CHAPTER~54
“…Is it here?”
What Fennel handed to me was unexpectedly someone’s letter.
‘Please come to the location written here within the allotted time.’
That was all it said, nothing more than the location written plainly.
I was so flustered at first by how abrupt it was.
I immediately questioned Fennel about who had sent the letter, but he tightly shut his mouth and remained silent for reasons unknown.
‘You’ll understand once you go there, Madam.’
That was all he said, leaving me with words full of unclear meaning.
I felt uneasy because something about it seemed suspicious, but unable to suppress my curiosity, I eventually headed to the location.
The place was a mansion a short distance away from the annex where I was staying.
I recalled hearing about this building from Frezen Decart some time ago.
He had said that small banquets such as exchanges, social gatherings, and salons were held here.
In particular, it was located near the greenhouse, making the scenery especially beautiful.
Just who on earth called me here?
With no clue whatsoever, I stood blankly at the entrance.
“Madam, you’ve arrived.”
“They’ve been waiting for you, please come inside.”
As if she had been waiting for me, the door opened and a maid warmly greeted me.
The moment I was led inside by her hand, an excessively splendid space unfolded before me, completely unlike the aged exterior.
A chandelier made of glittering decorations and a glossy floor greeted my eyes.
The lobby was just as beautiful as the main mansion.
Though countless floral scents were mixed together, it wasn’t overwhelming at all.
It felt strangely enchanting.
I stood there like a country bumpkin, staring blankly around for a moment.
When I came to my senses, I was already standing in front of another door.
The maid smiled and spoke.
“Someone inside is waiting for you, Madam.”
“If you go in, you’ll meet them.”
“Uh, wait—!”
Leaving only those words behind, the maid vanished before I could stop her.
She was a maid I had never seen before.
She didn’t seem to be someone who worked at the annex.
At the same time, the door opened to reveal what looked like an ordinary dressing room.
Drawn in by a fresh and sweet scent that tickled my nose, I stepped inside.
However, there was no one there, as if the fitting had already ended.
And then it happened.
The fitting curtain swished open, and someone revealed themselves.
“…Mela?”
It was Mela.
Mela was wearing a pale pink mini dress that revealed her knees.
With her curly golden hair and a large ribbon attached, she truly looked like a living doll.
“Mom, how is it?”
Her chubby cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.
She was so cute that I wanted to keep the sight etched into my memory forever.
I approached as if bewitched and stretched Mela’s cheeks.
“Ngh, I can’t breathe—!”
“Our Mela.”
“You’re already cute, but dressed up like this, you’re several times cuter.”
“What should I do, you’re too cute!”
I had no idea what kind of situation this was, but the important thing was that Mela was insanely adorable.
It felt like this was what would happen if a peach turned into a human.
Her cheeks were unbelievably soft.
Being able to see the original story’s protagonist’s childhood in person was surprisingly delightful.
“Puhah, I couldn’t breathe.”
Mela wriggled out of my arms and puffed up her cheeks.
But looking at her like this, she really resembled me.
…No, it feels like she’s starting to resemble me more and more as time passes.
Kanna with red hair was lovely too, but Mela with the same hair color as me was just as precious.
It made my heart itch thinking about how we looked like a real blood-related family.
“Mela, what is all this?”
“Why are you suddenly wearing a dress…?”
“Yeah!”
“Now Mom has to wear one too.”
“There’s a dress for Mom as well.”
“M-My own too?”
“…Wait a second!”
What in the world was going on?
At that moment, a sharp, high-pitched voice pierced my ears.
“Oh my!”
“So you’ve finally arrived, Madam.”
“I’ve been waiting.”
Turning my head toward the fluttering voice, I saw a gorgeous woman with an unfamiliar face.
She wore heavy makeup and a tight mini dress that clung to her body.
My first impression was simply that she was dazzling and seductive.
Her glamorous figure was fully exposed due to the dress, making it slightly embarrassing to look at.
Yet she didn’t appear vulgar at all.
Rather, she radiated charisma born from confidence.
“Who are you?”
I instinctively hid Mela behind me as I asked.
The woman snapped shut a dark crimson fan that matched her image and smiled.
“Ah!”
“How rude of me, I haven’t introduced myself.”
“I apologize, Madam.”
“I’m Lahiti, the designer who fitted Lady Mela’s dress.”
“I run the largest dress shop in the capital.”
Lahiti…
Wasn’t she the designer who was most popular among noble ladies these days?
She was famous for creating unique dresses with geometric patterns that broke away from standardized designs.
