IDNT 59

Chapter 59

“Milady, I don’t think this will do.”

Layla had prepared almost everything for the engagement ceremony, but once she arrived in the waiting room, she realized there was still plenty left to do.
She had to change back into her dress and completely redo her hair.

Originally, her hair was naturally shiny and wavy. But now, it was being deliberately straightened.

“Didn’t you just say earlier that you liked it curly?”

“Now that I see it again, it looks much better straight.”

For some reason, Catherine insisted on that after seeing the finished dress.

Layla didn’t care much about her hairstyle either way, but since Catherine didn’t seem like such a bad person to her, she nodded in agreement.

“I like it when you do my hair, Catherine. It feels like you’re my mother.”

Layla deliberately said that. She had a pretty good idea that Catherine’s recent warmth toward her had something to do with her deceased daughter.

In the original novel, Catherine had projected her daughter onto Sieber, but now she seemed to be doing that with Layla instead.
Come to think of it, that part of the original story had been heavily criticized.

It made no sense to compare the healthy Sieber with Catherine’s sickly daughter, who had died from illness—especially since Sieber’s mother was still alive and well.
It was odd that Catherine would see her daughter in Sieber at all.

“…I feel the same,” Catherine murmured, her voice trembling, though her hands worked busily to straighten Layla’s hair.

Layla had originally planned to win Catherine over so she could make her stop administering Tears of the Mermaid.
But now she saw there was no need—only Rainier ever brought her the medicine. Catherine, knowingly or not, was actually making things easier for her.

It even seemed Catherine didn’t report everything to her stepmother. Layla remembered how, when Ella had been her lady’s maid before, she had been watched like a hawk. The difference now was subtle but undeniable.

Above all, her stepmother seemed strangely unable to keep an eye on either Layla or Sieber these days.

Thanks to that, Layla could breathe a little easier.

Knock knock.

‘Layla.’

“Sonnet? Come in.”

It was Sonnet who entered the waiting room.

“Wow, Sonnet. You look amazing.”

This was the first time Layla had seen Sonnet’s outfit. At her own mansion, only Sonnet’s dress had been tailored for the occasion, and since Layla had been busy with the Mont business, she hadn’t had time to see it earlier.

“Thanks. You look beautiful too.”

Sonnet’s cheeks flushed as she beamed. Seeing her smile in the mirror, Layla couldn’t help but smile back. Whenever Rainier wasn’t around, Sonnet seemed to regain her light—it made Layla feel a bit sorry for her.

“What happened to your lips?”

“Oh? Ah, this? I’m just nervous.”

Layla smiled, feeling that her lips were still swollen. Then, as Sonnet smiled kindly despite her reddened face, Layla found herself asking without thinking:

“Sonnet, did you really prepare for the engagement with Sister Sieber?”

“Yeah. You seemed… busy.”

“Sorry. I should’ve asked you first. I had to open things in a rush.”

Layla smiled apologetically, but Sonnet shook her head.

“To be honest, I was a little hurt. That’s why I didn’t go to your salon.”

Layla blinked, taken aback by her sudden honesty, and turned to look at her. In the mirror, Sonnet lowered her head with a sincere expression.

“But now that I see you again, I feel like I was being stupid.”

“Sonnet…”

“I won’t do that again. Let’s really be happy together.”

She reached out and caressed Layla’s cheek.

That’s when Layla noticed it—a long, thin mark on her neck, almost like a scratch from fingernails.

“Thank you, Sonnet. But… what’s that on your neck?”

“What?”

She turned slightly, checking her reflection in the mirror.

Layla was sure of it—those were fingernail marks, and they couldn’t have appeared in that long, spaced pattern by accident.

“Did your clothes rub against your skin, Sonnet?”

“Oh? Ah… yeah.”

Sonnet’s eyes widened in surprise as she quickly pulled up the cravat at her neck, hiding the marks under the fabric.

“When we get married, should we get a cat or something?”

