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Chapter 15
LeBlanc had never once exchanged letters with the Ducal House of Arnetio after her marriage. Of course, they hadn’t made any particular effort to contact their married-off daughter either. Having lived for quite some time with them erased from her mind, a faint, bitter smile spread across LeBlanc’s lips.
Since it’s come to this, it wouldn’t be so bad to turn that old fox inside out for once.
Originally, she had planned to buy only the clothes Siesha would wear and then return to the mansion. But since she had just sold off all her jewels and had money to spare, she decided to indulge herself by buying gifts for everyone around her. Soon, LeBlanc spoke slowly, her voice brimming with leisure.
“First, outfit this boy in brand-new clothes from head to toe. And let my maid here choose the finest item in this boutique—whether it’s a dress or jewelry, it doesn’t matter. Also, prepare five or six of the most expensive ready-made outfits suitable for a middle-aged man. I hate carrying heavy things, so have a baggage wagon called in advance.”
“Yes, understood.”
Behind her, Lily and Siesha, who had been listening quietly, widened their eyes in shock. Siesha was startled by the idea of being dressed in new clothes from head to toe, while Lily looked deeply moved that LeBlanc had even taken care of her share.
“Countess…”
“Having served the wrong master, you must have suffered a lot until now. This hardly makes up for all your hard work, Lily, but take it as a token of my sincerity.”
“Thank you so much. It’s an honor to serve someone as kind as you, Countess.”
“I’m lucky too, to have met such a good master. I’ll devote my loyalty from now on!”
The two bowed deeply to LeBlanc and followed the staff upstairs. Left alone, LeBlanc casually glanced around. Only then did she realize this was the floor dedicated to men’s clothing, and her eyes began to sparkle.
“Come to think of it, I never got Erkis a present…”
As befitted a boutique with a wide range of products, the men’s section was stocked with all kinds of items in various sizes. At that moment, a mannequin with a build similar to Erkis’s caught LeBlanc’s eye.
It wore a pure white shirt adorned with ornate wrist frills, layered with a vest lavishly decorated with jewels and silver embroidery. Without realizing it, LeBlanc imagined a young Erkis wearing the outfit and let out a small laugh.
“How adorable…”
Erkis was still small-framed with sharp features, so he seemed like the type who would pull off such flamboyant frilled clothing exceptionally well. Next to the mannequin hung many clothes of the same size, and as LeBlanc flipped through them, a gentle smile spread across her face.
There wasn’t a single piece that didn’t seem to suit Erkis. After browsing for a while, LeBlanc called over a staff member who had been waiting nearby.
“Wrap up the outfit the mannequin is wearing, and everything from here to here.”
“Yes, certainly.”
At a glance, there were dozens of items, and a bright smile spread across the staff member’s face. After that, LeBlanc swept up shirt chains, cufflinks, and tie clips adorned with various jewels, then bought silk ties and handkerchiefs in every color.
Only after the display shelves had been nearly emptied did she nod in satisfaction.
“Countess! This is incredible! I’ve never worn clothes this nice in my life! What I used to wear was practically rags!”
Having apparently finished shopping, Lily and Siesha approached her with excited expressions. Siesha, now with his once long hair neatly cut and dressed in tidy ready-made clothes, looked strikingly handsome.
Lily, too, seemed delighted with her purchases, the smile never leaving her face. Glancing at the items LeBlanc had bought, Lily asked,
“Hehe, are those presents for Lord Erkis?”
“Who’s Lord Erkis? Is he your younger brother, Countess?”
“My husband.”
“What? You’re married, Countess?”
What shocked Siesha, however, wasn’t the fact that she was married, but the size of Erkis’s clothes laid out on the counter. At a glance, they all looked like sizes he himself could wear. After hesitating for a moment, Siesha whispered to Lily,
“Your husband… he must be quite young. He’s not younger than me, is he? That would be a bit strange…”
“Of course he’s older than you. He’s just smaller than most people his age. He’s a good person. Probably…”
Lily’s voice trailed off vaguely. To be honest, Lily herself still couldn’t quite grasp what kind of person Erkis really was.
