The bright sunlight coming through the window told me that it was morning, so I knew I had woken up from a dream.
I vaguely remembered lying in bed and falling asleep last night.
‘A dream…?’
It was too vivid to be a dream.
The miserable figure of Liliana, who was kneeling down and crying, still lingered in front of my eyes as I held my forehead.
It was similar to the dream I had last year.
It was really an unkind, resentful dream.
‘Sister Liliana… She looked very regretful. I wish it was just a dream, but…’
Liliana who I saw in my dream seemed to gradually have a fallout with Sister Viola due to her engagement with the first prince, Ronald.
She threw away the honor she valued and chose love instead of her family, in the end, she regretted having ruined everything with that choice.
“What did she mean everything is ruined? Could that have been the cause of the rebellion?”
I couldn’t forget Liliana’s teary-eyed expression.
The eyes that looked at Ronald horribly were full of contempt.
The anger in her eyes was an emotion I had never seen before.
It was something I never wanted to see, something that seemed out of place with the Liliana I knew.
I couldn’t even define the aftermath of my last dream yet, but the new dream was already giving me a headache.
“Now that it’s like this, I should stop the engagement first.”
If the events happened because of the engagement, I could stop the engagement from the beginning.
If I get rid of the cause, the results I saw in my dreams will disappear completely, right?
But the dream just now was a little strange.
“She said that the First Prince was the only one who acknowledged her…”
Certainly, if we were to find the most outstanding thing about Liliana, it would be her exceptional look.
But the rest of her was not so worthless that it had to be devalued.
“Acknowledging her…”
I didn’t know what Liliana wanted to be recognized for but knowing that might certainly prevent her from getting engaged to Ronald.
I finally got along with my sisters, so I had to stop it somehow.
‘From now on, I’ll stick to Liliana’s side.’
I clenched my fists tightly to forget the uncomfortable dream and made a resolution to work hard today.
✲ ✲ ✲
“Oh, my. It looks so good on you.”
Liliana clasped her hands together and blushed slightly.
I was a little embarrassed by the affectionate gaze that looked as if she was looking at something lovely, and she circled around me, giving me praises.
“Maybe because Daisy’s hair color is light, it goes so well with this light material.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Madam. Can you bring me all the dresses made of this material?”
I thought I’d worn over 10 dresses so far, but I guessed it wasn’t over yet.
‘I promised to follow Sister around, but she’s not going do this every day, right?’
As I swallowed tears from the sudden concern, I heard her words saying that the dress was done.
‘I can finally go home!’
I approached Liliana with a face full of hope as if I had never been sullen, but her big smile made me contemplate.
“Now we have to buy accessories to match the dress. I heard that blue topaz is popular this summer, which one do you like?”
The box Liliana was holding was full of beautiful accessories.
“I-Isn’t it over?”
“I’ve been told by your maid that you’re lacking not only a dress but also everything else to adorn yourself with. I don’t like them because they’re not expensive, but since we’re in a hurry, I’ll buy a little for now.”
“A little…”
It seemed that what she bought today was just a little by Liliana’s standards.
I swallowed the tears that were about to come out again and nodded my head with difficulty.
“…Are you having a hard time?”
I must have looked rather worn out.
Liliana handed the box to the servant next to her and looked at me with a worried expression.
I was taken aback by the careful touch on my cheek, then smiled lightly at the concern in her eyes.
“I’m a little tired. I don’t come to the salon often.”
It was the first time I’d had so many people sticking around to buy my clothes, and with Liliana, a social celebrity, by my side, people wouldn’t stop staring.
It was Liliana who received the gaze of respect and adoration, but for some reason, everyone noticed me standing next to her.
“I’ll tell them to leave as much as I can.”
Perhaps noticing it, Liliana sighed deeply as she looked at the people gathered around her.
I grabbed her hand in a hurry with an expression that was stiffer than a while ago as I was confused by the fact that things weren’t going the way I wanted.
“I’m fine.”
“No, I don’t want you to suffer because of me for no reason.”
“What do you mean I suffer? People who respect you want to get close to you.”
I held my sister’s hand tightly and smiled broadly.
“Unlike those people, I’m getting closer to Sister, so I’ll try to be more confident!”
