Chapter 10

“Oh yeah, I need to put a door near the stairs to separate the first and second floors. It would be nice if it was cute and round in shape, like these windows. Aha, so this must be the kitchen and living room. It’s smaller than the one on the first floor, but it should suffice. What?! Look at this oven! Oh my gosh! It’s so cute! The owners must’ve paid special attention to the kitchen out of affection. You saw the kitchen on the first floor too, right? It was decorated very nicely. Hm, it’s unfortunate, but I need to get rid of it… No, wait. Do I really need to get rid of it? I need to think about that more. Anyways, the exterior color looks old and outdated, so it may be better to paint it white. The brick wall, repaint it white. The roof and door, let’s see. Blue? Green? What color should it be?”

Oh, right. Kathia scanned for a reaction after rambling on by herself, before receiving a response from a calm voice.

“It may be good to use your hair color, sister.”

“…Yes, pink. Let’s make it bright pink. It’s a color that suits the doll shop well.”

Facing directly towards Deon, Kathia turned her eyes up and smiled. It was a rare smile of pure happiness.

A smile like a sherbert gently melting in midsummer.

More sensitive to the light than others, Deon squinted his eyes and clenched both of his fists whilst looking up at the sky, like he was restraining himself.

“Princess! Your belongings have arrived!”

At that moment, Hughes shouted from downstairs. Kathia replied with an “I will be right down,” before nodding at Deon, urging him.

“Let’s go, Deon.”

“….Yes.”

His sluggish answer rang deep.

But then again, it was tough to see whether he was different or not compared to usual, so Kathia didn’t think much of it and headed downstairs.

A tall man and woman were carrying a few bags that were as big as Kathia’s torso downstairs.

They were probably members of the Barkley Unit like Jonathan.

Concealing their faces except for their eyes with their mask and hood, they left the heavy bags without saying a word, bowed, and then left.

It wasn’t simply a matter of opening the door and leaving, they vanished, just like the wind. Always a spectacle to behold, Kathia had to blurt out, awed.

“How in the world are they able to exit that impressively every time?”

“It’s easy when you’re able to manage your aura.”

Jean replied while scratching the insides of his ear. If someone were to hear that, they would think ‘aura’ was the name of a neighbor’s dog.

With no talent for magic or swordsmanship, Kathia’s lips twitched.

“Sir Troy. You know you’re pushing my buttons, right?”

“I am well aware that I am one of the best.”

Geez, that sure pisses me off. But, he’s right. Kathia opened her suitcase with a frown.

Although she was hopeless at both swordsmanship and magic, she had her own notable set of talents.

“Only filled with completed art pieces and supplies.”

Hughes clicked his tongue behind her back. It’s reasonable why.

In all the bags, she barely packed any dresses nor jewelry, and every time a suitcase opened, either finished embroidery projects, embroidery hoops, ornaments made from twisted threads, collections of differently colored bolts of fabric, or sewing kits popped out.

“This will be the basis for making money.”

Kathia ambitiously beamed.

“Oh, that must be a hyacinth.”

Jean boasted of identifying the flower while just looking at the unfinished embroidery project still on the hoop. Kathia held the hoop out to him to see.

“I started this two days ago. How is it?”

“There’s no need to say anything about your embroidery skills, Princess.”

Hughes nodded in response to Jean’s words. Even Madam Murphy looked proud of her whilst unpacking.

Indeed, Kathia was good with her hands.

Her ability and speed were far superior and unrivaled than any royal tailor or sewing maids.

Not just her sewing skills, but in anything she could make with her hands, she was skilled.

Hughes drooled over the endless amount of elaborate embroidery and detailed braided, threaded ornaments spilling out from the bags.

If Kathia were to open an embroidery shop, Jean would have first dibs on investing in the name of Marquis Glodis’s family.