CH 80

I can always feel their presence, even though it’s not always clear whether they’re there or not. It’s so sad that I can’t feel like a parent and child unless it’s in this form, but it can’t be helped because it’s the truth.

Once again, I felt that subtle feeling, but I thought that Jeremiah’s reaction was the most important, so I tried to look out the window. At that moment, the door was knocked unexpectedly.

“Lady Astorga, additional fabrics and materials have arrived, so I brought them. What would you like me to do with them?”

“Come in.”

“Understood.”

The door opened and several servants entered. There were butlers, footmen, and maids, each carrying boxes and fabrics.

Among them was Paolo.

When I looked at him, I noticed that Paolo was also looking at me. He seemed stunned, but was there something surprising?

After thinking about it, I realized that I wasn’t dressed in my usual plain clothes. It seems that I surprised him.

He stared at me for a while without moving.

Not only him, but also other young footmen and maids. I’m not used to being stared at by so many people, so I wanted to hide in the shadows somewhere, but I managed to hold back.

If I were to be next to Jeremiah from now on, this kind of gaze would inevitably come down on me. I think to myself that I need to get used to it, but I can’t stop my cheeks from twitching.

Just as I was thinking that I still had a long way to go, an older servant among them poked them. The servants who came back to their senses began to move briskly.

However, only Paolo was glancing over here and there, with slightly awkward movements.

Well, certainly, if a plain girl without any presence suddenly dressed like this and stood in front of you, you would be surprised and want to take a look. But I want them to concentrate on their work.

Or rather, I don’t want them to look too much.

Paula seemed to have noticed that something was wrong with the servants, but she didn’t say anything in particular and gave instructions to each of them. The servants lined up the items in the designated places with practiced movements.

While watching Paula like that, I secretly thought that she was probably happy with the excellent work and wouldn’t scold them too much.

Eventually, when they finished moving, the items were arranged so beautifully that it was almost like this room had become a store. Paula nodded in satisfaction.

“This is good. Now let’s get back to our usual work.”

“Yes.”

When the butler bowed respectfully and left the room, everyone followed suit. However, Paolo continued to stare at me with a look of astonishment until the end.

Seeing him like that made me a little uneasy about our next meeting. However, I was interested in the Japanese food he made, and he was the only one born in Japan at the same time with memories of that era.

There was no choice but to meet him again.

As I sighed, Paula spoke up.

“Now, Jeremiah, come over here. Right, Lorraine, you can start by choosing your favorite fabric from this list.”

I was taken aback by the sudden nomination.

I thought that anything would do if there were no specific instructions, so I picked up a brown fabric that wasn’t suitable for evening wear. The reason I chose it was simple. It looked thick, fluffy, and very warm.

Looking around, I picked up several fabrics and laces.

With both hands full, I looked at Paula and saw her making a face so stern that it made me recoil.

“Oh dear…”

“This is hopeless. It’s catastrophic and destructive. Do you have a self-destructive tendency to choose things that don’t suit you even though you’re a genius?”

I was stunned by her exasperated words.

“Well, there’s no helping it. I’ll teach you how to choose from scratch. For now, please put everything back where it was.”

While speaking, Paula sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. ‘Is it really that bad? We’re still in the material stage, so what made Paula so desperate?’ Honestly, her usual sharp tongue was not as sharp as usual. Normally, she would say words that hit not only the mind but also the soul with a punchier punch.

Without understanding it at all, I decided to follow what was said and return to the original plan. After all, I knew from the beginning that I had no sense of fashion. No matter how much I studied, there was nothing I could do about it.

So, I have been using fashion magazines as a reference until now. I believed that if I followed them, I wouldn’t look too weird. However, it seems that I am not good at choosing things that suit me.

Well, I can ask Jeremiah or Paula about that. It would be more constructive to rely on the advice of those around me than my catastrophic sense.

Thinking that way, when I raised my face, I suddenly met Lucia’s eyes.

——Um, why do I feel like there’s some kind of intense hostility?

I thought Lucia was distracted by the fabrics and materials lined up, but she was directing a murderous gaze at me without even looking at them.

After feeling uneasy inside, I finally realized something. That’s right, Lucia liked Paolo. Moreover, of all people, Paolo was only looking at me.

Of course, I think he was only looking at me because it was unusual, but given the situation, it’s not unreasonable for Lucia to misunderstand.

I panicked, wondering how to explain, but Jeremiah kindly spoke up to me.

“Don’t worry too much about it. That’s just Nee-san being herself. Besides, I know what suits you best.”

“…Thank you very much.”

Jeremiah’s consideration really touched me.

“Let’s choose together. We have plenty of time.”

“Yes.”

With a gentle touch on my shoulder, my consciousness was filled with only Jeremiah for a moment.

What a foul play, what a smile.

After that, with Jeremiah joining in the fabric selection, we were able to come up with something that satisfied Paula and move on to the next stage.