TVRC 16

Chapter 16

“Pfft—.”

In the sharp silence, Leblanc suddenly burst out laughing. Caught completely off guard by her reaction, Daina stiffened and challenged her.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s just that I finally remembered Count Sephon’s face. He was quite old, wasn’t he? Money really must be nice… I’m not quite that strong-stomached myself.”

“What kind of rude nonsense is that? Are you saying I married the Count for nothing but money?”

Startled by Daina’s irritation-filled retort, Leblanc hurriedly covered her mouth with one hand. She blinked her eyes wide, staring at Daina as if genuinely surprised.

“Oh my, wouldn’t you naturally prefer a younger man over some decrepit old one? I didn’t know you truly loved your husband. Don’t tell me… you have a hobby of collecting old men?”

“W-what did you say?”

“Puh-!”

At that, Siesha, who had been standing behind her, let out a small laugh. Only then did Daina look around and realize that customers who had entered the boutique were whispering as they watched them. Finally grasping the situation, Daina’s face flushed with shame.

To Daina, Leblanc was unbearably infuriating. That woman who used to slink about the estate with a cowed, timid face was now looking down on her with a haughty expression—and what annoyed her even more were the other customers enjoying the spectacle.

Those nobles who loved to gossip about others would surely spread today’s incident far and wide. Unable to contain her anger any longer, Daina stormed out of the shop.

“T-that ill-mannered wretch! Countess, should I go after her and give her a piece of my mind?”

“Forget it. This isn’t the first or second time something like this has happened. We’ve bought all the clothes anyway—let’s head back.”

Leblanc left the shop with a truly indifferent expression. Watching her calm retreating figure, Lily let out a deep sigh.

Leblanc wasn’t lying to reassure the others, nor was she forcing herself to appear unaffected.

Having grown up enduring all manner of humiliation and contempt, she genuinely felt little emotion about the situation. But Lily, who had witnessed everything at her side, could only feel heartbroken.

She could at least get angry…

More than anyone, Lily knew how much Leblanc’s heart had rotted away before she could wear such a placid expression. She wished her mistress would cherish and love herself just a little more. The sight of her, so accustomed to misfortune and pain, felt unbearably pitiful.

Not long after, the carriage carrying the three of them returned to the territory of Peronto. Clothes and accessories filling the cargo wagon were carried inside one by one. Siesha, setting foot in such a splendid mansion for the first time in his life, stared around with his mouth hanging open.

“C-c-crazy! People actually live in a place like this?”

At the curse that slipped out naturally, Leblanc wagged her index finger to stop him.

“Siesha, you can’t talk like that anymore. And I don’t mind, but now that you’re inside the estate, make sure you use honorifics with others.”

“Got it!”

Siesha nodded vigorously. In truth, the person he most needed to speak politely to in this mansion was none other than Leblanc herself, but she didn’t mind much. Siesha was a child she had been connected to in the past.

Even back when he was four times larger than he was now, hadn’t Siesha followed Erkis and Leblanc around, tossing out blunt remarks? Knowing that this was one of his ways of expressing affection, Leblanc decided to leave him be.

“Countess, you’ve returned.”

Felln, who had come out to greet them, bowed deeply as he greeted her. Though he didn’t voice it aloud, he looked very curious about Siesha, who was sticking close to Leblanc’s side.

“This is Siesha. I plan to raise him as my escort from now on. Please assign him suitable quarters, and check with Sir Korden to see if separate instruction is possible. He’s young, but very clever—I’m sure the knight will take a liking to him.”

“I am pretty impressive.”

At Leblanc’s praise, Siesha’s shoulders lifted proudly. Ignoring him, Leblanc glanced around.

“Where’s Erkis?”

“He’s at the training grounds. I informed him that your carriage had returned, so he’ll likely be back at the mansion soon.”

“I see. Tell him to come up to my room.”

By the time Leblanc returned to her room, the luggage from the carriage had already filled it to the brim. As she opened the boxes and examined the clothes she’d bought one by one, a faint smile spread across her face.

Erkis will like these, right?

Imagining the look of delight on his face at the new clothes and accessories brightened her expression even more. After all, she had carefully chosen everything to suit his tastes—of course he would like them.

Perhaps this would be an opportunity for him to open his heart a little more. Not long after, a knock echoed through the room, and she spoke in a slightly excited voice.

“Come in.”

“Countess, you called for me. Did everything go well?”

“Yeah. Sorry for suddenly going out yesterday. Did you finish your meal properly?”

“Thanks to your concern.”

Perhaps because he was in a good mood today, Erkis smiled gently. Sitting at the table piled high with gifts, Leblanc pointed to the seat across from her.

“Come sit here for a moment.”

“Ah, so you stopped by the city. It looks like you went shopping.”

“Mm. These are for you, Erkis.”

“…For me?”

His movements froze slightly in surprise. Unaware of this, Leblanc began unwrapping the gifts one by one and laying them out before him with a fond touch.

“I bought this because it looks similar to what you usually wear, and this one just seemed like it would suit you. And this color matches your hair well, and this one…”

“W-wait, just a moment, Countess. Are all of these… really for me?”

“Yes.”

She nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Looking around belatedly, he realized the room was filled with boxes of his clothes. She hadn’t thought much of it while buying them, but seeing them all brought back made the quantity seem greater than expected.

To Leblanc, this was only natural. Compared to the gifts she had received from Erkis in her previous life, this was nothing. But the young Erkis seemed to think differently.

“Why… are you giving me something like this?”

His face stiffened, his eyes filled with confusion, as though the burden were too great. His reaction, completely unexpected, left Leblanc flustered as well.

“Why? Do I need a reason to give you a gift? We’re husband and wife.”

“That’s true, but how could someone like me receive such precious gifts…”

At that moment, Leblanc’s expression hardened coldly. The fist resting on her knee clenched tightly. For a moment, she looked at Erkis with a hollow expression.

It hurt that he spoke of himself so naturally in such a self-deprecating way, and at the same time she felt a strange sense of dissonance from him.

“Did you pick this flower for me? Ah, Rive… I truly am a happy man. I’m grateful to receive your love, so precious.”

Once again, memories of the past surfaced. Her partner, who would beam brightly and rub his face against her hand even if she brought him just a single rose from the garden. Those warm memories of him kissing her lips in return, no matter what she gave him. Thinking of it made her chest feel tight.

“Countess?”

“Hm?”

Startled by his voice calling her, Leblanc lifted her head. Erkis was avoiding her gaze, his head bowed, having not even touched the gifts.

“I don’t mean to complain about the gifts you’ve bestowed upon me. It’s just that they seem far too precious for someone like me to own… If I’ve displeased you, I apologize.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

The real Erkis wouldn’t have said something like that…

At that thought, she felt disgust toward herself. Without realizing it, she had separated the child before her from the Erkis who had once been her partner, thinking of them as two different beings.

Swallowing hard, she lowered her head and bit her lip deeply. But unlike reason, emotions that had fallen to the bottom once did not rise easily again.

I’m tired. Why do I even have to think like this…?

Though she was sitting face-to-face with Erkis, she missed him unbearably in that moment. Everything felt empty.

“Countess… are you upset because of me?”

Erkis called out to her once more. Only then did Leblanc notice the young Erkis watching her anxiously, gauging her mood. At the same time, she realized something was wrong.

She was projecting a version of Erkis that no one else remembered onto the child before her—and then selfishly feeling disappointed when he failed to meet her expectations.