Chapter 43
“Y-Y-Your Grace?”
Madam Leshti’s voice shook like a bobblehead on a dashboard. In contrast, the Duke’s deep voice cut through the air, resonating through my entire room.
“Am I not qualified to be an observer as well?”
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it that way! I, I, I…”
“Seems your skill with scissors doesn’t match your skill with words. How long does it take you to come up with an excuse?”
“P-Please, just a moment!”
As Madam Leshti stammered, one of her trembling assistants grabbed the doorknob.
“Your Grace! Please wait. If the Madam could explain herself directly—”
Smack! A sharp sound echoed through the room. Madam Leshti had slapped the assistant’s hand. The assistant looked up at her in confusion.
“M-Madam?”
“You can’t open the door right now! Someone has entrusted their body to us!”
“…Oh.”
Come to think of it—wasn’t I in just my underwear?
The assistant backed away with a red face. Madam Leshti plastered herself against the door and cried out.
“I apologize! I had an impure thought… If you give me just one more chance, I promise I’ll create a dress that will win the Lady’s heart!”
“…Madam Leshti.”
“Y-Yes!”
“If you have any pride as an artist, then protect it to the end. I summoned you because you are worth it.”
“….”
Madam Leshti stepped away from the door. Was she about to be kicked out like Madam Gracia?
…That’s what I thought for a moment.
“I entrust you with my daughter’s dress.”
“…What?”
“Remember that the reason you were not dismissed was because you protected my daughter.”
“…Ah.”
The Duke’s footsteps slowly receded. Still, Madam Leshti called out desperately.
“Yes! I’ll do my best! Thank you for giving me another chance!”
Was that… a good ending?
The assistants returned to my side. Their hands were trembling so badly they couldn’t even properly touch the fabric.
I looked at Madam Leshti, who was gripping a piece of charcoal with shaking hands.
“Madam Leshti.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“As you probably know, I’m adopted. I don’t have the insight of a noble, nor am I used to dresses. And I assume I’m the first of my kind you’ve worked with.”
“….”
“But that also means, Madam, that you have the chance to show someone like me the best clothes in the world.”
“…Ah.”
“Please, be my first teacher and lead me into this wonderful new world.”
Maybe she wasn’t expecting those words—her eyes trembled with confusion.
Sure, even if I’d just said “Shut up and make the dress,” she probably would’ve stifled her anger and done it. But I didn’t want that.
After all, she’d given up making excuses and locked the door, recognizing me as a guest who had entrusted herself to her care.
…And she’d said my honey-colored eyes were pretty.
It was such a simple thing to say, but the way she said it while choosing fabric that suited me—my heart fluttered just remembering it.
“Please, Madam Leshti.”
“…Understood.”
She nodded, and soon her assistants once again swarmed around me.
* * *
Honestly, it felt like being pickled for kimchi.
As soon as the assistant finished dressing me, I collapsed onto the bed without even thinking about courtesy.
Madam Leshti and her assistants were soon escorted to a workshop by a maid. Apparently, they’d be using a guest room and workshop at the Duke’s mansion to work on my dress until the festival.
Just before leaving, Madam Leshti turned back and said,
“If you ever want anything, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll immediately reflect it in the design.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“I’m not joking.”
Then, once the assistants had all stepped into the hallway, Madam Leshti leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“…Actually, I was born a commoner too. I think I rose too far too fast, and in the process, became someone who even denied her own past.”
“…Ah.”
“If there’s ever something you’re curious about regarding dresses, but you’re afraid the maids might ignore you, just come to me.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she bowed her head and left the room. Ah… maybe she’s not such a bad person after all.
…But then.
“Eek?! O-Oh dear. I’m so sorry!”
What did she see that startled her as she left?
I found out soon enough. Turns out, the Duke had been waiting outside my door and now stepped into my room.
“Father?”
“Is it all over?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Honestly, she was a bit arrogant and cranky at first, but she wasn’t impossible to deal with.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“…But seriously.”
I slammed the door shut with my foot and shouted,
“What were you doing standing outside earlier?! Do you know how startled I was when I suddenly heard your voice?!”
“I didn’t come in, did I? If someone had opened the door, I would’ve broken their wrist.”
“That’s not the point! You were still standing there knowing exactly what was happening inside the room!”
“….”
Exactly! Even if the door separated us, you were still hearing me being dressed like a head of cabbage for kimchi!
When I raised my voice for once, surprisingly, for the first time ever, the Duke actually looked a little flustered.
“I wanted to be the first to see you in your dress…”
“It’ll take at least a few days to be finished.”
“…I thought it might be quicker since you’re small.”
“I’m not that small!”
