Chapter 40

“You’re here to find this old man.”

“Since we’ve come to the Duke’s Castle, isn’t it natural to greet the owner first?”

The topic ended there, as any addition would be nothing more than nitpicking without any benefit. However, that did not mean that the ensuing conversation was particularly useful or beneficial.

Following Vera’s instructions, after she had finished unpacking, she sighed and left Leon behind. Duke Verdin was not a difficult opponent, but there was something about him that made people tired.

A child who is kind like Leon and cares about the atmosphere around him will surely be restless.

The Duke said to Elisha who was holding the teacup.

“I heard that the future schedule is more demanding. You must have worked hard on your way from the capital to the Duchy, so rest in peace until you depart.”

“Thank you for the hospitality.”

After Elisha said her gratitude, she took a sip of the tea and set the mug down.

She wanted to get out of this distasteful Duke’s Castle quickly, but there was a minimum formality that she had to have as long as she was moving in the name of Barossa.

As if reading Elisha’s thoughts, the Duke added.

“If a precious guest goes too quickly, the people will whine that the Duke has neglected the guest. Still, we won’t hold on long as the situation is in place. Don’t worry.”

After that, more polite conversation took place before Elisha took her leave.

Elisha went to her assigned quarters.

When she opened the door from the hallway and entered, it was a luxurious place with three separate rooms along with a drawing room.

Upon entering, Leon was playing with Benjamin. The second daughter-in-law of the Duke, who introduced herself as Vera Lager, was watching her children with supreme joy.

“Hmm.”

When Elisha made a move, Vera got up from the sofa in shock.

“You’ve arrived, Your Majesty.”

Vera had not received any instructions prior, but belatedly, she was worried about whether she and her child had been staying for too long.

Benjamin, who doesn’t communicate with children his age or even with his mother, shows interest in someone for the first time, so she forgot for a moment that the other person has a noble status.

However, Elisha just passed by Elisha as if she had no idea about it, and leaned on the sofa for a long time.

If it had been a dress, her outfit would have been messed up, but at the moment, Elisha was wearing the outfit the Emperor gave her.

On her way back to the room, no one took a strange look at Elisha’s outfit, perhaps Marquis Rwanda had given them a warning in advance.

Although he did not seem to be very pleased with the freedom of the 2nd Empress.

“Do you know where to fit clothes?”

“Huh?”

“Clothes. Where to find clothes similar to this one.”

Elisha pointed her index finger at her chest.

“Ah…”

Vera hesitated.

Not only did she not know where to get such a special thing, she didn’t even know a high-end store where the 2nd Empress could fit her clothes.

Elisha waved her hand as if she knew her concern.

“It doesn’t have to be exactly like this. I just need a place that can make something similar. It doesn’t have to be of good quality.”

Elisha had never bought anything like clothes, and she didn’t have time to match them, so she bought a few sets of anything in the city she stopped by during the itinerary, but everything was unsatisfactory.

First of all, there weren’t many places to make and sell pants. Not to mention most of the ready products being sold were either too short or too wide for Elisha, who is taller than average.

“What if…”

As Vera spoke, Elisha looked up at her.

Vera licked her lips a few times, then slowly averted her gaze to see whether Elisha found her bothersome before she continued to speak.

“If it’s just one suit, for now…”

Elisha raised her arm and placed it in front of her nose.

Sniff! Sniff!

“I don’t think it smells. Does it smell?”

As Elisha tilted her head and reached out her hand, Leon leaned over and buried the tip of his nose.

Sniff! Sniff!

Leon, who had his nose twitched like a small beast, shook his head.

“It doesn’t smell?”

When Elisha wrapped Leon’s body with her outstretched arm, put it on top, and patted him on the back, Vera seemed to have a hard time figuring out where to start.

For some reason, it reminded her of Marie, the maidservant of the 2nd Empress Palace, so Elisha added a little more explanation.

“When I rode the carriage or practiced swordsmanship, I changed into the clothes I bought along the way. If I cover it with a cloak, nobody can tell the difference.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes, but I have no spare cloak, so I wore the same thing over and over again.”

Elisha wiggled the hem of the cloak on her back and pulled it to the tip of her nose.

Leon followed.

Before Vera could say anything, once again, the both of them… Sniff!

Seeing the two people of noble status squatting and doing this, Vera could not bear it any longer and approached them, and said.

“I-If you hand it to me, I will clean it up.”

“You’d do it?”

Elisha asked because she thought she was merely doing her a favor by taking and entrusting it to the maids.

“Ah? Yes. I know how to do it because I’ve done it often in the past. How to handle the fabric, and how to care for it and wash it…”

Apparently, it seems that Vera was trying to do it herself.

Even Elisha, who lacks common sense in the human world, knows that it makes no sense for the second daughter-in-law of the Duke to be accustomed to such a thing.

When Elisha’s sky-blue eyes darkened, Vera was startled as she realized that she had misspoke in bewilderment.

“What I mean is that, I…”

“Since you’re good at handling fabrics, that means you can make clothes too, right?”

She wondered why these words came out all of a sudden, but Vera answered once.

“I-If it’s simple.”

“How lucky I am.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Have you ever met someone who can give you what you need in a situation that can be said as hopeless? Here, before me now, is a daughter-in-law from the commoners who has the skill to make clothes.”

[T/N: These are not her exact words, just close enough to convey what she means. The literal translation is a bit confusing]

While speaking, Elisha grabbed Leon and put him aside, then loosened the ornament on her shoulder that was holding the cloak.

Vera looked down blankly at Elisha who grabbed the flowing cloak with her hand and pulled it out in front of her.

She thought that contempt, rebuke, and suspicion would pour on her for speaking like a maid, but there was only a dark cloth in front of her eyes.

