“Miss, the Marquis is in the reception room...”
“Oh, I’ll change into something else and come down right away.”
I threw away the cloak I had worn on the way here, but the smell of alcohol or cigarette smoke might have seeped into my clothes.
Halfway up the stairs, I suddenly stopped walking.
“Make sure to empty out one of the jewelry boxes. There will be a lot of new kids coming soon!”
Elena’s clear voice pierced my ear. She seemed quite happy as if something good had happened.
“Oh, Miss. Did you get another present?”
“Huh. ‘He’ has prepared a surprise gift for me? He said he’s going to match the jewelry to Pierre.”
Elena hummed, adding a strange accent to ‘He’.
“Pierre? Oh my! Isn’t that place famous for only handling expensive items?”
“Huh, I guess that’s the level we think I’m good for.”
“Oh, my. As expected, you’re amazing!”
I paused for a moment and continued up the stairs.
Elena, who had noticed me, paused for a moment, then a deep smile appeared on her lips.
“Hello, Sister. Where have you been?”
Elena asked with a leisurely smile.
She looked completely relaxed, completely different from yesterday when she had been sulking like a dog that had lost a fight.
“Sis, you went out without saying anything, so the Marquis came to visit without knowing and almost wasted his time. Oh, don’t worry. I made it fun enough, so he won’t be angry.”
Elena babbled, strangely stretching out the word “enough. ”
I looked back at her and smiled slowly.
“Yes, thank you.”
Elena wiggled her eyebrows slightly. My calm reaction seemed uninteresting.
I turned around, but instead took a few steps toward Elena.
“But be careful next time, Elena.”
“...What? What am I careful about?”
“Because if an unmarried woman flirts too much with her sister’s fiancé, there might be gossip.”
“What? Oh, sis. What are you talking about?”
Elena widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand.
“The Marquis and I will soon be a family. What’s wrong with spending some time as a family?”
Elena’s direct maid also looked at me with her bulging eyes.
As if she were looking at a paranoid suspicious person. Her name was Sally.
Elena’s eyes, looking straight at me, were completely unreserved.
“Besides, my future brother-in-law and I are a singer and an investor.”
Elena shrugged her shoulders gently.
“You know how much he treasures my talent like a jewel. When I’m with someone who understands my artistic world like him, time really flies. So please understand if it’s uncomfortable, sis.”
Elena has often said things like that before.
As if they had a special relationship that I couldn’t approach. It was as if there was a more noble and artistic solidarity between them than just a relationship between a man and a woman.
“The world of art.”
I smiled.
“Have you memorized all the fast notes?”
“...What?”
Elena’s smooth face cracked for a moment.
Despite pretending to have her own art world, Elena’s knowledge of music was extremely poor.
It would be an exaggeration to say that she had memorized all the notes, but it was true.
I kept a gentle smile and whispered.
“What is moderato? What is Vivace? I can’t teach you everything one by one forever.”
Her step-sister, who used to teach her every single note every time she looked at the music score, was going on strike as of yesterday.
“You’re all grown up now, Elena. If it becomes known that you don’t even have basic music knowledge, your fans will be greatly disappointed, so you’d better start studying now.”
Elena’s shoulders shook slightly as I warned her gently.
I was about to turn away, but then I looked at Elena again as if I remembered something.
“Oh, and my advice was sincere. Of course, I think it’s desirable for ‘family’ to get along well.”
Elena frowned when I boldly put a hand on her bare white shoulder.
“But the world’s judgment is particularly strict with women. If you don’t pay attention to your conduct, you might end up being rumored to be a frivolous woman.”
“What?”
Elena opened her mouth as if she had been taken by surprise.
“What did you just say? Frivolous? Ha! Did you just say that you were trying to make me look bad?”
“I didn’t say that. I just told you because I thought you didn’t know, so don’t get too excited. Of course, I and the servants of this house won’t spread strange rumors, so it’s okay at home, but...”
I smiled as I looked into her blue eyes which were quite similar to mine.
“A dish that leaks inside usually leaks outside too.”
Elena’s eyes rapidly dilated.
She bit her lips tightly and shouted in an agitated voice.
“Oh, this is unbelievable! How can you say something like that?! I feel so bad right now!”
I didn’t have enough time to endure Elena’s hysteria, so I just turned around.
Then I turned my steps to my original destination, the dressing room.
