The news of the religious trial held at the Grand Temple of the capital spread like wildfire across the empire. Wherever people gathered, they talked about the controversial opera and the scandal of the Marquis of Cadogan and the Marquis’s daughter, which had been revealed during the trial. They were curious about how provocative the opera’s content was that even the High Priest had to hold a trial, and they condemned the actions of the Marquis of Cadogan and Helena, who had deceived Claire Blackwood.
The Duke of Blackwood notified the Marquis of Cadogan that the engagement was off. He also declared that he would never again assist the Marquis of Cadogan or his uncle, Duke Lodion. Rumors quickly spread that the Duke of Blackwood had been in a furious rage, swearing he would never forgive the scoundrel who had hurt his precious daughter. The Duke also sent a letter to the Marquis of Strand’s family, demanding they take responsibility for the matter. The Strand family was forced to pay a massive amount of compensation to appease the Duke of Blackwood’s fury.
After this, the Marquis of Strand and High Priest Richard withdrew the religious trial they had brought against Lisander and Baroness Grey. They had judged that if the trial continued, they didn’t know what other scandals Grey might reveal. Thus, the trial of Lisander and Grey was dismissed, and the two were not punished.
On the contrary, the opera became even more famous because of this incident. People now came to watch the opera without even wearing masks. They reasoned that since Lisander had been proven innocent, there was no need to hide from the Grand Temple.
A few days after the religious trial of Grey and Lisander, on a Saturday morning, Daniela finished her breakfast of soft bread, potato soup, and a fruit salad brought by her maids, then bathed in water with floating flower petals. It was because she had a date with Ashid today. Mella and the maids, with excited faces, meticulously washed Daniela’s body before leading her to a full-length mirror. Then, as if they had taken out every dress in the dressing room, they brought a huge pile of clothes and held them up to her.
“Do you think light green would be good, or dark green? Sky blue or purple would also be nice, wouldn’t they, Head Maid?”
“No, not purple! And absolutely no orange or red! If she wears those, her beautiful red hair won’t stand out!”
“Right? Then dark blue won’t work either!”
“What do you think, My Lady? Don’t you think a dark green would be best?”
“…Anything is fine.” Daniela replied with a tired expression. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and thought, ‘She’s so pretty, what wouldn’t look good on her?’ She just wanted them to hurry up and dress her.
After a little more time had passed, Mella and the maids finally decided on a dress. It was a dark green dress with long sleeves that exposed her neck and shoulders. A butterfly-shaped ribbon made of lace hung on the chest, and the waist was fitted while the skirt was full like a bell, making her look both beautiful and elegant.
The maids then rolled up Daniela’s long hair into a bun and decorated it with diamond and emerald hairpins. They also put emerald earrings with a similar design to the hairpins on her ears. Daniela lightly ran her hand over her empty neck and asked the maids, “Is this it? Aren’t you going to put on a necklace?”
Mella and the maids exchanged quick glances. They recalled how the chief butler, a few hours earlier, had given them a “thing” wrapped in a luxurious cloth and emphatically instructed them, “No matter what, do not put a necklace on her.” Mella pretended not to know and dodged the question. “The hairpin and earrings are already so extravagant and pretty, we thought a necklace might be too much.”
“…Right, that makes sense.” Daniela agreed without a second thought and nodded. She figured she could trust Mella, who was more serious about dressing her up than she was herself. Mella sighed in relief, seeing that she had moved on without protest, then held out what the chief butler had brought earlier. It was a wooden clothes hanger wrapped in black cloth.
“And lastly, I think this would be perfect for you to wear.”
“What is it?”
“Why don’t you unwrap it?” Mella replied with a strange smile. Daniela untied the ribbon and pulled back the black cloth. A luxurious black cloak appeared, with soft fur shimmering with a subtle rainbow-like sheen on the shoulders.
She let out a soft gasp. “It’s beautiful…”
“Isn’t it? They say it was specially made just for you, from the hides of the monster wolf and ducal spider bird that His Highness the Grand Duke hunted during the hunting festival. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a beautiful and unique coat.” Mella said with pride. Daniela nodded in agreement and stroked the coat. The touch of the coat was soft and smooth. The maids looked at the coat with envious eyes and urged her.
“Try it on, My Lady.”
“Yes, you must.”
Daniela nodded and put the cloak on her shoulders. It was surprisingly light and warm. Daniela stared at her reflection in the mirror as if entranced.
Just then, there was a short knock on the door, and Ashid’s voice was heard. “Are you still getting ready?”
“Oh my! Just a moment, Your Highness! …My Lady, please go to the door.” Mella replied in an excited voice, then hurried Daniela to stand at the door. After a moment, she announced to Ashid outside that Daniela was ready to leave.
Slowly, the door opened, and Daniela and Ashid’s eyes met.
‘Wow.’
Daniela found herself staring at Ashid. He was wearing a black uniform with a cloak that had black fur on the shoulders, and gold-thread epaulets and embroidery. His short hair was stylishly swept back, making him look like a work of art, so handsome and beautiful that she couldn’t tear her eyes away, even though she knew it was rude.
Ashid also couldn’t take his eyes off Daniela. The long-sleeved, full green dress went perfectly with her jewel-like crimson hair and her blue eyes. And the black cloak draped over her slender shoulders made her white, clean skin and pretty face stand out even more. He also liked that the cloak’s design was identical to his own. When the two of them were together, everyone would be able to tell that Daniela was his wife and belonged to him.
‘I should give Lowell a reward.’
He thought this to himself and said to Daniela, “It was worth the wait. You’re truly beautiful.”
“…Your, Your Highness looks handsome too.” Daniela stammered in response, her face slightly flushed.
Ashid’s lips curled up slightly, and he asked her, “Do you like the cloak?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Me too.” He paused for a moment, then tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and continued, “When you first told me you liked the color black, I told you that you had an unusual taste.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I apologize. I think I was wrong.”
“…Pardon?”
“Black suits you very well. And it’s even better that we can wear matching outfits.”
“…!”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like you to wear this cloak throughout the social season. So that anyone can tell that you are my wife.”
Ashid said this and bowed his head slightly to meet Daniela’s gaze. Daniela felt her face get even hotter and more flushed.
‘Anyone who sees this would misunderstand and think you’re madly in love with me.’
She knew full well that his actions were for the maids’ benefit. They couldn’t let anyone find out that their marriage was a contract made for mutual interest. And yet, whenever he said things like this, her face would flush, and she would become more conscious of him. She felt embarrassed, and her heart would pound. It was as if she were the protagonist in a romance novel.
‘Don’t forget. The protagonist of this world, and his destiny, is Camellia, not me.’
When she appeared, his gentle attitude would disappear. To hide her fluttering heart, Daniela slightly averted her gaze and replied curtly on purpose.
“…How can I do that? It’s a coat for colder weather, and it will get dirty and need to be washed.”
“Is that so? Then next time, I’ll gift you a summer shawl.”
“…!”
“It might also be a good idea to make several with a similar design to the one you have now. Unlike the capital, the northern castle is quite cold.”
Ashid shrugged his shoulders and said this, secretly vowing to gift her clothes with a similar color and design to his own for every season.
