Chapter 45
“…Pardon?”
Startled by the sudden words, I found myself staring blankly at Lucius. My birthday? That was long ago. Could he be congratulating me now? And all these boxes—are they birthday presents?
Though surprised by the congratulations, I wondered why there were so many boxes that looked like gifts. To find out, I accepted the bouquet and asked him directly.
“Are you seriously congratulating me on my birthday now?”
“Yes. It’s very late, but I wanted to make sure to celebrate it. And I also prepared this to celebrate your return to society.”
“Thank you. I’m really happy, though a bit overwhelmed since I wasn’t expecting this. So, all these boxes are…?”
“Gifts for your return to society and your birthday.”
All these boxes? The butlers lined up on both sides numbered at least twenty. By rough count, twenty-two butlers were each holding a box. That meant there were twenty-two boxes in total.
“Twenty-two birthday presents? Why so many?”
“Well… even though your birthday has passed, I wanted to celebrate every one you’d had until now.”
“Every birthday until now…?”
“Yes.”
“So that’s why you bought twenty-two boxes? Still, it must have cost a fortune…”
“For you, this is nothing at all.”
He blushed shyly but smiled with golden honey-colored eyes full of warmth. An angel must be among us.
What should I do with this man? Once again, I marveled at how kind and beautiful my husband is. How is that a cold, bitter smile? What did the original author do to make such a kind man into a villain? I wanted to shake them for making him so unfairly misunderstood.
That old resentment toward the author unexpectedly bubbled up again. I feel like grabbing their collar and shaking some sense into them to relieve my frustration.
Though I was delighted with the gifts, I especially liked the bouquet he brought himself. The bunch of roses bloomed beautifully in various colors and filled the room with a strong, pleasant fragrance. The roses felt strangely familiar.
“These roses are so beautiful. The scent is strong. But somehow they look familiar…”
“That’s right. They’re the same roses that child sold.”
“Really?! But how…? The flower shop burned down, so there shouldn’t have been any left…”
“Apparently, some flowers remained in the greenhouse inside the botanical garden. I heard the children had all regained their health and returned to work, so I visited, and the child personally made this bouquet. He said he grew these flowers himself—not his younger sibling…”
“Thank you so much. I’m not sure I deserve this.”
“He said it’s not as good as the flowers his sibling grew, but he wanted to give flowers he grew himself. He insisted I deliver them.”
“They’re absolutely beautiful and lovely. I want to send a gift in return someday.”
“I’m sure he’ll be happy.”
I smiled softly and leaned my face slightly into the bouquet. The rich fragrance of the roses wafted up into my nose. Compared to the smaller bouquet I had received before, this one’s scent was lighter and a bit different—but somehow I liked this rose scent more.
I wished there were some blue roses. The child’s sibling had managed to grow just one blue rose, he said. I hoped one day to see the blue rose that child grows.
After a moment admiring the flowers, I noticed the butlers still standing at attention. It felt odd to keep them standing like that, so I decided to have them put down the boxes.
“Please put the boxes down on the table over there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The butlers carefully stacked the boxes on the table. Curious about their contents, I asked Lucius.
“What kind of gifts are these?”
“Tiana, you should see for yourself.”
Holding my hand, he led me to the table. The butlers moved aside, and Warren came forward, taking a cue from Lucius. Together with the butlers, they began opening every box.
“Oh my goodness…!”
“Wow…!”
“Amazing…!”
The maids’ excited murmurs filled the room. Inside the boxes were sparkling beautiful jewelry—necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, and more. The dazzling jewels made my eyes widen. How much could all this cost?
To receive so many jewels all at once left me speechless. When I looked at him in astonishment, his face showed a proud smile.
“There are many pieces that suit you, Tiana. I picked out a few to start with. Are they okay?”
“…It’s way too much. I’m happy, but this is too much, Lucius.”
“Is that so? Alexandra said you should have at least this much. She told me to order more because it might not be enough. Should I cancel the extras?”
“More…?”
“Is there even more?”
I was shocked to hear that and looked at him, but his innocent expression made me speechless. It seemed like Alexandra advised him again—how could someone so naive go on such a shopping spree?
How should I take this? Tiana has always been frugal and didn’t have many jewels. I thought even as a duke’s daughter she had a modest collection, but apparently not. How many jewels could Alexandra have to think this is still not enough?
I was about to ask him to cancel the rest, feeling this was excessive, when Jane cautiously stepped forward.
“Excuse me, but the jewelry Lady Tiana currently owns is old and limited in number. So, besides what Your Highness gifted, additional orders are necessary.”
