Summer Must Die - Chapter 69

Russell and Summer first visited a famous boutique. The clerk, startled by the sudden appearance of the duke, quickly rushed inside and soon returned with the madam.

“Blue tones would suit both of you.”

“Yes.”

“Or pink tones are also trendy these days. It would look great on the young lady too. Though it might be a bit too much for the duke to wear.”

The madam, being truly passionate about clothes, eventually forgot they were nobles and enthusiastically started finding suitable outfits.

For Summer, who had no expertise in clothing, it was extremely convenient.

She just had to sit still while the madam bustled about, calling tailors and jewelers, checking and asking about various things.

By the time beads of sweat formed on the madam’s forehead despite the cool interior, the outfits were decided.

“How is it?”

It was a deep blue dress with elaborate silver embroidery, so magnificent that Summer’s jaw dropped, thinking it was more splendid than a wedding dress.

“I love it! Really!”

“We’ll take that. And I’d like to see some more casual women’s clothing.”

“I’ll bring the catalog right away.”

The madam hurried away again and returned. She was holding an enormously large and thick catalog under her arm.

“Um… Russell. Is that…”

“It’s necessary.”

True. Due to the sudden move to Bertrand estate, she had been wearing dresses that Mary and Daisy had hastily packed.

From Summer’s perspective, having lived in Korea, she thought she had plenty of clothes even now, but in this world, it might be considered that her wardrobe was almost empty.

Moreover, as she had lost some weight, most of the dresses she used to wear had become loose.

“Well, what do you think? Are there any clothes you like?”

“Um… Well. They all look pretty to me, I can’t really tell the difference.”

“Then let’s get ten pieces of suitable designs from these.”

“Ten pieces? That’s not necessary!”

“You’ll need them in the future. I plan to be quite bothersome.”

Russell, having finished the calculation, stood up. Summer, who got up hesitantly after him, looked a bit flustered.

“Is it really okay to buy them?”

“Of course.”

After leaving the boutique, they got into a carriage and moved somewhere.

Summer, having just seen such splendid clothes, didn’t even realize where they were heading.

Belatedly noticing they had entered the central street, Summer asked.

“Where are we going now?”

“There’s a newly opened restaurant that’s quite good, I hear. I was thinking we could have lunch there.”

“Oh, that sounds good to me!”

“And we plan to visit a salon after.”

“A salon?”

“They say some good artworks have come in, so it might be nice to take a look.”

Summer nodded agreeably, but suddenly felt that their current casual outing seemed quite strange.

It was familiar, yet unfamiliar. Real, yet unreal.

“Summer?”

“Ah. It just feels a bit odd.”

“It certainly is a bit strange.”

“You think so too?”

“There.”

Russell pointed with his fingertip to an alley. That part alone looked somewhat hazy overall.

“It seems the god of this world doesn’t consider descriptions very important.”

“…You can see that?”

“I can.”

“That place will probably be used for some event later.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. In my experience, ordinary markets or streets that the author doesn’t pay attention to were normal. Rather, beings bound by vague settings had bizarre forms.”

Like the Lindsey estate.

“…”

“Summer?”

“That’s right. The Lindsey estate doesn’t even appear in a single line in the book. I wonder why it was like that.”

Was it a coincidence that she fell here? Why did the author make the Lindsey estate so vague and terrible?

If they had just described it as ‘a harmonious, affectionate, and beautiful noble mansion’, it would have naturally appeared as ordinary as this street.

Perhaps from the beginning, was there some intervention? From where to where?

“Summer.”

“…Did they know I was coming from the start?”

“Summer. We’ve arrived.”

“Ah…”

“What were you so lost in thought about?”

“Just, random thoughts.”

Summer shook her head hard once and followed Russell out of the carriage.

The restaurant, probably because it was newly built, was splendid and clean. Perhaps because they only accepted nobles, there weren’t many customers.

“It’s really a solid class system, isn’t it?”

Summer blurted out while observing people through the glass window. The food taste was excellent, and it was nice that it wasn’t crowded.

But Summer felt uncomfortable somewhere, as if wearing ill-fitting clothes.

It would take more time to adjust to a culture and set of values so different from her original world in every aspect.

No, she had no intention of adjusting. Because she would go back.

“They and we aren’t that different, but blood and wealth create such differences.”

“Do you think that’s right, Russell?”

“As long as surplus capital exists, class systems exist everywhere. It’s just that the forms are different. To solve the parts that make Summer uncomfortable, we’d probably have to fly back to the distant past when people farmed and were self-sufficient.”

“I suppose so…”

“Wasn’t that world free of these uncomfortable aspects?”

“It had them. But it’s not a world with a class system. Although classes are divided according to capital. At least there’s a higher possibility of moving up than here.”

“That sounds hopeful.”

“Well, maybe. It could also be false hope.”

Summer replied, poking the delicious-looking food that had arrived with her fork while they were talking.

