“Wow, it is really amazing.”
Erika, who entered the room first, examined the furniture.
“This is Ikery furniture, which can only be made by custom order.”
Ikery furniture was a brand that selected only the highest-quality wood and produced pieces by custom order, with prices beyond imagination.
Even Erika’s father, Viscount Giller, couldn’t afford such luxury.
Yet that kind of furniture filled the entire bedroom.
The bed, vanity, mirror, table, sofa—every piece of furniture in the bedroom was from the Ikery brand.
The furniture in the reception room had been impressive, but the bedroom furniture was so stunning it was overwhelming.
“I am really envious, my Lady. To sleep in a place like this every day.”
“The bedroom is not everything. If you open this here, it leads to the dressing room.”
Just by opening one door, a dressing room with hundreds of dresses appeared.
The dresses weren’t ordinary either.
They were all creations by Madame Claire.
Madame Claire embroidered her initials on the hems of her dresses, and every dress hanging there bore her initials.
It was something Erika could never even dream of.
‘If I had been adopted into the Ducal House, all of this would have been mine.’
She felt truly regretful.
“My Lady, Lady Sestia says she wants to try on one of the dresses here.”
“Lady Sestia?”
Erika subtly pushed Sestia forward.
“…I-I would like to try one on.”
“Alright. Choose one you like.”
Choosing the dress became Erika’s role.
“I think this one would suit Lady Sestia well.”
When Erika brought the most expensive-looking dress among them, Sestia was visibly flustered.
“What do you think, Lady Sestia?”
“Th-That…”
“You do not like it?”
Erika smiled faintly and looked at her with sharp eyes, and Sestia had no choice but to nod.
“I-I like it.”
“Try it on.”
Ivelotte readily handed over the dress.
As she was about to call a maid, Erika stopped her.
“I will help.”
“You will?”
“Yes, I want to help. Come here, Lady Sestia.”
Erika took Sestia and went into the fitting room.
There was a separate room in the dressing room for trying on clothes.
After a moment, Sestia came out of the fitting room wearing a dark blue dress.
“Wow, it is really pretty. Try walking.”
“…Yes.”
As Sestia carefully took a step, Erika subtly stuck out her foot.
“Ah!”
Sestia, caught on Erika’s foot, fell forward.
Riiip!
As she fell, she stepped on the dress incorrectly, and the hem tore.
“Oh my, what should we do?”
Erika covered her mouth with her hand, making a shocked expression.
Sestia, who had fallen, looked like she was about to cry.
“Lady Sestia, you should have been more careful. The dress is torn. What should we do?”
With a troubled expression, Erika looked at me.
“My Lady, I am sorry. I should have stopped Lady Sestia…”
“I am sorry, my Lady.”
“More importantly, are you hurt?”
“…I am fine.”
“That is a relief.”
“Can you stand up?”
Sestia nodded with difficulty.
I silently watched the scene.
[I saw it, that girl deliberately stuck out her leg.]
Shiro chattered from beside me.
‘I know.’
Because it was completely obvious.
And yet Erika said, with a truly upset expression.
“Still, what are we going to do about the dress being torn? Madam Claire’s dresses are not something you can easily obtain…”
Sestia’s face turned pale.
“It is alright. I will count that dress as a gift to Lady Sestia.”
“My Lady…”
“It was not done on purpose, and it was an accident from falling, so I cannot hold you responsible for it.”
Sestia’s eyes welled up with tears.
“As expected, my Lady, your heart is truly generous! It is admirable.”
Saying that, Erika looked at Sestia.
“What are you doing? Hurry and thank her, Lady Sestia.”
Startled, Sestia quickly got up and bowed deeply toward me.
“Thank you, my Lady.”
“It is nothing. You cannot go back wearing a torn dress, so it would be better to change your clothes first.”
“Of course.”
Erika took Sestia’s hand and headed toward the fitting room.
As she helped her change her clothes, Erika spoke.
“Just because the Young Lady forgave you, do not think you have actually been forgiven. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
“You will have to behave properly from now on. There is no guarantee something like this will not happen again… now, go on out.”
Sestia knew that Erika had done it on purpose.
It was unfair, but there was nothing she could do.
After coming out of the dressing room, Erika looked reluctant to part with me.
“It is really a shame that we have to part like this.”
“Is that so?”
“If only I could live in a place like this.”
“I heard the Viscount’s residence is also wonderful.”
“Our mansion cannot even compare to this place. That is why I am so envious of you, my Lady.”
She genuinely seemed reluctant to leave the ducal estate.
But Sestia’s expression was very dark.
It must have been because of the incident that had just happened.
“Lady Sestia, forget what happened in the dressing room. Alright?”
“Yes, thank you, my Lady.”
“Let us meet again next time.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
“Take care.”
As soon as Sestia left first in her carriage, Erika boarded the carriage behind her.
“My Lady, today was really enjoyable. I will write to you.”
She waved her hand out the window, then soon disappeared from my sight.
After returning to my room, I heard from Shiro what had happened while I had left the reception room.
‘So she told her she should have refused my invitation.’
Erika had a purpose regarding me.
I didn’t know what she was trying to gain through me, but if she was using Sestia for that purpose, it made me angry.
I despised people who took advantage of others’ misfortune for their own benefit.
***
After that, I spent very busy days.
Every day, I invited two or three of the vassals’ children who had attended my birthday party and had tea time with them.
And I asked about Erika and Sestia.
“Lady Sestia is called Lady Erika’s maid.”
“A maid?”
“Yes, Lady Erika always brings Lady Sestia to gatherings and uses her like a maid.”
“Lady Sestia is the same. It is like she has no pride as a noble, she even does errands that maids would do.”
Some of them pitied Sestia.
“Lady Sestia is pitiful. She has no choice but to act that way because of the debt.”
“She is always alone at gatherings. No one talks to her. The only one who looks after her is Lady Erika.”
While some children sympathized with Sestia, others criticized her.
“Lady Sestia always makes us uncomfortable. And Lady Erika is always the one who cleans up after her. I think Lady Erika is amazing for taking care of her.”
“That is right, my father also lent money to Lady Sestia’s father, but he still has not gotten it back.”
“It is not just that, it seems he has been borrowing from others too, including Lady Erika’s father. Is that not shameless? And yet she still dares to talk back to her.”
Sestia’s reputation among the children was the worst.
There were children who pitied her, but there were also many who viewed her negatively.
After sending them away, Licia looked at me with a worried expression.
“My Lady, are you worried about your friend?”
“More than being worried, it feels like I am looking at a reality where someone has no choice but to be used.”
Before I transmigrated, I had seen a similar case.
It wasn’t something I experienced directly, but I had once stood by and watched someone else’s misfortune.
When I couldn’t even handle my own misfortune, how could I interfere with someone else’s?
So I just watched.
Whenever I saw patients being used by their families, there were times when my own misfortune felt like nothing.
Right. I took comfort in other people’s misfortune.
I shouldn’t have done that.
It was truly foolish and immature.
That was why, when I saw Sestia being used, it made me feel bad.
So I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“Do you want to help her?”
“I do want to help, but I don’t know how I should help.”
“In times like this, you should rely on an adult.”
“Rely on an adult?”
“Yes.”
“Who are you telling me to rely on?”
“Who else? The one who can solve your concerns in a single move.”
“Don’t tell me… you mean His Grace?”
