Chapter 26

As Mary was found, Alicia and Patrick's expressions were blank, and Alicia even ran over, waving her hand happily.

Of course, Mary’s verbal abuse flew at such an Alicia, but it was completely ineffective, as expected.

"Miss Mary, you’ve really done a lot of shopping, haven’t you?"

Looking up at the boxes Adi was carrying, Alicia sighed. Her expression seemed to be overwhelmed rather than envious. Inside, Mary was doing a victory pose, thinking, “This is it!” She put on an air of nonchalance and laughed through her nose.

Of course, she didn’t forget to add a nasty remark, “Isn’t this the least you’d expect? I mean, commoners who struggle to buy a single piece of clothing might not understand.”

In fact, these boxes were for that very line.

It seemed that Mary’s current appearance was just as she had hoped, as the young women around her changed their envious gazes to resentful ones, and some even gave orders to their attendants to “go to the next store” in a competitive manner.

Mary, who was capricious and proud, never forgot to be nasty. This was the villain she portrayed. The sight of her laughing while her attendants carried the towering boxes was the epitome of it.

Indeed, Alicia’s expression changed in response to Mary’s words.

Seeing the discontented, almost sulky change in her expression, Mary, who was staring at her intently, was now certain of her victory.

At this moment, Alicia was being shown the difference in wealth and was envious of Mary’s shopping spree. She was clearly dissatisfied with Mary’s display of wealth.

“I’ve succeeded!” Mary wanted to shout and high-five Adi, but she suppressed the urge and smiled more wickedly. She couldn’t waver here; she had to play the villain to the end... but the sight of Alicia’s sulky face made her hopeful, and her expression softened. She tried to turn it into the sarcastic smile of a young lady.

“What’s that look for? Could it be that a noble of commoner descent wants to go shopping like me? You should consult your wallet first.”

Laughing softly, Mary pressed her advantage.

In response, Alicia pouted even more, looking like a child who was sulking, and glared up at Mary resentfully.

Finally, she said, with a lot of resentment,

“Miss Mary, you love shopping but won’t go with me...”

“...What?”

“That’s terrible. I always invite you, and I thought you didn’t like shopping...”

Puffing out her cheeks, Alicia turned away.

Mary, who was familiar with this kind of sulking—after all, she had used it a few times herself—was puzzled as to why Alicia was sulking like this, with a question mark floating above her head.

For Mary, puffing out her cheeks and turning away was a way to say, “I’m angry,” but not really, and it was a common tactic to tease the other person, like when a child tries to get attention.

Why was Alicia doing this?

Wait, “Let’s go together next time,” why would she say something like that...

Stop it, I have no intention of making a promise...

What’s going on? Mary looked up at Adi in confusion, but all she could see were the tall stacks of boxes, and his expression was hidden. Of course, there was no response.

However, the slight movement of the boxes revealed that he was trying not to laugh, and Mary, annoyed, was about to stomp her foot... but she held back. If the boxes fell, she would certainly be involved.

Overwhelmed by Alicia’s momentum, Mary couldn’t retaliate against the attendant who was trying not to laugh, and she was at a loss.

Neither Alicia nor Patrick noticed her change in demeanor, and the affectionate couple walked away, saying, “See you later,” as if they were looking forward to meeting again.

Mary stared at their retreating figures in a daze... and then suddenly came to her senses.

No, I can’t just let them go.

I have something to do!

“W-wait, Patrick... Sir! Patrick Sir, please wait!”

She called out as usual, trying to compose herself. As a fiancée, it was one thing, but even before marriage, it wasn’t appropriate for a young lady to call a man by his first name. Now that their engagement was broken, calling each other by first names in public could lead to misunderstandings.

Even now, despite the broken engagement, Mary and Patrick’s relationship seemed unchanged, if not better than before, and everyone who saw them was puzzled. Among the women, some were jealous of Mary’s friendly interactions with Patrick, some felt sympathy, and some were even on guard, thinking, “She’s pretending to give up...?”

—Of course, even though they were jealous or on guard, they didn’t take any action, just sending heated glances at Patrick—

“What is it, Mary... Miss Mary, is there something you need?”

Feeling the gazes of the onlookers, Patrick also tried to compose himself.

He, too, was tired of the curious and sometimes heated gazes that had increased since the engagement was broken. If he called Mary by her first name, it might be rumored that their engagement was still ongoing.

Whether he knew it or not, Mary cleared her throat and smiled sweetly at Patrick, who had returned. It was a charming and dignified smile.

“There’s a tailor my father favors. He once said he wanted to give you a suit for a party. Let’s go together now.”

Emphasizing the “together” part, Mary made Patrick tilt his head.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Together?” but all he got in return was Mary’s sweet, parrot-like response, “Yes, together.”

—Of course, Mary’s intention was to go alone with Patrick to prevent anyone from interfering with their date, but Patrick’s question stemmed from the unexpectedness of Mary going without Adi—

This made Patrick frown. He looked at Mary, wondering what was going on, and slowly shook his head.

“I appreciate it, but can we do it another time?”

“Oh, really? My father will be disappointed.”

“I’ll visit another day. Your father has good taste, and I’m looking forward to it.”

“Yes! My husband has excellent taste! Not only for himself, but also for others, he always chooses the best clothes that suit them.”

“Quiet, box man.”

“Box man!?”

Is that me! Adi cried out, but his figure was hidden by the tall stack of boxes, and only his voice was heard. He was, indeed, the box man.

Silencing the box man, Mary cleared her throat again. She laughed wickedly, brushing the hair from her shoulder, looking every bit the villain.

—If her hair had fluttered, it would have perfectly portrayed the villainous and luxurious young lady, but with her tight curls, the sound effect was more of a “Bun” as it moved in units of one curl—

“That’s a shame. I’ll let my father know.”

“Ah, thank you. See you, Mary... Miss Mary.”

“Miss Mary, good-bye.”

Alicia bowed, and Patrick nodded and turned to leave again.

This time, Mary watched them go and sighed contentedly, as if she had completed a task. Adi, who had been watching her from the gaps between the tall boxes, called out to her curiously.

“Miss, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean? As you can see, I was rejected by Patrick.”

“Well, yes, but you kept talking about your husband, and it seemed like...”

Rather than interfering, it seemed like she was hoping for something. In response, Mary smiled mischievously.

It was a different smile from the charming one she had just shown, a playful one. But it was a typical Mary expression, and Adi, knowing that she was up to something when she made this face, looked at her expectantly.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. This date event is a branching point for the different endings.”

With that, Mary walked off, leaving Adi completely confused by her words. However, seeing that she was heading towards a café, he tilted his head and followed her, hoping she would explain.