NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26 - 10. Female Protagonist. (1)
“The little Duke chose a lady who wasn’t famous and didn’t look pretty? Unbelievable. Anyway, I’m better than her.”
“What the hell did she do?”
Fanora could easily feel that they looked down on her just by their strange glances. If she had been the lady she used to be, she would have been afraid of their sarcastic remarks and chattering.
However, the current Fanora didn’t have much emotion.
As long as I have the Io’s power, it’s easy to break their poor life like cutting down wild grass.
The more they looked down on her, the more confidence grew within her. Raising her head even more, Fanora showed a perfect way to walk according to the etiquette that were already engraved on her body.
“…”
As Fanora showed her dignified attitude, their glances soon disappeared.
“These are the new dresses that will be introduced this summer.”
“Don’t you have anything a little thicker to wear right now? This Lady will be celebrating her birthday soon.”
“If that’s the case, how about this dress? If she wears long gloves and a hat…”
As they entered the center of the boutique, Aloken began to choose her clothes at his will.
Well, I guess there’s something he wants me to wear for my birthday banquet. Shall I look for a dress that I’m going to wear to another party in advance?
Fanora didn’t really mind it and looked around alone for a few minutes at the countless designs from the boutique.
“How do you like it, Lady? If there is anything you want to try on, I will bring it to you!”
“I-I will take a look a little longer.”
This place must be one of the best boutiques in the Kingdom, but none of the designs were to Fanora’s liking.
As expected, this store doesn’t sell dresses made with black cloth…
This was purely because Fanora’s taste was unique. A black dress that others would wear at funerals. Since she was a child, it looked so beautiful in her eyes. She didn’t like her black hair and black eyes, but she really liked black fabric.
However, black was the color that nobles avoided because it was used for mourning or servant’s clothing. Fanora was even told that it was rude if someone wore black fabric to the banquet, saying that they ignored the banquet’s host. No matter how much money she has, she never had a chance to wear a black dress.
A few minutes later.
“Fanora, did you find any dress you like?”
Aloken walked toward her while talking to a person who appeared to be the boutique’s chief seamstress.
Come to think of it, in the midnight novel I saw, Vasago often wore sky blue dresses. I’m sure it’s already in trend.
Fanora, who had thought it, answered without difficulty.
“There’s a saying that calm sky blue dresses will be in trend this year. So what if it’s a sky blue dress?”
“Are you talking about this light blue cloth?”
“I have no interest in fashion. So I don’t know what to choose for this season.”
Upon hearing hrt answer, Aloken’s response was dull. But whatever Aloken’s reaction, it was true that Fanrora wasn’t interested in fashion. She just wanted to get out of this boutique quickly.
I’ve looked around, but the prices are all too burdensome.
Her little pocket money and the future fund she would receive as a birthday present were money that needed to be used up a lot in the future. So Fanora thought it was a waste to spend the money on dressing up.
“Hmm, sky blue. It doesn’t seem like it would suit you well.”
“Then, little Duke can choose what you like. You’re the one who buys it, so how could I complain about that?”
“Hey, don’t call me little Duke as a joke.”
After a useless chat, Aloken knocked on the floor with his cane to call the nearby clerk.
“Yes, did you call for me?”
“I’m sorry, but my sweetheart doesn’t seem to have much interest in clothes. So there will be no other order to change the design.”
“Oh my gosh, the lady is more gentle and obedient than I thought.”
“Then…”
Now that they were done ordering dresses, she wondered if they could simply proceed to take her measurements and go home.
All of a sudden, this sentence came out of Aloken Jalier’s mouth. “I will order all the women’s clothes in this boutique and deliver them to the Celsius mansion.”
“How long is the deadline?”
“?”
“You don’t have to worry about it because I will give you a generous amount, but the dark green dress over there, I want it to be delivered within 4 days.”
When Fanora heard those words, she reflexively grabbed Aloken’s hem.
This guy! He’s doing things like a prince in a three-rating romance novel!
Since she had already seen the price of a dress here, she couldn’t just ignore Aloken’s madness. “I can’t afford to pay back this much money.”
“Pay back? It’s just a tool to enhance the authenticity of our engagement.”
“But you spend so much just to show off!”
There was a clerk nearby, so Fanora whispered urgently into Aloken’s ear. The clerk’s expression darkened as if she was watching a quarrel between lovers. Still, Fanora had no time to worry about it because her priority was to stop Aloken.
“I warn you! I don’t appreciate such a gift. You’re wasting your money just like throwing it to the ground.”
Fortunately, Aloken called the clerk as if he had changed his mind in response to such fierce opposition from her. “Hey, if I buy all the clothes here, calculate how much it costs.”
“Yes? Yes, I understand!”
Aloken suddenly became serious and demanded the total costs from them. The clerk moved quickly without even having time to breathe, perhaps because she knew he was a little Duke.
Rustle.
Soon after, the bill was in his hand, and Aloken read it calmly. Of course, his subsequent reaction again defied Fanora’s expectation.
“You were making much fuss that I thought the price was really that much, but this is no problem at all.”
“Are you really going to spend this much money on your fiancée’s clothes?”
“Did you say this was like throwing money to the ground?”
Aloken patted her shoulder as Fanora shivered and looked at the bill. Then he proceeded with the calculations. At this time, his expression seemed to judge her.
