Chapter 27
When Aileen returned to her room, she began opening the letters and invitations one by one.
As Richard had said, most of them were party invitations. A few were friendly letters meant to build relationships, but their intentions didn’t seem very sincere.
“I expected this…” she murmured.
After all, she was now the wife of the Second Prince — the Duke of Olden himself. It was only natural that such invitations would keep coming from all directions.
Aileen sighed deeply.
“I can’t just refuse them all just because it’s troublesome.”
Social gatherings were considered an essential skill for nobles. And for the sake of her future, it wouldn’t hurt to make a few allies.
Her eyes skimmed over the pile of invitations. Following Richard’s advice, she sorted them based on the sender’s rank and influence.
Her family name was now Olden, and as long as she carried that title, she needed to act accordingly — especially to avoid causing any trouble for Richard.
She set aside the card she had just read and picked up the next one. But the sender’s name made her pause.
“Pain…?”
She frowned, trying to remember — then suddenly gasped.
“Oh.”
Now she recalled — he was the Marquis who had tried to humiliate her at her own wedding.
Although this particular invitation was from his daughter, the awkwardness was still there.
Even so, she couldn’t reject the invitation outright — not when Richard was working with Marquis Pain on official matters.
Claude had even mentioned recently that Richard had met with him for a private discussion.
After a moment’s hesitation, Aileen made up her mind.
“I guess I’ll have to go to this one.”
It was, after all, connected to Richard’s affairs — and attending would be the proper thing to do.
Besides, a tea party hosted by someone like Marquis Pain’s daughter was a safe and suitable choice.
She checked the date and time on the card, folded it neatly, and set it aside. Then she rose from her seat and walked to her wardrobe.
If she was going to attend a formal tea party, she wanted to be properly dressed — elegant but not flashy.
However, when she began looking through her clothes, she couldn’t help frowning.
“I don’t have a single proper dress for this.”
Since she rarely went out of the mansion, her wardrobe was mostly filled with everyday dresses. The few she had for outings were too plain for a noble’s tea party.
After some thought, she picked out one of her better dresses and rang a bell. A maid entered the room.
“Do you need something, Madam?”
“Could you help me change?”
“Of course. Are you going somewhere?”
“Yes, I’m going shopping for a bit.”
“Understood. I’ll call the others to help.”
The maid left and soon returned with her companions. With their help, Aileen quickly changed clothes, then picked up a small purse and handkerchief.
Should I take Adrian with me? she thought.
But then she shook her head.
Adrian didn’t enjoy shopping. He had no interest in clothes whatsoever. Still, if she left without saying anything, he might sulk — so she decided to at least let him know.
She stopped by his room, where he greeted her with a reluctant smile and politely declined to join her.
With that, Aileen set off alone. She checked her bag one last time and walked toward the front door — but something felt off.
It sounded noisy outside.
“…So it’s like that.”
“What nonsense is that supposed to mean?”
“Honestly, you tower mages are all the same…”
The heated voices made Aileen quicken her pace.
As soon as she stepped out, her bodyguard Cain turned toward her with a startled expression. Standing next to him was a very familiar face.
“Yo! Madam, heading somewhere?”
“…Hynel?”
The eccentric greeting came from none other than Hynel, Adrian’s magic tutor.
Aileen blinked in surprise. She hadn’t sent him a new schedule yet — what was he doing here?
As if reading her thoughts, Hynel rested his hands on his hips.
“After we said goodbye last time, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I came to check on Adrian — to cheer him up a bit.”
“I see. Thank you for thinking of him. Everything’s fine now, though — Adrian’s feeling much better.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But what were you and Cain arguing about?”
At her question, Cain flinched slightly, while Hynel sighed dramatically.
“Listen to this, Madam. This stiff knight here was nagging me about manners! He said I wasn’t being polite enough — when I totally was!”
Cain’s brows furrowed.
“And which part of your behavior counts as ‘polite,’ exactly?”
“I used formal speech, didn’t I?”
“Politeness isn’t just about speech. It’s about being appropriate to the situation. For instance, that strange greeting you just gave the Madam—”
“Ugh, you’re so uptight!”
The two glared at each other, growling like cats about to fight. Clearly, they didn’t get along.
Aileen, looking helpless, stepped between them.
“Alright, alright — calm down, both of you. Hynel, since you’re here, could you spend some time with Adrian? I’ll be going out for a bit.”
“Will I get a bonus?”
