DHDF 14

chapter 14

I didn’t know how much time had passed. An hour? No… two hours?

I kept flipping through catalogs and sample books, choosing and choosing again.

What kind of fabric to use, what color would be best, the shape of the pleats, the ribbons, lace, skirt length…

It was definitely fun at first, but after the number of outfits passed ten, I got sick of it.
My head was spinning, and my stomach churned.

Even the focus I was proud to have compared to other kids my age had run completely dry.

“How about this one?”

“It’s nice.”

I glanced briefly at the sketch and gave a halfhearted answer. Madame Chloé laughed softly.

“You’re tired of it, aren’t you? Understandable. Then would you like to leave the rest entirely to me?”

“…Is that all right?”

“Of course. The young masters always say, ‘Chloé, do as you see fit.’ I’ve grasped your preferences well enough—nothing difficult about it.”

I looked over at Rosalyn, and she nodded reassuringly.

“Then, please take care of it.”

I was about to slip away but hurriedly added,

“Could you make sure the exposure is kept to a minimum? I don’t really like showing skin.”

“I’ll keep that in mind as much as possible.”

The table, once buried under sample books and catalogs, was cleared in no time.

As soon as Madame Chloé left, I flopped sideways onto the couch.

“Just sitting there drained all my energy.”

“That calls for something sweet. How about some chocolate tea?”

Oh, chocolate tea.

“I’d love that.”

“Then please wait just a moment.”

Rosalyn brought not only the chocolate tea but also a muffin topped generously with nuts.

I took a big bite of the muffin.

‘Ugh, my head’s spinning…’

Still, after having something sweet, I could feel my energy returning.

As I was slowly finishing the muffin one bite at a time—

“Miss Berzene, Mr. Coweltz is here to see you. Shall I let him in?”

Mr. Coweltz—she must mean Asher. I tilted my head in curiosity and nodded.

“I seem to have come right in the middle of snack time,” he said.

Snack time! I liked the sound of that. I couldn’t help but ask,

“Do other people also have snack time?”

“Well, yes. The other young masters have already graduated, but the youngest still enjoys it, as far as I know.”

Now that I thought of it, Litema was twelve, wasn’t he? I suddenly wondered what kind of snacks he liked.

The walnut pie I had on the first night at the ducal mansion was good, and the sponge cake in the office was delicious too.

“May I sit down? Or should I come back later?”

“Of course, please sit.”

I didn’t know why he had to ask me that, but fine.

Asher sat on the sofa opposite me and spread some documents on the table.

“You might not know this, but the House of Edendale is a very special one—it evaluates individuals based on their personal abilities. That’s why, even when choosing a partner, we don’t consider background. Not even for heirs.”

Ah, so that’s why the Duke had considered me as his fiancée, even over someone like Aete. It finally made sense.

“But because rumors about one’s birth can stir up trouble, we sometimes use a bit of deception. We’ll be creating a background for you, Miss Berzene.”

So, they were going to make me a family. I wondered if he’d forgotten about my “curse.”

“But as you know,” I said carefully, “I’m… cursed. Isn’t that risky?”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry. You’ll continue to live here as you are. Though there will be a few social exchanges, of course.”

In other words, it would just be a family in name only.
The documents Asher brought were a summary of candidate families for my new “background.”

“Is it really okay for me to decide something like this?”

“Of course. Don’t think of it as anything too serious. Let’s just say—it’s like shopping.”

What on earth does that mean? I stared at him in disbelief, but he only shrugged, as if nothing was strange.

He was trying not to pressure me, I knew, but that only made me feel more burdened.

“Well then, Miss Berzene, shall I explain each of the families to you?”

“Yes, please.”

First candidate: The Nercé Family.
A prestigious knightly family that has served House Edendale the longest.
They have produced many renowned knights.
It’s tradition for each heir to win the imperial swordsmanship tournament.

