Chapter 29: A Surprise Gift (2)
“Perel,” Loic said in a low voice.
“You’ve become quite bold since the Grand Duchess arrived.”
“…I will correct myself,” Perel responded.
“I was just wondering if she got her clothes fitted properly today,” Loic added.
“Huh? Do you mean Coutere? Did you really call them?”
Perel, who was usually efficient and precise, had been making comments lately that made Loic clench his jaw.
He had been the one pushing Loic to do this, and now he was acting surprised that Loic had actually followed through.
Loic looked at Perel’s wide eyes with a displeased expression.
Yesterday evening, right after training, Loic had summoned Perel to his office.
He needed to increase the budget for the Grand Duchess.
When she had asked for private funds, he had assumed she would buy jewelry, but the first thing she had purchased with that money had been gifts for the knights.
It had been a considerable amount of money to begin with, but Loic had assigned her a private budget more than twice the amount his mother had spent as the previous lady of the house.
‘She’ll be pleased with this, right?’
This should be enough to make her feel properly valued. Loic had felt relieved.
Then Perel had tilted his head and asked,
“Will the private funds be enough?”
“What?”
“I saw the luggage that Her Highness brought. Her clothes and accessories seemed quite lacking.”
Then, in a lower voice, Perel added,
“Most of her clothes were rather simple. I’m sure she must be conscious of that.”
‘What was the Grand Duchess wearing again…?’
Loic tried to recall her outfits.
But all that came to mind were her fair skin, the gentle curve of her eyes, the blush of her cheeks, and her soft red lips smiling sweetly.
Whenever he was with her, his eyes instinctively followed her face, as if chasing sunlight across a snowy field.
He had been too focused on her expressions and thoughts to ever pay attention to what she was wearing.
‘She looked beautiful no matter what she wore.’
Even if she had walked in wearing a sack, Loic would have simply thought, She looks lovely today, too.
But Perel, of all people—the one who had arranged his wedding—was now pointing this out.
Loic frowned.
‘Why is this guy so interested in my wife’s wardrobe?’
Still, despite his irritation, he couldn’t ignore Perel’s point.
‘What kind of husband would I be if my wife had to worry about something as simple as clothes?’
That would make him look incompetent.
“Then I’ll allocate a separate budget for her clothing,” Loic said after some thought.
Perel, however, shook his head.
“Her Highness is unfamiliar with Blenheim. Without a lady-in-waiting, she has no one to guide her through the dress shops.”
Loic pressed his lips together, momentarily stumped.
He himself had almost no experience with tailoring.
Ever since he had inherited the curse, Whitley had always taken his measurements, and when his clothes no longer fit, the butler simply ordered new ones.
He had never thought about style.
With no social life, he had no need to dress for different occasions or worry about looking attractive.
Whitley had occasionally shown him fashion plates and asked for his opinion, but Loic’s response had always been, Do as you like.
After a while, Whitley had stopped asking.
By now, if his clothes ever felt different, Loic just assumed the butler had ordered something new.
He was that indifferent to his own wardrobe.
But he couldn’t let the Grand Duchess be treated the same way.
“Which is the best dress shop in Blenheim?” Loic asked.
Perel looked awkward.
“The place I go to only specializes in men’s clothing…”
Loic sighed. Of course.
His aide was just as reclusive as he was and wouldn’t know much about fashion trends outside the castle.
In the end, they had to call in Leon, who had been standing guard outside.
Loic stated, “It must be at least comparable to the stores in the capital.”
Leon, realizing this was a serious question, scratched his head and answered,
“There are a few shops where noblewomen get their dresses, but the most famous one is Coutere. The owner, Madame Ramondria, was quite popular in the capital a few years ago.”
At least Leon was more aware of current trends than the others.
Loic gave a small nod of approval, and Leon added,
“The handkerchiefs Her Highness gave us were also from Coutere.”
‘Why does it seem like everyone knows what my wife is up to except me?’
“That works out well, then,” Perel said cheerfully. “Since she’s familiar with them, it’ll be easier for her to place an order.”
Perel, completely oblivious to Loic’s petty jealousy, asked,
“Shall I summon Coutere here?”
Loic hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
“Let’s check with the Grand Duchess first.”
“Commander! That ruins the surprise!”
Leon suddenly interrupted in a panicked voice.
“Surprise?” Loic frowned.
“Isn’t this a gift for Her Highness? It would be boring to just give it to her like this.”
Why did these men, who usually kept their distance from the Grand Duchess, become so bold whenever she was involved?
Even the youngest knight, who usually avoided eye contact with her, was speaking casually about giving her a surprise gift.
Loic’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
“This isn’t a gift. We’re just calling a dressmaker.”
Lowering his voice, Loic spoke firmly, causing Leon to flinch, but he still continued speaking.
“Think about it. Which would surprise Her Highness more? Telling her in advance and then calling the dressmaker or having the Madame appear suddenly when she least expects it?”
“Is surprising her a good thing?”
Even Perel tilted his head in confusion. Leon shook his head in frustration.
“At first, she’ll be surprised, but when she realizes that it’s a special gift from you, she’ll be touched! She’ll love it!”
‘The Grand Duchess… will like it?’
Would she really? That one comment from Leon stirred something in Loic’s mind.
“Now that I think about it, that makes sense. Let’s make it a surprise gift.”
Perel seemed convinced and nodded in agreement. At the time, both of them kept pushing Loic to make a decision, so he ended up shooing them away, saying he’d handle it.
But in the end, late at night, after making sure the Grand Duchess was asleep, Loic gave Whitley the order to summon Madame.
“Will this be okay?”
Loic was brought back to reality by Perel’s murmuring.
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, it’s just a thought.”
Perel coughed awkwardly before continuing.
“You know how noble ladies have a certain way of speaking…”
“Get to the point.”
“Well… What if the Grand Duchess takes this the wrong way? Like a criticism of her attire?”
Loic suddenly stopped in his tracks. Leon, following behind him, had to halt quickly to avoid bumping into him.
“What?”
“N-No, that wouldn’t happen. I was just saying.”
Faced with Loic’s sharp gaze, Perel quickly waved his hands dismissively. Loic pressed his lips together and resumed walking.
“If she’s even slightly offended, neither of you will be safe.
His cold warning made Perel and Leon flinch at the same time, shrinking their shoulders.
“S-She’ll love it.”
“O-Of course, she’ll love it.”
Just then, at the entrance of the main castle, Whitley stood waiting and bowed when he saw Loic.
Leon quickly changed the subject.
“The head butler is waiting for us.”
It was unusual for a loyal butler to come out and wait like this. Perel frowned slightly, wondering what could have happened.
But unlike usual, Loic’s heart quickened.
‘Is the Grand Duchess waiting for me?’
He hadn’t seen her all day. Maybe she wanted to see him, or maybe she wanted him to come to her.
For the past few days, they had seen each other every day, so it wouldn’t be strange.
Even if their marriage was just a contract, wasn’t it common courtesy to check in on each other when living under the same roof?
If she wanted to visit his room late at night, that would be difficult to accept, but since the sun hadn’t fully set yet, sharing a cup of tea together should be fine.
The surroundings were growing dim, but the sun was still barely hanging over the mountain ridge.
‘I should head straight to my office.’
Wait, no, I had been outside all day and was probably dirty.
He couldn’t meet the Grand Duchess looking so disheveled.
He had to wash up and change his clothes as quickly as possible.
Just as Loic reached Whitley, ready to ask about the message from the Grand Duchess—
“Sir Leon, Her Highness has requested that you stop by before returning to your quarters.”
“What does that mean?”
Loic felt as if he had been struck on the back of his head.
