<Chapter 3>
“…Young Duke, how do I look?”
With my movement, the hem of the pure white dress spread out in a soft sweep.
Leandro looked at me and answered in a gentle voice.
“It suits you very well.”
It might have been a polite compliment, but it still made my mood lift.
“What dress would you like to try on next?”
At the question from the boutique staff member who came closer, I glanced over at the dresses hanging on the rolling rack.
Each one was elegant and luxurious enough to dazzle the eyes. Among them, I picked a dress with sleeves adorned with countless lace flowers.
“Hmm, I’ll go with this one.”
“Understood.”
The curtain closed with a rustle.
At the same time, Leandro, who had been sitting on the couch, disappeared behind the fabric.
The location was the Cassius Ducal House’s Fifth Reception Room — a special space for trying on and selecting clothes.
Not only did they not go out to a boutique to shop — they brought the boutique into the house. And apparently, in Cassius, this was so common that they even had a dedicated room for it.
‘Even the Wallace family is noble, but we couldn’t even dream of something like this.’
Thinking of Idel’s family made my head throb on its own.
“Idel! No matter what happens, you mustn’t let go of the Young Duke of Cassius!”
“Who do you think you are? When will you ever hook a better man than him?”
“Let me ride your coattails when you become the Duchess.”
When I’d only read about them in the novel, I hadn’t realized, but Idel’s family was practically the picture of a greedy, selfish family — the polar opposite of a certain other family who doted on their daughter.
‘Well… once I’m married, I won’t have to see them much anyway…’
I emptied my head of such thoughts and focused solely on changing into dresses with the help of the staff.
Every single piece made by Madame Renoir, the Empire’s top dressmaker, was beautiful.
Then it happened.
“Brother! I’m here!”
A cute and lively voice rang out from the entrance.
“Riena! What brings you here?”
At Leandro’s question, Riena smiled sheepishly.
“I came to watch. I wanted to see my sister-in-law in a wedding dress!”
We weren’t even married yet, but Riena was already calling me sister-in-law. Even when we were first introduced — when Leandro had told her I was the woman he’d marry — she treated me warmly right from the start.
Just like she was described in the book — truly kind and lovable. …To the point that I felt guilty for harboring even the slightest jealousy toward her.
Shhhk.
Just then, the staff withdrew their hands after arranging the dress, and the curtain opened.
“Oh my, you look so beautiful!”
Riena’s eyes sparkled when she saw me.
I greeted my soon-to-be sister-in-law with a gentle smile.
“Welcome, Lady Riena.”
“Is that the dress you’ve decided on?”
“I’m going to try a few more.”
“Wow. Then may I sit here and watch?”
If the true power in the Cassius household wanted something, could I refuse? And besides, she was a far better audience than someone who just kept repeating that everything looked good on me.
“Of course.”
I gladly accepted Riena’s request.
I thought, thanks to her, I’d enjoy picking out my wedding dress even more.
…At the time, I was being very naïve.
Up until that point, my impression of Leandro and the Cassius family had been quite good.
When Leandro first invited me to the ducal house, they had been nothing but courteous.
They hadn’t looked down on me for the Wallace Count family’s financial decline, nor had they laughed at my imperfect table manners.
Though it was a bit of a flaw that the conversation at my introduction had revolved strangely around Riena… well, I had been prepared for that.
‘Most of all…’
They were the main characters I had liked in the novel.
Whenever I read Walk Only on Flower Roads After Regression, I’d wish I had a family like that too.
In the novel, Riena’s family always showered her with unconditional love and trust. Before transmigrating, as an orphan with no one in the world, I had longed for that.
Even though I wasn’t Riena, marrying Leandro meant becoming a part of Cassius. That hope of becoming part of such a family was about to come true.
This was the exact moment that rosy optimism began to crack.
The trigger was a single remark from Riena, who had been watching me try on dresses.
“Can I try one on too?”
“…Pardon?”
“A wedding dress.”
A rosy blush spread across her soft cheeks.
“Seeing my sister-in-law wearing one, it looked so pretty… I want to try too.”
How adorable.
I could understand. I had once dreamed of wearing a beautiful wedding dress myself.
“What? Why would you wear a wedding dress?”
Leandro reacted unusually negatively to his sister’s words.
Riena’s eyebrows drooped.
“I’m not asking anyone to buy me one! I just want to try it on for a bit…”
The image of a poor little rabbit caught in the rain came to mind, and my heart softened.