It was still a bit unfamiliar, but if I went around with Liliana, I would get used to this kind of gaze at some point.
“And I’m really happy to go out with Sister. Don’t be sorry.”
At my answer, Liliana loosened her stiff expression and smiled broadly along with me.
“I’m so glad you think so.”
Liliana’s cheeks turned redder than before and she said to the servant next to her.
“When is Madam coming?”
“She said she would bring a hat and shoes that match the dress you mentioned.”
“Tell her to pack all of this and send them to the Duke of Liviatan.”
“D-Do you mind not checking?”
At the servant’s words, Liliana nodded lightly and put a wide-brimmed hat hanging next to her on my head.
She tied a ribbon around my chin and then looked down with a satisfied expression.
Looking at the hand that still holding on, I hurriedly tried to let it go, but she held on tight.
“I’m done with the salon. Anything will look good on you anyway, so let’s go back.”
“Is it okay?”
“Up until now, I’ve been doing what I like, so from now on I’m going to do what Daisy likes.”
Liliana took the lead with a triumphant expression on her face, telling me to follow.
The place we went to after leaving behind the eyes of the people around me was a famous dessert shop not far from the salon.
There were quite a few people in the store, but what was placed in front of us as we sat on the wide terrace was a feast of sweet desserts.
“I don’t know what you like, so I asked them to prepare everything. Can you tell me if there’s anything you find particularly delicious?”
She said so and smiled shyly and as I looked at the dessert spread out on the table, unable to close my mouth.
‘It would be rude to say that Sister looks really cute.’
I swallowed a word that almost came out, covered my mouth, and smiled slightly.
While happily exploring desserts with Liliana, I found out that I unexpectedly prefer refreshing flavors to sweet desserts.
We were having a good time drinking different teas at Liliana’s recommendation when someone sneaked up to us.
“Hello, Lady Liviatan.”
“I haven’t seen you in a long time. Countess Patrick.”
“Hello, my name is Iris Patrick.”
The green-haired girl next to Countess Patrick greeted Liliana with a flushed expression.
Her fair green hair fluttered in the wind, and her face seemed full of affection for Liliana.
I stared at Iris and greeted her before it was too late.
“Nice to meet you, Madam. My name is Daisy Liviatan.”
“It’s the first time I meet the youngest princess of Liviatan. Nice to meet you.”
Countess Patrick said with a kind smile, pointing to Iris next to her.
“This is my daughter, Iris. She just came back from studying abroad on Poporian Island.”
“No wonder. I thought she was someone I hadn’t seen before, but turns out she’s your daughter.”
“She just graduated from the academy and came back to her hometown as an adult.”
At the words of the Countess, Liliana clapped her hands and said.
“She’s the same age as our Daisy. Daisy is 19 years old, too.”
“Is that so?”
As soon as the Countess finished speaking, I met Iris’ gaze.
‘She came back after living abroad, so this situation must be unfamiliar to her.’
We looked at each other and laughed awkwardly, and before we knew it, we exchanged greetings again, leaving behind the two people talking about different things.
“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Iris Patrick. Please feel free to call me Iris, Lady Liviatan.”
“Calling me Daisy is enough for me too.”
At my words, she nodded her head with a slightly relaxed face.
“You went to the academy on Poporian Island?”
“Yes. I went to school before I could even remember, that’s why, much to my embarrassment, I haven’t been to the social world yet.”
“Academy life, I can’t believe it. You must have a lot of fun memories.”
As I laughed with envy, Iris cautiously spoke out.
“If you don’t mind Daisy, can I talk to you about life at the Academy?”
“I’d be happy to listen.”
“I’m so happy to meet a lady of my age in Odphelia.”
When I accepted Iris’ offer, she smiled broadly without hiding her happy expression.
✲ ✲ ✲
‘I made a friend.’
My mouth twitched at the unexpected existence.
“When I went out with Sister, I made a friend.”
It was exhausting today, but I became close with my sister and had a friend who I could greet in the social world.
Compared to the chaotic dream, besides the fatigue, it seemed today would end as a perfect day.
It certainly would have been one, if it wasn’t for the First Prince’s engagement letter that I faced after returning home with a happy heart.
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