Chapter 59
At that time, Dalia had to change clothes again to hide the traces of the previous night.
After telling Sylvia to wait a little longer, she found a dress with a high lace collar that covered her neck and put it on.
Once she confirmed that the refreshments were ready, Dalia turned to Roy.
“Go tell them they can come in now.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Following his guidance, Sylvia soon entered the parlor, supported by Miel. Dalia rose to greet them warmly.
“Hello. Miel, you came along too.”
“Yes. The president has some difficulty moving around on her own. If my being here gets in the way of your conversation, I can…”
“No, it’s fine. You’re welcome here.”
As Miel was about to leave after helping Sylvia to the sofa, Dalia smiled and stopped him.
As if he had expected her permission, Miel immediately sat down and eagerly pulled a notebook and pencil from his inner pocket. His eyes sparkled with passion.
“By the way, Lady Dalia, that’s quite an unusual outfit you’re wearing. The design looks tight and difficult to move in—it’s almost never used these days. But since you have such a long, slender neck, it suits you beautifully.”
“Haha, really? Thank you.”
It wasn’t what she had intended to wear, and feeling awkward, Dalia brushed her hand over the covered area near her collarbone.
Regardless, Miel was already jotting notes and sketches in his notebook, muttering that he should incorporate that style into his next design. He was the same as ever.
‘It seems nothing happened to Miel after all.’
While Sylvia appeared to have suffered a mental blow from the recent attack, Miel seemed completely unbothered—perhaps because he had never expected or grown attached to the people of Amad to begin with.
Feeling relieved by his spirited demeanor, Dalia turned her attention back to Sylvia.
“Sylvia, how are you feeling? You seem worse than last time. You looked tired before, but at least you could walk on your own.”
“Oh… this is fine, Lady Dalia. Miel is just making a fuss. The physician said I was lucky to avoid any fatal injuries, and I’m recovering quickly.”
When Sylvia waved her hand as if it were nothing, Miel grumbled beside her.
“Didn’t the physician say it worsened because you didn’t rest properly? Why don’t you tell her how much scolding you got for that?”
“…Sylvia, is that true?”
Sylvia shook her head at Miel as if to stop him, but when he went ahead and revealed everything, she could only shrug with a helpless smile.
“Yes, you caught me. I’m sorry.”
“I told you to rest.”
“After the doctor scolded me, I really did start resting properly. Thank you for worrying about me.”
“…”
Still unconvinced, Dalia looked at Miel.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. I’ve forbidden the president from entering the workroom.”
“You’re doing well.”
Miel nodded resolutely. Seeing the comradely understanding pass between Dalia and Miel, Sylvia smiled, a little more at ease.
“Well, I should count myself lucky things didn’t turn out worse.”
Though her body seemed weaker than before, Sylvia looked much more at peace.
“I used to think I was such a capable woman,” she said with a bitter laugh. “But seeing you both worry over me like this… it’s embarrassing.”
“Everyone has a time when they falter. You’re still a capable woman, Sylvia.”
“Thank you, Lady Dalia. I came today to accept the proposal you made last time.”
“That’s right,” Miel said eagerly, nodding. “The president told me everything. Thank you so much for making that offer. I promise we’ll return your investment many times over.”
“Me too, Lady Dalia,” Sylvia added.
Seeing the firm resolve in both their eyes, Dalia smiled approvingly. It seemed they had discussed things deeply and come to their decision.
“You’ve made a good choice, Sylvia. I’ll do my best to make sure it turns out to be the right one.”
“Thank you. You really are a benefactor to me, Lady Dalia.”
Overcome with emotion, Sylvia’s eyes grew moist. Then she whispered to Miel,
“Could you step out for a bit? I have something important to say to Lady Dalia.”
“What is it? Why can’t I—”
But Miel quickly realized what she meant and nodded, bowing politely to Dalia before leaving the room.
Once they were alone, Sylvia spoke in a low voice.
“After you encouraged me that day, I thought about it a lot.”
