Chapter 7
May took Lucilea to the bathroom and washed her face.
Her hands were gentle as she dried Lucilea’s face with a warm towel that carried the scent of sunlight.
Then, she stood Lucilea in front of the dressing table and showed her the dresses she had brought.
“What do you think of this dress?”
May fluttered a pale pink dress in front of Lucilea’s reflection in the mirror, then lifted a blue dress and asked again.
“Or how about this one? No, this one also looks wonderful on you…”
My goodness, everything looks good on her!
May fussily held up several dresses at once.
Lucilea’s eyes in the mirror drifted toward the mobile dress rack May had brought in.
‘Could it be… all of these are for me?’
It wasn’t just the dresses. There were headpieces, shoes that matched each outfit, and even a box full of accessories for each part of the outfit.
‘Everything looks so expensive…’
Lucilea couldn’t tell whether she had entered the Duke’s residence as a chosen member of the elite corps or as the Duke’s own daughter.
At that moment, May presented a light green dress.
“Oh, Lucilea! How about this dress?”
May excitedly claimed it was the most fitting dress she had seen so far.
“Wow…”
For the first time, Lucilea’s eyes sparkled.
“I like it. I really like this shade of light green.”
“Really?!”
Lucilea nodded, seeing May’s delighted smile.
“Yes! It’s a transparent, clear green, just like your eyes, May. This dress is exactly my favorite color, so I really like it!”
“…”
May paused for a brief moment, but it was so fleeting that Lucilea didn’t notice.
She then smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
“So Lucilea, you like light green?! Just like my eyes! I’m truly honored.”
She then put down the dress and held out a box filled with accessories.
“Now, which necklace would you like?”
“Do I have to choose a necklace too?”
“Of course! The necklace you choose now will be worn continuously while living at the Duke’s residence, so please choose carefully.”
“Does choosing a necklace have a special meaning?”
May nodded.
“Yes! That’s right, Lucilea. More specifically, you’ll be choosing the gem on the necklace. Gems are vessels that can hold magic. The gem on the necklace you choose today will be enchanted with protective magic personally by Noah Ladebian, the Duke’s most powerful magician.”
“Wow…”
Lucilea let out a small gasp.
Noah Ladebian.
May explained that Noah was not only a magician serving the Duke but also taught magic to children chosen by the elite corps.
Not only that, but he would also cast protective magic.
‘This is the Duke’s wealth…!’
Lucilea was amazed at the scale of the Duke family’s support for the chosen children. May held out the jewelry box toward her again.
“Here, take a look and choose.”
“Hmmm…”
Lucilea slowly scanned the contents of the jewelry box.
Necklaces with various gems—diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds—were lined up in a row.
Even at a glance, the gems seemed expensive, though some of the accessories appeared a little worn.
‘They said I’ll have to wear it all the time.’
Then, naturally, the biggest, most expensive, and most beautiful one would be the best choice!
Just as she thought that, one necklace caught Lucilea’s eye.
“W-wow…!”
Her eyes lit up instantly.
A delicate golden chain held a small, coin-sized pendant, shaped like the World Tree.
The trunk and branches were made of gold and shone brilliantly, while the blue leaves dangling at the tips were adorned with light green gems.
Though it showed signs of age compared to the other accessories, the moment Lucilea saw it, no other necklace drew her attention.
“Th-this one…”
“…”
Lucilea pointed to the necklace as if entranced. May raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure you want this one?”
Lucilea nodded quickly.
“Yes! This one!”
May took the necklace from the box and placed it around Lucilea’s neck.
“You’re the first to choose this necklace, Lucilea.”
The first…
Lucilea looked at herself in the mirror.
The necklace resembled nature.
The gem shaped like a leaf looked as if it had captured the lush greenery of early summer in its crystalline form.
As she gazed at the gem in awe, May spoke.
“The light green gem on this necklace is a natural peridot. Its shine has faded slightly with time, but it was once so prized it was called ‘a gift from the sun.’ Have you heard of it?”
Lucilea shook her head.
“No, this is my first time hearing about it.”
May continued while adjusting Lucilea’s necklace and hair.
“Long ago, there was a legendary… no, an incredibly powerful genius spirit mage.”
Spirit mage…?
Lucilea tilted her head.
‘Was there a spirit mage in this story?!’
She remembered magicians and swordmasters with auras, but not spirit mages in the original story.
May continued.
“That spirit mage decorated their magic wand with peridot, and it became very popular among magicians and spirit mages for some time.”
Lucilea tilted her head.
“With such a remarkable gem, why hasn’t anyone chosen it until now?”
