The first thing that caught my eye was the display case behind the glass window. A pink dress with abundant frills and jewels, and sparkling shoes caught my attention.
From a quick glance, it seemed to be a place specializing in children’s clothing.
As I followed Duchess and Diana into the store, I hesitated at the door.
I looked around to see if anyone would try to stop me, but the employees standing at the entrance were smiling very kindly.
Suddenly, an old memory came back to me.
<What are you looking at like a rat! Aren’t you going? If beggars like you are messing around, customers won’t come!>
Back in the days when I used to wander the streets, even just looking from afar at the shops would make the owners come out with a broom and chase me away, which was frightening.
Later on, even as I got older, I always bought my clothes at the market, so this upscale store felt very awkward to me.
But perhaps because I appeared with a clean appearance and was escorted by knights, no one cursed at me.
Rather, their eyes showed a welcoming kindness, as if urging me to come in.
And that’s not all. As I stumbled inside and sat on the sofa, they even served me refreshments and milk.
More than the splendid and dazzling clothes that caught my eye, I was even more impressed by the attentive attitude of the staff.
Before I knew it, I was in the dressing room having my size measured and changing clothes with the help of the staff.
“Hmm, that also looks cute and suits you well.”
“M-Madam…”
“Hmm?”
I approached the duchess with a whisper, my head tilted.
“I think the staff may have made a mistake. They keep measuring my size and putting clothes on me…”
At my almost teary-eyed words, the duchess burst out laughing.
“Lia, what you’re wearing are all your clothes. They measured your size to fit your clothes.”
“Really?”
I was astonished and opened my eyes wide.
To be honest, even now, I was wearing clothes that were too good for a maid.
I had asked the steward of the ducal mansion for a maid uniform like the ones other maids wear, but he told me there were no sizes for children.
Still, even though I felt embarrassed wearing the clothes prepared by the workshop, I begged them to make them in my size, but all that came back with the answer to wait was a small apron.
I was happy to wear that and go out with Diana, showing her off, but why should I have my clothes fitted at a store like this?
“Madam, I…”
“Sister!”
At that moment, Diana ran out of the dressing room, wearing the gorgeous pink dress I had seen when she came in, and she was like an adorable fairy.
“Dana! You look just like a fairy!”
For a while, I forgot that we were in front of the Lady of the Manor and even called her by a nickname I hadn’t used in a while, holding the child in my arms.
As the cute baby rubbed her cheeks against mine, my heart felt like it was melting.
Amid that moment of confusion, the duchess began talking to the dressing room staff.
I came out of the dressing room with Diana and went to the reception area.
Diana, who had missed her nap time due to the sudden outing, quickly fell asleep on my lap after changing her clothes several times, as if it had been exhausting for her.
I was enjoying a peaceful time, patting the baby’s chubby belly.
“Why isn’t it working?! Don’t you remember that I picked it out a few months ago?!”
I heard a loud noise from behind.
“Well, that’s because you didn’t leave a deposit. I’m sorry.”
When I turned my head, I saw a girl my age screaming and making a scene, while the staff were in a difficult situation.
Just as I frowned, wondering if Diana would wake up from the commotion, my eyes met with the girls.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Although I felt embarrassed for being scolded, I quickly turned my head so as not to be seen as gawking at her.
However, I kept my ears open, and the girl’s mother, who had just entered the shop, heard the whispering of the staff and quickly calmed the girl down and left the store, probably to avoid causing a disturbance because the Duchess was visiting the area.
***
“siste, sit here! I want to do your hair!”
As we returned to the Duke’s residence after shopping, Diana woke up from her nap. Since it was dinner time, Diana, who usually ate lightly, had a hearty meal and then sat me down in front of the mirror with sparkling eyes.
Then she began to comb my hair with her fern-like hands.
“What hairstyle do you want today, miss?”
Since I had already gone along with Diana’s doll play several times, I calmly asked while receiving her touch.
“Two braids!”
I chuckled and nodded my head.
My short hair, which had been cut haphazardly, had been neatly arranged by the skillful hands of a maid living in the duke’s house.
The texture of my hair was now like silk, unlike before, when Diana first started brushing it and the comb would get tangled in my hair.
