Chapter 44
Ah, this is exhausting. Is the Duke sticking his head in here again from early morning?
“Alright, my lady. Hands up!”
“…Hands up.”
“For the morning walk, this sky-blue dress! For the afternoon market, the magenta dress! And for the evening finale, the yellow dress!”
“That’s way too many!”
At this point, it’s basically not me going out to have fun, but the clothes going out to have fun—with me tagging along as the coat rack.
Such is the life of a duke’s daughter…
While my lips stuck out a good distance, Linda giggled and dressed me.
In the mirror, now clad in a sky-blue outing dress…
“…Wow.”
I looked really cute—so much so I found myself twirling in front of the mirror without realizing it.
Not to brag, but… I could probably model for children’s clothing.
Behind me, Linda beamed in the mirror.
“Oohoohoo, my lady likes it too?”
“…Yes.”
“No need to be shy about it now! Come on, let’s spread that shyness around!”
Without giving me a moment to prepare, Linda swung the door wide open.
Waiting outside were two people—Benen and Elber.
Their blue eyes went wide at the same time.
“Whoa…”
“Wow, Sol! You look amazing! Just like a doll!”
While Benen was struck speechless, Elber came running over, grabbed my hands tight, and his pure praise warmed my heart.
“Thanks, Elber-oppa. But what happened to your tsundere act?”
“It’s gone! If I didn’t tell you you’re beautiful right now, that wouldn’t be tsundere—it’d mean I have no conscience or sense of aesthetics!”
“Hahaha! Wow, thanks. Now, what about you, Benen-oppa?”
Called out belatedly, Benen returned to his signature cold gaze, looked me up and down, and delivered something only he could say.
“No. I can’t let you go out like this.”
“You’re talking nonsense right after eating breakfast.”
“If you go out like that, someone will kidnap you. If it were me, I would!”
“Then I guess I’ll just have to send Benen-oppa to the dungeon—for public safety.”
A bit of nonsense finally shut him up. Still, the way he kept glancing at me with a small smile made it clear he thought the outfit suited me.
Hmm, but—
“Where’s Father?”
“He’s got morning work, so he can’t come with us.”
“Oh.”
“What, disappointed?”
“…No.”
The Duke had been the one most excited to see my new outfit, so I naturally thought he’d be here too.
It’s not that I’m disappointed… just a little surprised.
…Wait a second.
Don’t tell me… I’m getting attached to the Duke before he’s fully attached to me? No way!
While I was reeling from that thought—
“Excuse me, Sol.”
“Yes?”
“Me too.”
“Hey, you two!”
The two of them suddenly came to stand on either side of me and linked their arms with mine. On my left, Benen winked.
“While we’re escorting you, think only of us.”
“This isn’t what people normally call an ‘escort.’”
“Oh? Then what do you call it?”
An arrest!
Before I could answer, Linda plopped a white sunhat onto my head.
“My lady, take this with you.”
That was the signal to depart.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Hahaha!”
“Hey, can you match your stride to my leg length?!”
The three of us siblings dashed down the hallway, laughing without a care.
Yes—
Us, siblings.
In front of the mansion, a roofless carriage awaited us. Wow, I haven’t ridden something like this since an elementary school picnic!
The floor was covered with dried flowers, filling the air with a pleasant scent and crunching underfoot.
The coachman grinned at us.
“It’s an honor to escort the three of you. I’ll take you to the most beautiful spot right now.”
“Please do.”
Benen replied in his usual calm tone. But the moment the horses started moving, he turned his head, smiled down at me, and said—
“You really look beautiful today.”
“Stop staring or you’ll burn a hole in my face, oppa.”
“What? Wasn’t sticking close to you supposed to be my job?”
Ugh, maybe giving him the “dotingly attached older brother” concept was a mistake! I never imagined Benen would cling to me like this.
Meanwhile, Elber was carrying out his self-assigned duty—keeping his head turned toward the passing scenery. But every time the carriage jolted, the hand steadying my shoulder was his.
Soon, the carriage reached the riverside the coachman had mentioned. As the wheels rolled along the white stone path by the water, a gasp escaped me.
“Wow…”
The water was so clear the riverbed was visible, and white, purple, and yellow petals floated along its surface. Despite the number of fallen petals, the riverside trees were still thick with blooms.
When the breeze stirred them, nearby couples let out joyful exclamations. The mingled fragrances filled my mind like a lavish bouquet.
“…Haah.”
Even the coachman slowed the horses. Benen and Elber, seeing how delighted I was, finally turned their eyes toward the river. It was obvious they were secretly enjoying it too.
“Do you two come here often in this season?” I asked.
Elber answered first.
