Episode 15
“My closet?”
Riella asked back with a sleepy face. Madame Orange smiled brightly.
“The lady asked Monica to choose one of the clothes she sorted out last year.”
There was a stark contrast between Madame Orange, who was perfectly dressed, and Riella, who was sitting up in her see-through nightgown, as if she had just gotten out of bed.
Riella’s gaze shifted between Monica and Madame Orange a couple of times, while Madame Orange explained to Riella Mollet how she had failed to overcome Martinel’s stubbornness.
Riella’s expression showed that she understood the situation, but it did not lead to consent.
“No.”
“Yes?”
Madame Orange’s expression became bewildered. Riella frowned and thought for a moment before slowly answering.
“I haven’t decided yet what to wear to the banquet tomorrow.”
“Aren’t you going to wear the green dress you ordered last time?”
“I looked at it again, and I don’t like it. Come back later when I’ve decided.”
“But obviously, fashions change so quickly that last year’s dresses…”
“Madame Orange.”
Riella interrupted her as if she was annoyed. Madame Orange closed her mouth.
“Come back later.”
Then she looked Monica up and down. Most of it was confusion, but Monica could clearly read the slight annoyance and spite in her eyes. But strangely, Monica found that pleasant.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, Miss. I will come see you in the afternoon.”
“… I’m busy in the afternoon. Madame Orange, I’ll be back from downtown in the afternoon, so please take care of it…”
Riella paused for a moment and then continued.
“You can choose as you wish with Monica.”
Monica bowed her head slightly. As soon as Madame Orange left the room, she whispered in embarrassment.
“Young lady, isn’t usually that picky. She seem to be nervous because the banquet is so important.”
“It’s okay. But madam seems to be having a hard time because of me.”
“Its not because of Miss Offen! If you think about it, it’s all because of the young master!”
Madame Orange shrugged. Monica smiled vaguely. She hurried out of the mansion, saying that she would go to prepare for the banquet, after seeing Madame Orange off. Needless to say, it was because of the lunch appointment on Saturday.
Normally, she would have thought about how she would be compensated for the 60-dollar silk ribbon at most. But Monica’s head was filled with other thoughts.
“Come back later.”
Madame Orange said that Riella was acting cranky today. She was usually a person who was easygoing and relaxed with the maids. She even gave out a few used handkerchiefs to each maid.
“I don’t think it would be that bothersome to you, young lady, to be asked to lend me a dress, let alone give me one.”
Monica bit her lip.
It was fortunate that Riella was so annoyed. If Riella had willingly opened her dressing room as Madame Orange had said, Monica might have stormed out.
When she first arrived at the mansion and saw Riella, Monica estimated her place based on the clothes and gloves Riella was wearing. She only had four changes of clothes, and one of them was torn, which was inconvenient, while Riella had a separate room to store her dresses.
But it wasn’t as big of a difference as she thought.
Therefore……
‘Compared to Riella’s attitude…’
Monica got up early this morning and ate her meal alongside the maids, then helped Marty walk, and went to see Riella with Madame Orange, as instructed by Madame Mollet.
Riella slept the whole time.
The fact that she was awake was in stark contrast to Madame Orange, who was fully dressed. Even if she had not been asleep, Riella would have at best been cutting roses in the garden or eating meals in her room, leaving almost everything behind.
Monica knew very well, thanks to the maids, that Riella had been fasting all night to prepare for the green dress she was to wear to the banquet.
That’s why Monica would have been sad if Riella had opened the dressing room with a sheepish smile.
Monica had been watching her from the moment she entered Riella’s room after Madame Orange. So, she was somehow glad that Riella cared so much about her. She hated how Riella was so relaxed and happy that she didn’t even care about herself.
And the hardest thing to bear is…
Even in those things, she was comparing herself to Riella and her situation one by one.
Arriving in front of the plaza, Monica wiped her face with both hands.
She could feel the rough, sticky texture of skin exposed to the hot sun on her palm.
‘That’s bad, really…’
But soon Monica slapped her cheek a couple of times and shook her head slightly.
‘No matter what, it was my choice.’
No one pushed twelve-year-old Monica. Even if Lizzie had cried and begged, it was Monica who chose the pink brooch. Didn’t she? If she didn’t think so, what else could she do?
It’s really useless to be suffering from an inferiority complex all the time until Riella leaves the mansion.
“You’re so… bright.”
Monica recalled what a man who looked like Garcia had said to her when she was a nurse. Of course, he had never said that to compliment Monica.
