Chapter 14 Visitors
“Yes. Lord Pride paid in advance this morning, and one suit will last a lifetime, no matter how much gold thread and expensive imported lace you spend on it.”
Delphine suddenly realized what it was that had reduced the proud woman to such a state of submission.
She It was a great deal of gold.
Dresses were expensive, and Madame Isabella’s outfit was especially so.
They were not something that even the nobility could afford to buy several at once.
Even Delphine could only afford a few outfits from her wardrobe for her debutante or imperial balls.
The question of how much the man had paid in advance stuck in her throat.
But she couldn’t bring herself to discuss money with a nobleman.
“So… how many suits would you guess?”
Delphine asked, and the shrewd madame quickly replied.
“At least three suits, I think.”
Three suits.
It was the first time Delphine had ever purchased so many expensive items at once.
While Delphine was speechless at the sudden luxury, Madame, who had been diligently taking measurements, spoke flatteringly.
“It is my greatest honor and privilege to be able to adorn you to your heart’s content.”
At the words, Delphine’s maids in the parlor nodded with pride.
Delphine merely smiled awkwardly.
The sewing of the dresses and the flattery in between continued for a long time after that.
She chose one of the designs from the catalog, tried the fabric on her face, and even picked out a hat and gloves to match the dress.
Anna and the other maids were also eager to add their opinions.
As Madame had said that the minimum was three dresses, Delphine had to choose the most colorful and luxurious materials she could find.
Even then, it was impossible to deduct the full deposit, and as they left the mansion, Madame bowed her head deeply.
“I will postpone all other backorders and work on this one as soon as possible to bring it to you, My Lady.”
Only after Madame dismissed her with a graceful nod did Delphine relax and furrow her brow.
What the hell was that man.
How much he had spent on himself for this day alone.
A dress this lavish would only be seen at an imperial wedding.
Delphine raked a hand through her greasy hair and went back upstairs to her study.
Fitting the clothes had been more strenuous than she’d expected.
She wondered if this was a cunning ploy by the man to keep her from thinking of anything else.
But this was not the end of the man’s antics.
“Ah, Mrs Pride, you are as beautiful as rumored!”
Less than two hours after Madame Isabella’s departure, another visitor arrived.
It was a middle-aged man in a purple velvet suit with a mustache and a trimmed mustache.
A chubby man with a smile on his face, who looked like he knew how to do business.
He gestured, and soon several servants began carrying boxes, large and small, into the mansion.
“I’ve come to deliver the goods Lord Pride has ordered.”
Among the group he brought with him were four escorting knights in armor, swords at their waists.
They bore the imperial crest on their breastplates, indicating that they were members of the Royal Guard.
‘Why would the imperial guard escort a commoner merchant to…?’
Delphine’s question was quickly answered.
“Here, the list of goods you ordered.”
After carrying all the crates into the quarters, the merchant smiled and handed Delphine a long parchment list.
“Would you mind checking it for me?”
“Oh, you can give it to me.”
Wilson, who had come up to the quarters at the sudden commotion, quickly took the paper.
As the servants began to open the boxes, one by one, to compare them to the order list, the eyes of those gathered in the room widened.
“My God, what is this…”
Piles of fine furs and leathers, as if to prepare for the coming cold snap.
And trinkets of all kinds, adorned with thick pearls and precious stones, poured from crate to crate.
“Lord Pride’s love for his wife is great.”
The man who had been all smiles from the moment he first entered the manor faltered in his bow.
“You’re the first customer I’ve had since I opened my boutique in District 2, ha ha!”
Like Madame Isabella, the middle-aged man was extremely uplifted.
Delphine suddenly realized why she needed four armored escorts.
It was an expensive item, and it was to prevent it from being stolen.
“How could… even the Emperor could buy all these things in one day.”
A mesmerized Anna muttered softly to herself.
Delphine snapped to attention, quickly glancing at the knights.
To her relief, they merely stood there, their faces expressionless.
“I’ve checked, My Lady. Everything matches the list.”
