Chapter 3:
Even though he had been dragged out in the middle of the night, Douglas stood quietly in front of Tara without a hint of dissatisfaction.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“……”
Tara asked with a cold expression, but Douglas remained silent.
“If you’re not an idiot, you’d remember exactly what Evelyn’s been like these past few days, wouldn’t you, Douglas?”
“…I remember.”
“Then say it yourself.”
Gripping her cane tightly as if to say she wouldn’t let it slide if he pretended not to know, Tara gave the order. Douglas, hands behind his back and gaze lowered, reluctantly opened his mouth.
“…She locked herself in her room after that banquet.”
“Exactly! Ever since that damned banquet, she’s been holed up in her room and hasn’t come out!”
Tara shouted even before he finished his sentence. She didn’t stop there—her voice rising even more, she scolded Douglas harshly.
“Today was the first time we managed to coax Evelyn into sitting at the table, and even then, the girl who was raised not to care about what others thought had to pretend to spend money while watching our reactions. And yet you had the nerve to make her cry?”
Who was Evelyn?
More precious than the eldest son, who was the spitting image of Tara, and the younger son, who resembled Henry—Evelyn was the cherished only daughter of the Duchy of Frabiche, perfectly resembling both Tara and Henry.
Normally, Henry would have tried to calm Tara down, but not this time.
“Douglas, you really went too far this time. You know that, right?”
“……”
Douglas nodded obediently, but he still didn’t understand.
Had he really gone that far?
‘No way.’
This level of verbal sparring was normal for them. Sure, Evelyn had never hit him before—not even pointed a finger at him.
‘…Admittedly, that was something she would’ve found too vulgar to do before. Did she really fall for the crown prince that hard?’
No, Evelyn wasn’t the kind of girl to truly fall in love with anyone. Maybe it was just frustration—wanting something she couldn’t have.
‘…Still, I didn’t mean to drive her back into isolation.’
Douglas decided he should at least make a token effort. He wasn’t a child anymore, and if he left it like this, he’d just keep getting dragged into lectures by his parents every morning until Evelyn felt better.
Muttering reluctantly, Douglas said,
“…Please give Evelyn some allowance. From my personal budget.”
“I was going to do that anyway.”
Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Tara, now a little calmer, dismissed Douglas.
The Next Day
“Young master. The young lady was summoned to the master’s office.”
As soon as Douglas heard this report from a servant, he headed straight for Tara’s office and began pacing in front of the door. Henry, already waiting outside, looked at the dark circles under Douglas’s eyes and murmured sympathetically,
“If you’re going to be that on edge, maybe don’t do something wrong in the first place.”
“I’m not on edge.”
Douglas offered a pointless excuse, fidgeting like a dog that needed to pee. And when he sensed the door starting to open, he immediately ducked out of sight.
Henry watched him with a pitying expression before welcoming Evelyn with a bright smile.
“Daughter!”
“Dad?”
Douglas closely observed Evelyn as she spoke with Henry.
‘Is she feeling better?’
Her expression didn’t seem that bad. She even let out a soft chuckle and linked arms with Henry.
‘As I thought, sticking to my usual approach was the right call.’
Feeling smug, Douglas stepped into Evelyn’s view. She instantly frowned.
Still, she’d usually ignore him and walk past. That would be a sign that she was no longer mad.
But instead of following that pattern, Evelyn said:
“Don’t bother giving pocket money to someone pathetic.”
“….”
And with that, she brushed past him.
Douglas realized immediately.
That small amount of money wasn’t going to fix things. If he messed up one more time, he’d be seriously done for.
* * *
I went out to Boutique Street with Henry.
Honestly, it was awkward as hell the whole way, but luckily Henry was a warm and easygoing man.
Half-listening to whatever he was talking about, I just cycled through three phrases: “Oh, really?”, “I see.”, and “Nah, not really.”
And yet, Henry looked like he was over the moon.
‘…Come to think of it, Evelyn used to hate going out with her parents once she got older.’
She used to complain, asking how long they were going to treat her like a kid. I finally remembered.
‘That probably started right after she fell for the crown prince.’
Ugh, that crown prince. He turned a perfectly fine girl into a disrespectful daughter.
We arrived at the most prestigious jewelry store in the capital. Henry opened the door for me.
“Go on in, daughter.”
Once I stepped inside, he followed me. The moment the staff recognized us, they all bowed at 90 degrees like flip phones snapping shut.
Henry smiled like a blooming flower and acted like they didn’t exist. As he looked over the jewelry, he commented casually,
“See? The quality of the jewels here is the best. And the craftsmanship isn’t bad either.”
“Not bad” was a gross understatement. This place sold only the highest of high-end pieces. The fact that I also instinctively thought that upon seeing them showed just how much the Frabiche family was surrounded by wealth.
‘Maybe I’ll just buy everything.’
How much did Douglas give me again? Not that it mattered—Henry, my walking wallet, was right next to me. I spoke boldly.
“I’ll take everything here.”