“Did you? Judging from your decision, it seems you’ve made up your mind.”
“Yes. It’s like I finally woke up from a dream. I suppose when you fall for someone, you lose sight of everything else. I was completely swayed.”
Her words made Dalia reflect silently on her own situation.
Even when Mary tried desperately to stop her, she hadn’t listened. She felt a pang of guilt—she still loved Khalid so deeply that nothing could shake that feeling.
When Dalia didn’t respond, Sylvia continued firmly.
“It’s only natural after what he did, but… even if that man, Hanson, comes back to me someday, I’ll never take him back. I’ve got too much work to do anyway.”
“I see.”
“Still, it’s strange being on my own again. But this freedom—it feels wonderful!”
Seeing Sylvia’s spirit return, Dalia smiled brightly.
“Good. Keep that energy up, finish the move to Zephyros smoothly, and live your life enjoying every bit of it.”
Then, remembering something, she added seriously,
“There aren’t many days left, but if Hanson’s gang comes back or the townspeople bother you before you leave for the capital, you must ask me for help, alright? Promise me.”
“Y-yes…”
“That didn’t sound convincing!”
“Oh—okay, I promise.”
When Dalia frowned at her half-hearted tone, Sylvia hurriedly nodded.
“Then, Lady Dalia, we’ll get going now. Miel’s been waiting outside for quite a while.”
‘She’ll probably keep quiet even if she’s harassed again, just to avoid troubling me,’ Dalia thought grimly.
“Hm…”
Still uneasy, Dalia tilted her head slightly. Watching Sylvia avoid her eyes, she suddenly remembered another errand she had for the Zephyros pair.
“Sylvia, do you have a bit more time?”
“Eh? Of course—if you need me, anytime.”
“…”
That was an answer far more decisive than her earlier promise to ask for help.
With a sigh, Dalia led Sylvia and Miel, who was waiting outside, toward one of the mansion’s storage rooms. Roy, who had been chatting nearby, quickly followed.
When Dalia unlocked one of the rooms, Sylvia and Miel’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“I recently visited another province, and I found many shops there that don’t exist here.”
“Lady Dalia, all of this… could it be…?”
“Yes. As you’ve probably guessed, it’s all yours now. I thought you might need these materials and tools once you relocate to Zephyros. It’s better to check now if anything’s missing.”
Sylvia and Miel’s faces lit up with delight.
The spacious room was filled with every kind of tailor’s equipment imaginable. Their jaws dropped as they looked around.
“And this isn’t even all of it. I still plan to buy more once we reach the capital—”
But Miel wasn’t even listening anymore. He was too busy examining a shiny new sewing machine.
“This is so much better than mine! I can work twice as fast with this!”
“Yes, Lady Dalia, even the thickest fabric will sew through in one go!” Sylvia added excitedly.
“Oh, I didn’t realize the difference was that big.”
Watching the two of them beam like children on a holiday, Dalia thought she should have done this sooner.
Apparently, the clothing business really did depend on equipment.
‘Then how hard must they have worked to make such beautiful dresses with those old, creaky machines?’
“So, do you want to start using these right away until you leave?”
“Can we?” Miel’s eyes went wide. The tools were so fine and expensive that he looked both grateful and reluctant to touch them.
“Of course. I told you—they’re yours now.”
“Then… then I’ll start moving these right away! Or, if you don’t mind, I’ll carry everything myself!”
“All of this?”
“Yes! It’ll only take a day of work!”
‘Though they’ll just have to move it all again when we head to the capital…’
But seeing how overjoyed they were, Dalia couldn’t bring herself to stop them.
Then she suddenly remembered something Khalid had agreed to when they last spoke.
“Actually, instead of moving back and forth, why don’t you just stay here until the move?”
“Huh?”
“You mean… live here?”
Dalia nodded.
“Yes. It’s safer that way, and it makes more sense overall, don’t you think?”
“Wha—what? You mean here in the mansion?”
