LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 37
37th Chapter
“This is ridiculous… This was supposed to be a tight curriculum even over the span of six days…”
Helena muttered dejectedly after finishing the body language class in just two hours. Having displayed a flawless dance with Karl, who attended as a social circle assistant, I couldn’t help but smirk slightly while drinking water.
“Aria’s talent is quite considerable, isn’t it?”
“It is! Both young ladies are geniuses! It’s truly an honor to teach you!”
Helena’s eyes sparkled as she cried out in joy, as if witnessing the beauty of dawn.
“Originally, I planned to rush through the speech lessons since time was tight, but since you two are doing so well, let’s officially learn that too.”
It seemed Helena thought Aria and I would learn speech quickly as well.
However, her expectations came crashing down shortly after.
“What if someone hurls insults at the Young Lady of Kashmir regarding Aria?”
“……I’ll throw my gloves in their face and challenge them to a duel.”
“Lady Kashmir! I told you to first smile sweetly, then subtly show your displeasure!”
“How can I do that? They’re insulting Aria!”
“Don’t use knightly speech! It’s not ‘How can I do that?’ but ‘How can I do it?’! How many times do I have to tell you to use the polite form?!”
This scenario wasn’t all that different for Aria.
“What if someone insults Lady Aria about her background?”
“Cover your mouth while laughing and respond, ‘That’s quite unpleasant. It would be fair to consider that as insulting both the Duke who acknowledged me and the name of Crisis, wouldn’t it?’”
“Perfect! Then if they insult your background while also troubling the Young Lady of Kashmir…”
“A madman hanging upside down from the balcony, ready to poke them with a fork…”
“Young Lady!”
Helena gave up correcting our speech after three full hours.
“Just please don’t curse in front of His Majesty the Emperor and His Holiness the Pope.”
Exhausted, Helena slumped into her chair. Karl, who had been observing the class, covered his mouth, barely containing his laughter.
“I regret not recording you two with magic tools. It could double as a depression treatment.”
“Father and dear brother have such beautiful ways of speaking. No wonder they’re rich.”
Aria, who had dozed off during the long class, shot a glare at Karl. Karl, in turn, narrowed his eyes at Aria with a smile.
‘Yet they are the male and female protagonists… Isn’t it a bit too much to look at each other like mortal enemies?’
Forget a rosy hue; the atmosphere between them felt as cold as ice, as if someone might throw a glove at their faces and shout for a duel without it being odd.
‘Are they… not meant to be together…?’
To be honest, the thought of them potentially becoming a couple, even if it didn’t align with logic, made me feel embarrassed. Having fallen in love as siblings seemed strange, though.
“No matter how beautiful my way of speaking is, it can’t compete with my lovely little sister!”
Aria’s eyes lit up, and Karl squinted at me. I shrank back, trying to gauge the tension between them.
The question of how they viewed each other lingered in my mouth, but I remained silent, fearing the answer would be that they had each pooled money to hire assassins against one another.
‘But as long as both are happy, isn’t that what matters?’
With that thought, I cleared my mind and took a sip of water.
In truth, the original story didn’t matter to me at all. Initially, I had hoped for some alignment out of anxiety over the uncertain future and for Aria’s happiness. However, now that things had twisted this far, holding onto the original story was no longer feasible. After all, the plan I had set was to completely twist and destroy the narrative.
‘My life is mine to shape. I will create happiness for those around me too.’
With Aria safe, nothing could obstruct me. There was no more hesitation. As I became part of the House of Kashmir, this world would diverge from the one penned in texts.
‘Since it’s come to this,’
I would decide my own fate.
“Thank you both for your hard work… may you successfully complete your debutante…”
Mrs. Helena, looking as if she had aged ten years, bid farewell and returned to the Duke’s mansion.
Karl chuckled.
“Don’t worry. No matter what blunders you make, Crisis can cover it up. Even if you curse the Emperor or the Pope, your father will handle the aftermath.”
I drank water again, dismissing Karl’s outrageous remarks. Four days before the debut, everything was proceeding smoothly.
The following day, Aria and I headed to a tailoring shop for our debutante dresses.
“Truly… you look absolutely stunning, Miss.”
Dahlia, having finished my styling, stared at the mirror with shimmering eyes. Reflected in the mirror was my awkward, flushed face.
Earlier, a light argument had arisen between Dahlia and me about the need to dress up just to buy clothes.
‘Why do I need to dress up to shop for clothes? I could just go in a shirt and pants. It’s not necessary since I always carry my sword when I come here.’
“The tailoring shop isn’t just a shop; it’s a hub of rumors. If you don’t dress up well, they’ll say you aren’t recognized at the Duke’s house! How about trying this pink dress? It matches your lovely pink eyes. You have guards… is it necessary to carry the sword?'”
I was set on wearing light clothing with a long sword at my side, while Dahlia insisted on a cumbersome dress without my sword.
