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Chapter 14
“Eh? Sister Minuet? Was that really Sister Minuet who just went out?”
As Minuet ran out, Lilliane walked in and pointed behind her while asking Jeraina, the maid of Grand Duchess Crowley.
“My goodness. The maids were searching everywhere for her. She was here?”
At the unexpected yet welcome face, Lady Violet’s smile grew brighter.
“Lilliane LeVine! How long has it been? Jeraina, bring tea for Lilliane at once.”
“Your Grace, I heard you had returned to the Visk Empire and came right away, but it seems my sister was faster than me.”
Lilliane bent her knees politely and greeted the Grand Duchess.
“How has your health been lately? When I heard of His Grace the Grand Duke Crowley’s passing, I was so shocked. I worried that Your Grace might have harmed your health.”
So refined and graceful that it was hard to believe she was from the same LeVine family, Lilliane gently took the Grand Duchess’s hand with a concerned expression.
“Thank you, dear. As you see, I am quite well. I have not even caught a common cold. When one grows old, one realizes everything simply passes.”
“You did well to return. It is better than staying alone in Nikander. I am here, and so is Your Grace’s younger brother, His Majesty the Emperor.”
The Grand Duchess stroked Lilliane’s hair affectionately.
“My own news is dull and insignificant, but yours has been very interesting.”
Lilliane’s eyes widened slightly as she sipped her tea.
“The social circle of Visk chose its queen quite rightly. After Countess Janson passed away, no one brought me news of society, but that particular news reached me easily.”
Jeraina, her hair streaked with gray, paused while refilling the teacup and glanced at the pile of newspapers.
“Her Grace does not read them at all, even though I place all kinds in the drawing room. These days everyone learns society news through newspapers.”
“Hmph. I do not trust words not spoken face to face. What honor is there in hiding behind a pen and digging into others’ secrets? Yet society praises it so highly. It is nothing but vulgar gossip.”
Lady Violet pushed the newspapers far away in disgust.
“Then I shall visit often and tell you the news myself. As you know, I am the Queen of this year’s Debutante.”
“Of course. There is no lady like Miss Lilliane. From childhood you had such a pretty face and proper manners. I always knew you would debut successfully.”
Jeraina and the Grand Duchess reminisced about the first time Lilliane had visited the estate.
Lilliane, embarrassed by hearing about her childhood again, changed the topic.
“But I never imagined that pretentious sister of mine would be hiding in the Crowley estate.”
Though it sounded like criticism, her voice carried concern.
“The daughters of the LeVine family are always welcome.”
“She keeps disappearing lately. I wondered where she went.”
“She has been helping me with my garden.”
“Pardon? The garden?”
Garden. Or work.
It was unclear which word shocked her more, but Lilliane almost dropped her teacup.
“I noticed she changed after recovering her health, but… I truly wonder if she is the sister I once knew.”
“Even so, she is a very kind child.”
Lilliane smiled gently without lifting her cup.
“She is kind… I think she suits His Highness the Crown Prince very well. I do not know why she is being so stubborn.”
“The Crown Prince? Suits? You mean our Onyx?”
Only then did Lilliane set down her cup and look at the Grand Duchess.
“Oh my, did you not know?”
Lady Violet stared at her in disbelief. After a moment of thought, she finally noticed an illustration sticking out from the pile of newspapers Jeraina had stacked.
It was the very face of the girl who had just stood before her smiling brightly in a hat.
“Oh my, my lady. Thank you for giving such a humble man such a precious opportunity.”
Minuet quickly grabbed Miller’s thick hand, still holding his straw hat, as he kept bowing.
To supply goods directly to a noble lady—
The rough straw hat contrasted sharply with the elegant one Minuet wore, making the moment feel even more overwhelming.
“Hello, Mr. Miller. The honor is mine. Charlotte told me you are the finest craftsman in Ivelia.”
“You flatter me.”
Miller scratched his head awkwardly with his rough hand. Unlike Minuet, who was used to meeting business partners from her long company life, Miller trembled simply from standing before a high-born lady.
In a shaking voice, he thanked her deeply for recognizing his talent and paying generously. Thanks to her, he would not be thrown out of his house this winter and could raise his children in peace.