“Don’t tell me…!”
“First, since we don’t have time for explanations, shall we try it on?”
“Madam, this way.”
“Wait a moment—!”
Before I could even gather my thoughts, Lahiti dragged me straight into the fitting room.
“Mom, fighting!”
The curtain swished shut, leaving Mela’s voice behind.
Thus began a dress fitting whose purpose I couldn’t understand.
* * *
The fitting continued relentlessly.
Maidservants whose origins were unknown appeared, tightening and loosening corsets and changing dresses one after another.
The first dress was a cute one that reached the knees.
“Hmm.”
“Perhaps because you look so young, Madam, you appear too youthful.”
“A Duchess should possess dignity.”
“It’s cuter than me!”
It was eliminated for being too cute for my position.
The second dress was similar to what Lahiti wore, clinging tightly to my body with a sexy atmosphere.
“Oh my.”
“Unlike your cute face, your figure is excellent, but that’s precisely the problem.”
“It’s pretty, but I think Duke Russ Leella would dislike it if Mom wore this.”
Because of that reason, the second dress was also rejected.
After repeating the process of wearing and removing several dresses, we finally reached the last one.
For some reason, I felt nervous.
I tensed my stomach and steadied my breathing.
“H-How is it?”
The curtain swished open, and I stood before the two judges.
I had no idea when they became judges.
“Ho.”
“Waa!”
The solemn atmosphere felt no different from a competition.
So I couldn’t help but feel even more nervous.
The final dress I wore was a pale pink one, similar in design to Mela’s.
The difference was that Mela’s emphasized cuteness with a knee-length mini style.
Mine had a voluminous skirt that flowed down gracefully.
Ribbon frills adorned the arms and chest, making me feel a bit shy.
As I hesitated, thinking it might be too cute for me, Mela suddenly jumped up.
“This one, Mom!”
At her words, the designer also stood up and clapped her hands.
“This is it, Madam!”
“I’ve never seen a noblewoman who suits an off-shoulder dress this well.”
“And the color complements your fair skin perfectly.”
The maids standing behind us began clapping enthusiastically as well.
What was this?
Did I finally pass?
“I’m sure when Dad sees you, he’ll fall for you two or three more times!”
Well, that part wasn’t really necessary…
Just as I was flustered by the intense reactions, a familiar voice spoke from behind.
“As expected, just as someone said, that dress suits you best, Countess Leella.”
“Aunt?”
It was Artemene.
* * *
“Of course.”
“I’m the one who called you both here.”
So it really was Aunt who invited us.
I had roughly guessed it when I saw the designer’s name.
Seeing that I wasn’t particularly surprised, Artemene smiled broadly.
“You already figured it out, haven’t you?”
“Haha, as expected of you.”
“…No, I suppose I should call you Duchess now.”
“Aunt…”
I froze, unable to respond to the unexpected title from Artemene’s lips.
The emotional weight carried by a title was real.
“Thank you.”
My nose tingled as I felt strangely acknowledged.
When I couldn’t say anything more, Artemene handed something to us.
“The one who should be thankful isn’t you.”
“It’s me.”
“Thanks to you, Reia has found her smile again lately.”
“Even her mysterious illness has improved.”
“I thought I should give you a gift.”
What she handed over was none other than a family banquet invitation.
“It wouldn’t make sense for you two to be absent from family night.”
“The Duke included.”
The invitation bore the seal of the Council of Elders.
On it was a word symbolizing family.
Receiving an invitation meant being acknowledged as part of the family.
For some reason, my heart felt full.
Artemene then knelt on one knee to meet Mela’s eye level.
“So no matter what others say, trust me and come proudly.”
“Reia will be waiting too.”
“Understood, Mela?”
“…Y-Yes.”
Mela’s voice sounded choked.
When I looked closely, her eyes were filled with tears.
Seeing her instinctively holding back her tears again, I gently patted her shoulder.
“It’s okay to cry today.”
“…Sniff.”
“…Waaah!”
Mela finally couldn’t hold it in and burst into tears in my arms.
Being acknowledged by someone was far more overwhelming than I had expected.
* * *
The day of the family banquet finally arrived.
“Brr, it’s cold.”
Loren woke up early in the morning as usual and headed to where the medicine was stored.
The medicine box was kept deep inside so that no one would notice.
As he pulled out the storage box to check it, Loren saw something and staggered back in shock.
“T-This can’t be.”
“The medicine…!”
That was because every medicine bottle inside the box had been shattered.
