10 – Living
The First Meeting happened on the Royal Road, and on the following day, Duke Tyler saw his daughter one more time before returning to his fief.
“Betty, use this money to buy clothes.”
Duke Tyler held out a money bag containing 100 gold coins to his daughter.
“Huh? Can’t I just wear the clothes I wore yesterday?”
Betty expressed her confusion.
“Sigh…”
Duke Tyler let out a gentle sigh.
“Betty, in a meeting between a man and a woman, fashion plays a crucial role. If you keep showing up in the same attire, it doesn’t leave a particularly good impression.”
“Is, is that so…”
Betty, who hardly ventured into the world of socializing, had little interest in clothing.
The clothing she usually wore included several washed and reused practice clothes, as well as her Academy uniform.
Occasionally, when events like the one yesterday took place, she had suits made to measure at home, but she had never chosen outfits herself.
“So, can’t you simply get new clothes for me?”
As usual, the family’s tailor could sew clothes for her, so why was this a problem.
“This time, you need to pick out something you like personally.”
“Me? But I don’t have an eye for clothing, and I don’t know any good stores.”
Betty became anxious immediately.
“There’s a well-known tailor called Haze in the western district of the capital. They should be able to give you good advice if you go there.”
“…….”
Betty was at a loss for words in response to her mother’s sudden request.
“You are now old enough to find your personal style and present yourself. Don’t think this illusion can last forever. Ultimately, a happy married life depends on who you truly are.”
Her mother’s words were compelling.
At first, Betty, like her mother, pursued things as if she was spellbound, but reflecting upon it, she felt that she had acted without thinking about the future.
Betty made up her mind.
“Yes, mother. I’ll try.”
“That’s good. Oh, and you’re not allowed to bring a servant to the store.”
“Why is that?”
“You need to get used to such environments. You’re going to lead the Tyler Family as a duchess in the future. It’s essential for you to gradually grow in courage.”
“Ye, yes…”
She was reluctant but couldn’t argue against that indisputable truth.
Two days after that, Betty visited Haze’s Fashion Shop alone.
Upon arriving, she stealthily peered inside.
Inside was a spacious and luxurious interior, filled with elegant customers who fit in perfectly with the opulent atmosphere.
Among them, there were a few who appeared to be around her age, but they all seemed very mature.
‘Would it be alright for someone like me to enter…’
Betty looked down at herself.
Just off from an academy class, still dressed in her uniform, her fashion sense dull without a single accessory.
Among the students of the same grade, many students wore uniforms that were beautifully arranged to their taste, not to mention various accessories.
Above all, this bleak and shabby body was the concern.
‘What if I get kicked out as soon as I go in…’
During her continuous contemplation and sneaking peeks inside the store, she felt a presence behind her.
“Um, excuse me…”
Betty was startled.
First, at her inability to notice the approach.
“Wha!? Oh, I’m sorry…”
Secondly, at the identity of the person who started the conversation.
It was Thomas, Anderson’s meal buddy she had met a few days ago.
She wasn’t under any illusion magic at the moment.
‘He found out. He found out. What do I do?’
“U-uhm… a-ah…”
She wanted to give some sort of explanation, but the words wouldn’t come out.
He might end up disliking her and refuse to meet with her anymore.
Relying on the ingrained noble etiquette within her, Betty decided to at least give her greetings first.
“Hello!”
“Oh, hello.”
He politely greeted her in return.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem disgusted or bored.
However, his face was etched with confusion and suspicion.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“Huh?…. Ah.”
This unexpected question helped Betty regain her composure.
Her anxiety about not being able to enter the fancy shop exploded due to this sudden encounter.
This caused her to overlook an obvious fact.
This was the first time he had seen her like this.
‘There’s no way he would think of me as Beatrice Taylor.’
Betty breathed in relief despite chastising herself for her foolishness.
However, his gaze seemed unusually intense as he stared at her.
His gaze seemed to pierce her chest, her complex.
‘This man thinks it’s strange too,’ she thought.
Shivering, Betty instinctively covered her chest with her arms.
He apologetically turned his gaze away, with a faint smile on his face.
“I think there was a misunderstanding. Anyway, I’ll leave now.”
With that, he entered the store.
“Sigh…”
Betty reached her hand out, distressed.
‘Did he not dislike me?’
The repulsion she always used to feel was now nowhere to be found around him.
What could that lonely smile of his mean?
Did she unintentionally hurt him with her careless actions?
Betty followed him into the store with her eyes.
Pottering about, he engaged in a conversation with the store owner.
‘Maybe I should go in.’
If she stood here for too long, she would disappoint her mother.
Moreover, knowing someone was inside the store comforted her.
-Ding-Dong
The chime attached to the door seemed particularly louder.
The gazes of all the people inside almost simultaneously turned towards her.
Feeling the pressure, Betty noticed the store owner approaching her.
“You’re a new face, huh? Your first time here?”
“I, uh, um…”
“Go on, dear. I’m an easy talker.”
She did not feel comfortable at all. The owner gave off a vibe of a casual male student from the academy, who seemed to get along well with various women.
It was almost the same category, which she considered as her nemesis. Moreover—
‘A woman… maybe?’
Even though she was a woman, her attitude instinctively repelled me.
I just wanted to place my order and leave.
“I came… to buy some cool clothes…”
“Going on a date with your boyfriend, huh?”
“Ah, no. He’s…he’s not my boyfriend…”
He’s my fiancé, actually.
Betty involuntarily restrained her eyes from gazing at Thomas.