“Isn’t that right? Ha ha! Credit is a trader’s lifeblood, then, Lady. Just sign here…”
The middle-aged man took her autograph with a very uplifted face and left the mansion.
Delphine stood dumbfounded, gazing at the lavish gifts piled high in the antechamber.
Unlike the dress Gabon, there was nothing for Delphine to choose or try on this time, but she was still mesmerized.
“Oh my goodness, look at this, it would look so good with my baby eyes!”
Just then, Anna, who was putting things away, held out a jewelry box to her in admiration.
On a velvet cushion lay a necklace with a large emerald.
It was almost the size of a baby’s fist, and it looked like a prize.
Even Delphine, the Count’s favorite, had never owned anything like it.
A piece of jewelry of this size should be presented to the royal family, lest its loyalty be questioned.
Anna, who had loved to dress her up since she was a little girl, was thrilled at the prospect.
“You’ll look great in this ferret fur! I wonder what you should dress for first… You said you were going out soon, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Unlike Anna, who is overjoyed, Delphine is dazed and confused.
Why had he suddenly bought her these things?
Was this some sort of afterthought from last night?
If it was really just her smile, he was a deceptively simple and easy man to understand.
“I told you, didn’t I, baby?”
Anna said, looking cheerful and placing her hands on her plump waist.
“I told you that you were loved and true.”
She supposed all those times your master has been late coming home, it’s because he’s been busy working, and that’s how he got so rich…
Anna’s voice, muttering excitedly, faded into the distance.
Above it, she could hear the man’s words, muttered in a low voice, his gaze fixed on her.
“Anything you want, I’ll give you in it.”
…So you, you cut my father’s throat yourself?
Her head was spinning with confusion, not knowing what the man’s intentions were or why he was doing this to her.
The man she had seen that day, the man who had ruthlessly turned the mansion into a bloodbath.
The man who could give away the world’s most precious possessions with a single smile from his wife.
Which of the two was really him?
“Only love, only love…”
Delphine clasped her hands together and held them tightly to her chest.
Beyond her hands, she could hear her heart beating harder than usual.
Perhaps it was the surprise and exhaustion of this sudden turn of events.
“Where do you think I should put these jewels, baby… No, My Lady?”
“…Just, keep them all out of sight in the closet.”
“What?”
Out of my sight.
With that small addition, Delphine spun on her heel and fled the room piled high with men’s gifts.
***
The three days passed quickly.
The emerald necklace he’d given her was still tucked away in the corner of her wardrobe.
Unlike Delphine, who was confined to the mansion, the man had not taken a single day off.
Instead of leaving the house at dawn, as he had done before, he rode out again after breakfast with her.
But his return was still late, and if she waited patiently, fighting off the sleep that poured down her face, he would return late at night with the indelible smell of blood.
‘What is it like to administer District 3?’
Delphine thought under her breath as she lay on her bed, listening to the water running in the bathroom.
Now that she knows how to move him, maybe she can get some more information out of him if she tries one more time?
Maybe if she looked up at him and urged him to tell her the truth, he’d easily give her what he had again.
But, strangest of all, she always drifted off to sleep before she could get him to lie down next to her.
She’d wake up in a huff. And the man was in full uniform.
It was the morning of the third day.
“Solved, done.”
The man took a sip of his aromatic morning tea and spoke gracefully.
His tone was very casual, as if he was reporting for duty.
“Then…”
Delphine’s face brightened, and her stiff demeanor softened slightly as she listened to the man’s report.
“Yeah. You’re free to go out now…, but there are a few caveats.”
“Precautions…?”
“You must have at least two escorts when you go out, and you must use a carriage for traveling. Also.”
The gruff man paused for a moment, then spoke smoothly again.
“Also, please wear a robe on the road, My Lady, and cover at least half your face.”
At that, Delphine stared at the man’s face without reply.
She must cover her face, use a carriage, and be accompanied by a knight.
…Are not those the conditions attached to escorting a convict?
Delphine laughed bitterly.
