Chapter 50
Meanwhile, Abelline, completely unaware of whatever misconception Serio was under, was just coming out of her father’s study.
“Miss!”
Yoni, standing in the corridor with a flustered expression, spotted Abelline and ran toward her in a hurry.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… um…”
Abelline, puzzled, asked, and Yoni pointed hesitantly somewhere.
At the tip of Yoni’s outstretched finger, unfamiliar people were moving enormous gift packages.
“…What is all that?”
“They say it’s from Sharon Salon…”
“Sharon Salon?”
Abelline tilted her head at the familiar name and quickly remembered.
‘Isn’t that the place I went to yesterday with Duke Libes?’
But why would they be here?
A sense of foreboding came over Abelline as she hurriedly grabbed one of the strangers moving the gifts.
“What is all of this?”
“These are the things Duke Libes purchased from our store yesterday.”
“…Duke Libes?”
“Yes. We were planning to deliver them anyway, so it worked out. Shall we go?”
“No, wait…!”
Before she could protest, Abelline was led along by the salon staff.
“Lead the way! Quick!”
The salon staff urged her forward briskly.
Unwittingly guided into her room, Abelline’s head spun at the scene before her.
“All of this… is from Duke Libes?”
“Yes.”
But it didn’t seem like a simple answer sufficed.
Her previously empty room was now packed so full she could barely find space to stand.
“These are roughly measured outfits, so could you help us take exact measurements?”
From amidst the piles of clothes, the madam Abelline had seen at the salon gracefully emerged.
Even among such extravagant garments, her presence radiated an undeniable aura.
“Wow.”
“As expected, my eye for proportion is accurate. How could it all fit so perfectly?”
Pulled behind a partition, Abelline had to perform the remarkable feat of trying on countless outfits in a short amount of time under the madam’s direction.
“This one’s for a formal banquet, this one’s for casual outings, this isn’t particularly fancy but shows my sense even when unassuming… and this one’s a banquet outfit with a ‘they’re all looking at me but I don’t even know it’ concept, and…”
“…Why are there so many different purposes for clothes?”
Exhausted from changing outfits, Abelline asked, and the madam looked at her in shock.
“The right outfit for the situation is one of the best ways to express oneself. Even without speaking, it’s visible to the eyes. It shows what kind of resolve I have in this moment.”
After taking Abelline’s measurements for the last outfit, the madam finally let her go.
“Finally done?”
“Yes. Since we measured your shoes yesterday, there’s no need to do that again.”
“…Shoes?”
Even with all these clothes, Abelline’s eyes widened when she heard there were more.
Pointing to a corner of the room, the madam explained:
“We picked comfortable shoes like you did yesterday. The Duke asked us to make sure your shoes were comfortable. But don’t worry, the design isn’t lacking at all.”
Hearing that someone had noticed her discomfort and even selected shoes specifically for her, Abelline felt her emotions stir twice as strongly.
“Ah… you’re moved, aren’t you?”
Abelline, confused by her own unexpected feelings, repeated, “Me?”
“I’ve survived this long by reading subtle cues. Even if customers don’t speak, I know what they want or don’t want.”
“….”
The madam then turned back and pulled out an outfit from the pile Abelline had been trying on.
“This is for when you need to show your honest feelings to someone you can’t be frank with. Casual but intentional.”
“Even that kind of outfit exists?”
“Clothes are also a form of resolve, as I said.”
Abelline’s eyes took in the endlessly extravagant outfit as the madam reiterated her point.
“Thank you. Hmm… your resolve is amazing too, madam.”
“Of course. My outfits must be the most striking among those I sell. That’s my resolve.”
Smiling faintly at Abelline’s comment, the madam clapped her hands loudly twice.
“Done!”
“Yes!”
At the madam’s command, the salon staff quickly tidied up the room.
Before long, Abelline’s room was back to its original, neat state.
“My work here is done, so I’ll take my leave. If you ever need help with outfits, do come.”
“Goodbye, then.”
As the madam and staff left the mansion, Abelline sank onto the sofa, exhausted.
“What a commotion this morning…”
At that moment, Ares’s voice sounded from above her head.
“I told you to knock before entering my room—”
“The door was open!”
Abelline clutched a random sofa cushion, and Ares flinched at her explanation.
“Oh? Really?”
Apparently, the staff had forgotten to close the door when they left.
Relaxing her grip on the cushion, Abelline watched Ares visibly relax.
“So, what is it?”
He sat opposite her on the sofa.
“Duke Libes sent gifts from the salon.”
“From the salon?”
Ares’s expression stiffened slightly at her words.
But Abelline, ignoring her brother’s reaction, continued.
“And the documents you planned to sneak away, I’ll handle them.”
“What?”
Ares jumped at the news.
“You think that’s easy? What if it backfires and makes things worse!”
“It’s realistically easier for me to approach Duke Libes than you.”
Ares scowled, silenced by her logic.
“Anyway, that’s settled. I need to change my clothes now, so let me be.”
“Why? Where are you going?”
Following her up, Ares asked, and Abelline revealed her plan.
“I’m visiting Duke Libes’ mansion.”
“…What?”
Ares’s jaw dropped at the unexpected answer.
Abelline herself had made the decision somewhat impulsively, perhaps influenced by what the madam had said earlier:
‘You’re moved, aren’t you.’
Was it because someone had noticed her discomfort with shoes? Or something else entirely?
‘I need to go see for myself.’
She wanted to understand the feelings filling her heart.
And, like in her conversation with her father, she also wanted to check the mansion for the documents.
“Did you leave a visiting note?”
“Nope.”
“Just going there like that?”
“Yep.”
Seeing her confident answer, Ares shook his head.
“I’ve never heard of Duke Libes hosting visitors himself.”
“…It’ll work out somehow.”
Though trying to appear confident, Abelline felt a twinge of worry.
‘What if I go and just have to return empty-handed?’
But she quickly changed her mind.
‘No. To maintain the impression that he’s courting me, he’ll at least let me in. He must notice all the people watching.’
“Go on now.”
Deciding this, Abelline quickly sent her brother away.
Eventually, she arrived.
Stepping out of the carriage, Abelline felt overwhelmed by the massive iron gates.
Since the Theron mansion was on the outskirts of the capital, after the carriage left, she was alone on the road.
“Ahem.”
Having come this far, she felt unsure if it had been the right choice. How to even open these enormous gates?
“You can tell it’s huge even without entering.”
She couldn’t even see the mansion from the entrance, but it was clear the distance to reach it would be huge.
She hadn’t realized there were mansions this large outside the palace.
“Duke!”
Hoping a nearby servant would open the gate, she called out.
…Nothing. Only still silence answered.
‘Maybe I should’ve left a note after all?’
She slightly regretted her impulsive decision.
“Haah.”
If only the gates weren’t so massive, she thought, she might have rattled them to announce her presence.
As she muttered, placing her hand on the iron gate…
-Click.
A tingling current, like static electricity, shot from her hand, and the massive gate opened on its own.
“…Did I open it?”
Her palm still tingled.
“Or did someone know I was coming and open it for me?”
She glanced around, but there was no sign of anyone nearby.
