ASDM 28

Chapter 28

It’s getting pretty muggy in the daytime now.

In the full swing of early summer weather, I was sipping iced tea when some welcome news arrived.

“Letter’s here! From Bibi…”

Well, of course, I’m happy. They’re all kids I need to raise well—no favoritism here. Absolutely none.

It’s just that, even though she always adds a P.S. saying she misses me every day, that brat hasn’t sent a single reply back, and it’s starting to tick me off.

Is she busy because it’s exam season? Or maybe she’s already relaxed now that the end-of-term ceremony is near.

Anyway, just wait until you get here. First thing after the wedding, I’m fixing that attitude of yours.

I forced my face into a pleasant expression as I opened the letter.

Phew, okay. My Bibi, who aced her entrance test—wonder if she’s doing well at school.

They say the academy doesn’t care about social class, but still, I worry she might be looked down on for being a former maid…

[Registration complete.]

“Mhm!”

That’s my kid!

I nodded proudly, and Betty, who had handed me the letter, spoke carefully.

“Miss, you should come to the drawing room.”
“Why the drawing room?”
“Well… someone barged in.”

Who?

I looked at Betty, who spoke as if some ruffian had stormed in, then jumped down from my chair.

From the mood, it didn’t seem like another assassin. And honestly, who would dare to barge into Bastion and even ask for me?

I was on my way out of the library when—bang—I bumped into someone.

“Oh my, are you alright, young lady?”

A voice I’d never heard before.

I rubbed my forehead and looked up to see a grandmother about Hugo or Winston’s age staring intently at me.

Before I could flinch, Betty stepped in front of me.

“Lady Taylor.”
“Oh, Betty. Been a while. In the time I’ve been gone… has your master changed?”
“Bastion will always be my only master.”
“Still as stiff as ever, I see.”

The elderly woman—Taylor—narrowed her eyes and smiled.

Her short white hair was neatly swept back, she wore a spotless three-piece suit without a single wrinkle, and her sharp, refined features gave her a rather intimidating air.

Overall, she seemed like someone who kept her distance—but when she smiled, there was a sly playfulness about her.

Behind her, Hugo was hurrying over.

“Taylor!”
“Don’t shout. My hearing’s still fine, you old coot.”
“Didn’t I tell you to wait quietly?”
“But how could I possibly resist meeting the fiancée of Young Lord Levi?”

Taylor pouted slightly.

If she kept her mouth shut, she’d seem icy cold, but clearly, her personality wasn’t like that at all.

She glanced at me again.
“Well then—approved!”
“…What?”
“Such a rare cuteness for Bastion. I like it. I like it very much.”
“You’ve got a good eye.”

Awkward or not, she was saying the right thing, so I played along. That earned a hearty laugh.

“Haha! My goodness! Where in the world did such a person roll in from?”

I rolled myself in here to survive, thank you very much. And who exactly are you?

As I stared up at her while clutching Betty’s skirt, Taylor placed a hand over her chest and bowed.

“Forgive my late introduction. I’m Taylor Dumas, owner of Lapidem.”
“Lapidem?”

What was that again? It sounded familiar…

“Oh, you mean Bastion’s exclusive boutique?”
“That’s right. I’m responsible for dressing the dullest men in Bastion in something worth looking at.”
“Taylor…”

Hugo cleared his throat in warning at her freewheeling way of speaking.

Personally, I was starting to like her bit by bit, but then something caught my ear and made me perk up.

“Anyway, this will be the most fun I’ve had since Lady Katrin.”
“…Did you make Lady Katrin’s clothes, too?”
“And not just hers. I made the wedding dresses and tuxedos for the late Duke and Duchess as well.”

Oh—she’s been connected to Bastion for a long time, then.

I had no desire to know the rotten parts of the family history, but I was always up for harmless little tidbits like this.

Peeking out from behind Betty, I saw Taylor’s hand reaching toward me.

A wrinkled old woman’s hand.

I squeezed my eyes shut reflexively, but after a while, I still didn’t feel it touch me.

“Hmm, so your height is about this much. I hear you’re the same age as Young Lord Franz, but you’re much smaller.”
“Ah…”
“Then, may I take your exact measurements?”

At her request, I nodded vaguely.

Taylor smiled with a new seriousness, as if promising not to touch me without permission.

She read me.

Yep—there’s no ignoring experience.

Being caught in a bad first impression was a little embarrassing… and oddly, it made me feel sorry, too.

I hesitated, then lightly tugged at her fingertips.

“Let’s go to my room.”

At my plain invitation, the seasoned woman’s smile deepened.

“Oh, thank you for inviting us.”

Us?

Then she snapped her free fingers, and suddenly people swarmed in from nowhere.

Every one of them had an intense, almost crazed gleam in their eyes.

“The girl…!”
“Ah, so cute!”
“Not scary at all!”
“We can make dresses for her!”

…Yep. I think I made a mistake.

I realized it, but it was already too late.

