Chapter 25
“What? You’re really going to do that?”
“I don’t want to… but, like I said earlier, it depends on how you behave.”
Franz smiled faintly, looking as if he was positively enjoying himself.
“If it depends on how I behave, then… what exactly am I supposed to do?”
Her eyes, filled with confusion, turned to him.
“Hm.”
Franz rested his chin on his hand and put on a mock-serious expression. Iella looked at him nervously, but the words that came out of the prince’s mouth were nothing she could have expected.
“Miss Clarence, are those the only dresses you own?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m talking about your dresses. They’re all such dull colors. Are those all you have, or do you just choose to wear only those?”
“T-that’s…”
“They’re all plain in design, and it’s always dark green, navy, or brown. At this point, it feels like you’re wearing the exact same thing every day. You don’t notice it yourself?”
Iella lowered her head to look at her dress.
When she painted, she wore an apron, but sometimes paint still ended up on her dresses without her noticing. At some point, she started sticking to dark colors to hide it. But she couldn’t understand why the prince was even bringing this up, so she protested.
“I choose dark colors because stains don’t show as easily.”
“Huh!”
Franz furrowed his brow as if he’d just heard something absurd.
What on earth did this lady spill so often for that to be a concern?
“Were your etiquette lessons lacking?”
He muttered under his breath as if incredulous.
“Even if it’s not luxury, you should maintain a certain level of dignity.”
She wanted to retort—Clean and neat is enough. What’s the point of dignity, for heaven’s sake?—but thought it inappropriate to say that in front of royalty.
Every month she received an allowance that also served as a dignity stipend, but she spent the bare minimum and deposited the rest into the bank. The same went for any money she earned from portrait commissions.
There was no need to explain all this, so even though she had much to say, she swallowed her words. Besides, having this kind of conversation with the prince was uncomfortable enough.
“Your Highness, what exactly are you trying to say?”
“First of all, let’s wear something other than dreary dresses. My sense of aesthetics is in agony.”
“…What? What do you mean—”
She stared at him, at a loss for words, but Franz remained unperturbed, calmly looking her over.
She couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious, which made her frown.
“Why should I?”
“Why? Aren’t you trying to aim for the seat next to me? Then you should make a good impression. Don’t you think?”
The look on his face said, And what are you going to do about it?—brazen, almost like a debt collector. She was nearly dumbfounded.
“…”
Fine. It was the grave she’d dug for herself. She could admit that. But she had no intention of lying down in it just yet.
“Are you the type to be easily seduced?”
“You’re not seriously trying to seduce me looking like that, are you? I can’t say I’m even remotely aroused.”
His eyes swept her up and down, taking in her modest attire.
This was not how it was supposed to go.
Iella stared at him in shock.
To so openly rake his gaze over a lady’s body… She was at a loss for words, flustered, and her face flushed red.
“I see I’ve learned Your Highness’s tastes.”
“So soon?”
“You said yesterday you’re more interested in straightforward, bold seduction.”
“Oh? And?”
Franz folded his arms, leaning back with narrowed eyes as he looked at her.
“As you know, that’s not my style. But I’ll try approaching you in my own way.”
Naturally, Franz wasn’t the least bit rattled by her words. In fact, he laughed as if amused.
She doesn’t seem to have much to rely on, so why is she so confident?
But that didn’t matter anymore. She was already in the palm of his hand.
A little fresh entertainment in a boring life isn’t a bad thing, is it?
“Good. You can even say things like that.”
He realized now that he liked women who were fun to be around. At the very least, this one could make him laugh, so she wasn’t boring to look at.
“Still, I’d prefer never to see those dresses again. You wouldn’t want the viscount to hear about this, would you? If you really don’t have clothes, I can buy them for you.”
It was a statement laced with unspoken pressure.
“N-no. I understand what you mean.”
“Good. I’m glad you catch on quickly.”
Franz nodded in satisfaction.
“Mr. O’Neil is late.”
“Ah.”
Well, he was probably just killing time somewhere. Franz didn’t pay it much mind.
Then came a knock at the door. Iella’s eyes lit up as she glanced toward it, and Franz said, “Come in.”
Hans entered, empty-handed as expected. Franz’s lips curled faintly—he had several attendants and secretaries, but Hans was the one who most often understood what he wanted.
