Chapter 29: Chapter 29

The aides of Lowell Duchy and Esteban Duchy were busy.

Elysia couldn’t tell others to postpone the wedding because she was dealing with the rushing Cassian. When she opened her eyes, he had gone to work at the Imperial Palace.

It has already been three days.

“No, does it really make sense to hold it in a month?”

“How can you say that you are a duke’s aide while you are not capable of that?”

Elysia raised her hand and squeezed her forehead before the aides in front of her eyes.

“Lloyd, Reid.”

Lloyd was Duke Esteban’s aide, and Reid was Duke Lowell’s aide. It was quite well known among the aides that these two were in a feud.

“Yes, lady.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Reid opposed after hearing Lloyd’s words. “How can Lady Elysia be your mistress?”

“Because she’s our mistress now?”

Lloyd raised his hand with a sneaky smile.

“Let’s just do the wedding a year later. It would be better to correspond the letters slowly that way, too. Now, go.”

Elysia had always spoken up to Lloyd, but he just recently became comfortable with her not so long ago. As soon as the marriage was decided, he cried and hung on to her. When asked why he was so obsessed with her, Lloyd said how he was jealous of her being friendly only to Reid.

“No, Madam!”

“Lloyd, I’m not your Madam yet.”

His Master’s voice seemed to be heard in Elysia’s firm answer echoed in his ears.

‘The preparations are going well, Lloyd. It’s next month.’

Lloyd knew that it was ridiculous to do it next month, right away. As he had expected, he had no opportunity to object to the madam at all, but the expression of His Excellency giving the order was very serious. Lloyd had no power to refute his master’s will.

And so, he decided to run to a person who had the right to decide!

“Madam, please save me!”

“Who is your Madam? Get away from my lady!”

Ryan, who was watching from behind, pulled him away from Elysia’s skirt. Eventually, Reid grabbed Lloyd’s back and took him outside.

“I’m tired...”

“Lady Elysia.”

“Huh?”

“I wish Lady Elysia to be happy.”

At Ryan’s unexpected words, Elysia laughed and patted his shoulder. “Me, too. I wish you to be happy.”

“By the way, Lady Elysia. Are you taking me to the duke’s?”

“If you don’t mind, shouldn’t it be that way? You’re mine, not my family’s.”

“Of course, it’s all right for me.” He closed his eyes and laughed.

Ryan’s smile, full of dimples, was fatal.

“Ryan’s, it’s a big deal if you go somewhere and laugh like that. How many scary sisters have gone crazy these days. You know?”

“Is it weird?”

“No, that’s not it.”

It seemed like he wouldn’t understand even if she explained it for some reason. So, Elysia later decided to catch and drink with Ryan’s sister.

“Just laugh like that in front of me.”

Ryan tilted his head and replied yes, confusingly.

***

Elysia climbed into the carriage with Ryan.

She has only been in a forest full of trees, so she wants to feel the taste of the city. Elysia smiled insidiously. She was going to do a lot of shopping today.

‘While I’m out, I’ll buy some gifts for Cassian and Ryan.’

She needed a couple of help from Cassian recently, so she wanted to give something back to him. As he sits across from her, she gazes at Ryan’s harmless face and wonders what to buy for him.

“I think I will find out what Lady Elysia asked me to do in a day or two.”

“Already? That’s fast.”

Lumiere’s spirit stone was left to Ryan. She read it in the original novel, so she knew that Ryan was very quick at finding information in an illegal way.

“I don’t think there will be any big difficulty in finding out information.”

Elysia did not place a cost limit on asking for the spirit stone mined in the same place. He was even doing investigations in addition to what she had asked as well, from finding out the list of people who bought the spirit stone, or the reason why Elysia asked him to check it out. Ryan had already investigated what happened to her in the beast subjugation.

“By the way, there is someone other than me who is looking into it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“There was someone who was randomly collecting the list of purchases of the Spirit Stone.”

‘What?’ Elysia was nervous for a moment.

Ryan was the first person to attempt to get the original list. Normally, a copy was made by default in the business, so there was no problem with the investigation, but the original document was essential for data purposes later. But, there was someone else who’s also looking for it?

“Who would be on the list, among the imperial wizards?”

She asked Ryan a sharp question. The answer was Lumiere, the person Ryan was supposed to be guarding now according to the original novel.

‘Is this something I shouldn’t ask Ryan to do?’

Even so, she didn’t mention anything about Lumiere because it felt like she was doing something terrible. In the original, it was Lumiere who he swore allegiance to and followed. So, Elysia was sorry to let Ryan dig into Lumiere’s back. She should have expected Ryan to be doing more research on his own, but she made a mistake.

“You don’t have to do it if it’s too difficult.”

“That’s not it. I just have to collect everything about Marquisate Blanche.”

“Okay.”

Ryan engraved the name Marquisate Blanche in his mind.

‘Still, I don’t feel sorry.’

Even if Elysia went back to that moment, she would still save Ryan.

This was because his heart was portrayed so desperately after losing his sister in the original novel. So, for Ryan, Lumiere was his sister’s replacement.

***

She headed to the largest jeweler in the capital. Upon the news that Lady Lowell was visiting, the chief designer came to greet Elysia in person.

“If you had called me to the mansion, I would have gone right away! You didn’t have to come here yourself.”

“It is also fun to come see everything in person. I’m looking for something for men, so please get it ready.”

“You can come this way.”

The designer led Elysia upstairs.