Elena, who saw the direction I was going, suddenly caught my eye.
“...What, you seem to be in a bad mood today, sis? Calm down and come down slowly.”
The voice seemed to have quickly regained its composure.
I opened the dressing room door, letting go of the strange tone.
Then, as I was about to approach the closet, I suddenly raised one eyebrow.
'This is...'
A long sofa in front of the dressing room.
There, I could see strands of hair of different colors intertwined.
Red hair and platinum hair that was noticeably longer than mine.
"Ha."
A short laugh escaped my lips.
'What is this?'
Now, the puzzle pieces were roughly put together.
Elena, who seemed strangely excited.
Her eyes had been shining as if mocking me when I tried to enter the dressing room. Even the story about jewels I had heard on the stairs.
"...This is interesting, really."
I smiled briefly as I lifted my hair.
Yesterday, despite my clever hints, these beasts had not calmed down at all.
I closed my eyes and took a breath for a moment. The nausea rose to a point where it was hard to bear, but now was the time to suppress it.
A few seconds later, I opened my eyes again and slowly ran my hand over my face.
'I should tell them to change the sofa.'
The cream-colored sofa I liked quite a bit now looked dirty as if it was buried in a pile of filth.
As I went down to the living room, I heard a bright singing sound.
I opened the door and found Elena sitting on the window sill, singing like a nightingale, and Lucas looking at her with affection.
“Oh, Elena. Isn’t that part a little off-key?”
“Oh, no? Don’t tease me, really.”
I made a sound after confirming that a thin fist had hit Lucas’ shoulder.
“Oh, Ari!”
Lucas looked back at me and approached me with a big smile.
“Why did you come now? I waited for you.”
As he approached, I could smell his strong perfume.
I barely controlled my expression and smiled at him.
“I went for a drink.”
“You went alone, sis? Why didn’t you call me when you don’t have any friends to hang out with! You would have followed me right away.”
“Haha, our future sister-in-law is really affectionate. It’s so nice to see sisters getting along so well.”
“Oh, I’ll change into something else and come down right away.”
I threw away the cloak I had worn on the way here, but the smell of alcohol or cigarette smoke might have seeped into my clothes.
Halfway up the stairs, I suddenly stopped walking.
“Make sure to empty out one of the jewelry boxes. There will be a lot of new kids coming soon!”
Elena’s clear voice pierced my ear. She seemed quite happy as if something good had happened.
“Oh, Miss. Did you get another present?”
“Huh. ‘He’ has prepared a surprise gift for me? He said he’s going to match the jewelry to Pierre.”
Elena hummed, adding a strange accent to ‘He’.
“Pierre? Oh my! Isn’t that place famous for only handling expensive items?”
“Huh, I guess that’s the level we think I’m good for.”
“Oh, my. As expected, you’re amazing!”
I paused for a moment and continued up the stairs.
Elena, who had noticed me, paused for a moment, then a deep smile appeared on her lips.
“Hello, Sister. Where have you been?”
Elena asked with a leisurely smile.
She looked completely relaxed, completely different from yesterday when she had been sulking like a dog that had lost a fight.
“Sis, you went out without saying anything, so the Marquis came to visit without knowing and almost wasted his time. Oh, don’t worry. I made it fun enough, so he won’t be angry.”
Elena babbled, strangely stretching out the word “enough. ”
I looked back at her and smiled slowly.
“Yes, thank you.”
Elena wiggled her eyebrows slightly. My calm reaction seemed uninteresting.
I turned around, but instead took a few steps toward Elena.
“But be careful next time, Elena.”
“...What? What am I careful about?”
“Because if an unmarried woman flirts too much with her sister’s fiancé, there might be gossip.”
“What? Oh, sis. What are you talking about?”
Elena widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand.
“The Marquis and I will soon be a family. What’s wrong with spending some time as a family?”
Elena’s direct maid also looked at me with her bulging eyes.
As if she were looking at a paranoid suspicious person. Her name was Sally.
Elena’s eyes, looking straight at me, were completely unreserved.
“Besides, my future brother-in-law and I are a singer and an investor.”
Elena shrugged her shoulders gently.
“You know how much he treasures my talent like a jewel. When I’m with someone who understands my artistic world like him, time really flies. So please understand if it’s uncomfortable, sis.”
Elena has often said things like that before.