“Why are you empty-handed?”
“Well… quite some time has passed already, so it’s taking a while to find it. If you give me more time, I should be able to track it down.”
“Should? So you can or you can’t? Are you saying you might fail?”
“No, Your Highness. I’ll find it without fail.”
At the chill in his voice, Iella flinched. She felt bad, as if Mr. O’Neil was being scolded because of her, and it made her uncomfortable—like sitting on a bed of thorns.
“Your Highness, I’ll be going now.”
It seemed better to wait at home than to linger here in discomfort.
“Why? Won’t you wait and take it with you?”
“I don’t know how long it will take, and I can’t impose indefinitely. I’m sure you’re busy as well.”
“Very well, then.”
Franz didn’t bother stopping her—he hadn’t intended to give it to her today anyway.
“When it’s found, I’ll send a letter through Hans, so don’t worry.”
“Yes. Thank you. And the notebook…”
Franz smiled faintly as he responded to her farewell.
“That as well—don’t worry. I’m curious why you’re so fixated on it, but I won’t read it. Unlike you, I’m a gentleman.”
He emphasized the word gentleman. She didn’t know him well, but for some reason, she felt certain he’d keep that promise. Still, she couldn’t explain the unease that lingered.
“Hans, see Miss Clarence home safely.”
Franz gave the order, then turned back to his desk to look over documents. Taking that as a clear dismissal, Iella quietly bowed and left the office with Hans.
“Mr. O’Neil, I’m sorry… you got in trouble because of me…”
Unaware of the full situation, Iella looked apologetic, which only made Hans feel worse.
“I’m the one who’s sorry for being late.”
“You will be able to find it, right?”
“Of course. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure of it.”
“Then it’s fine. Thank you for today.”
Iella smiled brightly at him, her voice cheerful. Hans, feeling a pang of guilt, forced a smile in return.
“I’ll prepare the carriage.”
“Huh? It’s fine, you can just call me a hired carriage.”
“You’re the prince’s guest, miss. I can’t do that. His Highness personally instructed me, and if I neglect that, I’ll be the one in trouble.”
“Oh, I see.”
She couldn’t risk getting him in trouble again, so she could only agree.
“Alright, then. Thank you.”
In a way, it was for the best. Less than half a day had passed, but she already felt like she’d spent all her energy for the day.
On the way back, she fell asleep in the carriage as if she’d fainted. She only woke when the coachman made several noises outside after the carriage stopped, realizing she had drifted off completely.
Startled, she got up and hurried out, still drowsy, and thanked the coachman.
“Sorry, I must have dozed off.”
“Not at all, miss.”
“Thank you.”
“Please take care going in.”
Once the coachman climbed back onto his seat, the four-horse carriage pulled away from the estate. It was a carriage as luxurious as the prince himself.
“Haah…”
Her sigh was as long as the day felt.
She tilted her head back to look at the sky. The sun was still high overhead. The day was far from over.
“I’m home.”
“Where have you been since early this morning!”
Laura Clarence’s voice rang out sharply as Iella stepped into the ladies’ parlor. She was clearly furious, her tone cutting through the air and instantly souring the mood.
Lady Berni Lint and Louisa, who had been working on embroidery with her, stayed silent and observed.
Looks like she’s really mad this time.
Iella had grown up in a warm household with parents who rarely got angry—alongside Louisa and their younger brother. Though they’d been at odds in recent years over marriage matters, they were generally on good terms.
While she was attending the academy and staying with her aunt in the capital, she had been spared the constant nagging. But now that the social season had begun and her parents had returned to the capital, the marriage issue had come up again.
“I was wrong.”
Sometimes her mother’s rare bouts of anger were scary, but still less intimidating than her father’s. That didn’t mean she enjoyed situations like this.
“So you know you were wrong.”
“I was going to accept my punishment for going against your wishes yesterday. But something urgent came up today, and I… I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Laura had thought she’d left early to avoid being scolded, but it seemed that wasn’t the case, so she eased her temper a little.
“Something urgent?”
“It’s been resolved now. You don’t need to worry.”
“I see.”
Since her daughter hated drawing attention to herself so much, Laura figured it wasn’t anything serious and let it go.