“Well…”
Well?
May’s curved smile deepened.
“Perhaps… it was waiting for you, Lucilea?”
“….”
Waiting for me…
Even knowing it was a flattering thing to say, Lucilea felt genuinely pleased.
Her lips twitched in a small smile.
‘Look at this dazzling color.’
Though the gem’s shine had faded with time, it made it even more beautiful.
Instead of the initial sparkle, it now held a quiet resonance that only time could bring.
Truly, like a gift from the sun, it seemed to contain all the vitality of nature.
Lucilea gazed at the necklace in a daze, and May’s lips curved into an inexplicable smile.
“Take good care of it.”
Lucilea gently touched the necklace around her neck.
“Yes! It’s beautiful. I’ll treasure it.”
“The necklace will be happy too.”
After finishing her grooming, Lucilea asked May if she could tour the Duke’s residence.
May practically bounced with excitement.
“Of course! Irevan said a short walk would be fine!”
May quickly brought a coat for Lucilea.
Even the coat was luxurious.
“It’s made from the fur of foxes hunted by His Grace the Duke and the Young Duke. The fur is silver, so it’s beautiful, but it also has much higher insulation than other furs.”
“….”
At this point, Lucilea felt it pointless to ask why such precious things were being given to her.
From head to toe, she was already adorned with precious items.
‘This is the scale of the Duke family’s support…’
Lucilea offered a brief “thank you” and obediently let May dress her.
Just then, a fruit-filled bird named Cookie flapped down and perched on top of Lucilea’s head.
It seemed to be cleaning up juice from its beak, though red stains remained.
Cookie opened its stained beak.
[Lucy! That look right now—this is what you meant by the taste of a life turned around, right?! Life turned around!! I think I finally understand! You look like a perfect nouveau riche!]
‘Nouveau… riche? Not a noble young lady?’
[Eh, Lucy…]
Pff, Cookie snorted and said:
[Look in the mirror. Not exactly like a noble young lady…]
‘….’
Lucilea looked at herself in the mirror wearing the coat. She was adorned in precious, sparkling items, but somehow it felt awkward.
‘Like a child wearing her mother’s clothes.’
[Still!]
Cookie nodded and continued.
[Much better than living in that awful village! I can feel your happiness!]
‘….’
Lucilea smiled softly at Cookie’s words.
‘Thanks, Cookie. You look happy too.’
Pff, Cookie nodded in agreement.
[Seeing both of us happy, life turned around! Early success! We made it!]
Though it felt a bit early to call it success, Lucilea simply smiled.
‘Yes, this is just the beginning.’
Even if she still looked like a country girl pretending to be a noble, awkward with the weight of the dress and the trailing hem,
‘Since I’ll be staying at the Duke’s residence, I’ll have to get used to these luxuries…’
Still, she reminded herself not to forget her gratitude.
May held Lucilea’s hand and said,
“The indoor garden at the Duke’s residence is very beautiful. Today, I’ll show you around it.”
Lucilea placed Cookie on her head and followed May.
The air felt different as soon as they left the room—cooler and heavier.
May lifted Lucilea in her arms and went down the stairs.
Flustered, Lucilea hugged May’s neck.
“I can walk!”
May smiled.
“Of course, I know you can walk. But Irevan said not to overexert yourself. In the Duke’s residence, his words are law—except for the Duke himself.”
“Oh… I see.”
Lucilea reluctantly let herself be carried down the stairs. It was surprising, somewhat fun, and surprisingly comfortable.
Then she realized:
‘Wow… my room is on the fifth floor?’
She only noticed upon reaching the first floor.
‘Good thing May carried me; otherwise, I’d be exhausted.’
Thinking about going up and down those stairs made her head spin.
As they exited the annex, May set Lucilea down and called out:
“Oh! Lucilea, your scarf!”
“I’m fine. This fur coat keeps me warm—”
“Not fine at all! Right now, you’re like a bubble that could pop just from the wind!”
“…?”
“What scarf? I need to bring earmuffs and a fur hat too! Wait here! I’ll be right back!”
Goodness! I forgot something so important! May hurriedly ran back inside.
“Ma-May!”
Lucilea called after her, but May had already gone into the annex.
Lucilea watched the doorway quietly.
‘I’m really okay…’
Thanks to the gate’s side effects, she had been a bit dazed, but after a good sleep, she felt much refreshed.
Even without May’s fussing, she would have been fine.
She felt like she was causing unnecessary trouble.
‘Sigh.’
Lucilea leaned against a pillar in the external corridor.
Then, a voice called from a short distance away:
“Hey, beggar. Stop there.”
