ILTEMR CH 05

Chapter – 05

“Oh my, Liliana.”

But right at that moment—

Leaning her upper body forward slightly, Anriche looked directly into Liliana’s eyes.

“You need to have a more objective view of yourself.”

“An o-objective view?”

“Of course.”

Anriche deliberately nodded exaggeratedly.

Inside Liliana’s pale sprout-green eyes, Anriche’s wicked smile was reflected.

It was the smile of someone gently coaxing a child.

“You see, you are a lady who will become the future mistress of House Valois.”

“B-but still…”

“That means you are in a position where you must think about the dignity of House Valois.”

Liliana listened to Anriche’s words as though spellbound.

“Just imagine it. The fiancée of the young Duke of Valois dressed in an old dress full of holes and boots with worn-out soles.”

Anriche deliberately lowered her long eyelashes and even let out a deep sigh.

Looking at the beautiful face of her worried future mother-in-law, Liliana unconsciously stiffened.

“What do you think people would say about House Valois then?”

“Uh… um…”

“‘That family is one of the richest in the Empire, and yet they treat their only daughter-in-law like that?’”

Anriche exaggeratedly imitated the tone of people gossiping and pointing fingers at the ducal family.

“…Wouldn’t they think that?”

I-is that how it works?

A deep conflict appeared on Liliana’s face.

Not missing the opportunity, Anriche firmly concluded,

“The way you dress beautifully is also for the sake of the ducal family. Understand?”

“Y-Yes! I understand!”

Startled, Liliana nodded hurriedly without thinking.

Anriche hammered the point home once more.

“Good. Then from now on, you are not allowed to say things like ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I don’t think this is right.’”

“Yes!”

After answering reflexively, Liliana tilted her head.

I-is this really right?

But the situation had already slipped out of Liliana’s hands.

“Hm, trying to find the perfect outfit one by one seems like a waste of time.”

Closing the catalog with a sharp snap, Anriche waved her hand lightly to call an employee over.

The employee hurried toward her.

“Is there perhaps something specific you’re looking for?”

“Ah, yes. These girls’ clothes in the catalogs.”

Casually gathering the catalogs and dumping them into the employee’s arms, Anriche curled her lips upward into a grin.

“I’ll take everything.”

Le Morgan Street was a district mainly visited by wealthy commoners, lesser nobles, and aristocrats.

And the Duchess of Valois, combined with both her status and her notorious arrogance, was a celebrity within high society.

Naturally, many people recognized the Duchess immediately.

“Isn’t that the Duchess of Valois?”

“What brings the Duchess to a children’s clothing store of all places?”

The noblewomen walking along the street widened their eyes and stopped where they stood.

Their attention was fixed on the Duchess of Valois emerging from the children’s boutique.

“Exactly. Doesn’t she usually summon designers directly to her townhouse?”

“Oh, right. I heard the amount of dresses and accessories the Duchess orders at one time is so enormous that it’s basically like winning the lottery…”

“But who is that child?”

Right beside the Duchess walked a doll-like little girl with blonde hair and green eyes.

Apparently, she had changed into the clothes purchased at the boutique, because she looked perfectly styled from head to toe.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never seen her before…”

“Honestly, the Duchess of Valois doesn’t seem like the type to personally bring children around with her, does she?”

Just as the noblewomen whispered among themselves—

Anriche strode directly toward them and stopped in front of the group.

The color instantly drained from the noblewomen’s faces.

‘D-don’t tell me she heard everything we said?’

‘What if she flies into a rage?’

The noblewomen nervously watched one another, uncertain what to do.

Meanwhile, Anriche simply stared at them with an unreadable expression.

Ah, what should I do with this?

As the noblewomen inwardly panicked—

“Hello.”

“Duchess Valois, we didn’t mean anythi— huh?”

One noblewoman, who had instinctively begun making excuses, suddenly looked as though she had been struck in the back of the head.

The arrogant Duchess of Valois was greeting them first?

But Anriche’s shocking behavior was not over yet.

“Our Liliana is so adorable, isn’t she?”

Excuse me?

The noblewomen doubted both their eyes and ears at the same time.

The Duchess of Valois was smiling brightly and speaking warmly to them!

‘I think I must be dreaming right now.’

Every single noblewoman thought exactly the same thing.

Shrugging her shoulders, Anriche continued,

“I noticed all of you staring at our Liliana earlier.”

