Chapter 40

Chapter 40

* * *

Whoa! W-what in the world is this? I flinched back in surprise when I found something unexpected waiting for me on my desk. I took a platinum paper knife I’d never had occasion to use before and opened the envelope, which was sealed with a wax seal and some cord. This was the first invitation I’d gotten ever since entering this world.

Goddamn it, is this all it is? I’d been a little excited, but as soon as I saw the contents and who’d sent it, my good mood deflated immediately. It was an invitation requesting my participation in a magical theory symposium. They wanted to delve deeper into my formula and for me to speak regarding my findings.

“Ha! Such is my life...” I’d been born again as an attractive, wealthy girl, but all I’d gotten was an invitation to a symposium, not a luxurious party or social event.

Maybe I should just be grateful it’s not an invitation to a duel. Though I found it rather bothersome, I wrote a reply telling them I would attend. It was the perfect opportunity to promote my formula. There was no good reason to refuse. I’d reached the point where I thought of any mage I came across as a potential gullible customer.

“Tell them I’m considering it favorably,” I said.

An attendant bowed politely as he took my letter, sealed with purple wax. “Yes, my lady. Helen Zihoto has just arrived with your dresses for the Spring Flower Festival.”

“I’ll see her in the reception room.” I sat on the sofa, crossing my arms.

Before long the door opened admitting a handful of attendants holding armfuls of dresses that seemed perfectly suited to the spring season. Helen Zihoto, whom Deborah had singled out herself from the Iones District, had been designing my dresses for a while now. Her creations varied, from aloof, urban styles to fancy and elegant. She was very talented at creating clothes that perfectly complemented Deborah’s appearance.

I’d given the talented designer free rein so far, but for the spring dance, I’d made a special request. Showing Helen the pink diamond, I’d asked for a design that would go well with the jewel. I’d avoided wearing it until now, wanting to keep clear of the story’s original course, but I still felt very upset by what Pilav had done to me. He would find fault with me no matter what I chose to do, anyway.

It’s mine now. Why shouldn’t I wear it confidently? I had a feeling that I’d feel much better about the whole thing if I followed the guild master’s advice, thus raising the value of the pink diamond as much as possible before simply selling it off. And the dress’ design is very important if I want the jewel to stand out.

Deborah’s face and figure were already a stunning canvas, so I just needed Helen to deliver. I found that the dresses were not up to scratch. It seemed as though Helen had worked all night, perhaps unsatisfied with her design work. Glancing at me cautiously, she described the dresses in a timid voice.

“My lady, this dress is made from light pink silk. The design will expose the graceful curve of your neck as well as your shoulders, making your necklace stand out even more.”

It was pretty, but it didn’t suit my style. I stood in front of the mirror for a while, holding various dresses up before discarding them. “I don’t like any of the designs you brought me today. There are too many frills and as for this ribbon—need I say more?”

Helen nodded, pale. “My apologies. I was so focused on the pink diamond, I didn’t give enough thought to making the dresses well-suited to your personal style. It was my mistake.”

I guess it’s harder than it looks. The pink diamond had a lovely heart shape, giving it a gentle appeal. No matter how good Helen was at her trade, I supposed emphasizing the necklace only put the dress in conflict with my more harsh looks. This wasn’t surprising, since the jewel had originally been meant for the pleasantly plain and innocent Mia in the novel.

I guess I’ll have to give up on promoting the diamond. If I went to the festival wearing a cutesy pink dress, everyone would think I was clumsily trying to imitate the lady Pilav so adored. I’d look like an idiot.

“Helen. Don’t worry about the diamond. Just bring me some dresses that will look good on me.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I like the strapless dresses, so keep that part of the design. I’d also like the fabric to be a deeper dark purple.”

After giving her a few more instructions, I sent Helen away. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I’d forgotten something very important. While I had plenty of dresses to choose from, I had no partner to escort me to the festival.

* * *

Surely I can find someone suitable enough and force him to go with me. During last year’s Spring Flower Festival, Deborah had gone with the son of some unimportant vassal, then went home early with the excuse that she had a stomach ache. She’d been in a foul mood after Pilav had refused to be her partner. She had subtly hinted that she wanted Pilav to take her over and over before the festival each year, but she never got her wish.

Gosh. Why do I have to be embarrassed for her? No wonder Pilav was operating under the impression I was dying to have him. As I sifted through Deborah’s memories, many of which suggested to me that the girl simply never learned, I sipped at some apple juice. I stood when I heard a knock at the door.

“What are those?” I asked, looking at a servant who was carrying a letter and a pile of gift-wrapped boxes. I raised my eyebrows. They did not seem to be sent by a symposium.

“A young gentleman has sent you these gifts.”

“For me?” I asked, reluctantly taking the letter. I choked on my apple juice as soon as I saw the sender’s name.

“Louie Gazelle”

His name alone was enough to give me nightmares of being chased by vicious gazelles when I put my head down to sleep at night. I tore the envelope open and read the letter.

“Hello Lady Deborah,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am the eldest son of the House of Gazelle, owners of the Archon territory famed for its riches in silver. I am currently being trained as heir [...]”

The beginning of the letter was a list of boasts and I started feeling a little sick just reading it. It’s that stupid pervert from the novel for sure.

“Lord Veleque has told me much about your beauty [...] Will you grant me the honor of becoming your partner at the festival? I await a favorable answer from you, my lady.”

As expected, the letter was a request to be my partner at the festival. The festival, which was held at the palace, was a suitable occasion for men and women who’d never met one other to grow better acquainted.

“Hmm. This is actually pretty smart of him.”

After reading the letter, I opened the gift boxes to find they were full of silver trinkets produced in the Archon region.

“Lady Deborah, what should we do with the gifts?”

“Just leave them here for now.”

“What? Oh. Understood.”

The maid seemed surprised by my instructions. Of course, she was. In the past, Deborah had always thrown away any gifts young men sent her and burned any letters she received. After her awful character became common knowledge, of course, no more gifts or letters arrived for her.

Deborah had told herself that it wasn’t that she was no longer popular, but that no one dared to approach her because of her obvious dedication to Pilav.

She was stupid, but at least she was consistent. Gifts from all those young noblemen had to be very expensive. Why had she just thrown them away? Doing so would be such a waste.

These must be worth a lot of money. Staring at the silver ingots and trinkets that filled the boxes, I repressed the urge to yell with delight. Though gold was the main coin of choice in the Asteia Empire, silver coins were also accepted. They were much easier to use as petty cash than jewels.

Thanks for introducing me to such a useful man, Veleque. I’ll be sure to pay you back soon enough. I grinned to myself as I looked over the gifts.

* * *

Veleque pressed a hand against his forehead when he heard that Deborah hadn’t burned Louie Gazelle’s letter and had instead kept it, along with the gifts.

But why? He’d expected her to throw a fit, claiming she would take no gift that wasn’t from Pilav. He was deeply confused by her actions lately, no longer able to predict his sister’s behavior. His stress was so severe that he suffered splitting headaches at night and lost his appetite.

“F*ck!” he shouted, running a hand through his hair roughly. “How the hell is this even possible?”