Chapter 105
On the day of the conferral ceremony, Charlotte set out for Arbelce Castle early in the morning, taking Aria with her. Lady Silvidro had already summoned all the decorating maids from Ermano’s Atelier and had everything fully prepared.
As soon as Charlotte arrived, the servants led her to the powder room. Upon entering, she immediately noticed several hefty-looking trunks. Sensing that something was off, Charlotte couldn’t take her eyes off them. The decorating maid standing beside her pointed to each trunk and explained kindly:
“These contain jewelry. Inside, you’ll find earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair ornaments.”
“Jewelry, yet the trunks are this big?”
“You requested accessories in shades of blue, so we prepared sapphires, blue spinels, aquamarine, and other blue-toned gems. Ah! There are also blue pearls brought from the Kingdom of Marsha. This box contains shoes, and here are hats. Please choose whatever you like, and we will assist you in dressing and decorating you with our utmost care.”
Listening to the explanation, Charlotte felt her head spinning. Only now did she understand why Lady Silvidro had insisted on such an early arrival. Comparing each piece with her dress, choosing carefully, changing into the evening gown, and applying makeup—it was going to take from early morning until the afternoon sun was high.
At Lady Silvidro’s signal, the decorating maids began placing the items one by one on the table in front of Charlotte.
“Shall we start with the jewelry? When you think of blue gemstones, sapphires immediately come to mind. Let’s start lightly with sapphires.”
‘“Lightly” is such a terrifying word,’ Charlotte thought, speechless. Anna, holding Aria beside her, quietly stifled a laugh. When the decorating maid approached, Anna, thinking the maid had come for Aria, set her down—but the maid wasn’t just taking Aria.
“You mean I also have to change dresses and get decorated?”
“It was Lady Blanche’s request. Let’s go.”
“Wait a minute, miss! Miss!”
Anna had planned to relax alone after sending Charlotte and Aria to the conferral ceremony, so she was flustered. But before she could refuse, the decorating maids guided her into another room. Charlotte realized she had asked Anna to be decorated in hopes she might find a good match during the ceremony, and suddenly felt apologetic.
Then she thought of Theodore.
“Is Lord Arbelce being decorated too?”
“Yes, he’s been preparing since around 4 a.m.”
4 a.m.? Charlotte pressed her lips tightly together. Thinking of Theodore half-dying through the early hours made her lips twitch into a small smile—only to vanish when she imagined herself enduring the same.
“Lord Arbelce is my masterpiece. Perfect. Even if Ermano’s Atelier went bankrupt tomorrow, I would have no regrets. Perhaps I truly am a genius?”
At first, Lady Silvidro couldn’t stop praising Theodore’s appearance, and then she began to glorify her own skill in enhancing his looks even further. Theodore was dazzlingly handsome, so much so that one could gape at him in awe.
His face was almost too perfect to touch. The only adjustment needed was brushing his soft, milky hair back from his usual forward fall, and it was the perfect choice. His chiseled features shone even more beautifully.
To match his appearance, they adorned his attire with brooches, gold threads, and tassels. Theodore had grown up a knight and had the aura of a warrior, but once dressed, he looked every bit a noble.
‘No one would believe he came from the slums,’ Theodore muttered quietly, giving himself a proud smile in the mirror.
After hours of preparation that began at 4 a.m., he descended to the first floor, and all the castle’s servants, including Butler Ventana, froze, staring at him in awe. Soon, exclamations of admiration echoed throughout the hall. Ventana himself couldn’t hide his astonishment.
“Why didn’t you dress like this earlier?”
“Where’s Charlotte?”
“You didn’t even hear me. She’ll come down soon.”
“When is soon?”
“Probably… now?”
At the word “now,” Theodore glanced toward the central staircase. At the end of it stood Charlotte.
She looked like a bride preparing for her wedding: a pure white dress with layers of lace puffed out to the fullest, and an aquamarine ornament in her hair gifted by Theodore. Her earrings, matching the aquamarine, were made with pearls and transparent spinel, and the necklace was the sacred gem necklace given by her grandfather.
‘Will this be okay?’
It had been a long time since she had dressed up like this, and it felt slightly awkward. Lady Silvidro claimed she looked like an angel from a painting, and while maybe not a literal angel, Charlotte hoped she would look pleasing to Theodore and others. On such an important day, she didn’t want to appear plain beside him.