At that moment, Anriche was too busy screaming internally in delight.

‘Our Liliana is so cute! How can she possibly be this adorable?!’

She secretly glanced sideways at Liliana.

Liliana was dressed in a deep yellow dress and wore a matching hat.

The newly bought patent leather Mary Jane shoes sparkled brightly.

She was also tightly hugging a stuffed doll they had bought at the boutique, and seeing that appearance…

‘Aaaah, she looks exactly like a fluffy baby chick!’

Anriche hurriedly covered her mouth.

That level of cuteness deserved to be preserved forever!

Should she hire a portrait painter the moment they got home?

She could commission around a hundred portraits, distribute them everywhere, and keep three for herself!

One for collection purposes, one for promotional use, and one for everyday viewing!

‘Hm?’

At that moment, Anriche felt eyes on her.

In the distance, several noblewomen were alternating their gazes between her and Liliana.

‘Aha, they’re staring because our Liliana is too cute, aren’t they?’

A satisfied smile spread across Anriche’s lips.

Then naturally, she should proudly show off Liliana’s cuteness!

Marching confidently toward the noblewomen, Anriche casually greeted them before immediately beginning to gush.

“Our Liliana is so adorable, isn’t she?”

“Huh?”

“I saw all of you staring at our Liliana earlier.”

At those words, the noblewomen visibly flinched.

Anriche magnanimously nodded.

“I understand. Our Liliana is just far too adorable. You can’t help but look at her.”

Yes, yes. Naturally.

With a proud expression, Anriche gestured toward Liliana.

“Liliana, say hello.”

“Hello, I’m Liliana Everett.”

Liliana bowed politely.

And she was truly, unbelievably, overwhelmingly, insanely adorable!

“I thought my son was the cutest child in the world, but apparently there’s another child just as cute as him!”

“I-I see…”

“To think such a cute child is Elliot’s fiancée. Our Elliot is truly lucky, isn’t he?”

“Y-yes…”

The noblewomen could only nod repeatedly with dazed expressions.

Only after enthusiastically bragging for quite a while did Anriche finally feel ready to return to the townhouse.

“Oh dear, I should be heading back now.”

“I-I see.”

“Please return safely.”

“Thank you. If you ever want to see our Liliana, feel free to visit the townhouse anytime.”

Leaving behind those final words, Anriche quickly boarded the carriage with Liliana.

The carriage bearing the crest of House Valois majestically crossed through Le Morgan Street.

Watching it disappear, one noblewoman muttered blankly,

“I-it somehow feels like a storm just swept through…”

“Really.”

“Well, still.”

Ahem.

Clearing her throat, another noblewoman spoke.

“Today, the Duchess somehow felt much easier to approach. Didn’t she?”

“Ah, I felt that too.”

“So it wasn’t just me.”

The noblewomen all nodded.

Compared to her usual arrogant demeanor, the simple and gentle side she had just shown was far more pleasant.

Faint smiles had already appeared on their lips.

But then—

“Still, she is the Duchess of Valois after all.”

One noblewoman spoke in a sulky tone.

She was someone who had once been openly insulted by the former Anriche.

“She may be acting gentle now, but who knows when she’ll suddenly change her attitude again.”

After declaring that, the noblewoman crossed her arms and lifted her chin proudly.

“As everyone knows, the Duchess changes moods faster than soup boiling on the stove.”

“…Well, that’s true too.”

“Her personality has always been rather difficult…”

Suspicion instantly filled the noblewomen’s eyes.

The noblewoman who first spoke shook her head firmly.

“Be careful, everyone. If you lower your guard carelessly, you may end up provoking the Duchess’s wrath.”

After traveling for quite some time into the center of the capital, the carriage finally came to a smooth stop before the Valois townhouse.

Holding Anriche’s hand, Liliana carefully stepped down onto the ground.

At the same time, her light green eyes widened dramatically.

“Waaah…”

Liliana stared blankly at the view before her.

The garden, lovingly maintained by gardeners, was filled with blooming spring flowers.

Above the fountain spraying cool streams of water at the center of the garden, a colorful rainbow shimmered beautifully.

And behind it stood the elegant four-story townhouse…

‘I-it looks like a palace where a princess would live.’

Liliana swallowed dryly.

Meanwhile, Anriche had to struggle desperately to suppress the laughter threatening to burst out.