“Alright, alright~ I’ll take good care of you. But there’s someone who came before you, so you’ll have to wait a moment~”
“Yes, yes…”
Then, she went to her fiancé for a brief conversation before disappearing behind the counter.
‘She’s busy… I wish it was my turn already…’
Betty wanted to finish her task quickly so she could swing her sword.
In this atmosphere that she could never get used to, she kept curling her fingers and staring at the ground.
Suddenly, a voice came from the side.
“Excuse me…”
“Yes, yep?”
From Noble mtl dot com
Thomas, who had quietly taken a seat on the bench next to her, turned to Betty with a smile.
“If you don’t mind, sit here. You’re blocking the way standing there.”
He patted the seat next to him with his hand.
“Ah….”
Betty turned around and her face flushed.
She had been blocking the entrance with her body.
She was angry at herself for this clumsy behavior and felt like she was only embarrassing herself in front of him, a stranger.
Betty clenched her fists and decided to muster up some courage.
‘That’s right. I promised myself I’d do anything.’
‘He won’t be put off by who I really am.’
She wanted to test this. So she sat right next to him.
His arm, unlike those of other men, was hard and kept brushing against hers, increasing her tension.
‘A good smell…’
From him came a comforting scent, reminiscent of sun-dried wood.
An odd state of nervous relief takes hold.
Summoning my courage, I open my mouth.
“Ex, excuse me…!”
“Yes?”
I must say something. However, all that comes to mind are useless questions.
“What, why are you here?”
“I’m here for date clothes”
‘With who?!’
He couldn’t possibly be cheating…
“W, who with?!”
“I have a fiancee.”
‘Oh, I’m such an idiot’
In retrospect, it’s obvious, and Betty berates herself for being so spaced out all day.
She is typically absent-minded, but in front of him, it seems to multiply.
‘That fiancee…It’s obviously me, isn’t it?’
This makes her unexpectedly happy.
Because that means he is putting effort into meeting her.
Even if it’s arranged by both their families, just like her situation.
Furthermore, his response is delivered in a consistently stoic tone.
His attitude is markedly different from when he meets Betty as his fiancee.
He seems to be maintaining a respectful distance as a man engaged to another.
And yet, I don’t feel any reluctance or disgust towards this true self.
He was simply keeping a respectful boundary.
Had he not shown kindness by vacating the chair for her?
The unease and self-mockery she had been feeling since her arrival at the shop seem to wash away.
“I see… hehehehe”
A stupid giggle escapes me, along with uncontrollable facial muscles.
It’s the first real smile that she’s shown since receiving her cherished sword from her mother.
Moreover, he responded with a similar smile.
It’s not a premeditated or practiced smile like before, but a genuine, heartwarming smile that she wants to keep looking at.
‘Someone shows me this kind of face as well.’
Feeling comfortable, Betty casually expressed her intention.
“I came to buy clothes for a date too.”
“Ah… I see.”
But for some reason, he seems a bit sad.
This puts a brake on Betty’s rising mood.
‘I wonder why he looks sad?’
“Sorry to keep you waiting~! Just come over here a bit, I’m going to take some measurements.”
While she’s lost in thought, the shop owner approaches him and takes him away.
Presumably to take measurements.
The shop owner orders her fiancé to spread his arms, then she wraps the tape measure behind him.
Next, she should be taking the measurement of his chest circumference by stretching the tape around to his front..
But instead of doing so, she pulls her fiancé close as if hugging him.
And then, as if marking him, she begins to rub her face against his broad chest.
Seeing this, an unidentifiable emotion started to bubble up from the bottom of Betty’s heart.
‘What is that woman doing now?’
Inside her, overflowing magic begins to transform and leaks out.
The leaked energy bypasses the fiancé and reaches the insidious woman who is clutching him.
“Hu, Huuuhhhhh…”
The shop owner lets out a moan of such pure fear it even gives listeners the creeps.
She drops the tape measure she was holding, trembling all over, she slumps down on the spot.
Clearly, she’s a civilian who’s never trained in sword or magic.
It would be impossible for her to withstand the energy of Betty, who suffers from magic overflow, a symbol of a hero.
“Are you okay?!”
She grabs the shoulder of her fiancé, who’s crying with blue face and asks worriedly.
Her overflowing energy grows stronger at the sight.
Now, the shop owner is drooling and rolling her eyes back.
Eventually, the fiancé turned to Betty.
“Is it you? Stop it!”
He shouts, seemingly angry.
“Why are you angry at me? She’s the foul one.”
“Stop it!”
He strode towards her, grasping her shoulder, shaking her.
Life spirit directed itself towards him like defending its owner, driven by will.
But it wasn’t able to pierce through him, and bound off as though it hit something.
“Ah…”
Betty regained consciousness at that moment. The life spirit that emerged from her body dispersed quickly.
“I, what did…”
“Sigh…”
He sighed, releasing his hand from her shoulder.
His body heat fled from her shoulders, and Betty felt a profound uneasiness.
Tears started to flow.
“I’m sorry… Please forgive…”
Her betrothed, with a cold face, stepped away, heading towards the store owner to help up the lady collapsed on the floor.
“Can you manage?”
“Huh…? Yes, yes, uh huh…”
The store owner, her face soaked with tears and snot, vaguely obeyed, leaning against him.
I can’t stand to see this anymore. I’m sorry. Why did I…
Without a word, Betty turned and ran out from the store.
From there, she didn’t stop until she reached the boarding house.