So I looked to the boutique staff and said:
“Wouldn’t that be fine? They’re sample pieces meant to be tried on anyway, and they won’t wear out from one fitting…”
When I glanced at Leandro for agreement, he sighed reluctantly.
“Do as you wish.”
“Yay!”
Overjoyed, Riena ran to the rack of dresses.
Was she really that happy?
While she was changing behind the curtain, I sat down next to Leandro.
“It’s nice to have a break. Honestly, constantly changing can get pretty tiring.”
I assumed his concern had been that Riena might cut into my fitting time.
“…I see.”
But for some reason, even after hearing me, Leandro still looked troubled.
“Brother. Is Riena here?”
Just then, two more visitors entered the Fifth Reception Room.
“Father. Lehaim.”
The Duke of Cassius and his second son approached us.
“We were going to have tea with Riena, but they said she was here.”
At Lehaim’s explanation, the Duke nodded in agreement.
Lehaim looked at me.
“Oh, Lady Wallace is here too.”
It was my own dress fitting — of course I was here.
Instead of voicing that obvious rebuttal, I greeted them politely.
“Good day, Your Grace. And to you as well, Lord Lehaim.”
“But, Brother. I don’t see Riena. Where is she?”
“Riena is—”
Before Leandro could answer, the curtain opened.
“What, when did Father and Little Brother get here?”
Riena stepped out wearing a very extravagant wedding dress.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The three men stared at her wide-eyed, as if completely absorbed, oblivious to anything else.
Then suddenly, Lehaim jumped up.
“Why are you wearing that?!”
“Because I wanted to.”
“But why do you want to?!”
As the siblings bickered, the Duke spoke in a voice tinged with nostalgia.
“It feels like just yesterday you said you’d marry me when you grew up.”
Riena shouted in embarrassment.
“Father! That was ages ago!”
Lehaim scowled.
“What are you talking about? The one she promised to marry was me.”
“Nonsense. It’s a pity you’re senile at such a young age.”
“It was definitely me! I remember the time and place clearly! It was exactly thirteen years ago, in the rose garden of Cassius Castle—”
“You remember in such detail. I’ve heard it so often I can’t even keep track.”
“Ugh! Anyway, the one marrying her is me!”
“It’s me!”
…Excuse me? Hello?
The one getting married is me.
I stared blankly as the two of them argued like children.
The atmosphere had suddenly gotten very strange.
Even the boutique staff were now watching the Duke and his sons anxiously.
‘…Were they this overprotective in the novel?’
Then suddenly, Leandro sprang to his feet.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Right. As an outsider, it wasn’t my place to step in — this was his job to diffuse.
Except what came out of my husband-to-be’s mouth was the last thing I expected.
“Riena said she would marry me!”
…Huh?
“The first person she promised to marry wasn’t Father or Lehaim — it was me!”
…You’re the one who’s supposed to marry me!
The three of them began bickering heatedly.
“Um, perhaps you could all—”
I tried to stop them before the situation became even messier.
“To think you’d defy your head of house — such insolence.”
“It’s cowardly to use your position at a time like this, Father.”
“Brother, you always lord your heir status over us too.”
“When have I ever?”
No one was listening.
However—
“Enough!”
At Riena’s single word, everything froze.
“Father, brothers — honestly! Why are you acting like children over something I said when I didn’t know any better?”
Then she threw them a lure none of them could resist.
“I’ll go change into another dress. You can tell me what you think.”
“Another dress…?”
“In that case—”
“She’ll be incredibly cute.”
The Duke and his two sons murmured like men bewitched, then obediently sat back down.
Even so, they continued to argue in low voices about who Riena was “supposed” to marry.
I curled into the far corner of the couch, feeling entirely left out.
After that… well…
There wasn’t much for me to do except listen to the flood of compliments each time Riena appeared in a new wedding dress.
Oh, and occasionally hear a growled remark about how they’d never let her marry “any scoundrel” — clearly a warning aimed at the crown prince she was currently getting along with.
“My lady! What do you think of this one?”
“With your fair skin, you look beautiful in anything!”
Even the boutique staff, having sensed the household’s hierarchy, began fawning over Riena far more than me.
They sure knew how to do business.
‘I’m exhausted…’
Feeling strangely tired, I tried on two more dresses while Riena rested, then decided to end the fitting.
After the Duke and Lehaim took Riena away for tea — as had been their original plan — Leandro made a suggestion as I was selecting my final choice.
“How about this dress? As you said, it’s quite pretty.”
Following the direction of his finger, I turned my gaze.
There stood a dress I hadn’t tried on all day.