“…Yeah.”

Sonnet forced a strained smile.

And somehow, that made Layla feel as if Hugo’s words were starting to sound more believable—
that Sonnet really did have another woman… a mistress.
And maybe he had chosen her because she didn’t have much time left.

Meanwhile…

“This is so strange.”

The young Lady of Weimar thought back to the events at Mont.

She had always been good to her own people. But Layla was someone she’d only recently met—not someone especially important to her.
She did think Layla was pitiable, endearingly steadfast despite her hardships.

But why on earth had she taken a slap in Layla’s place? It was as if her body had moved on its own.

And when she’d returned home, the cheek that had been struck was perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.

“Milady?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”

Maybe she liked Layla more than she thought.

With that in mind, the Lady of Weimar picked up the invitation Layla had sent and smiled toward her waiting companions—friends who had gone out of their way to wait for her so they could ride in the same carriage.

“Milady!”
“Welcome!”
“You look so beautiful today!”

“Oh ho ho, you’re all far more beautiful than I am.”

With that, she and her five companions climbed into the large carriage, chatting cheerfully as they set off.

“By the way, what’s going to happen to Baron Hugo Ronald?” asked Lady Penalton, the Viscount’s daughter and the Lady of Weimar’s right hand, eager to prove her loyalty by speaking ill of Hugo.

“Oh, him…”

‘I must’ve lost my mind! I swear, Milady, I never meant to hit you! I was trying to hit Layla, not you!’

She recalled Hugo kneeling in her family’s mansion, groveling for forgiveness.

‘What? You dare to strike my daughter?!’

Before she could say anything, the Duke of Weimar had exploded.

‘This will be settled with a territorial war! Drag this trash out immediately!’

‘It was an accident! Your Grace, please—!’

And with that, Hugo had been thrown out.

“Father’s actually happy—he thinks he’s going to get new territory out of this.”

The Lady of Weimar smiled, speaking as diplomatically as she could.

“As expected! His Grace really loves you, Milady!”

“Of course! Who would dare lay a hand on you?”

“I always knew the baron was plain-looking, but I didn’t realize his heart was ugly too.”

“Yes, Baron Ronald isn’t much to look at.”

Her companions laughed merrily, and the Lady of Weimar felt a strange pity for Layla. She had liked such a man for so long.

In a way, it reminded her of herself—pining after Crown Prince Anasis for years.

“Poor Lady Layla, to have liked someone like that for so long.”

Hearing this, Lady Penalton realized her mistress held Layla in high regard.

“Shall I send her an invitation to the tea party the day after tomorrow on your behalf?”

“Oh my, yes, please.”

The Lady of Weimar smiled brightly in agreement, and the group continued toward Layla’s engagement venue.

Later…

“That was a cute move you pulled.”

Layla turned toward the door that had opened without a knock.

“Your Highness?”

Out of politeness, Layla had sent an invitation to Crown Prince Anasis as well—but she hadn’t actually expected him to come.

Since Rainier had been revealed to be someone else entirely, she thought the prince’s interest in her would fade. She figured he’d stop coming to Mont after about a week.

But surprisingly, he had continued to hover persistently around her.

Layla wondered if maybe he had sharp instincts and was circling her out of lingering suspicion about Rainier.

“This.”

“Oh my…”

Anasis held out his hand, showing her the ring he wore. Layla’s eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly gestured for the attendants to leave.

“I knew it,” he said with a smile, gazing at the ring on her right hand—on her ring finger—clearly a matching pair with his own.

“Your Highness, where did you…”

Once the room was empty and the door shut, he said, “Did you think I wouldn’t know you sent this to me?”

“Ah… excuse me?”

“If you want to be my lover, I’ll accept. I’ve tried to pretend not to notice, but since you even sent me a ring, I have no choice but to accept.”

He smiled, clearly pleased with himself.

“Even if you become a marchioness, you can still be my lover. So don’t make that face.”