Obsessed with Regressors

“Lady Biscon.”

 

Lauren, who was sitting in her drawing room, jumped up when she saw Eugenie. She wondered if her slightly pale complexion might be due to some pain, but that’s just how Eugenie was.

 

‘Sit down, sit down.’ Eugenie waved her hand and went inside. Lauren also discovered that she was just like that. Surprisingly, Lady Biscon had an easy-going side. She says that when Julia goes out without contact, she sometimes takes off her shoes in the drawing room and sits for a long time reading her newspaper. She’s taking off her shoes, she looks unimaginable when you look at Lady Biscon now.

 

“Did you come alone?”

 

Lauren flinched at Eugenie’s question. She knew very well how different her position was from that of her Eugenie.  Although she recently broke off her engagement, Eugenie was the damsel of the historic Countess of Biscon. It wouldn’t be that difficult for her to find her next partner. Everyone who first heard the news of Eugenie’s breakup thought that way. She may be a bit lower than Viscount Rensid, but she will marry a nobleman. Now that rumors have spread that Count Burns, a newly aristocratic but wealthy hero, was courting her, people’s faith has become even stronger. Eugenie Biscon stayed in aristocratic society. It would never happen that she falls away from her noble society. But Lauren was different. She was a fallen noblewoman and had no one in her family to protect her. So maybe her distant relative, who was her guardian, was trying to sell her out to be her mistress. Unlike Eugenie, whose position was known, Lauren was in a position where she could never know when she might fall off a cliff. Lauren was worried that her visit would offend Eugenie, so she asked cautiously:

 

“She should have come with Julia?”

 

In response to Lauren’s question, Eugenie looked like she was wondering what that meant. With Julia? why? Fortunately, she quickly understood why Lauren said that. She thought she was Julia’s friend and had permission to visit. She is not Eugenie’s friend. Eugenie said, quickly managing her expression.

 

“No. She said Julia would come today too. So she thought she was coming along.”

 

A look of relief appeared on Lauren’s face. It seems that her visit did not offend Eugenie. At that time, Eugenie added.

 

“You are welcome to come anytime. Next time, just come without contacting me.”

 

Lauren looked at Eugenie in surprise at her words. When she visits a nobleman’s house, she must send a letter asking permission to visit. She can visit only if she receives a reply saying she can come at any time. Of course, she can do the visit itself without contact. It’s because the other person doesn’t accept it. If you visit without contact, the butler will refuse. Under the pretext of being unwell or having other guests. Only very close people were allowed to visit a nobleman’s house without contacting them. This applies to close relatives or very close friends like Julia. In social seasons like now, even her suitors are allowed. If Eugenie gets engaged or her social season ends, her suitors must also obtain permission to visit in advance. So Eugenie’s remarks now were a kind of upward mobility for Lauren. She said that she became a close friend of Lady Viscon.

 

“Really?”

 

Lauren couldn’t believe Eugenie’s words and asked without realizing it. Can I come here without permission? Really? She had never had anything like that in her life. She had no close relatives, and in her dreams, she had become estranged from her close friends by the time she graduated from the academy. If she is a chaste and moral person, she avoids associating with mistresses. In all of Lauren’s life, the only friend she had was her dog. Eugenie bit her lip as she saw Lauren’s face light up at her own words. Her mind became confused. As she expected, there was no house Lauren could visit without her permission.

 

“Huh. Even if I’m not there, go have some tea.”

 

Eugenie said, lifting her teacup to hide her confused expression. Everyone does that. If Eugenie is not there, you can just go, but if the day is too hot or cold, the butler recommends that you go and have tea for a while. Even though Julia knows that Eugenie is not there, she visits. And while she was drinking her tea in the drawing-room, she would read the whispers of currants. Because her father does not allow her to read such vulgar magazines.

 

“Oh, this is it. I’ll give it to you before Julia comes.”

 

Lauren took a sip of her tea and took a small pouch from her arms. What is this? Eugenie held her teacup and watched Lauren put it down on her table. She looked exactly like her purse.

 

“This is the money you invested before. It’s not much, but we also added interest.”

 

“What?”

 

She looked like a purse, and she was a purse. Eugenie’s mouth dropped open at the unbelievable fact. Plus she added interest? Seeing Eugenie’s reaction, Lauren assumed she didn’t remember and began to explain.

 

“You invested in me when I said I wanted to open a clothing store, right?”

 

“As support.”

 

Eugenie quickly cut Lauren off and said, That was sponsorship, not investment. And proper sponsorship does not expect anything in return. No, there is something I wish for. Lauren becomes a great adult and lives her life. But even Eugenie is not sure if she is a good adult, and there is no way she would dare to ask Lauren for that.