Second candidate: The Rotel Family.
A family that manages the Rotel Bank, the most influential in the financial world.
They also run various foundations and charitable programs, earning great respect.
Known for strict education of their children.

Third candidate: The Darhi Family.
A family with the longest history of producing powerful mages.
There’s even a saying that Darhis start using magic before they can walk.
The current Tower Master is the head’s cousin.

Fourth candidate: The Erdion Family.
A family owning the continent’s most productive diamond mines.
They use their amassed wealth to foster culture and the arts.
Their domain constantly attracts artists.

“Hmm…”

“Well, if none of them particularly appeal to you, you could simply think about which surname sounds best with yours.”

Berzene Nercé.
Berzene Rotel.
Berzene Darhi.
Berzene Erdion.

Darhi or Erdion sounded nice.

Thinking too hard made me feel drained again, so I gulped down the now-cold chocolate tea.

“It doesn’t matter which one I pick, right?”

“Of course.”

All right, then. Lottery it is.

I took a scrap sheet from Asher, tore it into four pieces, and wrote down the family names.

After folding them tightly so the writing couldn’t be seen, I mixed them up between my palms.

“Asher, please pick one.”

“Oh, me?”

“Yes. It’ll make me less nervous that way.”

He rested his chin on his hand, eyed the slips carefully, and picked one with deliberation.

When he unfolded it, the word inside read—

[Erdion]

“Then shall we proceed with Erdion, Miss Berzene?”

“Yes, please.”

Of course, orphans don’t have surnames.
You naturally get one when adopted, but I never thought that would apply to me.

Who would ever want to take in a “cursed monster”?
Even I didn’t want to burden anyone that way.

‘But I guess this is how I end up getting one anyway.’

I silently recited my full name: Berzene Erdion.
It actually sounded quite nice.

“Does the Erdion family have any children my age?”

Margaret had an older brother—and as siblings went, he was just as awful as she was.

‘But they did have a weirdly strong bond.’

If anyone badmouthed Margaret, her brother would show up and beat them up.

Sometimes I wondered what it would’ve been like to have an older sister or brother.

Would they protect me from bullies?
Or would they hate me too?

“No, unfortunately, they don’t have any children,” Asher said.

“I see…”

“But perhaps you might have a younger sibling someday. The age gap would be large, but still.”

I understood what he meant—they planned to have children eventually.

But that didn’t make me happy.
If they were much younger, I’d have to be careful.
And if it were a baby, I couldn’t go near them at all.

“Oh dear. You’re not fond of younger siblings?”

“No, I like them. But you know about my curse. It could harm a baby.”

At the orphanage, when very young children were brought in, I was strictly forbidden to approach them.

“…I hadn’t thought of that.”

An uncomfortable silence settled in.

Asher seemed to think for a while, then spoke again.

“If you’d prefer siblings, I can explain other families instead. The Nercé family has a son, eight years older than you. The Rotel family’s eldest daughter and son are four and two years older, respectively. And the Darhi family—”

“It’s all right. Please put me with the Erdions.”

Honestly, I’d already made peace with it. There was no guarantee I’d get along with any sibling anyway.

‘In the end, I’d just be the outsider.’

I was already tense and on guard enough as it was—I didn’t want more anxiety from elsewhere.

Just because I’d gotten used to hostility didn’t mean I didn’t feel the sting of it.

‘Some people don’t just hate you—they want to make sure you know it.’

Even if I didn’t see them often, every day would become exhausting.

It seemed better to just deal with adoptive parents alone.

“Then… after everything’s over, will I be disowned?” I asked.

“Oh no, of course not. You’ll remain a daughter of House Erdion from now on.”

Disengaged, but not disowned?

I frowned, confused, but Asher seemed to interpret it differently.

“There’s no need to be anxious. Naturally, House Edendale will properly compensate House Erdion.”

That didn’t comfort me at all—it only made me more uneasy.

‘My debts… are piling up way too fast.’