Chapter : 09
The door opened, and the butler entered the room.
“Miss, the Count will be arriving shortly. Please come to the entrance.”
“Already? Uh—okay.”
As I stood up from my seat, the butler gestured toward the hallway and continued,
“You’ll be seeing Lord Arkas—well, the Count—for the first time in quite a while, Miss.”
To be honest, when I heard my brother was coming, I worried about how I should act.
Up until now, I’d only met people who were seeing me for the first time—but my brother was different.
“So his name is Arkas.”
As I nodded, the butler added quietly,
“I believe you’ll be fine if you just act naturally.”
How exactly do you do that?
When we reached the entrance hall, the mansion’s front doors opened and a group of riders entered.
The man riding the white horse at the front leapt down lightly.
As he approached, he removed his helmet. Sand-colored hair—just like mine—spilled out from beneath it.
“Selly!”
Arkas called out to me.
So Selly must be my nickname.
When I stayed still, the servants around us cast glances in my direction.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
I recalled everything I could from the romance fantasy novels I’d read.
If I lightly held both sides of my skirt, bent my knees, and bowed my head, it should look convincing, right?
I lowered my head gently.
“Have you been well, Brother?”
I lifted my eyes slightly to gauge Arkas’s reaction.
“……”
Ah. Was that wrong?
I was doomed.
Cold sweat soaked my palms.
My gaze fell on the sword hanging at Arkas’s waist.
I shot a glare at the butler standing beside me with the whites of my eyes.
…You said to act naturally.
In an instant, Arkas strode toward me.
“…When did our Selly grow up so much? Using honorifics with your big brother and all…”
…Are you crying?
Arkas looked at me with eyes full of tears. I awkwardly shifted my gaze and said,
“Haha… I just thought I’d try being polite for once. Brother.”
Arkas laughed and placed a hand on my head.
“Shall we go inside?”
When the butler opened the door, Arkas offered me his arm. I read the room and placed my hand on it.
I matched my steps to his.
His stride was so long that just keeping up was exhausting.
While I focused on walking without saying a word, Arkas showed no signs of stopping his chatter.
“You don’t call me ‘Ar’ anymore… When you were in a good mood, it was ‘Brother Ar,’ and when you were upset, it was ‘Idiot Ar.’ That’s how I knew how you were feeling.”
“……”
Arkas glanced at me, his expression full of expectation.
But I pretended not to notice.
At my age, using a nickname like “Idiot Ar” was horrifying just to imagine.
Arkas sighed and spoke again.
“Well, I suppose that was years ago… Selly’s become a proper young lady now.”
“……”
“Have you been well? I was so busy I couldn’t take good care of you. I’m sorry.”
He looked at me with deep affection.
…You’re crying again?
His eyes welled up.
For someone so big, he sure cried a lot. I quickly patted his arm.
“You must be tired from the journey. Go rest.”
“Will you wait just a bit? I’ll change into everyday clothes, and then we can talk over dinner.”
After escorting me to the drawing room, Arkas disappeared.
Haven’t we talked plenty already…?
I sprawled out on the sofa and recharged my drained energy.
By dinnertime, Arkas’s chattiness had evolved into strange behavior.
He stared at me until I put a spoonful of soup in my mouth before eating himself, and he cut the steak in front of him into bite-sized pieces and placed them on my plate.
Am I some kind of royal taster…?
My hand hesitated slightly as it moved toward the steak. Arkas spoke gently.
“Selly, does it not suit your taste? Shall I have them bring something else? What do you like?”
This guy… he’s a good person.
I was a little touched.
After changing into casual clothes, Arkas—while not quite on the level of the world’s best face, Sirinyu—had soft, drooping eyes and a warm smile that made him quite handsome.
Judging from the armor earlier, he seemed to be a knight.
He looked strong, too. Probably a popular type. Even if he was a crybaby.
As I was lost in thought, Arkas spoke.
“I heard an invitation to a palace party arrived?”
“Mm…”
I answered halfheartedly.
Since he seemed to dote on his little sister, if I said I didn’t want to go, wouldn’t he tell me not to?
“Buy whatever jewelry or dresses you want. Don’t worry about the money.”
Arkas turned to the butler.
“Is that ready?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Give it to Selly.”
The butler handed me a piece of paper.
The moment I looked at it, it felt like the steak lodged itself firmly in my chest.
This is dangerous.
This guy… he’s a planner.
The paper was packed with a detailed schedule.
Etiquette lessons, social dance lessons, speech lessons…
What on earth is a smiling lesson?
While I covered my chest with the paper and pounded it lightly, Arkas continued.
“I only wrote down the basics for now, but if there’s anything you want to learn or anywhere you want to go, we can add it.”
No.
If I live like this, I’ll die.
“Tomorrow, Madam Riemann will be coming to look over your clothes.”
“Madam Riemann?”
When I asked, the butler replied,
“She manages the wardrobes of noble young ladies. She’s the most renowned in the capital.”
“It wasn’t easy to get her,” Arkas said with a grin, shrugging his shoulders.
“If you want to host a tea party, just let me know anytime. I’ve worked hard to build connections for your sake.”
I blinked. For some reason, Arkas’s handsome face overlapped with that of a fitness trainer in my mind.
‘All right, member—done resting?’
I was losing my mind.
“About that party—”
As soon as I opened my mouth, Arkas beamed.
“You’re really looking forward to it too, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You were so sad when your debutante ball was canceled because of the monsters. I’m glad a party can finally be held.”
With a gentle smile, Arkas murmured softly,
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you all this time. You’re my only family. I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”
After hearing that, how could I say I didn’t want to go to the party without being trash?
“Mm…”
I smiled as brightly as I could at Arkas.
The next day, Madam Riemann entered my dressing room with a refreshing smile.
“We’re going out immediately!”
“What?”
“All the clothes you brought from the countryside—out! Especially this—this ribbon pajama must be thrown away at once!”
“……”
“For party attire, we’ll call a tailor and have it custom-made. But right now, everyday clothes are urgent! We’ll buy ready-made ones and alter them!”
To be honest, until just a moment ago, I’d been excited about shopping.
I thought they’d bring fabrics and accessories home, and I’d elegantly sit on the sofa and choose with my eyes.
I do like shopping—but only when it’s done at home, okay?
“These are just clothes I wear around the house. Is it really that urgent?”
My desperate attempt to avoid leaving the mansion slipped out.
Leaning against the door with a satisfied smile, Arkas said to the butler,
“Prepare the carriage immediately.”
“……”
I boarded the carriage with empty eyes. Even the beautiful scenery outside the window looked dull and gray.
“This place is booked solid through next year, but I’m very close with the owner,” Madam Riemann said.
“Hehehe…”
The carriage stopped in front of a shop. The brick building had a refined, old-fashioned air.
Staring at the dresses displayed in the window, I said weakly,
“That one there is really pretty… can’t we just buy it as is—”
“Absolutely not!”
“Yes, ma’am…”
With a sad expression, I followed Madam Riemann inside.
The moment we opened the boutique’s door, a loud voice rang out.
“Oh my, Lady Viviana—do you not understand the concept of waiting your turn?”
“I picked it up first.”
“Well~ ‘first’ is something I can say, considering I entered the shop earlier than you and chose my dress faster, isn’t it?”
“I paid first.”
Two stunningly beautiful women stood glaring at each other, eyes practically shooting sparks.
