Chapter 26

10. Obsessed (1)

Translated by alyalia

“The little Duke chose a lady who wasn’t famous and didn’t look pretty? Unbelievable. Anyway, I’m better than her.”

“What the hell did she do?”

I could easily feel that they looked down on me just by their strange glances. If I had been the lady I used to be, I would have been afraid of their sarcastic remarks and chattering.

‘…’

However, the current me didn’t have much emotion.

‘As long as I have the Io’s power, it’s easy to break their poor life like cutting down wild grass.’

The more they looked down on me, the more confidence grew within me. Raising my head even more, I showed a perfect way to walk according to the manners that were already engraved on my body.

“…”

As I showed my dignified attitude, their glances soon disappeared.

“These are the new dresses that will be introduced this summer.”

“Don’t you have anything a little thick to wear right now? This lady will be celebrating her birthday soon.”

“If that’s the case, how about this dress? If she wears long gloves and a hat…”

As we entered the center of the boutique, Aloken began to choose my clothes at his will.

‘Well, I guess there’s something he wants me to wear for my birthday banquet. Shall I look for a dress that I’m going to wear to another party in advance?’

I didn’t really mind it and looked around alone for a few minutes at the countless designs from the boutique.

“How do you like it, Lady? If there is anything you want to try on, I will bring it to you!”

“I-I will take a look a little longer.”

This place must be one of the best boutiques in the Kingdom, but none of the designs were to my liking.

‘As expected, this store didn’t sell dresses made with black cloth…’

This was purely because my taste was unique. A black dress that others would wear at funerals. Since I was a child, it looked so beautiful in my eyes. I didn’t like my black hair and black eyes, but I really like black fabric. However, black was the color that nobles avoided because it was used for mourning or servant’s clothing. I was even told that it was rude if someone wore black fabric to the banquet, saying that they ignored the banquet’s host, so no matter how much money I have, I never had a chance to wear a black dress.

A few minutes later.

“Vanora, did you find any dress you like?”

Aloken walked towards me while talking to a person who appeared to be the boutique’s chief seamstress.

‘Come to think of it, in the midnight novel I saw, Vasago often wore sky blue dresses. I’m sure it’s already in trend.’

I, who had thought it thoroughly, answered without difficulty.

“There’s a saying that calm sky blue dresses will be in trend this year. So what if it’s a sky blue dress?”

“Are you talking about this light blue cloth?”

“I have no interest in fashion. So I don’t know what to choose for this season.”

Upon hearing my answer, Aloken’s response was dull. But whatever Aloken’s reaction, it was true that I wasn’t interested in fashion. I just wanted to get out of this boutique quickly.

‘I’ve looked around, but the prices are all too burdensome.’

My little pocket money and the future fund I will receive as a birthday present are money that needs to be used up a lot in the future. So I thought it was a waste to spend the money on dressing up.

“Hmm, sky blue. It doesn’t seem like it would suit you well.”

“Then, little Duke can choose what you like. You’re the one who buys it, so how could I complain about that?”

“Hey, don’t call me little Duke as a joke.”

After a useless chat, Aloken knocked on the floor with his cane to call the nearby clerk.

“Yes, did you call for me?”

“I’m sorry, but my sweetheart doesn’t seem to have much interest in clothes. So there will be no other order to change the design.”

“Oh my gosh, the lady is more gentle and obedient than I thought.”

“Then…”

Now that we’re done ordering dress, I wonder if we could simply proceed to take my measurements and go home.

All of a sudden, this sentence came out of Aloken Jalier’s mouth.

“I order all the women’s clothes in this boutique and deliver them to the Celcius mansion.”

“How long is the deadline?”

“?”

“You don’t have to worry about it because I will give you a generous amount, but the dark green dress over there, I want it to be delivered within 4 days.”

When I heard those words, I reflexively grabbed Aloken’s hem.

‘This guy! He’s doing things like a prince in a three-rating romance novel!’

Since I had already seen the price of a dress here, I couldn’t just ignore Aloken’s madness.

“I can’t afford to pay back this much money.”

“Pay back? It’s just a tool to enhance the authenticity of our engagement.”

“But you spend so much just to show off!”

There was a clerk nearby, so I whispered urgently into Aloken’s ear. The clerks’s expression darkened as if she was watching a quarrel between lovers. Still, I had no time to worry about it because my priority was to stop Aloken.

“I warn you! I don’t appreciate such a gift. You’re wasting your money just like throwing it to the ground.”

Fortunately, Aloken called the clerk as if he had changed his mind in response to such fierce opposition from me.

“Hey, if I buy all the clothes here, calculate how much it costs.”

“Pardon? Yes, I understand!”

Aloken suddenly became serious and demanded the total costs from them. The clerk moved quickly without even having time to breathe, perhaps because she knew he was a little Duke.

Rustle.

Soon after, the bill was in my hand, and Aloken read it calmly. Of course, his subsequent reaction again defied my expectation.

“You were making much fuss that I thought the price really that much, but this is no problem at all.”

“Are you really going to spend this much money on your fiancée’s clothes?”

“Did you say this was like throwing money to the ground?”

Aloken patted my shoulder as I shivered and looked at the bill. Then he proceeded with the calculations. At this time, his expression seemed to judge me.

