Episode 19
The next day, I tried to see Leoni but couldn’t meet her.
She had sent word that she was still not feeling well.
She had already been saying that it felt like misfortune was looming over her, and she was scared.
Could something really have happened?
What did she and Adrian talk about that night?
Her anxious and gloomy expression lingered in my mind.
This won’t do. I need to go see her.
“Eclat, do we have a modest and neat dress?”
“A modest dress?”
“Yeah, I’m going to visit someone who’s unwell, and this one feels too flashy.”
Ah, the etiquette of the Eastern Land of Courtesy.
“Do you mean something like the dress you wore to the ballroom last time?”
Haha, it doesn’t need to be that dull, but…
“Well, as long as it’s not too showy, it should be fine.”
Eclat brought me a navy blue dress in a calm tone. I was just about to leave after changing into it.
“Eclat, since Leoni’s not feeling well, shouldn’t I bring some medicine or fruit?”
“Oh my, so you’re going to visit Lady Almaz. Is she seriously ill?”
“I’m not sure. I just want to bring her something.”
Then Eclat clapped her hands as if she had remembered something.
“Miss, there’s a new pastry shop called ‘Weiss,’ and their treats are supposed to be really good.”
“Really?”
“Yes! How about bringing Lady Almaz some medicine and something sweet?”
“That’s a great idea. Thanks.”
Just as I was thinking how reliable Eclat was and heading downstairs, I heard my brother Oliver’s voice coming up the stairs.
“His Grace must be incredibly busy right now.”
“Indeed, there’s only a week left.”
“Can you believe the first event he’s presiding over since arriving in Mütten is Saint Aubenly’s Day?”
I slowed my steps and listened to the conversation.
“He’s meticulous, so I’m sure he’ll do well. By the way, when are you planning to return to Ostrine?”
“Not sure yet. Nothing’s certain.”
“Will you stay until Saint Aubenly’s Day?”
“Can’t say for sure.”
“Well, let me know once you decide.”
Oliver’s voice stopped at the sound of my footsteps.
“Hello, little lady.”
Standing next to my brother was none other than Adrian.
He wore the same relaxed and kind smile as when I first saw him.
“Hello.”
Seeing him immediately made me think of Leoni.
Should I ask what happened at the ball?
I saw him with Lady Almaz—was something going on?
But the more I thought about it, the more it felt silly. I’m not Leoni’s mother or anything.
It’d be ridiculous to ask two grown adults what they talked about just because I saw them together at a ball.
I’d come off as sneaky or nosy.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Things seemed fine when I last saw them.
Then the dress incident happened, I talked briefly with Jerlac, and then Leoni said she had to leave.
Adrian’s bright voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts.
“Oh, right. Seeing you now reminded me.”
He lightly smacked his palm with his fist—
“Ribe, I heard you made quite the impression at the ball last night?”
Me?
I stared blankly, caught off guard by the sudden comment.
But thinking back, nothing particularly noteworthy happened.
“My friend wasn’t feeling well, so we left early. Nothing special happened.”
Then Pailey’s sulky face flashed through my mind but quickly faded.
‘I mean, I did have a little spat with Pailey, but that kind of tension isn’t unusual. And the Duke showed up at just the right time to smooth things over.’
“What kind of dress did you wear that it caused such a stir?”
Oh no.
“It caused a stir?”
“Yes. They say you wore something… interesting.”
“What? Ribe did that?”
My brother looked at me with wide eyes.
“Ribe, is that true?”
“……”
“You insisted on going with Leoni no matter what. Was the real reason you wanted to take the Almaz carriage so you could sneak past Mother and wear a strange dress?”
“Of course not.”
I turned to Adrian, eyes wide.
If he had any tact, he’d take the hint and shut up!
“I’m kidding. People are just saying you looked beautiful no matter what you wore.”
“……”
“It’s true. Come on, it’s not like Ribe would intentionally wear something weird. Although… you do look a bit drab today.”
My brother tilted his head and looked me over.
“Ribe, has your fashion sense changed?”
Why is everyone so interested in me all of a sudden?
“Well, maybe…”
“Still, Adrian has a point, doesn’t he?”
“Of course. Absolutely.”
Whew, at least he’s not completely oblivious.
Even if that mouth of his is a problem.
“Oh, Oliver. Can you get me the book we talked about before? I need it now.”
“Sure, I’ll be right back.”
While my brother stepped away, Adrian, seemingly still curious, continued.
“By the way, my lady, may I ask why you wore a color no one else dares to wear?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“……”
I gave a small smile and stepped back.
He must have teased Leoni like this too, and no wonder she got annoyed!
“If I upset you, I apologize. But after hearing so much talk, I was genuinely curious. The Ribe I know is bright and lovely—I wouldn’t want anyone to misunderstand you.”
“Misunderstand?”
Just then, one name popped into my head.
It must’ve been Pailey Isley who spread weird rumors about me.
“I just didn’t think dresses always had to be pink, yellow, or purple—all flashy and bright.”
“……?”
“Dyeing fabric is quite labor-intensive, isn’t it? It takes a lot of effort.”
I was just saying whatever came to mind, but—
“You’re right. Especially yellow—it requires rare imported dyes and is very expensive. And purple? It’s extracted from shellfish, and you only get about 1.5 grams of dye from ten thousand shells.”
Oh… really?
I nodded awkwardly as Adrian continued, deep in thought.
“Did you know? Yellow dye comes from the Covane flower, which only grows in high mountains. But recently, diplomatic issues have made it hard to obtain. And those shellfish for purple dye? Production has plummeted, causing quite a stir.”
“……”
“So, dye is just one problem. There are other complications, and it’s been tough. Did Oliver tell you all this?”
Uh, not really…
“Because of all this, dye prices have skyrocketed. We can’t completely stop using them, but for a marquess’s daughter like you to take the lead and wear a muted, undyed dress…”
“Oh, no! I wasn’t trying to lead anything.”
“I’ve been wondering how to find a breakthrough in all this. But you, Ribe…”
Wait—what is happening?
Why am I suddenly being seen as some sort of activist?
I just didn’t want to look pretty in front of Jerlac.
I wanted to look bad so Leoni would stand out, that’s all!
It wasn’t for some noble cause!
“No, really. That’s not it. I just wanted to be myself…”
“Be yourself?”
“……”
“Ah, so you were trying to move beyond outward things like jewelry and dresses to express your true self. Incredible. How did you come up with that?”
Huh?
I mean… that wasn’t really my intention…
“Ribe, you’re amazing.”
What is this atmosphere?
But despite my confusion, Adrian looked genuinely moved.
“There’s so much I could learn from you.”
