Chapter 10
When I asked if she disliked money earned in a lowly way, Leuke’s eyes widened as she looked at me.
“That’s not lowly—that is,” she said with a smirk, pointing to the floor below us.
She was talking about our aunt’s family downstairs.
“There’s nothing wrong with earning money through hard work. But you, because of me… You idiot!”
“Why are you calling me an idiot out of nowhere?”
Her sudden insult made me feel unfairly attacked.
Leuke’s eyes widened in surprise at my reaction, then she smiled—only for her eyes to suddenly turn red and teary. She looked so adorably expressive that I almost wished she were my own daughter. But I had no idea why she was getting so emotional.
“You really thought I’d say something like that about money you earned for me? What kind of person do you take your big sister for?!”
Oh, right. She was the older sister here.
Now it made sense—Leuke had been worrying about her younger sister, Melias.
“While you were out all day, Aunt was grinding her teeth about you, Amy and Sophie kept picking fights with me, even the maids delivering food were rude. Do you know how hard it was for me? I had to make up lies about what you were doing every day! I didn’t know anything! But you thought I’d act cold to you over something like this? I’m really hurt!”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean it like that. I just thought maybe you wouldn’t like it…”
“Wait until we go dress shopping. I’m going to make sure you spend every last coin you earned!”
Leuke’s threat was too cute to take seriously. Honestly, I was planning to use up all my money to get her the most beautiful and luxurious dress I could find.
“Actually, I got invited to a tea party happening in a month.”
“A whole month? That’s plenty of time!”
It had already been over two weeks since I started saving up. In another month, I could probably afford two dresses.
“Melias, can I come too?”
“Huh? Me too?”
I wasn’t really interested, but if I picked a simpler design for my dress, it could work.
And the way Leuke looked at me—clearly wanting me to come—made it hard to say no.
“Okay, let’s go together!”
****
“Are you ready yet, sis?”
“Almost done!”
Today was the day we’d go buy Leuke’s dress. Finally, I could help her wear something truly beautiful. The theater troupe had just begun a one-week break today too—a perfect time to rest and recover.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Leuke stepped out with her shiny silver hair perfectly done up.
Her red lipstick looked amazing on her pale skin. She looked like an ice princess.
“You look so pretty!”
“It’s been a while since I went out, so I put in some effort. It’s a shame we don’t have a maid for this… but wait, are you going out looking like that?”
“What do you mean, like that?”
Leuke looked at me like she wasn’t sure what to do with me.
“Come here and sit down for a second.”
She sat me down in front of her vanity.
I had done a bit of makeup, but apparently it wasn’t good enough for her.
“Let’s fix your lips a bit…”
She undid my messy bun and began brushing my hair out.
“Did you forget how to tie your hair properly?”
“No, it’s just… I was lazy.”
That was a lie. I simply didn’t know how to do such a perfect updo by myself.
“You can’t go out like this.”
“Really?”
“You’re the one who said we looked mistreated.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but she kept styling my hair as she spoke.
“Remember when we were little? Aunt took us out once. I thought she’d style our hair nicely like she did with Amy and Sophie, but all she did was brush it. You cried and said she hated us, and then she yelled at you.”
“Did I…?”
I had no memory of that since it was before I possessed this body, but I did recall the moment in the original story. That outing was when Burton first noticed Leuke.
Thankfully, Leuke didn’t seem to suspect that I wasn’t the original Melias.
“I was just too pretty that day, so people still talk about it.”
“That’s your takeaway?!”
“Yup. The legendary beauty of Leuke.”
She joked around, but the memory itself wasn’t a happy one. And it hinted that Aunt never took us out again after that. Otherwise, why would that one day stand out so much?
“Hmm, we don’t have many hair accessories…”
Still, Leuke grumbled as she carefully pinned some shiny decorations into my hair.
“All done!”
“Wow, I look so pretty.”
Even I had to admit I looked good. Seeing the two of us together in the mirror, we actually made a great pair.