 

“That was sponsorship, Lauren. It’s not an investment.”

 

She knew. Lauren nodded her head. Eugenie gave her her support. To be precise, it was sponsored by Earl Burns and Lady Viscon. She was grateful for that fact. Lauren said with a stern expression.

 

“I know. But I want to repay you. “I will also repay Count Burns for the amount he paid for me.”

 

It would take some time, but Lauren intended to repay what Count Burns had paid Lord Masterson, even if it took her the rest of her life. Eugenie stared at her face for a moment as she looked and spoke much more maturely than her age. Lauren said that before. If the price is money, then it is cheaper. That broke Eugenie’s heart. Everyone thinks that way. When you receive help, you should be grateful, and when you receive something, it is right to give it back. However, she was not a common person who is willing to calculate like a knife to the extent of adding interest. For Lauren to do this also means that her life has not been smooth. The dispute between her and Lord Masterson flashed through Eugenie’s mind. The Masterson household became quiet, but that was after a rumor spread that Lord Masterson had received all the money that had been spent on Lorraine from Count Burns. It is not difficult to predict how such a person would treat Lauren.

 

“If it makes you feel better if I take this, then I will.”

 

Eugenie said without Lauren putting her hands on her pockets. She didn’t even think to check how much it cost. She’ll give you exactly her money plus some interest. She took a sip of her tea as Lauren nodded her head. she asked, putting down her teacup.

 

“I was looking for a lot of luggage,” she said. “Is business going well?”

 

“It’s a business.”

 

This business is too grand. Lauren waved her hand in confusion. It was just a small idea.

 

“I saw it in my dream.”

 

“A luggage bag?”

 

“That’s not it.”

 

It wasn’t in my dream that she saw a luggage bag wrapped in cloth. In her dreams, Balcian was devastated and impoverished by war and dragon raids. Unless he was noble and very wealthy, it was difficult for him to get pretty cloth. Meanwhile, the noble Lady Biscon enforced compulsory education for her children. There were many complaints about whether it made sense to send children to school instead of making them work in difficult circumstances, but it was the king’s order anyway. Although there were no proper textbooks or writing materials, all children living in the capital headed to the academy in the morning. Then Lauren saw the children carrying or carrying crude backpacks made of gunny sacks.

 

“I thought it would be good for children to carry around pretty bags.”

 

It made her feel a little bad to see that the backpack was made out of grain sacks. Some children from better circumstances made school bags out of old cloth, but most of them had poor circumstances.

 

In particular, the order to send all children to academies instead of making them work initially caused a huge backlash. This means that the house that provided at least a school bag made of sackcloth was better off.

 

“That’s what I thought of, so I tried it. Everyone likes pretty things.”

 

Eugenie gaped at Lauren’s words. That’s right. Everyone likes pretty and nice things. Luggage bags are a little less prone to shaking and bumping behind the carriage, but if you have the space, there’s no way you wouldn’t want to decorate them nicely.

 

“So are you moving your business from the wardrobe to the luggage business?”

 

Lauren shook her head in response to Eugenie’s question. That seemed okay too. Because she would have been fine with florals or stripes as well as plaids.

 

But her spirit was completely lost. Lauren let out her sigh and she said.

 

“I wanted to do that. I got hit.”

 

“Did you get hit? What?”

 

“It’s about adding fabric to your luggage. Mr. Liv is already doing it.”

 

Who was Mr. Liv? After thinking for a while, Eugenie was able to remember that Mr. Liv was the owner of a clothing store that Lauren worked with. Lauren, who boasted that plaid dresses were going to be popular, is the owner of a small clothing store with no customers looking for her to do business with.

 

“You’re already doing it without you knowing?”

 

“Yes. They were already selling it to people as if it were their own idea.”

 

‘Oh my.’

 

An expression of displeasure appeared on Eugenie’s face, but she quickly hid it. She knew what happened. She guessed Mr. Reeve quickly stepped forward when people started looking for the checkered luggage bag. She had it altered in her dressing room. She didn’t put Lauren’s name in there. Eugenie spoke to comfort Lauren.

 

“But it’s your opinion. You can find another clothing store.”

 

“No.”

 

At first Lauren thought so too. It was my idea, but are you betraying me? Let’s see where we go. Such anger soared. But as time passed, that anger turned towards Lauren herself. She was always like this. In her dreams she made similar mistakes several times.

 

“Lady Biscon was right. “I don’t know how to make clothes.”

 

At Lauren’s words, Eugenie looked like she was wondering what he was talking about. It’s true that she didn’t know how to make clothes, but she didn’t think she ever said that.

 

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Translator Note:

Next week I will take a little rest to be with the family so…
Merry Cristmas and Happy New Year!!