Each armed with measuring tapes and rolls of colorful fabric, they descended on me like a pack of dogs.

All I could do was struggle as Betty and Hugo gave me helpless smiles and waved.

Betty’s expression in particular said, See? Didn’t I say they barged in?

Bang!

The library doors slammed shut right in front of me, and I lost a little bit of my faith in humanity.

“This is why you always have to watch what you say.”

All I did was invite them to my room, and I nearly got dragged to the afterlife.

Groaning, I rolled my aching shoulders. After a whole day of being tormented by Lapidem, my entire body was sore.

They said they were tired of making clothes only for the Duke and his two sons all these years, so now they were going to unleash all their pent-up creative dreams on me.

My head was still spinning from all the luxurious fabrics and flashy designs they piled on me.

I don’t even know how many outfits we ended up planning. Lost count ages ago.

For now, it was fine because I was still young and without much formal status, but soon I’d be the young duchess. Naturally, my clothing would have to be impeccable and appropriate to every occasion.

Indoor wear and outdoor wear had to be separated, and within those categories, there were even more subcategories—salon wear, tea party wear, opera wear…

And for important banquets, the dress must always be newly made and never worn twice.

Apparently, it was a matter of the family’s honor, so even the poorest nobles would rather die than repeat a dress at a banquet.

“Tsk, tsk. All just pretension and waste.”

Of course, if I were going to join in on that pretension and waste, I was confident I could do it better than anyone!

Grinning, I flopped onto my bed after a very productive day of being manhandled—

“…Can’t sleep.”

Why? Usually, I’d pass out the moment my head hit the pillow.

I tossed and turned all night before finally getting up.

By now, it was early dawn, long after even Wolfgang and Benjamin would have gone to sleep.

I feel like getting some fresh air.

After a moment’s hesitation, I slipped outside in my pajamas and slippers. For some reason, I just couldn’t sit still without going out.

Was our cabin doing okay? Maybe I should call the wolves and go see it for the first time in a while?

But climbing the back hill in this half-light, when it already felt so distant, was pushing it.

Hmm… maybe I’ll just—

“Go to the stables.”

I took a deep breath of the pleasantly cool summer night air and walked quickly.

Thinking about it, the stables weren’t always a place of good memories for me… but at some point, I’d grown comfortable there.

Probably sometime around the engagement?

More precisely, when I became certain he wouldn’t hurt me.

I let out a small, silly laugh.

It was funny in hindsight how much effort I’d put in… and a little absurd how everything had gone according to plan.

Once we got through the wedding safely…

What then?

The question popped into my head, like a cliché.

A mutually beneficial marriage—so what comes next?

Divorce.

That’s when the drama usually kicks in, with keywords like “useless now,” “breaking up,” “messy mistakes,” or “obsession.”

I wondered what keyword our future would get.

“…Hmph. I don’t really have any plans to divorce, though.”

At least, that was how I felt.

Ending things could put our lives in immediate danger, and besides, there was no other place I could depend on.

Bastion was the only place where I could exchange holy power and magic.

Levi, on the other hand, technically had other options besides me.

Sure, none were quite on my level, but there were plenty of priests with outstanding holy power in the world.

In other words, Bastion is my only option, and I’m Bastion’s best option.

Right—just like I boldly told Wolfgang the first time, I wasn’t exactly the inferior party here. From Bastion’s point of view, I was the best choice.

Still, the one in greater need… was inevitably—

“Prrr!”

The horses, already sensing my presence, started prancing, refusing to give me a moment for deep thought.

On tiptoe, I slipped past Tony’s guard post and entered the stable.

“Hey, have you all been well?”

Greeting the affectionate horses, I headed toward the far end, where Queensbury and the now-grown foal nodded at me.

Oh, right. The foal had a name now—Tony and I had fought over it for ages before reaching a compromise.

I wanted something that highlighted his inherited black coat, while Tony wanted something befitting a purebred thoroughbred.

And so, the name was born—

“Dark Horse!”

…Not that I was going to call him that while Tony wasn’t around.

After glancing around, I leaned in and whispered to him:

“…Kami, it’s me.”
“Neigh!”

I’m not the only one who uses a different name.

Behind my back, Tony also calls Kami things like “Dark Gale” or “Black Nebula.”

But “Kami” is the friendliest and nicest, right? Don’t you think?

I spent a while petting and playing with the horses until the dimness began to fade and dawn approached.

Then I drew fresh water for them, telling them to enjoy a cool morning drink.

Flick—

Suddenly, all the horses pricked up their ears and looked toward the door.

“What is it…”

The moment I stepped out of the stable—

Whoosh!

A shadow fell over my head.

A déjà vu?

In front of the stable at dawn—a blazing, fiery aura—hooves flailing right in my face, about to crush me.

Just like before, when I was about to be trampled to death by a black horse under some dark influence.

It was the exact same scene as the past, except for two differences—Wolfgang wasn’t here to stop it this time, and…

“Asha.”

…the horse that barely managed to stop was staring at me with a look of shock greater than my own.