“I can’t give you a high-grade mana stone, but I’ll give you a mid-grade one.”
“Then I’ll go entertain him right now!”
Hynel practically skipped off toward Adrian’s room, humming happily.
Cain glared at his retreating figure until Aileen gently spoke.
“Thank you for putting up with him.”
“…Madam, are you truly fine with that man teaching the young count?”
“He’s not a bad person. And he’s skilled — plus Adrian likes him.”
“I just worry the young count might start acting like him.”
Aileen froze at that unexpected concern.
She imagined Adrian greeting her with Hynel’s usual flair — “Yo! Sis!” — and nearly shivered.
Suppressing a groan, she shook her head quickly.
“He’ll be fine… probably.”
“I hope so. Anyway, are you ready to depart?”
“Yes. Is the carriage prepared?”
“Of course. It’s waiting outside.”
“Then let’s go.”
With Cain’s escort, Aileen climbed into the carriage, and they set off toward the boutique district.
❧ ❧ ❧
The boutique staff were incredibly polite.
Though it was Aileen’s first visit, they treated her with warmth and even brought her refreshments. They showed her dresses one after another, offering suggestions enthusiastically.
But Aileen preferred to browse quietly, so she thanked them and said she’d call if she needed help.
The staff reluctantly stepped back, leaving her and Cain alone in the room.
Aileen opened a fashion catalog and sighed softly.
“So this is what’s in style these days…”
After spending so long focused on paying off debts, she had fallen behind on fashion trends.
Still, as she turned the pages, excitement bubbled inside her. It had been so long since she’d gone shopping — something she secretly enjoyed, just like any other noble lady.
After flipping through the catalog, she pointed at a page and showed it to Cain.
“What do you think of this one?”
“It’s lovely. It would suit you perfectly, Madam.”
“And this one?”
“You’d look stunning in it as well.”
Aileen laughed awkwardly. Cain’s compliments were too sincere — which meant he wasn’t much help.
She closed the catalog with a light thump.
“I guess I’ll have to try them on myself.”
As she walked toward the section displaying new arrivals, the staff’s eyes lit up again. Aileen ignored their eager looks and browsed through the dresses.
This one’s too plain… that one’s too much… oh.
Her eyes landed on one dress in particular.
“This one might be perfect.”
It was a light blue gown with subtle silver embroidery along the hem and delicate lace around the neckline. Elegant but not ostentatious — just what she wanted.
Aileen gestured to one of the staff members.
“May I try this one on?”
“Of course, Madam.”
They guided her to the fitting room. After changing, Aileen looked at herself in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction.
“Not bad at all.”
Seeing her smile, the staff immediately began to flatter her.
“You look absolutely beautiful!”
“So elegant — you’ll be the center of attention anywhere!”
Aileen knew they were just trying to make a sale, but she couldn’t help feeling pleased.
The dress truly did look good on her.
“That settles it,” she said. “I’ll take this one. Please pack it once I change back.”
“Right away!”
The staff nearly beamed from ear to ear.
Aileen went on to pick out a few more dresses. With high-grade mana stones in her possession, the prices didn’t bother her too much.
“Please visit us again soon!”
She left the boutique to the chorus of cheerful farewells.
Outside, she turned to Cain.
“Isn’t that too heavy for you?”
“It’s fine, Madam,” he said, both arms full of boxes and bags. Despite his strong grip, the load looked dangerously unstable.
Feeling guilty, Aileen murmured,
“I could help carry some of that.”
“It’s fine. This is what a knight is supposed to do.”
“Can you still protect me while holding all that?”
Cain clamped his mouth shut. He didn’t answer — but his determined silence said everything.
Aileen chuckled softly.
“Alright, alright. Go ahead and load everything into the carriage. We’ll head back soon.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Cain hurried toward the carriage, and Aileen followed at a relaxed pace, glancing around the street as she walked.
Then, something in a nearby shop window caught her eye.
It was a small general store — a bit old, but charming.
She peeked toward the carriage, where Cain was still busy, then stepped inside the shop.
The interior was somewhat worn but filled with various goods. As she looked around, one particular item drew her attention — a large wooden box.
It was plain but sturdy, perfect for storing the many magic stones she’d been creating lately.
The jewelry box at home is too small anyway, she thought.
Without much thought, she reached out to pick it up — and her fingertips brushed against something else.
Startled, she pulled her hand back and looked up.
Her eyes met those of a woman who looked just as surprised as she was.
