Translator: Yonnee
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Chapter 40
At that thought, I burst out laughing as I looked at this cute Doggy and the reliable Damian.
I was so glad these two were by my side.
The tea table was set just as I asked Amber, so I sat languidly under the warm sun’s rays.
Hm, as expected, people should live under the sun.
Doggy’s mumbling voice was nice to listen to, and the same was true with Damian’s voice, even as he rebutted and scolded Doggy.
While enjoying this leisure, I saw a carriage pulling into the driveway. It had the Duchy’s insignia emblazoned on it.
“Brother must be back.”
It was the carriage that Lucian usually used. I sprang up to welcome him.
Lucian must have been very busy. I hadn’t seen Lucian at all since that night, and even during mealtimes, I couldn’t see him because I was busy as well.
My bias.
I need to recharge by seeing my beloved bias!
I hurried my steps. I could feel Doggy and Damian following me, but all my attention was solely directed at Lucian’s carriage as I headed for it.
As I walked faster, I happily called out to Lucian when he got off the carriage.
“Brother!”
Those golden irises, which seem to be brighter than the sun, met my gaze. His cold eyes soon curved up when he saw me.
“Ray.”
It’s been too long since I last saw Lucian. Our obsessive male lead grew up to be so reliable.
A tall physique, broad shoulders, long legs, and a perfect face.
He became such a fine young man without even a hint of his old image of an unfeeling doll.
“You’re back.”
The corners of Lucian’s lips crept up slowly at my words. I stood in front of him, staring directly at those lips that had a nice smile.
“I’m back, Ray.”
My heart fluttered at his low voice.
Wow, he even has a very nice voice.
My bias, you’re really no joke. How is it possible that you grew up so well?
Of course, the leaves had been green ever since he was young, but he transformed well from an obsessive yandere seme to a kind, sweet seme.
Really. He’s absolutely perfect.
But… What if it didn’t work out with Noah?
I was wracked with worries again the moment I saw him. I wanted Noah to live a happy life with Lucian, but I think Noah’s seeing another man right now…
So who the hell should I introduce to Lucian?
I don’t think it can be a woman.
In the first place, Noah was the only one Lucian ever liked, so the cheat key of knowing the original narrative was useless.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Realizing that I was holding his hand, my eyes widened as I looked up at him.
And on top of that, we had already entered the mansion.
I got lost in thought for only a moment, but how did we get here?
Surprised by my own self, I replied, “It’s nothing big. I was just wondering who you’ll spend the rest of his life with, Brother.”
Hm… I’m sure he has a type, right?
He used to like Noah.
…But he wouldn’t be able to get married.
The Empire had yet to accept relationships with the same gender, so marriage equality would be even harder to achieve.
I must have looked at him with a pitiful look on my face because Lucian’s expression changed subtly, but then returned to his original expression.
“I sometimes wonder what goes on in your head, Ray.”
I was appalled by the mere mention.
Why do you want to know what I’m thinking about?
You’ll get hurt if you can hear my thoughts.
You don’t know how much I’m hiding from you.
But in any case, it’s a shame.
I still think Noah’s the best for Lucian.
“Brother, did you get tailored for a new suit, too? I just picked out my dress for the debutante.”
Lucian was also going to attend the debutante. Of course, the Imperial Family was going to hold it, so he was required to participate.
But more than that, I was excited because I’d never attended a banquet ever since I was young.
Maybe it’s because it’s been a while, but I was feeling pretty excited.
“Brother, a while ago, Doggy put a red rose in his ear and asked me if he was cute.”
As we walked all the way to my room, I talked nonstop, but Lucian listened to my chattering without cutting me off.
I liked how he looked at me with those affectionate eyes, so I giggled when I saw him, but again… he lifted a hand to caress my cheek, slowly, gently, as though he was touching something very precious.
“Brother, you must eat together with me today. Don’t you know how lonely I am?”
“Alright.”
Even the way he answered was so kind now. Only then did it hit me.
Oh, I’m back.
I liked the South. I got to relax a lot there, but it was so much better to be beside my bias.
He stroked my cheek with his thumb. Not from bottom to top like last time, but from top to bottom.
I puffed up my cheeks as much as I could and stuck out my lips, but he pressed my lips back down with his thumb, as if to put them back in.