“Fine… if you really dislike the dress that much, I’ll wear pants instead. But I won’t settle for just a shirt and pants! Even though you look stunning when you throw on anything, not putting in a little effort on how the lovely lady could dress is a crime! Just use a dagger that can be hidden in the clothing instead of a long sword!”
Having lived my life surrounded by danger, I felt uneasy unless I was ready for battle at any moment.
After quite some debate, we finally reached a compromise. The result was this:
A poofy bishop-sleeved white shirt. A wine-red two-button vest with intricate baroque patterns. A short, cute black cape. Tight black riding pants. Low-heeled leather spats. And a lovely magenta cocktail hat adorned with delicate black lace.
It was definitely a look that felt foreign to me.
“I look like a ridiculously beautiful porcelain doll! My life’s greatest masterpiece!”
Watching Dahlia, who was covering her mouth in disbelief, my embarrassment surged. My cheeks turned a bright crimson in the mirror.
‘How embarrassing…’
The scent of sweet perfume wafted as I fiddled with my braided hair. The black hair tied simply and braided down the right side felt odd. With one more look at my reflection, my neck flushed even more.
“Let’s go downstairs quickly, Miss! You have to show everyone!”
“I’m a bit embarrassed…”
“Come on, drop the formalities! Let’s hurry!”
“Um, okay…”
Being pulled along by Dahlia, I went down the stairs. Beyond the hall, I could see Caesar, Karl, and Aria.
Aria had already finished getting ready and was waiting for me while sipping tea. I took a deep breath for a moment.
Her pink hair, pulled into a single braid, was adorned with a hair vine made of white flowers and emeralds. Clad in a lush light green dress with plenty of lace, Aria truly looked like a fairy.
‘Well raised.’
I hurried my steps, beaming with pride.
“Aria!”
When I called out brightly, Aria, who had been pouring tea, jumped slightly. With tea water in her mouth, she turned to me, beaming broadly.
And then our eyes met.
Upon seeing me, Aria immediately turned her head away, spitting tea water all over Caesar’s lap.
“Crazy…”
Aria, with tea streaming down her lips, covered her mouth tightly. She looked as though she might cry. Caesar, who now shifted his gaze to me, widened his eyes slightly.
“Ah… so this is life…”
Aria kept muttering while dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Caesar, unaffected by the tea running down his lap, blinked slowly at me.
“…it looks truly wonderful.”
Karl, placing the teacup he was holding on the desk, murmured in a daze. As he set it down, some spilled tea dripped onto his hands and desk, but no one showed any sign of noticing.
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Feeling that everyone was overreacting, my face flushed further. I awkwardly scratched my head.
“I told my sister to try wearing colors other than black! I said to wear something besides just a shirt and cloak! I told her not to tie her hair in just one style but to try something different! I said that! It really looks great!”
Aria came rushing over to me, shouting excitedly as she hugged me. I awkwardly laughed, hugging her back.
“Isn’t this strange?”
“Absolutely not!”
Aria, cutting me off resolutely, rubbed her head against my neck.
“It’s so beautiful.”
A radiant smile etched on her face. The hair vine glimmered above her head.
“Are you heading to the tailoring shop now?”
Caesar, wearing a notably serious expression, asked. I responded with a ‘yes,’ and he took something from his pocket and tossed it to me.
Whoosh.
As I caught the object flying toward me, I blinked in surprise.
‘A black dragon encircling a sword is the symbol of the Duke’s house.’
What Caesar had handed me was a golden token intricately engraved with the Duke’s crest. Puzzled, I tilted my head, and casually sipping tea with tea splattering down, Caesar took a deep breath.
“This token is a proof of status, indicating that the Crisis family is the buyer. Just showing that can buy you an island in the East.”
Caesar slowly scanned me up and down before quickly turning his gaze away. Was it my imagination, or did the tips of his ears turn slightly red?
“…it wouldn’t be unusual to uproot one of the shop’s pillars.”
‘Honestly insane.’
Indeed, Caesar Crisis was bizarre.
Riding in a splendid carriage bearing the Duke’s seal, we traveled for about twenty minutes. As I exchanged brief conversations with Aria, we arrived at the grand building in the city center.
“Catherine’s Tailoring Shop is the trendiest in the empire. During social season, even if you reserve three months in advance, you may not get an appointment.”
Dahlia, who accompanied us, chattered away with information. As we approached the tailoring shop door while attentively listening, I furrowed my brow at the sight before me.
“…but it seems the place is empty?”
Right before the snowflake festival, all the tailoring shops in the capital were supposed to be busy. Yet, the interior of Catherine’s tailoring shop seemed completely devoid of life. Sporting a puzzled frown, Dahlia chuckled softly.
“The interest in you two has skyrocketed in high society lately. Since you might encounter unnecessary troubles if you go out, the Duke has reserved the entire shop for today.”
‘What excessive spending.’
I found it absurd that he would go to such lengths, yet it didn’t matter; reserving a whole shop for a day wouldn’t burden the Crisis family’s finances in the least. Knowing this, I felt a bit deflated as I opened the door to the tailoring shop.