One Day My Sister Died - Chapter 22

Among the maids scrutinizing the sample design book, Monica was particularly enthusiastic in recommending various things to Yuan.

“My lady, although you have slender arms and legs, you have some flesh on your chest and hips, so if you wear things too loosely, you’ll look duller than your actual figure. With your black hair, any color will suit you well, but if you wear bright colors like pink or yellow, even if you wear something that shows your figure a bit, it won’t look excessive!”

Monica, who got along perfectly with the dressmaker Michelle, made decisions for Yuan before she could even say whether she liked something or not.

In fact, Yuan found that more convenient.

She didn’t dislike dressing up with pretty clothes and shoes, but having lived through her adolescence without much regard for such things, she knew what was pretty but was clumsy at choosing.

Monica was a maid in her late twenties with a sophisticated appearance, and she boasted about her experience of being in charge of dressing a young lady from a wealthy noble family when she was younger.

Her stubbornness was as strong as a bull’s, and when Yuan hinted that something might be too much, Monica would explain persistently why it wasn’t excessive and why she must wear it, earning applause from the maids and surrender from Yuan.

The butler, watching from afar, judged that if they only followed Yuan’s wishes, there would be no point in bringing in outsiders to the mansion.

In the end, through the collaboration of dressmaker Michelle, who wanted to secure a significant share, and Monica, who wanted to be in charge of dressing the lady instead of doing laundry work, Yuan ended up ordering over thirty outfits.

“Th-thirty outfits…”

“My lady, these are winter clothes, so I’ve ordered thick shawls, gloves lined with sheepskin, and the earmuffs and fur cloaks you often use, made with angora wool. All those little things are included! Thirty outfits aren’t just thirty outfits, you know?”

“That’s right, my lady. The mistress of the Lev Marquis family, whom I serve exclusively, orders even more than this every year. Since we’re not ordering extravagant party dresses, I’ve composed it with much more practical and lighter dresses.”

Eventually, the dull dark green dress that Yuan always wore was immediately removed by Monica’s hands.

Yuan, while taking off her clothes, stubbornly insisted that she wouldn’t throw away the dress that Louise had mended several times.

Then, when dressmaker Michelle offered to fix it neatly along with the new clothes, she handed over the dress.

Yuan, wearing a lavender dress that Michelle had brought as a sample and altered on the spot, had to stand awkwardly and watch as her beloved green dress was mercilessly packed into Michelle’s clothing box.

“Will it be alright, butler?”

After seeing off Michelle, who rode away in her carriage shaking her hips excitedly, Yuan asked worriedly.

Butler Gustav, who had been admiring anew how extraordinary the lady’s beauty was, answered with a puzzled look.

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t have parties or visitors here. I’ve ordered thirty outfits.”

To her worried face like a child who had done something wrong, the butler reassured her.

“My lady, this place may be quite poor, but doesn’t the master always wear just a robe?”

Yuan rolled her eyes, recalling Clard who always wore the same outfit.

The butler reassured her again.

“So, it won’t topple us if one lady gets some more ‘normal’ clothes. His Highness has permitted it too.”

Yuan, whose face had clouded with worry, relaxed at Gustav’s joking words and a faint smile appeared on her face.

The mistress’s bedroom was like that, and so were the colorful new clothes to be made.

Although it wasn’t done with his own money, Butler Gustav felt a sense of satisfaction every time he saw Yuan quietly rejoicing.

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The round shadow of Count Peliesse lingered in front of the 1st Prince’s palace.

Although he had requested an audience in advance, he had entered the palace as soon as the gates opened, not knowing what variables this capricious prince might create.

Sure enough.

1st Prince Boloniko, dressed in a wrinkle-free white uniform, was stepping out of the palace with what looked like at least 50 attendants.

His golden bob cut, sharp as if sliced with a knife, sparkled like gold dust with every movement.

His somewhat pointy, proud nose turned upwards and then towards Count Peliesse.

The plump flesh under his eyes curved mischievously.

“Ah, who do we have here.”

“Glory to the great Yufris forever! Your High-ness the 1st Prince!”

“So noisy early in the morning, fatty count.”

That blue-green young brat!

Count Peliesse gritted his teeth and bowed his head even lower.

Although he had been the first to show excessive courtesy, he didn’t deserve such an insult.

1st Prince Boloniko always resorted to childish personal attacks like this when someone didn’t please him. He only called him Count Peliesse, using his correct name, when he was in his good graces.

Pretending to dislike it but actually loving the attention, Boloniko, in the late stages of prince disease, needed this ridiculous theater.

Count Peliesse, as if he hadn’t even heard the words “fatty count,” bent his waist in half.

“Please pro-tect my niece from the ter-rible former prince Your High-ness!”

“Boloniko doesn’t understand what you’re saying.”

