Chapter 139: Chapter 139

* * *

Having accepted the proposal dinner named ‘engagement’, Luna began to be bothered by various people from the next day.

“Lady Luna! I’m here! I brought the catalog too!”

The first one to start pestering her was Rosemary. Whether she had prepared in advance or not, she visited the mansion early in the morning and tormented Luna by spreading out dozens of catalogs.

“…Do I have to look through all of this? Didn’t you bring a selected few?”

“Ah, actually, this is what I’ve chosen. I’ve been collecting catalogs that you might like, thinking someday you would marry my brother.”

“Oh my god…”

She should have just refused. Luna held her forehead looking at the massive pile of catalogs that almost filled the spacious room.

The catalog Rosemary had prepared for Laura was merely child’s play. Whether Luna liked it or not, Laura and Emma, with their shining eyes, rushed in.

“I’ve never seen such a pretty design!”

“Everything seems to suit you, what should we do?”

“Really? Then, let’s have them bring everything, try them on, and decide!”

“Can we do that?”

“Of course! It’s your wedding. We’ll have all the dresses brought over, try them on Lady Luna and choose the most beautiful one.”

Rosemary, excitedly, began to talk nonsense. The giggling of Laura and Emma on the side wasn’t helping.

At this rate, Luna felt like she’d end up trying on hundreds of dresses and quickly intervened.

“Wait, wait! The Marchioness should see it too! What if we decide amongst ourselves?”

“Ah! Mother said she’d visit later in the afternoon. She’s meeting a designer to get a new catalog. So, we can look first.”

Are you saying there will be more? At this rate, I’ll be an old woman before I get engaged!

Despite Luna’s shock, the three didn’t care. They were solely focused on exchanging opinions on which dress would suit Luna the best.

Moreover, it wasn’t just about the dress. Discussions began about what to wear on the honeymoon, what to wear at the after-party, and so on.

“…I’ll be back after getting some fresh air.”

Overwhelmed, Luna left the room telling them to choose on their own. If she had to face this, it was best to avoid what she could.

Someone once said, ‘If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.’ But the current Luna couldn’t enjoy anything, so avoiding it was the best option.

Eventually, Luna took refuge in the glass greenhouse and began reading a book. The title was ‘The Lifestyle a Noble Lady Should Adhere To.’ Now that she was to become the mistress of a household, she needed to know some things.

It wasn’t that she intended to stop her business suddenly and focus solely on household affairs.

She just wanted to briefly glimpse the life of the ladies, as she never experienced it after her mother passed away.

With that mindset, she started reading the book deeply until a servant approached her with some snacks.

“Miss, congratulations on your wedding. Ah! I’m sorry for disturbing your reading.”

When Luna looked up, the servant smiled brightly at her. The joy of Luna’s upcoming wedding seemed to outweigh her worries about interrupting Luna’s reading.

Seeing such a face, Luna couldn’t scold her. She wasn’t the type to scold servants over trivial matters anyway.

“You’re not disturbing me. I was just about to take a break. But why do you seem happier about the wedding than I am?”

“When a beloved person becomes happier, how can we not be joyful?”

Luna jokingly asked, but got a sincere response.

“The truth is, not just me, but the entire mansion is excited to see how beautiful and elegant a dress you’ll wear. Surely, our lady will be the most beautiful bride in the world.”

Even though she can’t help much now, she promised to do her best when it’s her turn for Luna’s engagement and wedding ceremony.

‘If you say that, what am I, who ran away because choosing a dress was too bothersome?’

Luna was speechless. Not because she felt burdened or uncomfortable.

It’s just that she suddenly realized that more people than she thought genuinely wished for her happiness and wanted to help her out of pure intentions.

“I’m sorry. I think I need to go back and choose a dress.”

So, Luna closed her book and stood up. After hearing such things, she couldn’t continue ignoring the situation and just reading.

Might as well choose quickly and get it over with. If she agrees on something that looks good, it might end soon. That might be the best for everyone.

“Please enjoy the tea I’ve prepared for a while. You understand, right?”

Even if the lady leaves the tea, it’s usually the servants’ share. But there’s a huge difference between enjoying tea leisurely in the greenhouse with permission and hurriedly drinking it out of sight.