But those words were a great comfort to Monica at the time, and they still are now.
“I am okay.”
Monica muttered, holding her cheeks.
“I will win.”
She ate a lot this morning too. When she thought of Riella, who had been starving since last night because of the banquet, her life wasn’t so bad. Right?
With that thought in mind, Monica walked slowly towards the fountain in the square.
It was Saturday lunchtime, and the plaza was quite crowded. But Monica was able to spot her meeting partner at a glance. No wonder, he was a handsome man.
But……
“Monica!”
Monica had to awkwardly pull up her lips, which had been twisted in preparation for her open sneer. This was clearly the person she was supposed to meet, but it wasn’t him. That is to say.
“Luis?”
Blonde hair that swayed beautifully in the wind, and blue eyes. She knew it at a glance. The man smiling brightly and affectionately in front of her had the exact same face as Garcia, but it wasn’t him.
Luis, a kind man Monica met when she first arrived in the city.
“Oh, it’s been a while. It’s nice to see you again. How have you been?”
The man greeted her in a splendid Southern manner. He drew his right arm down in a magnificent circle from above, then turned it around again from below, and for a moment, the attention of the people in the square was drawn to him.
No, no. Monica swallowed. This man must have been drawing everyone’s attention since he stood there.
Regardless, Luis immediately pulled Monica’s hand towards him and kissed the back of her hand. Monica was startled and tried to pull her hand away, but the man smiled even more and pulled Monica’s hand towards him and held it.
“What about Garcia?”
Monica could tell instinctively that Garcia wouldn’t be coming out today. He said he didn’t know Luis, but the way he spoke clearly suggested that he did.
“So does that mean Garcia won’t be coming out today?”
Louis, who looked exactly like the bad guy who tilted his head loosely, opened his eyes wide.
“Garcia. Could it be that you promised Garcia at today’s agenda…?”
“Yes. But I didn’t know Louis would show up.”
Louis, who seemed surprised, immediately furrowed his eyebrows in a sad expression at Monica’s words.
“Oh. Do you hate me?”
“No way, Louis.”
Monica was sweating profusely as she tried to wrestle her hand away from Louis.
Louis glanced down at Monica’s hand, smiled, and let it go. She was so nervous that her palms were sweaty. Monica finished speaking, rubbing her hands on her waist.
“So you two knew each other.”
“That’s right. We are inseparable.”
“… Garcia didn’t say that… .”
The man’s smile grew deeper.
“What did he say then?”
Well, he said you were a tasteless brat. … I guess I can’t say that. Monica tried to laugh, saying, “Ahahaha…” Luis looked like he knew everything without her saying anything.
“It’s okay. Anyway, Garcia has some circumstances that prevent him from coming today, so he sent me instead.”
“You came in his stead… this?”
“Yes.”
Monica rolled her eyes a couple of times and held out her right palm. Luis stared blankly at her palm, then said, “Ah.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.
“Whoa!”
Luis opened his eyes wide as Monica let out a small scream at the sudden hot breath warming her palm and his soft lips touching it.
“Isn’t this it?”
“… You said Garcia sent you instead? Didn’t you know why we are meeting today?”
“Oh that.”
Luis’ blue eyes sparkled mischievously.
“You said you hurt your palm because of Garcia. Aren’t you asking me to do it for you?”
“… That’s not it!”
“I’m sorry. I know that.”
Monica’s eyes narrowed. That’s right, this guy was a womanizer… . His face looked exactly like Garcia’s, but the aftertaste he gave off was completely different, right from the bright expression on his face to his mischievous look.
Luis smiled.
“I saw it. 60 dollar ribbon, torn clothes, broken knees.”
“You saw it?”
“Oh, excuse me. I heard that. But even so, I can’t just give you money, right? I have this pride of mine.”
Just now, it seemed like everything was going smoothly and skillfully… . Something felt off. But the next moment, Monica was walking along, led by Luis, who was smiling, without even having time to think about it.
“I didn’t know that you were the lady to whom Garcia had bothered. When I heard Garcia say that, I was very… .”
“What the heck?”
“… I thought you would be a very beautiful lady! And my guess was right!”
Monica didn’t miss the brief silence between Luis’ words.
Louis tried to laugh it off and gloss over it, but eventually Garcia ended up confessing that his orders to Luis were to “make contact with the crazy ponytail.”
Monica swore that if she ever saw Garcia again, she would definitely, definitely grab him by the collar again.
—
