Instead of hesitating, Viola asked in return, “Why are you doing this?”
It was as though she knew everything but was skipping to the next step naturally. Yes, it was well played! And so Hera felt very satisfied.
“I thought you might know everything but I did it anyway.”
Hera’s gaze turned to Carlo. Her eyes seemed to say, ‘See? Isn’t my sister amazing?’
“As you know, I had to take into account my relationship with Louis Bartengan’s second son.”
Hera appeared to be speaking to Viola, but in fact, she was speaking to Carlo.
“Louis Bartengan is one of the top families and we, Bellato, are trying to maintain good relations with them. Regarding the First Lady, Sersa, I can understand her to some extent. She possesses remarkable abilities and is active in various fields.”
The First Lady, Sersa. The Second Lord, Serphon. Hera had to weigh the two against each other. Louis Bartengan’s Matriarch and Carlo were getting old now. They needed to prepare for the next generation and it seemed much easier to deal with Serphon than Sersa.
“So I contacted the Second Lord, Serphon.”
Noble families don’t usually reveal their successors. Even if they acknowledge them, they hide or disguise them. The best way to understand a counterpart was to make direct contact.
“If it were the First Lady, Sersa, she would have at least noticed that my wheelchair is the work of a master, right?”
Thus, Serphon was an outsider. Viola was sweating down her back as she realized that Hera had found out everything.
‘So, you orchestrated the situation like this.’
It was an attempt to make Serphon appear more approachable and to create relationships. If Serphon had shown a more impressive attitude than expected, a different situation might have been staged. It seemed like Hera had planned this day for a long time. Carlo let out a deep sigh.
“I see. That rascal must not have been chosen by Lady Hera.”
“I’m not someone who can choose and judge others.”
“You’re being excessively humble.”
“It’s not a matter of being humble, it’s the truth.”
For some reason, goosebumps appeared on Viola’s neck. She didn’t know why, but her neck felt itchy. She wanted to avoid Hera’s gaze.
“But things are different for my sister.”
Hera’s affectionate gaze was fixed on Viola.
“Designer Carlo must have seen it just now.”
Yes, Carlo saw it. Her consistently relaxed attitude. A unique aura only rulers possess. It felt like she was placing all the elements in the palm of her hand and looking down at them. He felt all these things from Viola.
“My sister will be in a position where she can choose someone. I can’t be a ruler, but my sister can. Today is the day I introduce my sister to Designer Carlo.”
Hera’s affectionate eyes were filled with endless trust. The Kingmaker looking at the King.
“Haha. It’s a real honor to meet you. I thought Lady Medea would lead Bellato, but now that I see you, it doesn’t seem so simple.”
Carlo also engraved ‘Viola Bellato’ in his heart. Carlo stood up from his seat.
“Have you prepared everything for my sister?”
“Of course!”
Hera had already mentioned that she had custom-ordered numerous things for Viola.
“I will bring the items you ordered. I hope you like them.”
When Carlo, who had gone somewhere, returned and opened a spatial storage bag. As he started to remove items, Viola was stunned.
‘My goodness!’
Even at a glance, she could tell that these were incredibly luxurious items being pulled out.
“These are shoes that have been created by processing diamonds into silk threads and then detailed. As you may already know, this processing technique can only be performed by the head of the Harps family.”
The long-standing friendship between the head of the Harps family and Chief Designer Carlo was widely known. It seemed that Carlo had asked the Harps’ family head to specially make these shoes.
“And these are earrings made by special processing of gold and red seron ore…”
It was a pair of small earrings, each in the shape of a four-leaf clover.
It contained seron ore, a special mineral that emitted a faint red glow, even in the absence of light, giving it a dazzling look.
“The technique of refining gold and seron ore together is a skill that only the Viento Kilaf family can perform. And I also have a specially made necklace that goes with the earrings.”
Viola had to hide her amazement. If the Iron-Blooded Princess of Bellato showed her surprise with a wide-open mouth, she would be disgraced.
‘How much did all of this cost?’
It was nice to have a rich sister but these were definitely items you couldn’t get even if you had money.
‘My, it’s a bit burdensome.’
Even if you are rich, it can be uncomfortable to receive extremely high-priced luxury items as gifts, whether they come from a friend, a boyfriend, a husband, or parents.
However, it didn’t seem like Hera minded at all.
“Did you forget what I just said about forgiving Serphon?”
