I must be going crazy. Why is my heart racing like this? My face heated up instantly, and not just my face—my whole body felt like it was burning. I was probably red all over.
“Wa-Wait a moment.”
“Do I still need to wait longer?”
“That’s not fair!”
“Love… is never fair.”
Love? That word hit me out of nowhere, and I couldn’t take it.
I reached out and pushed Kasion’s face away. He retreated easily, looking quite disappointed.
“Not yet, I see.”
“O-Of course not. I’m not the type who likes to be won over with gifts.”
“You certainly seemed to like them.”
I guess it was obvious. But when someone comes to apologize, dumping gifts on you, you’re supposed to show your gratitude, right?
“More importantly…Why! Why didn’t you finish your milk tea?”
At my question, Kasion glanced at his teacup, then at Dertis’s empty one. “I was savoring it.”
“Liar. You said you don’t like sweet things, didn’t you?”
“That’s true. But this one was just the right amount of sweetness.”
Excuses. Then why didn’t he finish it?
“Or maybe it’s because you’re sweeter, so it doesn’t taste that sweet to me.”
“Ugh! Stop it! That’s so cringy!”
This wasn’t right. Definitely not. I mean, I’m relieved Kasion is nothing like how he was described in the book, but… that makes it scarier.
Isn’t there a saying that when a person changes suddenly, it means they’re about to die? When someone who’s usually gruff suddenly becomes overly kind, it makes you suspicious.
“Since you seem to like that prince, so I tried to imitate him.”
“What are you talking about? He doesn’t say cheesy things like that! Maybe the crown prince, but not him.”
Kasion’s face registered shock at my last words. He distanced himself, retreating to where he had been before. I finally breathed a sigh of relief, fanning my face to cool off.
“So she was right this time.”
“Who?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“You always say that… I don’t need to know.” Grumbling, I carefully packed away the gifts, especially the no-confinement pledge he had given me. I treated it like a precious treasure.
Meanwhile, Kasion finished his milk tea. “I finished it.”
“So?”
“I want another cup.”
I pouted slightly but still poured him another cup of milk tea. Then I smiled brightly. “I’ve decided on the puppy’s name.”
“What is it?”
“Milk Tea.”
“…That’s not exactly a fitting name for a guard dog.”
So what? To me, this puppy is sweet and adorable.
“How about just ‘Milk’ then?”
“But the puppy isn’t white.”
“By that logic, the color of milk tea doesn’t suit the puppy either.”
“That’s… true.” I nodded, agreeing with his point, then lifted the puppy to look into its eyes. “Milk, thank you for saving me earlier.”
The puppy wagged its tail, licking my lips as if it understood its name.
Wait, what? Why does this… feel familiar?
I suddenly felt flustered. The sensation was a bit more moist than when Kasion’s fingers had touched my lips, but somehow, it made me think. I found myself glancing at Kasion’s lips. Would it feel the same if his lips touched mine?
My body, which had just cooled down, heated up again. My flushed face showed no signs of cooling, and I awkwardly hugged Milk, rubbing my face against its fur.
Kasion, who was watching, looked displeased. I wasn’t sure why.
“By the way, is it common to use a female dog as a guard dog?”
I decided to ask Kasion about something I’d been curious about. It didn’t seem like he appreciated my question, given that he was already sulking.
“Do you think I’d leave even one stinky male dog near you?”
I take back what I said about him being different from the book. He clearly didn’t understand why I found that comment unsettling.
Isn’t that something a possessive, obsessive man would say? Why is he jealous of a dog?
Even now, Kasion remains my number one target of caution. Just because I got a no-confinement pledge doesn’t mean it’s over.
“So, Kasion, I think it’s time for you to—”
“One more cup.”
“What? Another?”
“Yes. I need to prove that I’m drinking it because it’s genuinely delicious. Otherwise, you’ll misunderstand and bring it up later.”
Kasion ended up drinking nearly ten cups of milk tea in a row. That was about all the milk we had from the marquis’s farm for today.
“So… you thanked Milk for helping you, but you won’t thank me?”
It’s not like drinking milk makes people drunk… right?
“Thank you.”
“I’ll keep protecting you, so don’t worry too much about those people.”