The servant, understanding Luna’s meaning, blinked for a moment, then smiled as brightly as sunshine and nodded.

“Thank you, my lady.”

* * *

“I’m back.”

“Lady Luna!”

“Miss! You came at just the right time!”

Having made up her mind, as she returned to the room, Rosemary, Laura, and Emma greeted Luna. It seemed they had been worried about her, which warmed Luna’s heart.

However, as this warmth spread, Rosemary pointed to a pile of catalogs behind her and smiled brightly.

“Shall we go through these together now?”

Luna had mentally prepared herself, but when she saw the sea of catalogs, she felt a headache. Still, running away wasn’t an option. With a serious expression, Luna picked up one of the catalogs from the corner and sat on the sofa.

“Huh?”

But something was odd. Instead of the lush and flamboyant designs of women’s clothing, it was a clean and neat design for men’s clothing.

“Oops, you happened to pick the catalog for men’s suits. I brought it just in case, as you’re not getting married alone, but I guess we don’t need to look at this now.”

Rosemary handed her a new catalog. However, Luna was focused on the men’s clothing catalog she had in her hands.

‘This white suit with silver embroidery on the sleeves…! It would really suit him…!’

Luna lit up imagining Antes in that suit. She quickly turned to the next page and was greeted by a bright silver suit with a golden-threaded design.

‘…Oh my goodness. This might suit him even better!’

Though it wasn’t the real deal and she couldn’t be sure of the exact color, the golden threads would definitely complement Antes’s hair and exude otherworldly charm. Luna hastily flipped to the next page and saw a black suit, which wasn’t suitable for a wedding.

‘This would be good for casual wear, I think…?’

Unlike typical suits, its collar resembled that of a china collar, exuding both austerity and sensuality. It would complement Antes’s divine appearance, and possibly even make people blush. She wondered whether she should ignore this or order it to admire at home.

Lost in her thoughts, Rosemary gently nudged her.

“Lady Luna?”

“Yes, what?!”

Surprised, Luna quickly closed the catalog, feeling like she had to.

“Oh, it’s nothing! I just thought the designs were beautiful!”

Rosemary looked suspicious due to Luna’s overly energetic response.

Really, it was a bit of imagination, but what harm could there be? They were getting married, after all. Imagining her fiance in a suit was far more innocent than other things.

‘Wait, what am I thinking?!’

Luna, reaching a shocking conclusion, silently screamed, clutching a fistful of her hair.

Why was she reacting like this? She had lived so innocently until now.

“Luna?!”

“Miss?!”

Everyone was taken aback by Luna’s sudden outburst. Luna, sensing the concern, quickly shook her head.

“I’m fine! I was just mesmerized by the designs! Can we continue with the catalog? Okay?”

Everyone nodded, albeit awkwardly.

* * *

Antes, who visited the mansion for dinner, frowned upon seeing Luna’s unusually gloomy demeanor.

“Why the long face? Did Rosemary tire you out today?”

“No, not really…”

Something was off. Usually, Luna would greet him warmly, inviting him to dine with a big smile, but today she avoided his gaze and was hesitant to speak, as if hiding something.

“Hey, Duke Rodrian? Is everything okay?”

“Didn’t I ask you not to call me that, Rosemary?”@@novelbin@@

Thanks to Rosemary, Antes’s eyes became sharper. Now it was more about comforting his mood than Luna’s gloomy face.

If he could, he would have slapped Rosemary, but doing so might lead to a funeral instead of a wedding, so Antes tried to swallow his frustration and turned his attention back to Luna.

Luna stuttered:

“It’s, it’s nothing. I’m just a little tired.”

It was clear something was bothering her, but Antes didn’t press further in front of Rosemary.

He had never had a good experience talking to her with his sister around. Rosemary had a knack for messing up even an otherwise normal conversation.

Therefore, Antes, who thought they would make some time alone and ask again later, wrapped his hand around Luna’s waist and smiled softly.

“How about some wine on the terrace after-“

He was interrupted when Luna suddenly spun around, escaping from his grasp like a slippery fish.