A few days after that incident, Ciello, who had gone out alone after a long time, was shivering in front of the door of a coffee house.
Ciello, too, had frequented the public house, commonly known as a pub, every day since her street days. But it was her first time visiting a coffee house, where only nobles, or at least wealthy commoners, could enter.
“It should be okay…”
Ciello checked her outfit one last time. Clean shoes, a thick and good-quality fur cloak, and the hem of a dress peeking out slightly in between, anyone could tell she looked like a lady from a wealthy family. Ciello gathered her courage and entered the shop.
“Excuse me…Wow.”
The shop was small, but the atmosphere was special and elegant. A couple of customers were sitting with newspapers spread out. There was a faint smell of coffee and tea, and flowers that matched the color of Ciello’s hair were decorated on each table. A staff member approached the admiring Ciello.
“Welcome. I will guide you to your seat. Do you have any companions?”
The staff member was kind, dispelling Ciello’s worries. But Ciello, who was still nervous, couldn’t speak properly to the staff member and looked around.
“Thaat…Ah, Pedro, Ines!”
Ciello spotted her fake parents sitting at a window table and was surprised. They elegantly raised their hands to greet Ciello. Ciello approached them with excited steps and sat across from them.
“Welcome, Ciello.”
“Was the journey difficult?”
The two spoke much more kindly and affectionately than before, and their outfits were also more refined. Ciello noticed this, but given the place, she just nodded.
“Yes, I didn’t know such a place existed… Wow, it’s so beautiful.”
Ciello exclaimed again as she looked at the pristine white teacup in front of her. Ines smiled elegantly and said,
“I wanted to bring you here because it suits you so well.”
One of the Duke’s orders was to compliment Ciello unconditionally and incessantly.
Fortunately, this was an easy task for Ines. If Ciello had picked pockets with her hand skills, Ines had been swindling others’ wallets with her flattery and trickery.
“You really look like a picture, Ciello.”
At Ines’s words, Ciello blushed and smiled.
“Thank you. I was a little worried about coming to a place like this.”
Seeing her so pleased, Ines felt a strange sense of bitterness. The Ciello that Ines saw was completely different from the rumors that she had charmed men.
‘How on earth did she get hooked on that guy?’
Ines looked at Ciello with pitiful eyes.
“Haven’t you been to a place like this with the Duke?”
“Well, um…”
Ciello seemed momentarily flustered and dropped the teaspoon she was holding.
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
Ciello’s face turned red. But the two of them just smiled and shook their heads as if it was nothing. Pedro said,
“What are you sorry for, Ines asked a silly question.”
Even if she makes a mistake, never point it out rudely, just remember it and pass it on secretly. This was also one of the Duke’s orders. Ciello tried to bend down awkwardly to pick up the spoon, but Pedro gently stopped her.
“Just leave it. The staff will take care of it.”
As Pedro said, a staff member who had been standing far away immediately brought a new spoon. Ciello awkwardly smiled and took the spoon.
“Thank you. Actually, that…”
Ciello paused for a moment to think of an excuse for why the Duke couldn’t come out with her. She couldn’t say, ‘The Duke is a secret agent and can’t go outside. He looks silly, but he’s really scary.’
Of course, Pedro and Ines were already painfully aware of Ciello’s dilemma…
“Um, the Duke is more shy than you think…”
At Ciello’s words, the corners of the two’s mouths twitched subtly.
“Well, that could be possible…”
Pedro averted his gaze to the window.
‘Ciello, you’re being fooled. In fact, that Duke looks silly, but he’s really scary.’
Ines cried out desperately inside, but of course, she couldn’t say it out loud.
“Um, Ines, Pedro…?”
‘Did I make such a strange excuse? I thought it was a pretty fitting answer for that silly face.’
Ciello looked at the two with a puzzled face.
“Hmm, yes. Ciello, we have a gift prepared for you today.”
Pedro, trying to change the subject, coughed and took out a small box from his bag.
“A gift?”