The meal was excellent. Summer gently rubbed her full stomach. Fortunately, the elaborate dress with layers of frills didn’t show it much.

The salon Russell guided her to was quite large.

“There are quite a lot of people.”

“Some have come to see the exhibition, and others for social activities.”

“It’s really nice. Being able to drink tea while looking at artworks.”

It felt like most of the nobles seen at the imperial banquet were here too.

“Duke! It’s an honor to have you come all the way here!”

The host of this salon quickly ran out to greet Russell warmly.

After greeting Summer as well, the host was desperate to exchange a few more words with Russell.

Summer tapped Russell’s shoulder lightly, and Russell naturally leaned his upper body towards Summer.

“Russell, I’m going to look around for a bit.”

As Summer whispered in his ear, Russell was about to follow her immediately.

“Then let’s go together…”

“No one will bother me if I’m alone. You know that.”

It was a gentle refusal. And it wasn’t wrong either. As soon as they entered, most people in the salon were almost targeting Russell.

If Summer was alone, she could quietly enjoy the exhibition, but if she walked around with Russell, they would have to keep receiving greetings from the nobles like this.

And Summer still had a strong aversion to this world.

“…Don’t go too far.”

“I’m not a child. I understand.”

Summer let out a small laugh at Russell’s caution and gave him an eye greeting.

Separated from Russell, Summer could finally leisurely view the paintings and sculptures.

And she stopped at one painting.

The huge painting was clearly a landscape, but it had a dynamic feel.

There were many landscape paintings depicting beautiful and warm spring, or autumn with falling leaves in brilliant colors, or winter with a lonely and cold atmosphere.

But this was the only landscape painting depicting midsummer.

“…Summer.”

She softly murmured her name in this world. Summer Lindsey. A woman with golden hair resembling sunlight and blue eyes holding a chilly lake.

“Summer!”

Summer turned at the familiar voice from behind. The one calling Summer was none other than Ferotia. Ferotia Legacy.

“Ah. Lady Legacy.”

“Oh my, it’s been so long!”

Ferotia affectionately grasped both of Summer’s hands. The eyes of the noble ladies sitting at the table focused on them.

Summer was puzzled by Ferotia’s suddenly affectionate attitude.

But no matter how closely she looked at her face, there was no sense of intentional acting.

“Yes, it has. Have you been well, my lady?”

“I haven’t been well because I couldn’t see Summer. You were badly hurt at the hunting competition. Are you alright now?”

“Yes. I’m fine now.”

“Really, really, I wanted to visit you.”

“Just your concern and thoughts are more than enough.”

Ferotia kept firmly holding Summer’s hands with a somewhat desperate look. It was strange.

The face Ferotia showed only to Summer looked somewhat anxious.

“I wanted to visit. Really.”

“I know, Ferotia. That you think well of me.”

“…My goodness. Is that true?”

“Yes, Lady Legacy.”

“No, no! You didn’t call me that just now!”

“Ah… Ferotia?”

“Yes, Summer. I really cherish you.”

“Um, thank you.”

Ferotia hugged Summer abruptly, then let go, aghast at her own action.

Why is she like this? Summer pondered internally, trying to figure out Ferotia’s intentions somehow.

“So I won’t pretend to know Summer. I won’t write letters, and I can’t visit when you’re sick.”

“…?”

Now Ferotia’s gray eyes were almost glinting with madness. She even looked desperate.

What could the daughter of a duke’s family, loved by her father and brother and positioned at the highest place, possibly lack?

She wasn’t a lonely wallflower, Ferotia was the flower and center of social circles.

So why was she grasping Summer’s hands with such desperate eyes?

Summer pulled Ferotia’s voluminous white hair a bit more to cover Ferotia’s face.

To hide from those who were observing maliciously while pretending not to.

“Still, please know that I really… really think of Summer intimately.”

“I will.”

Summer wanted to dig deeper into why Ferotia was showing a different side from the original work, but she had a feeling it would lead to troublesome matters.

“Summer…”

“Whenever you need anything, send me a letter through Duke Bertrand.”

“…Duke Bertrand? Is that rumor true?”

“Well, to some extent. But you know, sometimes people need a crazy person. When you want to solve something, when it’s hard to do with a sane mind. Find me at those times.”

“…”

“I’m a crazy person who’s not even afraid of death. The rumor, it’s true.”

Summer winked playfully. Ferotia nodded repeatedly with a somewhat dazed expression.

Now Ferotia looked more like Summer’s age. The world had given too heavy a role to a child who had just come of age.

Ferotia falls later with the Legacy family. For the happy ending of the protagonists.

“Summer, thank you.”

“Make sure to find me.”

Leaving only those words, Ferotia hurriedly left Summer’s side. As if she shouldn’t appear to be close.

It was a moment when Summer became certain that someone was arbitrarily controlling Ferotia’s relationships.