“The former prince Clard Yufris Your High-ness has taken away two of my precious nieces! Without a wedding ceremony! I’ve never heard of such a marriage!”

It was actually Marquis Kompani who had taken them away on imperial orders, but the count reported according to Boloniko’s taste.

“A wedding ceremony? For a prince in name only who’s just on the imperial genealogy, a wedding ceremony is too wasteful. It’s already a waste of manpower to find him brides. Right?”

Boloniko asked Marquis Kompani behind him.

Marquis Kompani, who had already frowned deeply upon seeing Count Peliesse’s shadow, nodded without a word and stepped up beside Boloniko.

“Even if there were to be a wedding ceremony. If Count Peliesse had any shame, he wouldn’t think of showing his face at the wedding!”

“Boloniko, same thought.”

1st Prince Boloniko raised his chin haughtily.

“I offset the crime of not reporting that there were two nieces with the next bride. Boloniko is too merciful. Right?”

“That’s right. To dare try to deceive Your Highness. It’s a miracle his head is still attached.”

“Ah, since I’ve come all the way to Ciel, shall I give you some news you might like as a gift, fatty count?”

Count Peliesse, who had still not straightened his half-bent waist, slightly raised his head. The bob-haired prince grinned.

“Even if there’s no wedding ceremony, there will be a chance to see fatty count’s niece at that rumored black mansion.”

“Is, is that true?”

“It seems Boloniko’s beautiful and hideous cousin has finally found his match. When I told him to prove the wedding night, an answer came right away.”

“What?”

“Boloniko was so happy. My brother who has finally found his match. What a beautiful pair they must be? Boloniko likes beautiful things. Right?”

“You have the best aesthetic sense in Yufris.”

While Count Peliesse was dumbfounded by the words “prove the wedding night,” Kompani attentively cared for Boloniko.

Usually, he would have thought they were a well-matched pair of cockroaches, but now the count’s mind was filled with words like ‘the former prince who found his match’ and ‘prove the wedding night’ running wild.

“Anyway, there will be some interesting events soon, so wait, traitor fatty count.”

“Wa-wait! Your Highness! Your Highness! I am not a traitor! Two nieces…”

“Boloniko will include fatty count in the fun. We’ll see then if you’re a useful subject or not. Boloniko is merciful. Right?”

“I only hope this shameless fellow knows how to be grateful.”

“Boloniko, same thought.”

Prince Boloniko turned his head primly, stroking the hilt of the rapier at his side, regardless of how pale Count Peliesse’s expression had become.

The attendants who had been giggling like an audience followed his graceful, even elegant steps, passing by the “fatty count” one by one.

Usually, Count Peliesse would have been dwelling on the humiliation, but now he couldn’t move an inch.

“Prove the wed-ding night?”

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Early in the morning, new clothes arrived from dressmaker Michelle.

Since thirty outfits had been ordered, not all of them had come.

A fur cloak that covered the hips, tightly knitted with purple yarn symbolizing the imperial family and trimmed with angora fur at the ends, along with a snow-white angora fur scarf and earmuffs were packed in a box.

What pleased Yuan the most was the neatly mended dark green dress.

The traces of Louise’s mending were not completely gone, but the same color had been neatly overlaid on top of them.

At a glance, it looked like a new dress.

Yuan put on the mended dress, fur cloak, and even the earmuffs securely before leaving her bedroom.

As she passed by Clard’s room, she walked slowly, making her presence known, but he did not call for her.

It had already been two days.

He was a man whose thoughts were sometimes understandable and sometimes not.

Yuan felt uneasy about why he wasn’t calling for her, but with each passing day of these peaceful days, she felt sorry towards Louise.

It felt like only she had become comfortable.

If only she could get closer to Clard quickly and bring up Louise somehow.

Yuan was about to ignore whether he called for her or not, but in the end, she wandered around the garden where he could look down on her.

She didn’t have the courage to barge into his bedroom without reason, and she hoped he would notice her in the garden.

She wanted to throw even a small stone to call him out.

‘Is he looking at me?’

She wanted to look up at the window.

Remembering the curtains that used to be drawn abruptly as if rejecting her whenever she looked up at that room’s window, Yuan’s head never turned in that direction.

Because if she did, the conversation would be cut off before she could even try to speak.

After wandering around for a long time hoping he might pick a fight, Yuan finally turned to look at Clard’s room window as the sunset began.

Surprisingly, the curtains were not drawn.

Clard had not been watching her.

Yuan felt a bit embarrassed but also thought it was for the best, and started jumping up and down in place to try to see into his room.

She thought that if she made a bit of a commotion here, he might open the window.

Even though it was the second floor, it was quite high in this enormous mansion, so the inside wasn’t visible, but if Clard was standing nearby, she might be able to see at least his hair.

After jumping like that for a while.

As she was bent over panting heavily, a slow creaking sound poured down from above.