As if they had a special relationship that I couldn’t approach. It was as if there was a more noble and artistic solidarity between them than just a relationship between a man and a woman.
“The world of art.”
I smiled.
“Have you memorized all the fast notes?”
“...What?”
Elena’s smooth face cracked for a moment.
Despite pretending to have her own art world, Elena’s knowledge of music was extremely poor.
It would be an exaggeration to say that she had memorized all the notes, but it was true.
I kept a gentle smile and whispered.
“What is moderato? What is Vivace? I can’t teach you everything one by one forever.”
Her step-sister, who used to teach her every single note every time she looked at the music score, was going on strike as of yesterday.
“You’re all grown up now, Elena. If it becomes known that you don’t even have basic music knowledge, your fans will be greatly disappointed, so you’d better start studying now.”
Elena’s shoulders shook slightly as I warned her gently.
I was about to turn away, but then I looked at Elena again as if I remembered something.
“Oh, and my advice was sincere. Of course, I think it’s desirable for ‘family’ to get along well.”
Elena frowned when I boldly put a hand on her bare white shoulder.
“But the world’s judgment is particularly strict with women. If you don’t pay attention to your conduct, you might end up being rumored to be a frivolous woman.”
“What?”
Elena opened her mouth as if she had been taken by surprise.
“What did you just say? Frivolous? Ha! Did you just say that you were trying to make me look bad?”
“I didn’t say that. I just told you because I thought you didn’t know, so don’t get too excited. Of course, I and the servants of this house won’t spread strange rumors, so it’s okay at home, but...”
I smiled as I looked into her blue eyes which were quite similar to mine.
“A dish that leaks inside usually leaks outside too.”
Elena’s eyes rapidly dilated.
She bit her lips tightly and shouted in an agitated voice.
“Oh, this is unbelievable! How can you say something like that?! I feel so bad right now!”
I didn’t have enough time to endure Elena’s hysteria, so I just turned around.
Then I turned my steps to my original destination, the dressing room.
Elena, who saw the direction I was going, suddenly caught my eye.
“...What, you seem to be in a bad mood today, sis? Calm down and come down slowly.”
The voice seemed to have quickly regained its composure.
I opened the dressing room door, letting go of the strange tone.
Then, as I was about to approach the closet, I suddenly raised one eyebrow.
'This is...'
A long sofa in front of the dressing room.
There, I could see strands of hair of different colors intertwined.
Red hair and platinum hair that was noticeably longer than mine.
"Ha."
A short laugh escaped my lips.
'What is this?'
Now, the puzzle pieces were roughly put together.
Elena, who seemed strangely excited.
Her eyes had been shining as if mocking me when I tried to enter the dressing room. Even the story about jewels I had heard on the stairs.
"...This is interesting, really."
I smiled briefly as I lifted my hair.
Yesterday, despite my clever hints, these beasts had not calmed down at all.
I closed my eyes and took a breath for a moment. The nausea rose to a point where it was hard to bear, but now was the time to suppress it.
A few seconds later, I opened my eyes again and slowly ran my hand over my face.
'I should tell them to change the sofa.'
The cream-colored sofa I liked quite a bit now looked dirty as if it was buried in a pile of filth.
***
As I went down to the living room, I heard a bright singing sound.
I opened the door and found Elena sitting on the window sill, singing like a nightingale, and Lucas looking at her with affection.
“Oh, Elena. Isn’t that part a little off-key?”
“Oh, no? Don’t tease me, really.”
I made a sound after confirming that a thin fist had hit Lucas’ shoulder.
“Oh, Ari!”
Lucas looked back at me and approached me with a big smile.
“Why did you come now? I waited for you.”
As he approached, I could smell his strong perfume.
I barely controlled my expression and smiled at him.
“I went for a drink.”
“You went alone, sis? Why didn’t you call me when you don’t have any friends to hang out with! You would have followed me right away.”
“Haha, our future sister-in-law is really affectionate. It’s so nice to see sisters getting along so well.”
My ears were getting sick from the joke that wasn’t even funny.
Instead of answering, I raised my hand to Lucas’s eye level.
Lucas looked at my hand and looked at me with a puzzled look.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Ari?”
“Look at this, Marquis.”
There was a red hair hanging from my index finger.
Red hair wasn’t that common. Lucas’s eyes widened as he immediately recognized it as his.
I looked into his eyes and smiled.