His final words made my heart act up again.
* * *
Lireania carried on with her usual daily routine. The pre-ordered dresses were almost all ready. Now, the only one left was her own wedding dress. She hadn’t designed the wedding dress alone. Though Ariel wasn’t a designer, Ariel had actively contributed, making the dress more beautiful and creative.
“Master, shall we move the dresses to the Marquis’ estate? Including the one for Lady Mellin?”
“Wait, I just need to tie this ribbon one more time.”
Since it was her own dress, she paid extra attention to every little detail. She didn’t want to miss a thing.
“You’ll be the most beautiful bride in the world.”
“Thank you.”
“But it’s a little sad.”
It was going to be a brief farewell. Lireania didn’t feel entirely sad about the separation. She needed time to learn the ways and traditions of the marquisate. Being born a commoner, she also had to improve her noble etiquette. If she were marrying an ordinary man, she wouldn’t have cared much. But her partner belonged to one of the wealthiest noble families in the empire, with a long history.
Becoming the lady of such a house required effort on her part. Of course, she wasn’t giving up on her dreams. Her future husband had promised to help her spread her wings.
“Let’s focus on ready-to-wear production for now. I’ll send you different samples to make so you don’t lose your touch. They’ll be clothes for me and Lady Ariel, so make them with care.”
The ready-to-wear idea had come from a passing comment Ariel once made. Ariel had questioned why they only needed to sell clothes to nobles. There were more commoners than nobles in the world. So, wouldn’t it be good to develop that market too?
So, Lireania decided to launch the project while taking this break, using Serhen’s resources and staff to do so. The Mellin Merchant Guild agreed to handle the sales.
Dealing with people was more challenging than making clothes. Now, she no longer had to grovel to please the nobles. This also influenced her decision.
“Yes, I’ll be waiting.”
“We won’t leave Veloire.”
“Not until you return, Master.”
Feeling grateful to her employees, Lireania gave her dress one last check. Finally, it was perfect, down to the ribbon.
“Shall we move it together?”
“Yes, of course.”
As they carried the dress outside the shop, people began asking her questions they had been curious about.
“Will the final preparations take place at the marquisate?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that the maids there are as skilled as the imperial palace’s attendants.”
“Wow, and the wedding jewelry? Since it’s the marquisate, the rings must be as big as bells.”
“I don’t like flashy things, so I chose something moderately expensive but pretty.”
“And is Lady Mellin really as nice as she seems? Isn’t she upset that you’re marrying her brother before she’s been engaged?”
At this last question, Lireania suddenly froze.
“Lady Ariel isn’t like that at all.”
It was a side of Lireania that one wouldn’t normally see from the usually warm and kind woman. But right now, she glared coldly at her employee.
Ariel meant a lot to Lireania in many ways. She was the one who had chosen Lireania’s designs for an important social event without prejudice and had worked hard to promote Veloire. When Lireania lost her money and goods in a fabric scam, Ariel brought Serhen to resolve the matter. She had also played a key role in bringing Lireania and Serhen together.
“If you say something like that again, you’re fired.”
At her cold response, the employees elbowed one another, blaming the one who had asked the question for ruining the mood.
“I was worried that Marquis Mellin had chosen the wrong person to marry, but now I’m relieved.”
Just then, an unfamiliar man approached the shop. He was overly familiar despite not introducing himself.
“Who are you?”
“Oh dear. It seems that good-for-nothing Serhen hasn’t properly upheld the customs of the marquisate.”
Lireania’s eyes widened at the man’s voice, which criticized her fiancé. She studied the man closely. He was middle-aged, with a large belly and thinning, graying hair. His appearance was unpleasant. His sagging chin and belly hinted at his greed. He was even wearing a splint on his arm as if it had been broken and had bruises all over.
Lireania didn’t know who he was, but she had a feeling. He was probably a relative who had put her precious new family in danger. If that was the case, it was best to avoid him. As the saying goes, you avoid filth because it’s dirty.
“Everyone, go inside.”
“Tsk tsk. Well, with an ungrateful man like Serhen doing such dirty things, it’s no wonder his fiancée is just as bad.”
It seemed like she needed to call Serhen over.
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