There was cold sweat on both Carlo and Viola’s backs.
“O-Of course there are still many things I have to show you.”
“Is that so? I was almost disappointed.”
“How could that be possible! Ahahaha!”
In truth, it was a lie.
‘You damned rascal! Because of you, all my property is being stolen! Of all people, why did you have to mess with Princess Hera?!’
If someone was caught wronging Hera, not a single bone would be left behind. And that was just Hera alone!
‘Not only have you offended Princess Hera, but also Princess Viola?’
And today, Viola was scarier than Hera.
‘Even now! Look at her blank, indifferent attitude! Her inscrutable, dry expression somehow makes her seem jaded!’
He had heard the rumors about the Iron-Blooded Princess of Bellato but he hadn’t known it would be to this extent.
‘Damn it!’
Carlo was seized by a sense of crisis that he must present the best luxury items he had in his possession.
‘I wasn’t going to show you this.’
But it couldn’t be helped. If he didn’t do his best, Hera would never forgive this rudeness. It might even turn the Louis Bartengan family into Bellato’s enemy. Carlo actually loved Louis Bartengan more than he thought and he had no desire to put his family in jeopardy.
Carlo took out two dresses. One was a dress, white as snow. The other was a dress, red as blood. What Carlo really wanted to hide was the red dress.
‘Please choose the white dress!’
“I didn’t know what would suit your taste so I prepared two options. Which one do you like?”
In his left hand, he held the white dress. It was an off-the-shoulder style dress made from a very luxurious fabric that flowed richly. The dress was adorned with lace decorations delicately and intricately crafted with silver threads, making it look like flowing water.
‘Wow…’
Even though this style wasn’t her preference, Viola couldn’t help but admire it internally. Regardless of her personal taste, the craftsmanship of this dress was evident in every detail. Even those who had no interest in fashion or lacked an eye for it could recognize its high quality and beauty.
‘It’s really beautiful. I wonder how I’d look wearing this dress.’
Viola imagined herself in that dress.
‘Oh, I’ll look too young.’
Suddenly, her daydream was shattered. Her soul was in her twenties, but her body was that of twelve-year-old Viola. Furthermore, her growth was slower than her peers who were also twelve.
As Han Arin, she’d always wanted to grow up quickly when she was in her early teens. She hoped that once she became an adult, Kang Han-Joon might see her as a woman, even if just a little. And when she turned twenty, she wished to be in her thirties. She felt that people in their thirties seemed more mature than those in their twenties.
With such thoughts, she felt that the beautiful dress didn’t quite suit her current body.
‘Ugh, when will I grow up?’
As Viola’s thoughts wandered, Carlo’s back was drenched in cold sweat.
‘Did you sigh just now?’
In reality, the white dress was certainly a luxury item. However, it still couldn’t compare to the red dress.
‘It definitely looks like she sighed.’
It felt as if she had deliberately sighed so that he would pay attention. Carlo trembled, hiding his fearful heart.
“Please, take a look at this as well.”
‘Please don’t look!’
Carlo desperately tried to conceal his true feelings. Whether Viola was aware of those feelings or not, she turned her gaze to the side.
The red dress was exactly as if it had been drenched in blood. The outer fabric was a vibrant red and the inner lining was a deep black.
‘It’s intense.’
It felt more casual than the white dress. The exact material was hard to determine but it flowed like water with a slight sheen. Compared to the previous dress, it had fewer details and felt less luxurious.
‘I don’t know how to describe it… But it looks like something a terrifying aunt would wear.’
The outfit reminded her of the novel’s villainous character named Heidi.
‘Wait… Heidi?’
Come to think of it, Heidi had worn an outfit like this. The outer fabric was red, and the inner lining was black.
‘Patterns embroidered with gold threads.’
They were barely visible but if you focused, you could notice faint patterns. The faint patterns came together to complete a simple magic technique.
Suddenly, a line from the novel crossed her mind.
[“This is a trophy I acquired in exchange for sparing Sersa’s life.”]
It wasn’t a particularly emphasized part of the story, as the events related to the Louis Bartengan family were not a significant subplot.
‘Sersa is the First Lady of Louis Bartengan. If I assume that it was Sersa who villain Heidi took as a hostage in exchange for an artifact… Could this dress be that artifact?’
“Can I take a closer look at this?”
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Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on November, 30.
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