“For me, this amount of money is the amount I wouldn’t even know if I dropped it on the ground.”

“…”

“What the hell do the central people think of the Duke…”

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“…”

“Somehow, it felt like you’re mocking the northern, which made me feel unpleasant.”

“Should I apologize now?”

* * *

10. Obsessed

“Lady, what is all this?”

“Clothes…”

“Then what is this?”

“Shoes?”

“Lady Vanora! A carriage came from the jewelry store, and they need to confirm it with Lady…”

“Why did I take Aloken as my fiancé…”

“L-Lady?”

High sky, blue landscape.

The birthday of Vanora Celcius is just one day away. As the merchant’s carriage flocked like locusts into the Celcius residence on such a slope, the servants passing by thought.

“It’s all birthday presents for the lady.”

“Oh my goodness. All of them for lady?”

“Like what Cecil is talking about these days, Lord Aloken Jalier is obsessed with her… As expected, there seems to be something charming about our lady, right?”

It was quite different from the scenery where I had previously referred as a gloomy human being. However, my mood didn’t improve even though the servant’s opinions about me changed.

“Lord Aloken, why are we going to the shoe store?”

“That’s because it’s weird to be barefoot while wearing a dress.”

“I have shoes at home too.”

“If you’re talking about those awful rose shoes, let’s stop. The level of the Celcius family will be evaluated by your appearance. Don’t make a fuss again to me about it.”

“…”

“What would I be if I heard the fiancée of little Duke Jalier walk around wearing cheap clothes?”

“…”

First of all, I received many adornments as my birthday present. All of these items were necessary before entering the social world. Nevertheless, I wasn’t happy with those gifts.

‘Aloken firmly believes that I will be of help in the future. What if the future information I gave to him by a small variable is wrong? It’s dark before my eyes!’

It was because I felt pressured for the next deal. But I don’t know if he knew that I was having such a hard time. The servants around me were excited to sort out the evidence of his love that I had received.

“It’s a love that breaks the boundaries between Duke and Count family.”

“So romantic!”

In fact, in the Kingdom of Kasius, there were some cases where the Count family was equivalent to a higher title due to the nature of their territory, so it wasn’t a particularly shocking story between nobles. Still, people have always been thirsty for dramatic love stories. Before I knew it, the engagement between Aloken and me became the hot topic of discussion in this Kingdom.

‘Just let it be. The lady who was leaning on the reputation of the Duke. Let’s use this to make ties with high-ranking nobles safely.’

I, the person involved in it, decided not to think about it deeply anymore. Aloken already said it was money that could be thrown away, so who cares.

“Cecil, can you prepare the bathwater after moving all the dresses?”

“I understand, Lady.”

Still, I was concerned about how to hand it back to Aloken if I was left with a fortune after I had completed my revenge. Before I had an evil heart, I had a personality that never forgot grace.

* * *

The next day arrived with no time for the uproar.

“The label of this dress said to wear it at Lady’s birthday banquet. Shall we do that?”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Then I will help you change.”

Today as well, I, whose eyes were darkened due to insomnia, was served while yawning. I didn’t have aesthetic eyes to distinguish beauty, so I chose my shoes according to the trend in the midnight novel. It was because I thought that if I dressed up like this, I would at least not be treated funny.

“Cecil! Come in now. I’m all dressed.”

“Yes, Lady.”

But will this change other people’s perspectives when I dress like this?

‘Come to think of it, what kind of experience did I have in my previous debutante?’

I recalled for a moment. In my past, I was shunned without receiving a single escort, stood in the corner of the wall, and was made of fun by ladies from the prestigious family. Just thinking about the embarrassment at that time made me feel a headache.

‘I don’t want to be ridiculed anymore.’

This may have been close to my original desire. It was a natural wish that I didn’t want to be harmed by others.

“Now, all I have to do is get Lady’s hair done. Please lower your head a little.”

“Yes.”

Do I need to go through the pain of being bullied in my second life too?

If others pointed at me again, it could have become difficult for me to approach Vasago. I wanted to blend in with the social world of nobles at least once. To do so, I reviewed the knowledge that would be used in the social world day and night these days.

However…

‘Flea is still flea even if it’s decorated…’

I was concerned about my appearance these days. Naverius always said that I was shabby every time he looked at me, and the future Vasago scolded me, saying that she was avoiding me because I looked so gloomy. Therefore, no matter how hard I tried, the evaluation of people around me might not change.

‘I keep having bad thoughts. Let’s think of something good.’

Brush. Brush.

Unlike Seir, it felt good to have Cecil organizing my hair with gentle gestures. Still, my mind was so complicated that I had to close my eyes to control my mind.

“It’s done.”

A little later.

The back of my head was heavy, probably because Cecil braided my hair in a single braid. When I opened my eyes, I could see the mirror in front of me. Pale skin with black hair. Contrasting all of that was a gorgeous dark green dress. I just looked at my reflection in the mirror and thought that the dress was too much. I didn’t even have a smile on my face.

“Lady, don’t you like the look…?”

“What?”

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“I’m asking if you’d like your hair done differently.”

My exclusive maid was still holding a brush in her hand and spoke softly. However, I only sat quietly.

“It’s rare for you to ask such a question.”