Chapter 14
Briana, quietly listening to Sebastian, was quite surprised. He didn’t seem to think Morgan’s perspective was strange at all. In fact, it seemed like he believed Morgan’s thinking was completely normal. Briana had always tried not to discriminate or have prejudices, both when she was Anastasia and now as Briana. But despite her efforts, Sebastian seemed to naturally accept and embrace everyone, even without trying.
Suddenly, Briana remembered the first time she met Sebastian. At first, he seemed so wary of me…
He had been so harsh when they first met.
“I don’t have a hobby of reading stories.”
Back then, he had said such mocking words. But now, she remembered how she was treated more carefully at the Duke’s residence compared to the Count’s.
Sebastian had patiently waited without any sign of annoyance whenever Briana moved her pen, showing care without complaining. Come to think of it, he’s always been kind since then.
Briana once thought that Sebastian’s arrogance was a result of his upbringing, but now she felt it wasn’t that at all.
So, what was it?
Why had he been so wary of her and said hurtful things in the beginning?
Briana couldn’t help but feel annoyed by those past actions.
“I think the most meaningful life is one where you live by your own thoughts and goals, as long as you don’t hurt others,” Sebastian had said.
Despite the lingering discomfort, she agreed with his words. After all, she was also trying to pursue her own goals now.
Right now, my goal is to remove Cassius, who’s acting differently in the emperor’s position.
She thought of Sebastian as a possible candidate for the throne, but she wasn’t sure if he was capable of such a role.
But maybe, just maybe, you could do it.
At that moment, Sebastian’s finger lightly touched the back of her hand, startling her. Briana quickly looked up to find him staring at her.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
His eyes were so direct that Briana felt like her thoughts were exposed, and she quickly looked away.
What is it?
Sebastian noticed she avoided his gaze and waited for her to move her pen, but Briana’s hand remained still. She just kept looking away, staying silent.
Maybe I’m starting to resemble him a little.
He couldn’t help but stare at her lips, which looked as if they were glowing, like fruits ripening in the sun.
After staring for a while, his gaze quickly shifted.
[It’s rude to stare at someone like that.]
Startled by the sudden words, Sebastian cleared his throat and turned away.
“Am I not allowed to look, since I’ll be your husband?”
He muttered, irritated, but didn’t think it was rude to look at her.
Everything else might be rude, though.
Thinking about other women while looking at Briana… He knew it was wrong, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about someone else when looking at her.
With a slight shake of his head, Sebastian stood up abruptly.
“I’ll step out for a moment.”
He quickly left the room.
“Alright, the dress is finished.”
A short while later, Morgan appeared.
“Where’s the Duke? I bet he got bored and left. A gentleman should never leave a woman waiting alone.”
Morgan grumbled as Briana smiled softly.
Morgan’s eyes lit up when she saw Briana smile.
“Ah, you look even more beautiful when you smile. You’ll look even prettier in this.”
Morgan held up a purple dress.
It wasn’t heavily designed, but the rich purple color was eye-catching.
“It’s funny how he just asked me to make a dress suddenly, but luckily, I had some purple fabric left over from before, so I managed to whip something up. It doesn’t have a big design, though…”
Briana was about to grab the pen to tell her it was fine, but Morgan spoke again.
“I think simple, solid-colored clothes suit you more than flashy designs.”
Morgan smiled playfully as she looked Briana up and down.
Even though she had heard that Morgan was a man, Briana didn’t feel uncomfortable with the way Morgan was looking at her.
“Is anyone else outside?”
Morgan asked, and soon, two women entered.
“They’ll help you get dressed.”
Briana stepped behind the curtain and quickly changed into the dress Morgan had prepared.
As Morgan had said, it wasn’t a flashy design, but the fabric had a subtle shine, like the soft purple hue was glowing.
The measurements were only taken briefly, but the dress fits perfectly.
The warmth of the fabric spread over her body, and Briana couldn’t believe how warm it felt without any padding.
It was truly amazing.
“I’ll pull back the curtain now.”
When the curtain opened, Briana gently touched the soft fabric and smiled.
“I knew my eyes weren’t wrong.”
Morgan’s voice made Briana look up, and she saw Sebastian standing there, who had quietly entered.
“Well, what do you think? Do you recognize my skills now?”
Sebastian said nothing at first and just stared at Briana for a long time.
Finally, he looked away and replied,
“Yeah, I recognize your skill.”
Morgan laughed at his response.
“Wow, I can’t believe it. He’s admitting something he’s never acknowledged before!”
She said this while glancing at Briana, who was blushing shyly, with Sebastian looking at her quietly.
Morgan smiled to herself as she watched the two.
“Since you’ve acknowledged me, I’ll make sure to charge a high price today.”
At her words, Sebastian pulled out a thick pouch of money and handed it to Morgan.
Then, he extended his hand to Briana.
“Lady, shall we go?”
Briana took his hand.
“This color really suits you.”
As they left Morgan’s house, Sebastian spoke.
Briana blushed at his compliment and quickly let go of his hand, still holding it nervously.
[Thank you for the wonderful gift. I’ll treasure it, and I’ll take good care of the flowers you gave me.]
Briana smiled, and Sebastian looked at her with a strange expression.
He watched her smile closely, his own lips twitching slightly.
After a moment, Sebastian raised his hand and gently touched her head.
“I think it’ll look really good on you.”