‘Can someone really be this beautiful?’
But Theodore, trying not to show it on his face, was struggling to control the heat rising in his chest. The moment he saw Charlotte, his heart sank like a stone and soon began to race uncontrollably. He could feel it might burst.
If he were alone, he would clutch his chest with one hand and cover his mouth with the other. But he couldn’t do that with Charlotte watching, so he clenched his fists tightly. His knuckles turned white and red from the pressure.
Taking a deep breath, Theodore extended his hand toward Charlotte.
“You are exceedingly beautiful, my partner.”
“Really, Lord Marquess of Arbelce?”
Even her smiling reply was beautiful. When Charlotte took his hand, he wanted to kiss it but held back. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with emotion, and more than anything, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Holding her hand, he escorted Charlotte to the silver carriage prepared for them. From the castle to the palace gates, he remained holding her hand. He finally released it when Aria, who had set off earlier with Anna, ran up.
“Mom! Sir!”
“My, a rabbit that speaks!”
Theodore carefully handed Charlotte her daughter, remembering the mistake of tossing her in the air earlier. Aria wore a pure white dress as well, looking just like a white rabbit. She giggled.
“Who will be Aria’s partner? Lady Blanche?”
“Aria has two partners!”
“Really? Who?”
Instead of answering, Aria looked to the left and waved. Theodore turned his head and saw the Marquess Blanche and Esche approaching.
“Duke Valian and Grandfather!”
‘Why is Duke Valian here?’
Theodore narrowed his eyes, focusing on Esche. He had assumed Lady Blanche would be Aria’s partner. He hadn’t expected Esche to join as well. The ominous feeling he sensed from Esche before was still clear in his mind. He muttered quietly to himself.
‘…Perhaps I should have persuaded Aria to enter with him from the start.’
Frowning, Theodore caught Charlotte noticing and she whispered softly:
“Theodore, what’s wrong?”
“Hm?”
“You’re frowning.”
“Ah…”
He shook his head, pretending nothing was wrong, then replied playfully:
“I guess I’m just a bit nervous thinking about entering with such a beautiful partner.”
“Are you teasing me on purpose?”
“Honestly, no. Did it seem like I was teasing?”
Esche approached Theodore first.
“Long time no see, Lord Arbelce. Or should I say Marquess now? Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I heard you’ll be Aria’s partner.”
“Aria asked, and I thought I’d be a reliable support as well.”
Esche gently patted Aria’s head.
“Aria, you look lovely today.”
“Really? Do I look like a rabbit to you, Duke?”
“A pure white snow rabbit, indeed. Like dandelion seeds too—what if the wind carries you away?”
“No! If I fly away, I won’t see Mom!”
Aria buried herself in Charlotte’s arms, then peeked up and whispered:
“What if you fly away too, Duke?”
“I won’t fly away.”
“No, Duke, you might. I’ll hug you tightly.”
Worried she might really be carried away, Aria stretched her arms, and Duke Valian naturally embraced her. Theodore’s shoulders twitched at the sight. Lady Blanche and Charlotte didn’t notice his reaction, but Esche did. Patting Aria’s head, he whispered softly:
“You seem worried.”
“That’s not it. If Duke Valian partners with Lady Blanche for Aria, I can be at ease.”
“That’s not the worry I meant.”
Theodore frowned, not understanding, and Esche lowered his voice:
“I can’t explain in detail, but don’t worry. I won’t harm anyone else.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure. But…”
Esche trailed off, only rolling his eyes toward Charlotte.
“It’s best to manage your expression in front of Charlotte. Last time, she apologized to me… felt guilty.”
‘Guilty?’
“It’s fine if you act that way in front of me, but restrain yourself in front of Charlotte. I trust you will. I’ll go first.”
Esche, speaking in a confusing string of words, then went with Lady Blanche and Aria toward the grand banquet hall. Theodore watched their retreating figures. The ominous feeling remained. Just as he worried whether it was safe to leave them unchecked, Charlotte tugged gently on his sleeve.
“Theodore.”
“!”
“It’s almost time to enter. Let’s go.”
Seeing Charlotte, Theodore’s nerves calmed despite the lingering sense of danger from Esche. Smiling, he nodded.
“Yes, let’s. I’m counting on you today, Charlotte.”
“Me too. Let’s do our best.”