“Is that so? Is it really that insufficient?”
“Lady Tiana has lived frugally, so her collection isn’t large. Moreover, many items are old-fashioned. For the sake of her status, replacing them is necessary. I humbly ask, for the Lady of the Duke’s House.”
“I understand. Please proceed with the additional orders beyond what has already been ordered.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Before I knew it, the deal between Lucius and Jane was done. Jane bowed deeply, then looked up with a joyful ‘I did it!’ expression. Seeing them both smiling brightly at me was strangely heartwarming.
“Jane, why are you so forward today? What about the candidates you struggled to pick earlier? And Lucius, don’t smile like you’re so proud.”
Now that I thought about stopping them, the maids seemed even more excited than before, and Warren and the butlers were watching with approval, so I couldn’t say a word.
I could only laugh awkwardly at the situation.
The next morning, we received the remaining items that hadn’t arrived yesterday. More boxes were stacked on the table, and I sighed inwardly. Lucius had bought all these with his own money, not touching the household budget.
I appreciated his thoughtfulness in not making me worry, but I felt uneasy, thinking he might keep doing this often. As the Lady of the Duke’s House, perhaps it was proper to have such things, but for someone like me who came from an ordinary modern family, it was hard to adjust.
I wondered how much all this would be worth if converted—too many zeros to imagine. Shaking off the dizzying thought, I set it aside.
There were some additional orders, but since the tea party preparations were tight, we decided to choose from the items that had already arrived. Watching the maids busily select jewelry to match the dresses I’d chosen made me smile.
“Mistress Jane, the necklace options haven’t narrowed down from three!”
“The dress reveals the chest, so it shouldn’t look bare. Let’s choose the second necklace.”
“Mistress Jane, the final candidates for earrings are these two.”
“Match the earrings with the necklace’s gems—so the first set is better.”
“What about bracelets, Mistress Jane?”
“And rings?”
“And hair accessories?”
Voices calling Jane echoed among the maids. Even in the chaos, Jane organized quickly, and one by one, the selections were made. Finally, I tried on the chosen jewelry with the dress.
Inabel styled my hair beautifully and finished with a small hair ornament. Looking in the mirror, I saw a perfect image.
“Lady Tiana, you look absolutely stunning!”
“The dress and jewelry suit you perfectly!”
“You will be the most beautiful at tomorrow’s tea party!”
The maids spoke with excitement, and Jane wiped sweat from her brow, nodding proudly. Feeling good in the bright yellow dress, I smiled brightly and said to them,
“Thank you all for your hard work. Thanks to you, I think tomorrow will go well.”
Since it had come to this, I decided to make sure I got plenty of attention. Their support gave me confidence that everyone’s eyes would be on me.
The day of the tea party arrived. Although it started at 2 p.m., I left the mansion a bit early and headed to the palace. When I arrived at the princess’s residence, many servants came out to greet me.
“Welcome, Your Grace, the Duchess. Princess is waiting for you.”
Following the head maid, I glanced around and noticed the place was decorated differently from usual. Passing busy servants preparing, I arrived at Alexandra’s room.
She was sitting on the sofa, seemingly ready, and smiled warmly when she saw me.
“Welcome, Tiana. You look so beautiful today. You’re wearing the dress I made! You have great taste wearing it—it suits you perfectly.”
“Thank you, Alexandra. Actually, Mistress Jane picked it well. We also carefully chose the jewelry together. They were surprisingly enthusiastic.”
“That’s natural. The Duke’s household didn’t have a lady before, so there was little need for them to step up. Lucius is a man and his personality doesn’t make dressing up easy—he’s never had to. But now that you’re here, they finally have a chance to shine. Aren’t they excited?”
“Ah… that makes sense.”
“Besides, this is your first return to society. The servants want to show everyone how beautiful their lady is. The lady’s reputation reflects on them too.”
“That’s true. I should do my best to repay their feelings today.”
“You will do well. Don’t worry. I’m sure everyone is eager to make a good impression on you today.”
“Really? You think so?”
“Of course. Just wait and see.”
Her gentle voice reassuring me felt wonderful. I wished I had some of that confidence. Still, just being with her gave me peace of mind. I glanced at the paper she was holding and asked,
“What’s that paper?”
“Oh, it’s the final guest list for today’s tea party. Luckily, all invited guests will attend.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The Countess Garnet will definitely come, so you’ll get to meet her.”
“That’s good news. I’m looking forward to it.”
Curious who she was, I hoped it would be a good meeting. As I calmed my fluttering heart, I glanced again at the list and spotted a familiar name.
“…Huh?”