Ciello opened the luxuriously wrapped box. Inside the box were gloves that looked quite expensive.
“My goodness, can you give me something like this?”
Ciello looked at the two with surprised eyes. Although they had arranged to meet and were meeting, Ciello obviously did not fully trust Ines and Pedro.
Ciello still thought they might be swindlers who approached her for money. So far, they hadn’t done anything harmful to her, and so Ciello left them alone with a bit of lingering hope.
Of course, even if they were her real parents, would they have looked for her if it weren’t for the rumors that she was receiving the Duke’s favor? So Ciello didn’t reject the two, but she didn’t give them her heart. From the beginning, Ciello wasn’t the type of person who could coldly reject anyone who approached her.
“Well. We haven’t been able to do much for you, so we should at least do well now.”
“Oh, honey. Don’t cry…”
Pedro comforted Ines, who was dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, by patting her shoulder. Ciello watched them while fiddling with the gloves. If they approached her for money, giving such an expensive gift wouldn’t make financial sense. Did they boldly invest to deceive her heart? Or maybe they were genuine.
“Ciello, don’t worry and try them on.”
Pedro nudged Ciello, who was lost in thought. As Ciello awkwardly put on the gloves, the soft leather perfectly fit her hands. Ciello hid her complex feelings and expressed her gratitude brightly.
“Wow, they fit perfectly. My hands are quite large, how did you know?”
At Ciello’s question, the expressions of the two hardened momentarily. But Ines immediately laughed and said,
“How could a mother not know about her daughter, Ciello.”
“Hmm, yes. Do you like them? The designer makes only ten pairs a year with the highest quality leather.”
As he said, the designer’s signature, the year, and the number 8, which meant it was the eighth pair made, were engraved on the wrist of the glove. Ciello nodded her head with a smile.
“Of course. Thank you. If you two need anything… Ah, you said you needed a wallet last time?”
At Ciello’s words, the two jumped up and waved their hands.
“No way! What could we possibly need.”
“Right, we’re grateful just to have found you. Don’t say such things again.”
“Uh…okay, I understand.”
Ciello nodded her head nervously at the two’s drastically changed attitude. They seemed to subtly expect something when they met last time. As Ciello’s expression became strange, Pedro quickly changed the subject.
“So, Ciello. How have you been lately? Is there anything difficult at the mansion? Anything you need?”
“Um, not particularly…”
After that, a casual conversation continued. The conversation was mostly about what Ciello needed or wanted, and what she found uncomfortable, with the two asking the questions. Desserts and teas that perfectly suited Ciello’s taste were prepared at appropriate timings.
“It seems to suit your taste well.”
Ines asked Ciello, who had finished her dessert plate without leaving anything, with a satisfied face.
“Yes. I ate the same thing at the mansion…It seems that all the nobles eat this.”
Ciello nodded with a smile. At that moment, the expression of a staff member who was far away briefly clouded. The staff made a quick note.
“Oh, it’s already time…”
Ciello put down her cup and looked at the clock on the wall. As they were talking, it had become evening.
“I think I should go now. What about you two?”
At Ciello’s question, Pedro and Ines nodded.
“Go ahead. We’ll leave a little later.”
“Right. The Duke must be waiting.”
“Yes. Then, please continue your conversation.”
Ciello stood up from her seat. A staff member who had been waiting nearby brought Ciello’s cloak and draped it over her. Ciello, now quite naturally, thanked the staff’s escort and moved towards the door.
“By the way, thank you for the gloves!”
Ciello gave Pedro and Ines a bright smile for the last time and pushed the shop door. At that moment, everyone in the shop stopped their actions. They stared intently at the back of Ciello leaving the shop.
With a clear bell sound, the shop door closed. At the same time, they put down the newspapers, teacups, and utensils they were holding. The lovely and elegant coffee house turned into a cold space in an instant. Everything was a work created by the Duke’s fingertips.
“Are we really…okay with this?”
Ines murmured with a tired voice and leaned on the table. Pedro also sighed deeply. Then, a soft voice was heard from above.
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