Other aristocratic young ladies in the shop glanced at Elysia a little since it was surprising that she was in the men’s section. Following that, their attention was gathered at the knight who followed Lady Lowell.

“Have you seen the knight?”

“His looks are no joke. His ability is good, too. Where did she find such a knight?”

“Oh, couldn’t she just take him as an escort?”

“Didn’t you hear the rumors? Duke Esteban was also taken.”

“Shh. Be careful with your words. They’re engaged now.”

“All the men around her are good looking.”

Elysia and Ryan, who were ascending up the stairs, could visibly hear the words from the young ladies. Unaware, those young ladies didn’t notice that fact. Opposite to Elysia, Ryan was bothered by their words. He squeezed his fist tight.

“Do you have anything in mind, my lady?”

“I’m thinking of seeing everything.”

While the designer went to pick up the goods, an employee brought out teas. Seeing Ryan’s expression standing next to her, Elysia opened her mouth, wondering what was wrong.

“What is with your expression?”

“Are you okay, Lady Elysia?”

Though he didn’t say it outright, she understood what he was talking about right away.

It was already expected what the scandal would say. And even if it wasn’t necessarily a scandal, it was something Elysia had been hearing countless times just by her appearance, even before her rebirth. So, even though she passed on it lightly since it was something she had gone to as a common experience, Ryan didn’t seem to think the same.

“Ryan, you’ll have to get used to this in the future. They’re not going to say it outright in front of us.”

“Are you going to just leave it?”

“You seemed to have been offended today, so I’ll get them out.”

In the original, Lumiere was called a saint for both her appearance and heart, but would the people around her think the same way, too?

Elysia wondered if there were many who envied her and wished for her to fall to the bottom. She was convinced that there would have been so many people who would have rushed like wildfire if Lumiere was a little wrong.

She just ran into rumors of a love triangle in her case. She didn’t even care what kind of person they were.

“Get the general manager.”

“Yes? I-is there anything you don’t like?” The employee avoided Elysia’s eyes with a cold sweat as the presence of the noble Lady in front of him was too powerful.

After a while, she was able to see the manager running and panting her way.

“I heard you called me! Maybe our designer made a mistake?”

She raised her body and Elysia went down to the ground floor. When Ryan looked at the boss with his eyes asking what he was doing without following her, he hurriedly followed.

Elysia said as she stared at the young ladies who were browsing the showcases on the first floor.

“I know this is definitely the biggest shop in the capital.”

“That’s right! I can confidently say that there was no other place that had been opened for generations just like ours. We only handle the best pieces of jewelry.”

This shop was famous for protecting the craftsmanship of designers. And to never overplay designers.

“But what should you do? The customers who come to your store aren’t so educated.”

It was too obvious where Elysia’s gaze was pointing at. After her words, all the attention of the nobles in the shop immediately turned to the ladies.

The young ladies’ faces turned red and green, but no one disputed Elysia. They were embarrassed to learn that she had caught a conversation they were having, and when they faced her directly, they did not have the courage to speak up.

“Because we’re in the same space with poor mannered people, I can’t see things too well.”

Indirectly, she was indicating for the manager to take them out.

The boss didn’t think long.

Starting with her scandal that swept the capital, Elysia has proven herself a disciple of the great wizard with great prowess as well. Apart from everything, she was also Duke Lowell’s daughter, and she was the future duchess. Elysia and the young ladies could not be put in the same boat.

“I’m sorry. Please visit next time.”

Right away, the manager simply said that and ordered the employees to escort the two ladies out. A while after, she could hear the head designer, who brought the goods, looking for Elysia.

Ryan saw the description of the young ladies and remembered the name of their family. When he was educated by the butler, he had to memorize the family and faces of the nobles as well, so he could recognize them at once.

“Ryan, let’s go up. I’ll look over it while drinking tea. Let’s go.”

There was no case where the accompanying knight would sit and drink tea with their master, but the manager decided not to think too much about it. All he had to do is to make sure Elysia was comfortable.

Elysia chose cufflinks for her father, her brother, and Ramote. Then, she had a light smile and glanced into Ryan’s eyes.

“Ryan, let’s buy your clothes first. Show me everything you’ve got, general manager.”

This shop also handled men’s clothing on the third floor. Needless to say, she spent her money on Ryan, trying all sorts of clothes.

Shouldn’t she be nicer than the original female lead? Elysia thought she would be more generous to him. ‘No matter what you wear, it goes well with you. You are like a saint.’ Ryan insisted on paying his own share, but she didn’t accept it.

“Lady Elysia.”

“Huh?”

“I’m worried that something bad might happen if you are buying me stuff like this...”

“Don’t worry about it. They are just jealous of me for having you.” Elysia grabbed Ryan’s cheek and pulled it slightly while grinning.

‘I couldn’t pick a present for Cassian. The cufflinks are too ordinary.’ However, since he was her lover, it was necessary that she must get something for him.

Elysia called the employee to fill out her order.

“Can you make cufflinks with red diamonds here?”

“Of course.”

Red diamonds were rarely big, and they were rare enough to make into cuff buttons.

“Then, please do it with this design.”

Elysia wondered whether she should match it to the color of Cassian’s eyes, but it seemed to be meaningless. ‘Whenever you see a gift, don’t you think of the person who gave the gift?’

The red diamond cufflinks were the most valuable object she ever bought today.

The general manager once again admitted that his judgment was right.