Chapter 23

"Sister, I want that dress."

That day, as soon as they met at breakfast, Priscilla made her request.

Cordelia was wearing a crimson dress given to her by Leonhardt.

(...She's quite observant.)

This dress had not been worn since the incident with Katharina. Today, Leonhardt was visiting with a pair of gloves, so Cordelia decided to wear it. The moment she did, Priscilla expressed her desire for it, leaving no room for hesitation.

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden, Priscilla? You prefer pastel-colored dresses, don't you?"

"I like any beautiful dress. Will you give it to me?"

Priscilla spoke as if it were a foregone conclusion.

"No."

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

When Cordelia refused, three voices responded.

The first was Priscilla. The second and third were her parents, who had been watching the scene unfold without intervening, as if it were a common occurrence.

All three were shocked by Cordelia's refusal, blinking and frozen in place.

"...Sister, why are you being so mean?"

"I don't like what I don't like."

Having said that, Cordelia elegantly tilted her teacup.

(Expressing my own will without hesitation is indeed refreshing.)

As she savored her tea with a pleasant feeling, Priscilla pressed on undeterred.

"Why? Sister, you don't have any interest in dresses, do you?"

"That's right, Cordelia. You never had any sense of style. Stop making things difficult for Priscilla."

Cordelia's heart did not waver despite the rapid-fire criticism from her sister and father.

"I do have my preferences in clothing. I didn't express them before because Priscilla's clothing expenses were so high that there was no surplus left for mine."

"Cordelia, bringing up money is vulgar."

Her mother frowned.

Though it seemed like a reasonable point, the ones who allowed Priscilla's extravagance were her parents.

"I was just stating the current state of the earl's household. In a family, it's troublesome to get upset over such things."

"Even so, there's a way to say things, isn't there?"

"Then let me rephrase it. Priscilla, you already have many luxurious dresses. Why do you want more, especially mine?"

"I don't have a dress like the one you're wearing today."

Priscilla puffed out her cheeks.

"Sister, you usually give in so easily. It's strange. Is this dress that important to you? The fabric and tailoring of this dress aren't much different from the ones you usually wear. Why won't you give it to me?"

"The value of things isn't determined by money alone. I've already said it multiple times, but I don't like what I don't like."

Firmly refusing to give in, Cordelia's parents exchanged glances.

Until now, Cordelia had always given in to Priscilla's requests.

Sometimes she resisted, but in the past few years, she always ended up yielding.

Toys, storybooks, jewelry, and even her fiancé.

It seemed that the parents couldn't understand Cordelia's clear refusal.

"...Cordelia, stop being selfish and hurting Priscilla."

--- Isn't Priscilla the one being selfish?

(No matter what I say, Father won't understand.)

Cordelia reached a point of resignation and swallowed the last piece of bread.

Engaging in conversation while discreetly eating was one of her secret skills.

"Thank you for the meal. I have something to do, so I'll take my leave now."

"Cordelia, our conversation isn't over yet—"

"I'm busy. I haven't even finished writing a formal thank-you note to the person who lent me this dress."

"More importantly, we should talk about Priscilla—"

"If you want to continue the conversation, I'll listen tomorrow. I really don't have time today."

After making this promise, her parents seemed to back down.

From behind, Cordelia could hear the desperate voices trying to calm Priscilla.

Once the parents' voices faded, Cordelia let out a sigh of relief.

(Good. It seems they didn't suspect the origin of this dress.)

The true giver of the dress was Leonhardt, but revealing this would lead to the story of him rescuing Cordelia in the forest, which would be problematic. Therefore, they had agreed that the first time they met was in the courtyard of her home.

"After escaping from the forest alone, I borrowed a dress from a friend and returned home. Leonhardt was in the courtyard when I arrived, and he got caught up in the commotion with Katharina."

(…It's good that they believed this story so easily.)

If they believed it, they would normally ask who the friend was who lent her the dress. However, her parents had no interest in her social circle and simply let it pass.

The head of the household, her father, should have written a note in the thank-you letter, but he had been delegating all such tasks to Cordelia for the past few years.

Thanks to this, she could avoid scrutiny of the friend's identity and easily get away with it, but the parents' laissez-faire attitude left Cordelia with no choice but to smile wryly.

(Father and Mother are only interested in the adorable Priscilla and their own hobbies like hunting and theater. They don't care about their duties as nobles or about me.)

The parents' only wish was to pamper and please Priscilla.

Cordelia, who had seen through their ways and accepted Priscilla's "requests" with a dry heart, felt differently now.

(I don't want to waste the prince's kindness because of our family's situation.)

The dress was chosen for Cordelia by Leonhardt. Giving it to her sister would be disrespectful and unpleasant, so Cordelia, unusually, wanted to be selfish and keep it.

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Time passed as Cordelia handled her miscellaneous tasks, and it was time for Leonhardt to visit.

(Well, I managed to get everything ready. I managed to send Priscilla off without any issues...)

As expected, Priscilla put up quite a fuss at the last minute.

She was already in a bad mood due to the dress incident and looked very displeased.

However, it was also a problem for the parents to have Priscilla at the house today.

With the help of the parents and Topaz, who was accompanying them to the theater, they managed to persuade Priscilla to leave. The father had given strict orders to the servants to ensure Priscilla didn't escape, so there was no need to worry.

Cordelia, having finished her preparations, stood by the window and saw Leonhardt's carriage pull up to the carriage stop.

She immediately went to the entrance to welcome him, and together with her parents, they greeted him warmly. Leonhardt maintained a calm demeanor, and the unease from their previous encounter was gone.

(The prince can control himself when others are around...)

...Which makes the disappointment of being alone with him even more pronounced.

While engaging in light conversation, the topic shifted to the incident with Katharina.

"Thanks to you, I was saved. Your visit today is a great kindness to our household."

"For Cordelia, this is a small favor."

Leonhardt smoothly countered the father's flustered words.

The father seemed unsure of how to respond to Leonhardt's open affection for Cordelia.

"...Why do you care so much about our Cordelia?"

"I'm smitten with her character. Earl Guenberg, you must have seen Cordelia's bravery when she stood up to the duchess's daughter Katharina."

"...I was out that day..."

Leonhardt looked at the hesitant father with narrowed eyes.

"Your Highness, I have a few questions about that day. May I ask them?"

"Sure, go ahead. I came here with that intention."

"Thank you. May we speak in private?"

"Alone?"

"Yes. As the head of the earl's household, there are some matters I don't want others to hear, even if they are family."

The father signaled for Cordelia and her mother to leave.

(As the head of the earl's household? Father, who doesn't involve himself in practical matters, what do you want to talk about with the prince?)

Cordelia was puzzled.

It seemed like a pretext to discuss the incident.

Perhaps the father wanted to verify Leonhardt's intentions in approaching Cordelia?

Despite her doubts, Leonhardt also asked them to leave, so Cordelia and her mother stood up.