“Not really. Too many people—it’s hard to ride the horses properly. And… there’s always the risk of getting kidnapped.”
“I avoid going out in this season too. Work tends to pile up.”
Ah, life’s troubles were already wearing them down. I patted both their shoulders firmly.
The river crossing Count Flogel’s domain wasn’t even half as wide as the Han River, but it was long enough to enjoy from a leisurely carriage ride.
On either side, the neatly maintained stone paths allowed carriages, riders, and pedestrians to enjoy the scenery without crowding one another.
Occasionally, when our carriage stopped for the view, children with baskets would come running to sell cookies or little trinkets.
“Mister, would you like some peanut cookies for your sons?”
“My lady! Would you like a pretty primrose necklace?”
They were surprisingly skilled salespeople for their age, but their thin arms looked fragile under the weight of the big baskets.
I wanted to buy something if they came to our carriage—
…But I had no money.
Could I ask the Duke for an allowance? Was that allowed?
“Sol, you’re making your ‘thinking face’ again,” Benen interrupted with a knowing smile.
“Then guess what I’m thinking about.”
“Of course. It’s something sweet but won’t happen.”
“What?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Almost as soon as he said that, the coachman stopped the carriage—this time to point out a beautiful red-brick bridge.
But soon, a few girls with messy hair came into view. One of them tiptoed toward me.
“Pretty lady! How about a lily-of-the-valley brooch? It would look great with your—”
She never finished. The older girl behind her yanked her back.
The older one pressed the younger girl’s head down in a forced bow.
“Sorry! She doesn’t know any better. Of course we’d never think a lady like you would wear something so cheap!”
“Uh… what?”
“Please, just overlook it this once!”
She grabbed her sister’s hand and hurried off. I caught their fading voices.
“Didn’t you see the carriage crest? That’s the Schlaeger family!”
“Really? But there was a girl inside—”
“Doesn’t matter. Don’t go near that crest. You’ll dirty their carriage!”
Beside me, Benen let out a self-mocking laugh.
“That’s how it is. The Schlaeger family only takes goods worthy of the name. And we don’t deal with anyone who can’t pay in gold coins or banknotes.”
“…So you really did know what I was thinking.”
“Kind-hearted people’s thoughts are obvious.”
His gaze briefly flicked past me to Elber. Maybe Elber had experienced something similar.
“In any case, don’t do anything foolish. Misplaced pity will kill their self-reliance, and bring a crowd of other peddlers swarming—wait. Sol!”
I ignored him and hopped out of the carriage. Catching up to the girls wasn’t hard.
“Hey—you’re the ones who stopped our carriage earlier.”
“Eek! Wh-what is it?”
“Show me the thing you were trying to sell.”
The younger girl trembled as if I’d asked for her heart, glancing nervously toward the carriage. Yep, definitely scared of them.
“Don’t mind Benen-oppa.”
“…O-oppa?”
“I’m Sol Schlaeger, recently adopted into the family—their youngest sister.”
“Oh…”
“If my brothers glare at you, just tell me. I’ll scold them when we get home.”
The older girl’s eyes widened like I’d said something absurd, but the younger one just burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! She said she’ll scold her brothers!”
“I mean it. They always do what I say.”
“Really? My sister and I fight over a single bread roll every day.”
“Hey!”
The older girl’s face flushed. Wanting to end this quickly, she pulled out the brooch.
“T-this is it.”
The lily-of-the-valley brooch—roughly made from unfinished wood, maybe worth 500 won at a stationery shop.
But the front was charming: flower-shaped fabric dyed and pressed over the wood, with a pleasant scent.
“How did you make this?”
“I put real flowers under the fabric and pressed it with a heated tool to dye it. Then coated it with sap—it should last a couple of months.”
“Not bad.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll take it.”
“L-l-lady?”
“But I don’t have money right now.”
I plucked a decorative button from my dress’s frills and handed it over. Finely crafted, it looked more expensive than most brooches. The girl’s eyes went wide.
“Lady? I—I can’t take something so precious—”
“I’m not giving it for free. Bring me something even better to the Duke’s residence next time. I’ll pay properly then.”
With that, I turned and headed back to the carriage. People nearby whispered—
“Is that the girl adopted into the duke’s family?”
“Did she just tell them to come to the mansion? Is she punishing them for stopping the carriage?”
Luckily, the misunderstanding vanished when the girl called after me—
“Thank you so much, my lady! I’ll make something really pretty!”
Smiling faintly, I climbed back into the carriage. Benen gave me a wry look.
“So… care to explain what you just did?”
“Well, the product was good. It would’ve been easy to just make flower rings for the festival, but they clearly put thought into making something better.”
“And my warnings?”
“I’ll refute those right now.”