It was so funny that I laughed so hard, I had to close my eyes.
Our bias~!
You’re no longer a man to be consumed with regret, now you’re a man of passion! A very talented and kind seme!
That’s right, I shouldn’t care if he would never get involved with Noah.
There must be another man who’d make Lucian happy!
I’ll be sure to be on the lookout at the upcoming banquet.
I shouted inwardly to myself as I made a new resolution.
Plan A? Scratch that! We’re going for Plan B!
Still rubbing my lips slowly, without knowing that he was still looking at me intently, I just smiled broadly in delight.
✦
The chill in the air gradually disappeared as spring came in full bloom, and so from the greenery, white magnolias and pink buds had blossomed.
Unlike the rose gardens that had preservation magic on them, the trees I saw on the path showed off the charms of the present season.
I ate breakfast separately in my room today, and I could only pout at the small amount of food that couldn’t even be called breakfast.
People lived to eat. Who would think that this was enough even to inhale through their nose?
I looked at Amber helplessly, trying to beg for more, but she was so busy that she didn’t even see.
Because today was my coming of age.
Having only eaten a bowl of soup and a simple plate of salad, I was immediately taken hostage by Amber as she dolled me up from head to toe.
I was thinly lathered with oils that had subtle hints to them, and even my nails and my split ends did not survive Amber’s attention.
I usually wore comfortable dresses, but I couldn’t do that this time.
I opted for dresses that didn’t need a corset for them, but the closer I got to adulthood, the more frequent it became that Amber tried to force me to wear them.
But I was so good at avoiding it!
And yet… I had no choice but to wear it today. I clutched the bed post with both hands nervously as I got laced up with the first corset I’d ever put on.
I did this because I remember seeing it in a movie once.
“Milady, why are you holding onto the bed post?” Amber asked in a curious voice.
Huh? Wasn’t this how you did it?
Amber put the corset around me. The feeling of having something tight over my waist was awkward, but it wasn’t enough to feel like dying from asphyxiation.
No, to be honest, I think my back feels more comfortable because it wasn’t as tight as I expected it to be?
I thought she’d need another maid to assist her, but Amber got me into the dress all by herself.
Feeling strange, I asked, “The corset is really light. Shouldn’t it be more uncomfortable?”
“Who wears a corset like that these days? This one’s the developed version, so it shouldn’t be uncomfortable.”
“Then why did you give me so little food? Didn’t I have to tighten my waist?”
“Even if it’s not like that, people usually eat less when there’s a banquet, even to the point of just having one cup of tea.”
“Why?”
“It wouldn’t be nice to wear a dress with a bulging belly.”
Maybe my belly would still stick out even if I wore a corset, but I soon agreed with her.
Let’s go to the banquet and eat a lot!
The dress I was wearing matched my eyes. With dark blue as its main color, there were gold leaves and vines embroidered as the design.
First, I put on a white lace dress with silver embroidery, then a dark blue robe over it, and it’s closed with a ribbon of the same color as the main design with a leaf in front.
After styling my hair in a half-up hairstyle to suit the debutante, a pin was used to keep it in place. Then, a flower corsage and some jewelry were placed on me as well.
The emerald necklace and earrings set were given by the Duke as a gift.
After my make-up was done, I stood in front of the mirror and saw a different version of me.
For the first time since I reincarnated, I was dressed up to nines.
Until now, I had stayed in my comfort zone because I didn’t socialize with others that much, and this was possible because both the Duchess and the Duke were considerate of me.
But now, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I looked pretty, too.
Perhaps because I could still feel a slight disconnect with this body, I didn’t think that this face suited me, but I was still excited to see myself become beautiful like this.
“Milady, there is also a doll for you.”
Amber handed me the fashion doll that the designer made for me. The doll had the same dress I wore, and it looked very luxurious and cute.
“Will I get a doll every time a dress is tailored for me?”
“That’s usually the case, but this is more special. His Grace especially ordered this doll to look just like you.”
The Duke still took good care of me even though he was busy with work. The endless affection made me feel giddy inside.
Knock knock, knock, knock knock knock.
I heard a familiar knock, and so I urged Amber to hurry and open the door.
And when I saw Lucian come in, I wanted to faint right there on the spot.
Kyaaa! My bias! So handsome! Look at that face! Absolutely perfect~!
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