‘Could I use Melias’s face to boost Leuke’s appeal? A good visual match could create a nice synergy.’
“You look so pretty! Why the serious face now? Don’t you like it?”
“No! I was just thinking about something else!”
“Hmph. Let’s go already.”
Leuke led the way. I had been worried about running into Aunt, but thankfully we didn’t see her.
“She’s not around today.”
“She took the girls to some meeting. She’s desperate to marry Amy off lately.”
“I see.”
“She’ll probably yell at us later for leaving without permission again.”
“Ugh.”
We both cringed, then burst out laughing when our eyes met.
Sure, Aunt was stressful, but venting about her with Leuke was kind of fun. It had been a while since we spent time together, too.
It really made me feel like we were true sisters.
“To Rubyang Street, please!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Leuke announced brightly as we climbed into the carriage. She looked full of excitement. I had no idea where Rubyang even was.
“Rubyang?”
“It’s a street full of dress shops!”
Then she leaned in and whispered near my ear.
“Actually, it’s my first time going there too.”
She giggled like it was the funniest thing.
“What if I start hesitating and look awkward?”
“Straighten your back, act confident. Like you’ve seen all these dresses a thousand times.”
“Haha, can I really pull that off? What if I lose my mind there?”
When we got out of the carriage, we chose the biggest-looking dress shop we could see.
We had enough money, so it made sense to go somewhere fancy.
“Welcome… Oh my.”
The clerk greeted us, then paused in surprise after seeing us.
“Have we met before?”
“N-No. I’ve just never seen a young lady this beautiful before. I mean, both of you!”
The clerk quickly added with a red face.
Ha! I didn’t care. All that mattered was that Leuke looked stunning.
“Don’t be shy. My sister here is—mmph!”
Leuke quickly covered my mouth.
“We’re here to buy dresses. Could you show us around?”
“O-Of course!”
There were lots of sample dresses and fabric swatches on display.
But at a glance, nothing seemed perfect for Leuke. Most of the dresses were dark and heavy-looking.
Is this the typical noblewoman style in this world? I wished they had something more light and bright.
“Please, take a seat here.”
“Thanks.”
“Here are the catalogs. I’ll bring some tea.”
I flipped through the designs and handed a catalog to Leuke.
“Take a look and pick something you like.”
“What about you?”
“I just browsed a little. You pick first.”
Honestly, I hadn’t planned to buy a dress for myself.
I didn’t plan to go out anyway. It would be enough if Leuke became a star in high society.
Leuke whispered, “These all look super expensive…”
“You said you’d make me spend it all. So pick whatever you want.”
She carefully studied the catalog. Meanwhile, my eyes landed on a gossip newsletter sitting on the table.
It looked like a magazine full of society rumors. I skimmed it while Leuke browsed.
“A charity event hosted by the royal family… Oh? There’s a play featured here! A popular show about the crown prince… souvenir sales? Hmm, who published this?”
Just as I was getting worried that our theater was gaining too much attention—especially after one troupe disappeared—I heard the clink of teacups.
“Have you picked something yet?”
“Still deciding.”
Leuke answered quietly.
“If I may be so bold, I’d love to recommend a few options. This rose-colored velvet with gold embroidery, or this elegant blue silk—whether you buy them or not, I think they’d look amazing on you… Ah! But please take your time!”
The flustered clerk quickly exited. Leuke pointed to a dress in the catalog.
“This one’s not bad, right? What do you think?”
“Hmmm…”
The clerk’s suggestions were all beautiful, but I thought Leuke would look better in something lighter and more delicate. Especially the red velvet one—the puffed sleeves were as big as her head! She’d get swallowed by the dress.
“Not a fan?”
“Wait a minute.”
I flipped through the catalog again.
I wanted to fully respect her taste, but also make her look absolutely stunning for her first public appearance.
I rang the bell to call the clerk.
“Do you happen to have a pen and paper?”