“For me, this amount of money is the amount I wouldn’t even know if I dropped it on the ground.”
“…”
“What the hell do the central region people think of the Duke…”
“…”
“Somehow, it felt like you’re mocking the northern, which made me feel unpleasant.”
“Should I apologize now?”
* * *
10.
Female Protagonist. (1)
“Lady, what is all this?”
“Clothes…”
“Then what is this?”
“Shoes?”
“Lady Fanora! A carriage came from the jewelry store, and they needed to confirm it with Lady…”
“Why did I take Aloken as my fiancé…”
“L-Lady?”
High sky, blue landscape. The birthday of Fanora Celsius was just one day away. As the merchant’s carriage flocked like locusts into the Celsius residence on such a slope, the servants passed by thought.
“It’s all birthday presents for the lady.”
“Oh my goodness. All of them for lady?”
“Like what Cecil is talking about these days, Lord Aloken Jalier is obsessed with her… As expected, there seems to be something charming about our lady, right?”
It was quite different from the scenery where she had previously been referred to as a gloomy human being. However, Fanora’s mood didn’t improve even though the servant’s opinions about her changed.
“Lord Aloken, why are we going to the shoe store?”
“That’s because it’s weird to be barefoot while wearing a dress.”
“I have shoes at home too.”
“If you’re talking about those awful rose shoes, let’s stop. The level of the Celsius family will be evaluated by your appearance. Don’t make a fuss again to me about it.”
“…”
“What would I be if I heard the fiancée of little Duke Jalier walk around wearing cheap clothes?”
“…”
First of all, Fanora received many adornments as her birthday present. All of these items were necessary before entering the social world. Nevertheless, she wasn’t happy with those gifts.
Aloken firmly believes that I will be of help in the future. What if the future information I gave to him by a small variable is wrong? It’s dark before my eyes!
It was because she felt pressured for the next deal. But Fanora didn’t know if Aloken knew that she was having such a hard time. The servants around her were excited to sort out the evidence of his love that she had received.
“It’s a love that breaks the boundaries between the Duke and Count family.”
“So romantic!”
In fact, in the Kingdom of Kasius, there were some cases where the Count family was equivalent to a higher title due to the nature of their territory, so it wasn’t a particularly shocking story between nobles. Still, people have always been thirsty for dramatic love stories. Before she knew it, the engagement between Aloken and Fanora became the hot topic of discussion in this Kingdom.
Just let it be. The lady who was leaning on the reputation of the Duke. Let’s use this to make ties with high-ranking nobles safely.
Fanora, the person involved in it, decided not to think about it deeply anymore. Aloken already said it was money that could be thrown away, so who cares.
“Cecil, can you prepare the bathwater after moving all the dresses?”
“I understand, Lady.”
Still, Fanora was concerned about how to hand it back to Aloken if she was left with a fortune after she had completed her revenge. Before she had an evil heart, she had a personality that never forgot grace.
* * *
The next day arrived with no time for the uproar.
“The label of this dress said to wear it at Lady’s birthday banquet. Shall we do that?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“Then I will help you change.”
Today as well, Fanora, whose eyes were darkened due to insomnia, was served while yawning. She didn’t have aesthetic eyes to distinguish beauty, so she chose her shoes according to the trend in the midnight novel. It was because she thought that if she dressed up like this, she would at least not be treated like a clone.
“Cecil! Come in now. I’m all dressed.”
“Yes, Lady.”
But would this change other people’s perspectives when she dressed up like that?
Come to think of it, what kind of experience did I have in my previous debutante?
Fanora recalled for a moment. In the past, she was shunned without receiving a single escort, stood in the corner of the wall, and was made fun of by ladies from the prestigious family. Just thinking about the embarrassment at that time made her feel a headache.
I don’t want to be ridiculed anymore.
This may have been close to her original desire. It was a natural wish that she didn’t want to be harmed by others.
“Now, all I have to do is get Lady’s hair done. Please lower your head a little.”
“Yes.”
Do I need to go through the pain of being bullied in my second life too?
If others pointed at her again, it could have become difficult for her to approach Vasago. Fanora wanted to blend in with the social world of nobles at least once. To do so, she reviewed the knowledge that would be used in the social world day and night these days. However…
Flea is still flea even if it’s decorated…
Fanora was concerned about her appearance these days. Naverius always said that she was shabby every time he looked at her, and the future Vasago scolded her, saying that she was avoiding her because she looked so gloomy. Therefore, no matter how hard she tried, the evaluation of people around her might not change.
I keep having bad thoughts. Let’s think of something good.
Brush. Brush.
Unlike Seir, it felt good to have Cecil organizing her hair with gentle gestures. Still, her mind was so complicated that she had to close her eyes to control her mind.
“It’s done.”
A little later.
The back of her head was heavy, probably because Cecil braided her hair in a single braid. When Fanora opened her eyes, she could see the mirror in front of her. Pale skin with black hair. Contrasting all of that was a gorgeous dark green dress. She just looked at her reflection in the mirror and thought that the dress was too much. There wasn’t even a smile on her face.
“Lady, don’t you like the look…?”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you’d like your hair done differently.”
Fanora’s exclusive maid was still holding a brush in her hand and spoke softly. However, she only sat quietly.
“It’s rare for you to ask such a question.”