“I made it just as you described… Would you care to see?”
Miller carefully opened the wooden box.
Inside lay water lilies made of delicate silk—so light and beautiful that it was hard to believe they were crafted by those rough hands.
Holding one water lily, Miller extended it toward Minuet.
“I floated it in water just as you said. It floats very well.”
“It’s so beautiful. Even better than I imagined.”
Minuet admired it with both hands.
“You wrote such detailed notes. I only made it as you instructed. You are the remarkable one, my lady.”
Behind Miller’s repeated bows, a little child poked their head out from the cart and stuck out their tongue.
“Father said you were too detailed~”
“You rascal! Stay inside!”
Miller scolded the child awkwardly, and Minuet smiled.
“I was very meticulous, wasn’t I?”
“No, not at all, my lady! I would never dare— I did not mean—”
“I’m just glad you understood my vision and made it so well. Charlotte was right. Your workshop is the best in Ivelia. I look forward to working with you again.”
“Oh my, my lady. I am the one who should say that.”
As Minuet turned away, Charlotte counted three gold coins from a blue pouch and handed them to Miller.
While Miller protested that it was too much and Charlotte insisted he accept the Grand Duchess’s generosity, Minuet lifted one box of water lilies and walked toward the lake.
When she first saw the abandoned garden, she had thought of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. She had imagined how beautiful it would be if lilies bloomed in such a quiet place untouched by others.
“My lady, I’ll carry it.”
Eager to complete the image in her mind, Minuet carried the box herself. The servants gasped and hurried after her.
“My lady, please let us carry it!”
LeVine. LeVine.
The name echoed everywhere Onyx went, souring his mood from the morning.
Though the name on everyone’s lips was Lilliane’s, the person it made him think of was someone else.
Minuet LeVine.
Onyx clenched and unclenched his still-aching right fist, frowning.
Minuet was undeniably beautiful.
Even those who loudly declared she was the type of woman to avoid could not deny that.
So what?
Was he angry because the press cornered a lady and spoke ill of her?
Or because Griff’s usual nonsense annoyed him?
No matter how he thought about it, Onyx could not find a proper reason why his right hand had ended up injured after the debutante ball incident.
[Hey, why are you so worked up over a marriage you don’t even want? You’re not even officially engaged!]
Griff had not been wrong.
[She’s not even your woman! Since when do you react to my nonsense?]
Even while shouting in frustration after being punched, Griff had spoken nothing but the truth.
[Her neckline was killer.]
The moment Griff said it with that filthy grin, the image of himself buried beneath that “killer neckline” flashed in Onyx’s mind. A strange emotion surged again.
Was he angry?
Yes. That bold noble girl had drunkenly behaved disgracefully before him, the Crown Prince.
That must be why her behavior kept replaying in his mind all day.
[Her neckline was killer.]
Griff’s lewd voice echoed again.
Neckline? Her lips, the mole beside them. And her scent.
There was nothing about her that was not outrageous.
Moreover, the fact that he had not been able to handle one small woman and had been caught up in that disgrace made his teeth grind once more.
It must have been the mix of sweet strawberry wine and whiskey.
Surely that combination caused momentary paralysis.
Determined that a nationwide law banning the mixing of those two drinks should be enacted, Onyx walked into the garden of the Crowley estate.
“My lady, I’ll carry it.”
“No, Charlotte. I can carry this much. There are other things too.”
That familiar voice again.
Irritated, Onyx lifted his head toward the sound and saw two women arguing over a wooden box.
Minuet LeVine.
Even from afar, he recognized her at once and clicked his tongue.
Is she following me on purpose?
That was his first thought when he saw her staggering under a box that clearly looked too heavy.
Despite her boldness in snatching it from the maid, she lacked the strength to match.
Could she not simply walk quietly into a wedding hall one day and be satisfied with the expensive crown of Crown Princess bought for her?
Whether coincidence or scheme, these repeated meetings unsettled him. He had a strange feeling that the staggering woman would fall right in front of him.
What trick is this now?
Is she planning to collapse before me this time?
