oh, let’s go in together and talk first!”

“Yes.”

‘When others see us, we will look very different. One is overly active and the other is too subdued. Wouldn’t this be how an office worker looks after work walking his dog? Go slow, Puppy.’

“Ah, Rose Velvet’s guild has a deep connection with our County. Madam’s skills are amazing. Accurate dimensions, clean design. To the point of leading the trend. You’ll probably like everything.”

Vivian chatted next to me. She spoke to the point I would have felt thirsty, but she kept babbling without even changing her expression. Thanks to that, I just had to nod my head whenever it was the right moment.

Ding~ When a cheerful and luxurious bell rang, a woman approached with a quick pace.

“Lady Vivian! Welcome! I was waiting! And… Princess Selena?”

“Please just call me Lady Selena.”

The title of princess drew too much attention to be called so in a public place. Vivian’s eyes lit up next to me, as if she had noticed my heart.

“Don’t worry, Young Lady Selena. This place is by reservation system, so they only accept two teams per day.”

“That’s right. Because our salon mainly caters to noble ladies, reservations are required. Feel free to look around.”

“Ah yes.”

Whether what Madam said was true or not, we were the only guests in the large salon. It was comfortable and nice because no eyes were looking at me. However, I had to think a little about whether it would be good for my plan. In fact, it would be easier to run away if people were a little bit fussy and absentminded…

“This line is the new design introduced this time. It’s a line that decorates the neckline with a fancy necklace, which may feel empty on the extraordinary off-shoulder.”

“It’s good.”

The corners of Madam’s lips rose at my answer. There was no better advertising effect than the one of a high noble wearing clothes. She showed off some other gorgeous dresses thanks to my answer. They looked very beautiful and luxurious, despite being on display. Even to me, who lacked a sense of aesthetic, to a point you would think, ‘Ah… they’re masterpieces.’

But there was one problem, excluding the fact that I was going to die today. I had one question.

“Everything is good. By the way… I’m just here to see the small garden party outfits, but do you usually wear these fancy clothes at that kind of party?”

The two people who were excitedly showing off their clothes stopped their actions. Apparently, they were obsessed with showing off their clothes, so they seemed to have forgotten the original purpose. If that wasn’t the case, I really didn’t know how to choose a single outfit. Either way, the two looked puzzled.

It was then, in the momentary silence, a loud bell rang. The door to the salon was locked after we entered, so the sound was proof that someone was banging on the locked door.

“Oh my, oh my, what’s this?” The madam, who had a more bewildered expression than before, bowed her head and quickly walked towards the door.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

Vivian frowned as if worried, and turned her neck to the same direction Madam was headed. Soon, one of the people Vivian had brought in called her and she halted.

“Should I go and check it out, my lady?” Aiden, who had been quiet as if dead, whispered to me.

“No, that’s fine.”

‘Why would you buy yourself such a hardship?’ We would find out what was happening soon, anyway.

[tl/n: idiom meaning ‘why would you trouble yourself with that?’]

“I apologize, but no! We have guests right now! The lady’s appointment is in three hours!”

“So noisy! I don’t have time right now, who dares to be here when I should be watching first!”

‘See? We’ll find out soon.’ It was a very familiar voice, a sharp one that sounded like it would tear the air. It seemed that Selena and that woman had a deep relationship–even if it was ill-fated. Because there was no way that deep connection was with me.

“There’s a guest inside!”

“I am the guest now! Shut up and guide me quickly!”

Vivian, who was next to me, also frowned as if she knew the identity of the voice, and glanced at me.

‘Why are you looking at me? We aren’t related at all.’ I slowly got up from my seat.

“Young Lady Selena?”

I heard Vivian calling for me, but I just went on my way. Then she jumped up and followed me. Aiden, needless to say, followed me as well. A maid and a knight that Vivian brought along followed us lastly.

Suddenly, I was leading a small corps with a bird formation, and we moved towards the sound.

“Don’t get in my way and get out of here!”

“Kyaaa! My la… My lady, what, what…”

“What is this? How dare you speak that way to me when you just run a salon?!”

With every step I took, the friendly voice grew louder and louder. Oh, it was still the same. It seemed as if blood was gushing out of my ears.

The voice stopped, as if it heard our footsteps. As soon as the scorching red hair caught my eye, it seemed that she had already found me from the other side as well.

The expression on her face, which had looked very angry, gradually turned pale, and she alternately looked at Madam, who had fallen on the floor, and me.

There was no sign of greeting from her side, so I decided to say hello first. ‘Greetings are basic manners between people.’

“We meet again here, Young Lady Mia Rashapel.”

After a long time, her eyes shook greatly. Seeing her shaky pupils and realizing that Selena’s Medusa ability didn’t disappear, I took a step closer. As I approached with one more step, attention-seeker Mia opened her mouth, trembling.

“That… that’s right. The Duke’s Esteemed Daughter, Selena… How have you been… Young Lady?”

I shrugged quietly at her question and went over to Madam, who was still lying on the floor, dazed, and lifted her.

“Yes, well, I have been doing fine until just now.”

‘But now I think my ears will bleed because of you.’ Mia, who still had a sore throat and a squeaky voice, rolled her eyes as if she understood what I meant.

“Ah… That’s… That’s fortunate.”

Amid an awkward atmosphere as if lovers who had really parted ways had met in an enclosed space, Vivian, who was removing her presence as much as possible next to me, spoke out.

“Oh my! Young Lady Mia Rashapel, how have you been?”

Ah, the cute three-way had begun once more. Of course, things were a little different this time…

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