<Chapter 14>
“Marquess, excuse me.”
A knock sounded just then, and the door cautiously creaked open. Mave slowly opened her eyes as her secretary stepped in.
“I told you not to come in, Nadia. You could be putting yourself at risk too.”
“It’s just that… Duke Chester sent a letter.”
“Chet?”
Hearing the reason, Mave looked toward her secretary. Before she knew it, Nadia was holding the letter out to her.
Mave unfolded Chester’s letter, her eyes scanning the paper quickly.
Her delicate lips, pressed tight in silence as she read, began to twist out of shape.
As soon as she finished, she crumpled the letter in one harsh motion. Then, without a word, she stood and strode out of the room.
Nadia rushed after her.
Having served Mave for years, Nadia could tell just how furious she was.
When Mave got angry, her words dried up. In their place came a chilling, terrifying rationality.
As soon as they stepped out of the room where Lillian lay asleep, Mave slammed the door shut. She stood in the hallway, her body seeming to radiate a sharp, cold air.
“Marlenda abused Kailas. She even embezzled the money meant for him.”
“The nanny did that?”
Nadia gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
To defy both the House Valerio and House Dalton…
Did the nanny have a death wish?
Or maybe, just maybe, she had come to the absurd conclusion that Lady Mave had abandoned her son.
More than likely, it was the latter.
A tragic misjudgment on the nanny’s part, because Mave had never abandoned her son. Far from it, she cherished him as if he were her own life.
“Chet turned Marlenda over to the courts. I hope they hand down the harshest sentence possible.”
Mave crossed her arms. Her gaze, cold and unyielding, locked onto her secretary.
“She dared to lay a hand on my precious child. The punishment must be severe, extremely severe. Do you understand me?”
“I’ll see to it personally.”
Nadia nodded with resolve, chilled by her superior’s icy tone.
Marlenda would pay a price far beyond the weight of her crimes. And she would never again set foot in the capital, no, not anywhere in the entire Empire.
“Um, Marquess?”
“What is it?”
Nadia hesitated for a moment, glancing at Mave’s expression before cautiously speaking.
“How long do you plan to leave Young Master Kail in the Duke’s care? I just worry that… if something like this happened once, it could happen again. Maybe it would be better to bring him here—”
“Absolutely not.”
Mave cut her off firmly, her eyes falling on the shut door. She stared at it with a tortured look as her voice cracked through clenched teeth.
“Lily and Kail must never, ever be together.”
“I’m sorry. That was out of line.”
Nadia bowed deeply in apology.
But Mave, her face twisted in pain, seemed not to hear. She only continued to gaze at Lillian’s closed door.
* * *
“Wow…”
Yurenia’s eyes widened at the sight before her.
The mansion’s massive drawing room had been transformed into what looked like a fully transplanted boutique.
Behind the sofas, racks of children’s clothes stood neatly arranged. Fabric samples were stacked high, and catalogues covered the table in heaps.
As Yurenia looked on, she noticed Kailas surrounded by boutique staff, and turned to Enzo.
“Wait… the boutique His Grace reserved, don’t tell me it’s Prudence?”
“It is. Prudence is the most popular atelier in the Empire, after all.”
Enzo’s matter-of-fact reply made Yurenia’s jaw drop slightly.
Prudence?
Wasn’t that the most sought-after boutique on the continent, not just the Empire?
Run strictly by appointment only, Prudence had a three-year waiting list. Despite the absurd difficulty of getting a booking, every socialite clung to the hope of landing one.
Each outfit was custom-made, tailored specifically to its wearer, designed to maximize their natural beauty.
And on top of that, Prudence’s clothes were famous for their comfort.
According to the Countess of House Cales, even gowns layered with lace felt as light and comfortable as sleepwear.
Gorgeous and practical, Prudence’s clothing was every noble’s dream.
‘No wonder it took them a whole week to get here.’
Something that should have taken three years had been reduced to seven days.
The Valerio family’s wealth and power were truly on another level.
‘Money and power really are everything.’
Yurenia clasped her hands together in awe.
It had been the same when they’d prepared a full nursery overnight. The ability of this ducal house to turn the impossible into reality was nothing short of astounding.
“Why are you just standing there, teacher?”
The Duke, deep in conversation with the boutique staff, had noticed her. Yurenia flinched and stepped back.
“I’ve brought Young Master Kail as instructed. I’ll be heading off now—”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
The Duke waved his hand slightly.
“I meant, why are you just standing there? Come over here and pick out some clothes.”
“Oh! Alright, I will.”
Yurenia blinked and approached the Duke’s side. She took one of the catalogues being handed out by a boutique staff member.
‘Huh?’
Something felt off.
She had assumed they were choosing clothes for Kailas, but the design book was full of adult women’s dresses.
Yurenia tilted her head.
“Your Grace, I think there’s been a mix-up. This catalogue isn’t for boys’ clothes, it’s all adult women’s wear.”
“No mix-up. That’s the correct one. It’s for you.”
“…What?”
Yurenia’s shocked voice rang through the drawing room. Instantly, every eye in the room turned to her.
Suddenly the center of attention, Yurenia let out an awkward cough.
“Ahem, uh… there’s really no need for me to have any clothes.”
“What are you saying? Did you think I’d work you like a servant and not buy you at least a few outfits?”
“That’s not what I meant, I—”
“Calling me a miser now?”
The Duke chuckled in disbelief.
“Clothes alone won’t do. Madam, get her a full wardrobe. Gloves, hats, shoes, everything.”
“Of course, Your Grace. Leave it to me.”
The elegant woman who Yurenia had assumed was just another boutique worker smiled gracefully.
She was, without a doubt, Madam Prudence herself, the owner of the famed atelier.
“What sort of styles do you like, teacher? Just say the word.”
“Oh, I really don’t need anything. Even if I had dresses, I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear them.”
“Well then, shall we make them casual-wear?”
“No, I—”
“Don’t bother with that. Make her a bit of everything including daywear, partywear, outerwear, and the rest.”
“Excuse me?”
The Duke, having overheard their conversation, interjected without hesitation.
“No need to be so surprised. It’s a reward for taking such good care of Kail. Think of it as a bonus.”
“But still…”
Yurenia was reeling from the unexpected shower of gifts. She tried her best to refuse politely.
“Your Grace, this is too much—”
“Is it that late already? I’ve got to be off. I’ll leave everything in your capable hands, Madam.”
The Duke cleanly cut her off and vanished alongside Enzo.
Like the wind, he was gone.
‘What just happened…?’
A bonus?
What kind of noble house gifted a private tutor several bespoke dresses as a bonus?
Not just that, each one is categorized by its specific use?
Yurenia furrowed her brows in bewilderment.
‘Do they just have money to burn…?’
Well, of course they did. House Valerio was the Empire’s most prestigious family.
Still, was it really okay to spend so extravagantly?
“Teacher!”
Kailas ran over with a bright smile.
The boy clung to her legs, his neck decked out in colorful sample ribbons.
<To be continued>
Brought to you by Gourmet Scans
Translator: Maize
Editor: Maize
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