LeBlanc spoke of him fondly and looked happy whenever she mentioned him, so Lily assumed he must be a good man. But as her maid, she rarely encountered Erkis, who spent most of his days either in his study or at the training grounds.
He didn’t seem particularly sociable, nor did he appear especially affectionate toward his wife, LeBlanc.
If anything, it seemed more like LeBlanc was the one harboring a one-sided affection, and from Lily’s perspective, that was hard to understand.
Is there some kind of charm that only the Countess can see?
Whether the two were talking or not, LeBlanc had already stepped up to the counter and was paying for her purchases. Looking at the pile of clothes stacked there, Lily felt something was off and asked,
“Um, but what about your clothes, Countess? Aren’t you buying anything for yourself?”
“No. There’s nothing I particularly want, and my house is already overflowing with clothes anyway.”
“Hm…”
Even after her reply, Lily still looked dissatisfied. Objectively speaking, LeBlanc didn’t own many clothes at all. In fact, for her title and age, she had remarkably few.
She hadn’t bought new clothes even after getting married, and it had been the same when she lived at the ducal estate. Berti, who had been jealous of her, used to belittle her whenever she wore even slightly flashy clothes, sneering that they looked cheap or tasteless.
Moreover, LeBlanc had little desire for possessions and no interest in extravagance. Her appearance was so striking that it drew attention, but most of her dresses were actually old-fashioned pieces from several years past.
She bought clothes for herself, for Erkis, for Feln, for Corden—even for Siesha, whom she had met only yesterday—yet not for herself. Lily simply couldn’t understand her.
“Oh my, look who it is. Isn’t that Lady LeBlanc?”
Just as LeBlanc finished paying and was about to leave the shop, a nasal voice stopped her. LeBlanc merely looked the woman up and down—her voluminous dress and heavy makeup—without offering any greeting.
Realizing that LeBlanc didn’t recognize her, the woman forced a smile behind her fan.
“I’m Countess Dina of the House of Sephon. We met at your debutante ball before, Lady LeBlanc. The memory of that debutante was so strong—you must have forgotten me because of it.”
Dina addressed her in a sweet, affected voice. To LeBlanc, it was a distant memory, but her debutante had indeed been quite humiliating.
The debutante orchestrated by Berti hadn’t been a stage to celebrate LeBlanc as the protagonist—it had been a spectacle for others to mock her. By deliberately bringing it up, Dina was sneering at her.
The old LeBlanc would have flushed red and fled the moment her debutante was mentioned. But now, it was simply something that had happened too long ago—leaving behind only vague memories and faint displeasure, with no real impact.
“Oh, was that so? I tend not to remember people who aren’t particularly noteworthy.”
“What did you say?”
“It’s already been nearly a month since I obtained the title of Countess and became independent. Yet you still call me a ‘ducal lady’—it makes it quite clear how things are run in the Sephon household.”
At LeBlanc’s blunt words, Dina’s face twisted. Having become a countess at a young age, Dina was one of those who followed Berti, the mistress of Arnetio.
Always eager to stay in Berti’s good graces, she had grown used to looking down on LeBlanc after watching Berti do so. She knew LeBlanc had become a countess, but she had pretended otherwise to embarrass her.
She clearly hadn’t expected LeBlanc to point it out so directly and turn the attack back on her. Forcing herself to remain calm, Dina prepared to strike again.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry. When I first heard about your marriage, I thought you were just playing house. I never imagined it was a real marriage.”
At those words, LeBlanc’s expression went blank, and Dina’s lips curled slightly upward. Then Dina noticed Siesha standing beside her and raised her eyebrows exaggeratedly, tilting her head.
“But then… who is that man beside you? He doesn’t seem to be your husband. Surely you didn’t bring someone else because you were too embarrassed to bring your real one?”
At her rude remark, Lily and Siesha—who had been silently watching—also stiffened. Sensing the chill in the air and convinced she had the upper hand, Dina covered her mouth with her fan and smiled thinly.