Vera accepted Elisha’s cloak without realizing it.

“Whether you repair it with the clothes I bought from the other places or make it with a new cloth, just do what you like.”

“Yes?”

“Thank God. To do anything here, I would have had to go through a very attention-grabbing and cumbersome process, but thanks to you, the troublesome work was relieved.”

“Ah! I-I…”

Vera hesitated, crumpling the cloak with her fingertips.

Elisha thought Vera had said those things because she wanted to do it.

Isn’t it like this?

Wasn’t she bragging about how good she was?

“Did I make a difficult request?”

Elisha raised her upper body a little to get back the cloak she had handed to her.

Elisha is relentless in whatever she has to do, but there’s no need to make others do something they don’t like.

Unlike Elisha, who had a natural shift in thinking and judgment, Vera was not able to follow this series of events.

For Vera, accepting the offer to guide her in the castle instead of Anne was already the best thing she could do with all her energy.

So, let’s just stop here, to stimulate Anne further is not helpful, but dangerous.

Vera, who held out the black cloak to Elisha, thought that it would only make matters worse by stepping up like this, since the rumors related to her origin are not disappearing.

‘How lucky I am.’

The words of the 2nd Empress just before came to mind, and she stopped her hand.

She said she was lucky to have met Vera herself, not as the daughter-in-law or Benjamin’s mother to the Duke.

Vera took back the half-pushed cloak back to her side and hugged it tightly.

“Not just the cloak. Please take off the clothes you are wearing now. I will take a look at the form, clean it up, and return it to you.”

“Will it really be okay?”

“Yes. I will not disappoint you.”

When Vera answered, Elisha got up from the sofa.

As she stood up, a maid waiting in one corner came and served her.

Marie is responsible for the 2nd Empress Palace, so she could not follow Elisha. Therefore, this maid was sent in her stead.

Originally, it was right for a few maids to accompany the Empress on a journey, as an addition, Marie said it was absolutely forbidden for Elisha to go alone, so Elisha had to bring at least one of them.

Elisha took off her uniform and changed into a light dress with little embellishment with a faint frown on her brow.

She did not reveal much, but it was clear that she was having a heartache because she just lost her favorite clothes.

“By the way, isn’t that the gift that His Majesty gave to you? Will it be okay to make and wear other clothes?”

As Marie said, the maid who seemed to be sitting in another carriage the entire way was quiet and calm, and her voice was cautious.

“What now? I’ve already bought and worn different clothes several times.”

“… I understand.”

If she had known in the middle, she would have stopped her. Unfortunately, when the maid saw the 2nd Empress, she was already walking around wearing that strange outfit.

“If someone asks you if His Majesty gave it to me, you can just say yes. They will not point out every single one of my clothes, and I wouldn’t be wearing a cloak without any spare.”

So, it’s not totally a lie.

Besides.

“It doesn’t matter if they want to point out my clothes. If we say that I’m simply making and wearing something similar to what His Majesty gave me, who can say anything?”

Elisha spoke confidently with that tone, as if she was merely stating the facts. And even though it sounded different to the listeners…

…they couldn’t really find anything wrong with her words!

But that doesn’t mean she can go out recklessly!

Unlike the maid and Vera, who had a stern expression on their face, Elisha knew that the Emperor would be behind her no matter what she was doing in the West, so she didn’t feel the need to talk more about it.

When things came to an end, Elisha looked down at the children.

Benjamin, who was approaching her, grabbed Leon’s hem and sniffed around.

It’s as if he’s trying to imitate what the two people did a while ago.

Leon was also doing it again, raising his arms, sniffing at his scent.

Embarrassed, Vera tried to stop the child, but Leon shook her head as if it was okay.

Then he stroked Benjamin’s hair.

“I don’t think I smell, what do you think?”

Benjamin, who had buried his face in the smell, lifted his head.

The child’s strangely blurred eyes began to focus.

“You smell good. Would you hate me if I come closer to you?”

When the child asked, Leon puffed up his cheeks and lightly flicked the child’s forehead with his index finger.

Ttak!

There was little power, but a faint red mark was left on Benjamin’s forehead.

Leon thought it was hurting more than he expected, so he covered Benjamin’s forehead with his palm and rubbed it in a circular motion.

“Why do you keep asking if I hate you? I don’t hate you. I won’t hate you even if you make a mistake, because you don’t do it on purpose. If I hate something, I’ll tell you. Because I’m the big brother.”

“Big brother?”

“Yes, big brother. A big brother is like that. My big brother is also like that. He’s never been angry and treats me kindly. My big brother is the best!”

When Ascencio was mentioned, Benjamin tilted his head.

Something is bothering him, but he is frustrated because he doesn’t know what it is.

“Our Leon not only has a big brother, but also a big sister. Jillian will be very angry if she finds out that you have adopted a younger brother without her knowing.”

“Ahhh, there’s no way that’d happen, Mother. Would Jillian do that? Jillian will love him too. Benjamin is so cute!”

When Leon smiled cutely, revealing his white teeth, Elisha shrugged her shoulders.

As someone with a good sense, Jillian will probably try to get rid of that child before Leon as soon as she sees it.

Look now.

Elisha thought of touching him a little, not knowing what would be the result. Will he sharpen his eyes and stare back?

Elisha looked down at the child and gave a warning with her eyes.

As the coldness in her sky-blue eyes grew on the child she was facing, he finally winced and stood behind Leon.

Leon thought she was joking, so he hugged Benjamin tightly, while Vera was moved by the appearance of the 2nd Empress, who surprisingly got along well with her child, and her eyes shone brighter.

Only the maid, Dorian, sighed and organized the room that had turned messy because of a change of clothes.

Thus, the first day at the Duke’s Castle was concluded.