A new staff member looked stunned, but the rest seemed used to this kind of thing. If I hadn’t cleaned out luxury boutiques in my past life, I wouldn’t have dared either.
Next to me, Henry looked thrilled. When I raised my eyebrow as if asking, “Satisfied now?” he nodded eagerly.
‘He really does look young—not just his behavior, even his face.’
Who’d believe this man was middle-aged? My future looked bright.
“Thank you, Duke. Lady Frabiche.”
“Alright, let’s hit the next shop.”
With Henry escorting me, we left the jewelry store and continued our boutique tour. Each stop cost about as much as a whole building.
“Daughter, are you hungry?”
“A little.”
“I figured you would be, so I made a reservation at a nice restaurant.”
Henry led me to the most famous reservation-only restaurant in the empire.
As soon as the food arrived, I instantly understood why this place had that reputation.
‘This is amazing.’
Even though it was just grilled meat, I’d never had anything this good—not even in Korea. But I couldn’t afford to lose my composure. As a proper villainess, I continued eating with grace.
“I’m glad it suits your taste, daughter.”
But with that one sentence from Henry, I suddenly snapped back to reality. By the time I noticed, there was only one bite left on my plate. I cleared it and coughed lightly.
“Ahem. Yeah, it’s alright.”
“It’s been so long since I saw my daughter eat so well.”
Startled by his words, I looked up at him. Henry continued, eyes misty.
“We used to go shopping and dine out like this all the time, remember?”
“…”
I turned away. I did remember.
Evelyn, ever since she started chasing after the crown prince, refused to go out with her parents—or even eat meals at home with them.
“You just don’t understand, Mom, Dad! You don’t know how amazing Ulysses is!”
Recalling the expressions on the duke and duchess’s faces from back then made me feel guilty, even though I wasn’t the one who had said those things.
“Evelyn…”
Henry came over and gently held my hand as I stayed silent.
“It’s been so long since I saw you look this happy. I can’t tell you how much it means to me. Thank you, my daughter. Thank you, Evelyn.”
‘I’ve just eaten and spent money… is that really something to be thanked for?’
It felt like too much praise for doing practically nothing—but only for a moment.
If what they wanted was to see Evelyn looking healthy and happy, I could give them that. Life is give and take.
I grinned.
“It wouldn’t be Evelyn Frabiche if she sulked forever. Don’t worry—I’m done with that.”
“Daughter…!”
If all they wanted was a healthy, filial daughter, then they found the right person. I, too, had been looking for a rich, loving family.
* * *
We resumed our boutique pilgrimage. Realizing the best kind of filial piety was spending money, I went even bolder.
“My feet hurt. I need new shoes.”
“I’ll take everything on display outside.”
“I’ll take all the dresses in here too.”
Even with this level of spending, Henry and I remained unfazed—all thanks to the Frabiche family’s absurd wealth.
An endless well that never dries up. That’s what this was.
I briefly wondered if I’d even wear all these clothes.
‘Then again, I had plenty of clothes I never wore in my past life. People are all the same.’
Besides, Henry—the Frabiche patriarch—was still beaming. So I let it go.
Then, just as I was about to head home, one particular shop caught my eye.
“This place…”
It was one of the most popular boutiques among women in the empire. The moment I saw it, I knew it sold luxury goods—and at outrageous prices.
Henry noticed me stop and asked curiously,
“Daughter? Why this shop?”
He had every right to be puzzled—this boutique was more popular with married women than singles. And that was exactly why I had stopped.
‘I should buy the Duchess a gift.’
After all, the only reason I could spend like this was thanks to the Duke’s generosity. Leaving empty-handed after blowing all this money would be rude.
“I was thinking of picking out a gift for Mom. She loves this store, right?”
“Daughter…!”
“And I’ll get yours too in a bit—oof!”
Overcome with emotion, Henry suddenly hugged me.
“My daughter… how can you be so kind-hearted?”
There’s a limit to how much you can dote on a porcupine. Only the Frabiche family would ever call Evelyn “kind-hearted.” I patted his back and urged him to let go.
‘In my past life, I was still called ungrateful even after giving them money.’
Living in Evelyn’s body is just too easy. I get called a good daughter just for spending money.
‘At this rate, I’ll naturally cut ties with the original story.’
For now, I plan to just keep shopping. Once the Duke and Duchess stop worrying about me, I’ll stay holed up at home.
If that happens, there’ll be no reason for the original plot to involve me anymore.
I straightened my face muscles, which had relaxed from the joy of a lazy future, and gently pried Henry off me. He dramatically opened the door and bowed deeply.
“After you, Your Highness.”
“Oh, come on.”
Not a bad feeling at all.
Smirking, I flipped my hair and walked in with my eyes closed.
And the moment I stepped into the boutique—
“L-Lady Frabiche?!”
“…?”
I opened my eyes—and froze.
Smooth silver hair, sparkling golden eyes, an elegant face.
“…Lady Hebe.”
I muttered the name softly.
The heroine of Oh, My Dalia—Dalia Hebe.