I realized how much my situation had changed since my days of living as a beggar with my newfound, unrecognizable hair texture.
“Hiing….”
Suddenly, Diana’s eyes became teary.
“What’s wrong, miss?”
Anxious to know, I asked her. Diana spoke with a trembling voice.
“Hair, it’s weird…”
It seemed she was upset because she couldn’t make my hair look as elegant as the other maids who were responsible for dressing me up.
After a brief pout, the maids laughed and brushed my hair again until it was curled nicely.
Diana, who quickly cheered up, jumped up and down, and went to the dressing room with her jewelry.
‘At first, I was so overwhelmed.’
Although it was just a doll’s game played with a young girl, the expensive jewelry made it a bit uncomfortable.
However, since neither the maids nor the Duke’s wife said anything, there was nothing I could do. While others may have checked more carefully, I would always watch and carefully undo and organize everything I had worn, just in case.
At that moment, Diana suddenly raised her hand and exclaimed, “This!”
It was a hairpin with pink diamonds carefully set in it.
“Wow…”
Even I, who knew little about jewelry, thought the small, dark pink diamond, no larger than my little fingernail, was very pretty and valuable.
“It’s beautiful!
Diana clapped her hands and shouted as she pinned it to my hair.
I tried not to be conscious of it, but the pink diamond on my light pink hair in the mirror looked stunning, even to me.
“Mom! Mom, come and see! Wait!”
Diana rushed out of the room excitedly, banging the door behind her.
From the open door, I could hear Allen’s voice saying, “Diana, what if you fall? Don’t run in the hallway like that!”
And then, as I passed by the door, I met eyes with Allen. When I stopped in my tracks at the sight of his face, he too seemed startled, but his expression quickly hardened into one of amazement.
“What are you doing right now?” Allen’s voice, which had never been particularly friendly to me, was so fierce that it was beyond comparison with anything he had said or done before.
Thud!
Suddenly, Allen strode into the room and grabbed the hairpin I was holding, tossing it to the ground. The suffocating silence descended upon us.
As I stood frozen with my eyes tightly shut since the moment Allen raised his hand, the maids in the room were holding their breath and watching us.
When I opened my eyes slowly a little later, I saw Allen’s face, which had contorted with anger.
“Allen, what are you doing?”
A harsh voice came from behind Allen at that moment.
It was the Duchess.
She seemed to have guessed the situation from the tense atmosphere, the hairpin on the floor, and my slightly disheveled hair.
“But it was her!”
“Diana did it. Lia didn’t do anything wrong. You know that, too.”
“But this! This is what I gave her!”
“Brother…”
Diana called out to him, wiggling her finger, but Allen looked at her as if she was cruel.
Then he turned his head abruptly and said to me, “I hate you. Really hate you! It’s all because of you! If you hadn’t come to our house…”
“Allen!”
Despite the Duchess’s urgent shout, Allen glared at me, then stormed out of the room.
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”
Then the Duchess said, gently arranging my hair.
“Allen gave it to Diana as a birthday present a while ago, but it seems he misunderstood that she gave it to you.”
“…”
“I thought Diana wouldn’t mind if she didn’t wear it because she doesn’t usually wear jewelry….”
There’s no way I could forget it.
I could feel how much Allen cherished his younger sister just by being next to him.
The expression “silly little sister” that I had only known as information in the past was not at all unworthy.
“I’m okay.”
However, I can’t help but be a little envious of Diana, who is being treated so preciously by someone like this.
‘I should apologize to Allen soon.’
Diana often shared her share of food with me and hugged me with her beloved dolls and toys.
In the meantime, Allen, who didn’t know about our doll play, could really misunderstand.
And if he doesn’t treasure what he gave and gives it away to someone else, it would be really disappointing.
‘Even with an adult’s mindset, this is difficult, so how would young Allen handle it?’
But despite my thoughts, apologizing was not easy.
Allen started to withdraw again, and I was busy preparing to go up to the capital for my studies.
In the end, without resolving anything, the day of the banquet arrived.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
Next chapter will be released on June, 23. To read chapters in advance support us on Patreon!!