“It fell on the sofa in front of my dressing room.”
For a moment, there was silence in the living room.
Elena rolled her eyes and looked at me. Lucas’s smile disappeared from his face as well.
Looking at her, I was certain.
‘I wondered if Elena had left a mark on purpose to mock me.’
It was just a mistake made by beasts blinded by lust.
When the improbable truth was revealed, disappointment and resentment surged in like a tide.
I swallowed a bitter smile and threw the bait.
“Did you come by my dressing room?”
“...Oh, yes. That’s right!”
Lucas bit the string that was casually offered without any suspicion.
Lucas nodded, and his face suddenly relaxed again.
“I was bored while I was waiting. I took a look at my fiancée’s closet.”
“My closet? Why?”
When I asked, tilting my head, Lucas smiled kindly and said.
“Why, shouldn’t I be curious about the wardrobe of a woman who is about to get married? What the heck, Ari. I know you’re easygoing, but that’s a bit much! Our wedding is coming up soon, so I should get you a pretty dress, okay? Jewelry would be nice too.”
Lucas coaxed me with a soft voice.
I could clearly feel his intention to charm me with the sweet connotations of words like ‘dress’ and ‘jewelry.’
I smiled brightly and held my hands tightly.
“Really, Your Grace?”
Lucas looked surprised because I had never reacted so actively.
Soon, he smiled and grabbed my shoulder. I instinctively felt nausea rise up in my stomach, but I barely swallowed it.
“Of course. You deserve an engagement gift like that, as a prospective Marchioness .”
Instead of answering, I raised my hand to Lucas’s eye level.
Lucas looked at my hand and looked at me with a puzzled look.
“Huh? What’s wrong, Ari?”
“Look at this, Marquis.”
There was a red hair hanging from my index finger.
Red hair wasn’t that common. Lucas’s eyes widened as he immediately recognized it as his.
I looked into his eyes and smiled.
“It fell on the sofa in front of my dressing room.”
For a moment, there was silence in the living room.
Elena rolled her eyes and looked at me. Lucas’s smile disappeared from his face as well.
Looking at her, I was certain.
‘I wondered if Elena had left a mark on purpose to mock me.’
It was just a mistake made by beasts blinded by lust.
When the improbable truth was revealed, disappointment and resentment surged in like a tide.
I swallowed a bitter smile and threw the bait.
“Did you come by my dressing room?”
“...Oh, yes. That’s right!”
Lucas bit the string that was casually offered without any suspicion.
Lucas nodded, and his face suddenly relaxed again.
“I was bored while I was waiting. I took a look at my fiancée’s closet.”
“My closet? Why?”
When I asked, tilting my head, Lucas smiled kindly and said.
“Why, shouldn’t I be curious about the wardrobe of a woman who is about to get married? What the heck, Ari. I know you’re easygoing, but that’s a bit much! Our wedding is coming up soon, so I should get you a pretty dress, okay? Jewelry would be nice too.”
Lucas coaxed me with a soft voice.
I could clearly feel his intention to charm me with the sweet connotations of words like ‘dress’ and ‘jewelry.’
I smiled brightly and held my hands tightly.
“Really, Your Grace?”
Lucas looked surprised because I had never reacted so actively.
Soon, he smiled and grabbed my shoulder. I instinctively felt nausea rise up in my stomach, but I barely swallowed it.
“Of course. You deserve an engagement gift like that, as a prospective Marchioness .”
“I’m so happy that Your Grace is thinking of me that much.”
“Huh, hmm. This is nothing special-.”
I said with a big smile.
“You made a reservation at Pierre’s jewelry store for me, too?”
Lucas’ smooth smile wavered slightly at those words.
“Huh?”
Clink!
“Huh, hmm. This is nothing special-.”
I said with a big smile.
“You made a reservation at Pierre’s jewelry store for me, too?”
Lucas’ smooth smile wavered slightly at those words.
“Huh?”
Clink!
I heard Elena drop a teaspoon behind me.
I turned my head at the loud noise and met Elena’s eyes.
Her wide eyes were distorted in absurdity and shock.
“Wait. That’s...”
Elena opened her mouth and the doorbell rang at the same time.
I turned my head at the loud noise and met Elena’s eyes.
Her wide eyes were distorted in absurdity and shock.
“Wait. That’s...”
Elena opened her mouth and the doorbell rang at the same time.
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