TCBUP 09

9. An Unwelcome Encounter

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“…No way! I absolutely won’t do it. Even if you kill me, I won’t. You damn popsicles!”

* * *

“Oh, that goes in that box.”

“Yes, miss. Just a moment. I’ll have to make a new box for it.”

After signing the agreement, I officially began preparing to move out.
For the past few days, Mary and I had been busy sorting through belongings to pack.

I divided the stuff into two categories: what to take and what to sell.
The Count told me to leave, but he didn’t say I had to leave everything behind.

So I was taking anything that could be turned into money.
Especially the jewelry that could be sold for cash.

Luckily, the Count had believed without a doubt that I would become the Duchess of Ortiz,
so he had provided me with only the best of everything.
If I sold it, it would fetch a pretty penny.

“Miss, are you really planning to sell all these dresses?”

“Yep. The more cash, the better. Thank goodness there are shops that buy used dresses.”

“Still, it feels like such a waste.”

“I never wear the same dress twice anyway. And I won’t have a reason to wear them in the future.”

Besides, “Siena’s” dresses were never to my taste.
Too many frills, too many ribbons, too colorful—
every time I wore them, I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable.

“Miss, this dress could be adjusted a bit and worn as casual wear. What do you think?”

“Oh, you’re right. Let’s keep that one.”

“I’ll alter it really nicely for you. I’m good with needlework.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Then please do it as soon as you can—before I leave the house.”

“Leave it to me.”

Mary flashed a confident smile.
How many younger siblings did she have again? Five? Six?

Maybe because of that, she was resourceful, skilled, and had a pleasant personality.
She was someone I genuinely liked.

Since this was my first time living independently,
having someone I could rely on until I got used to things would be comforting.
Honestly, I wanted to take her with me.

But with all those siblings to support, Mary needed money,
and I couldn’t afford to pay her a proper wage.
Even if I did invest in Nox, I had no idea when or how much return I’d get.

“Miss, what should we do with this jacket?”

“Huh? Oh, that.”

Mary was pointing to the neatly cleaned black jacket hanging nearby.

The jacket that man lent me—the one he said he’d come back for but never did.

‘Did he forget about it?’

Officially, the reason for my broken engagement was that the Duke of Ortiz had repaid an old debt.
The accidental shooting at the hunting competition had been suspiciously swept under the rug.

That was probably because Damian had shown some courtesy toward his ex-fiancée,
and the man in charge of security at the time had handled it well.

‘I wanted to thank him if we ever met again.’

He had a cheeky way of speaking,
but back then, he was the only one who had shown me kindness.

When I came back soaked in rain, not even the Countess had worried about me.
She just snapped, asking what kind of trouble I’d stirred up this time.

And according to Mary, the jacket was quite expensive.
Worth several months of a commoner’s salary.

I didn’t know how much a bodyguard made,
but buying a similar jacket again would probably be a burden.

So throwing it out without permission felt wrong.

“For now, hang it up carefully so it doesn’t get wrinkled.
Oh right, are Father and Mother out? Do you know where they went?”

“Hmm, I only overheard it, so I’m not sure,
but I think it was some kind of evening banquet. They’ll be back tonight.”

Tonight, huh.
They’ll probably return around nine, angry after hearing a ton of gossip disguised as concern.

I smiled slyly and closed the dress box.

“This is it, Mary. Today’s the day.”

* * *

‘Why now, of all times.’

I had just entered the boutique with Mary and the coachman, carrying several boxes of dresses—
and there he was, Damian, right in front of me in the lounge.

Just my luck.
Why now, here, like this?

Of all times, why did I have to run into him
when I wasn’t flush with shopping bags, but instead here to sell dresses for cash?

The determination I’d built up to argue fiercely with the boutique owner for every penny
instantly crumbled into dust.

“I thought you were in self-reflection.”

“…I had something urgent to take care of.”

Damian raised an eyebrow slightly.
I didn’t need to ask to know what he was thinking. I instantly realized my mistake.

What on earth could Siena Hagrives have that was so urgent?
Until now, all she ever did was attend bridal lessons, never doing a proper job.
And now she had “urgent business” at a boutique?

Even I wanted to smack myself for spouting such nonsense.

“Well then, I’ll be going. I need to return quickly, being in self-reflection and all.”

Staying any longer would just make things more awkward.
I quickly stepped forward—

—but hadn’t even taken a full step when I locked eyes with Lily.

She had been peeking out from behind Damian,
and now gave me a hesitant, awkward smile.

Her dress was soaked with muddy water—probably from some kind of accident.

‘Of course it had to be today. The day that episode happens. Just my damn luck.’

There was definitely an episode like this in Damian’s route.

After the rain, Lily goes out and is splashed by mud from Damian’s carriage.
To make up for it, he offers her an expensive dress—
a moment to showcase his kindness and wealth.

“Hello…”

Maybe because she was still shaken from what happened at the hunting competition,
Lily’s voice was as small as a mosquito’s buzz.

I could understand her fear, given how the old “Siena” had treated her.
But with her acting like that in public, it made me look bad—
like some villain who still hadn’t learned her lesson after being dumped.

Suddenly, I realized I had never properly apologized to either Damian or Lily.

I hadn’t meant to hurt anyone, but Siena’s actions had been reckless,
and Damian had gotten hurt.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a serious injury,
but if her aim had been just a bit off, it could’ve been a disaster.

We probably wouldn’t see each other again,
but it felt wrong to just ignore it.

So I turned to face Damian and Lily.

“It’s late, but I want to formally apologize—to Duke Ortiz, and to Miss Lily.”

“…”

“You may not believe me, but I truly didn’t mean any harm.
I don’t know how to shoot a gun. I don’t even know how they work.
I was startled by thunder, and the trigger just… went off. I had no idea that would happen. I’m sorry.”

I was completely sincere, and Damian twitched his eyebrow again.
Lily looked visibly flustered.

“Your Grace, has your injury healed?”

“…More or less.”

“That’s a relief. I truly regret all the trouble I’ve caused.”

“…”

“And Miss Lily, I’ve wronged you too.
I promise it won’t happen again, so I hope you can forget about it.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it. I’ve already forgotten.”

“I appreciate you accepting my apology so easily. Thank you.”

Lily looked utterly confused by my warm words and gentle tone—
probably because it was her first time seeing me act this way.

But I kept my composure, smiled, gave a polite nod,
and walked into the boutique.

The coachman and Mary, who had been awkwardly standing around, quickly followed.

‘Unbelievable…’

I’d wanted to show my ex-fiancé that I was over him and doing great.
But those boxes sticking out with dresses made it obvious I was here to sell,
not shop.

I could only pray that no one in the boutique would mention that fact aloud.
But with all those sparkling eyes watching me, full of curiosity and anticipation…

‘Yeah, right. As if.’

It looked like today was just not my day.
I gave up thinking any further and walked toward the boutique owner who was waiting for me.

Even just bumping into Damian had ruined my mood.
But now it was like someone had poured oil on the fire and burned everything—including my dignity—to ashes.

I stood there, arms crossed, glaring at the status window that had popped up in front of me.