I’m only about a hand shorter than most adult women!
But the Duke touched his forehead, then touched the top of my head, shaking his head to show the vast difference. Ugh, this man.
I giggled and playfully slapped him in the stomach.
…And then both of us froze as we realized what had just happened.
Ack! I-I just hit the villain for no reason?! Like I used to slap the director’s belly back at the orphanage during jokes?! Am I insane?!
Wasn’t there a scene in the original novel where he killed a servant of 20 years just for stepping on his foot…?
I looked up at him, trembling. Of course, I expected to see his cold, icy eyes glaring down at me. Then I’d immediately fall flat and beg for my life.
But—
“…Sol?”
Oddly enough, the Duke was also looking down at me in confusion.
“What you just did…”
“Well! Um, back when I was at another orphanage, the director and I used to joke like that…”
“….”
As if that would work as an excuse. If he suddenly pulls out a sword and says, “Do I look like a joke to you?” I’d be dead. I hesitated, wondering if I should apologize.
“…How did the director react after getting hit?”
“Oh, he used to squish my cheeks!”
“I see.”
The Duke reached toward my cheek.
…He asked softly,
“May I do the same?”
“Eh? Of course!”
“I see.”
He gently cupped my cheek like he was touching a baby kitten.
The way he squished my cheeks reminded me of kids rolling rice balls on the winter solstice. I thought it would hurt, but it actually felt… kind of nice.
After a long moment of cheek-squishing, he asked,
“Sol. May I do this in front of others?”
“Of course! That’s the whole point of being a doting father—you do it in public!”
“…And one more thing.”
He cleared his throat and said,
“May I also do it when no one else is around?”
“…Huh?”
“Literally. I’m asking if I can still touch your cheeks even when I don’t have to keep up the ‘doting father’ act.”
“….”
“Of course, if you say no, I won’t touch you.”
Then I realized—he was asking me so carefully because he didn’t want it to seem like coercion. He even lowered himself to my eye level and spoke gently.
…Well then, how could I answer anything but this?
“Anytime is fine. You’re my father.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Just do it whenever you want. If I don’t like it, I’ll tell you right away.”
“…Got it.”
As soon as I said that, the Duke removed his gloves, held them in his mouth, and began squishing my cheeks with both hands. His elegant, dignified face looked so ridiculous like this.
I barely managed to hold in my laughter. His face was so close, I thought he might spray me with spit.
Once the giggles subsided, a question lingered.
Why are you suddenly doing this?
If I were a clueless romance-fantasy heroine, I’d probably think, “This must be training for the doting dad act!”
But no—I might have low self-esteem, but I’m not clueless.
“…If it’s not too much trouble, stop after three more seconds.”
“Alright…”
Duke Shuleiger, is it possible you’ve come to care for me in your own way?
…I want to believe that. But if I believe it and I’m wrong, I’ll die. Emotions like “love” or “affection” can’t guarantee my survival. It’s better to prove my worth.
“Father, how’s the Silver Dragon’s tantrum lately?”
“Calm. I think heating it by the fireplace worked.”
“Or maybe it was my massage?”
“…Sure, let’s say it was.”
To finish, he cupped both my cheeks in one hand, puffing my lips out like a fish.
“Mmfp!”
“Let’s say this ridiculous face also helps.”
“Oh, come on!”
This time, I slapped his stomach again—
Ow! Is that his stomach or a cement wall?!
The Duke was putting his gloves back on when he saw my exaggerated reaction and grabbed my hand.
“Did you hit a button?”
“No. A cement wall.”
“…I don’t know what that is, but I don’t have one.”
“If I say it’s there, then it’s there.”
“You’ve gotten quite bold, Sol Shuleiger.”
“Isn’t that the family motto? I thought it was.”
“You learned well, even without being taught, Lady.”
He chuckled, then put on only his right glove. Kneeling in front of me, he lifted my right hand with his gloved one and said:
“To the Lady of House Shuleiger, I request this. On the night of the festival, will you grant me the honor of your first escort, Lady Sol?”
Of course, I had no choice.
* * *
Time passed in the blink of an eye. Now, when I open the window in the morning, instead of cold winds, white flower petals flutter in.
Linda handed me a purple flower with her usual morning greeting.
“Today’s the festival, my lady! Are you ready?”
“Ready for what…? Oh.”
A blue ribboned dress hung before me. Far more glamorous than anything I usually wore.
“Fufufu, you’ll wear this to stroll along the river and see the decorations!”
“It’s cute.”
“Right? I thought so too! And someone else—”
Linda gave me a mischievous smile and silently pointed toward the hallway.
Looks like someone’s waiting outside again.
