Chapter 25
A Ruined Face (3)
Eyes that couldn’t tear themselves away from the gold coin.
Choosing the makeup artist from the Lion Theater had been the right decision.
If he belonged to a theater with barely any patrons, he was bound to be perpetually short on money.
“I’ll give you one gold as an advance.”
A commoner family of four didn’t even need three silvers to live for a month, so one gold—more than three times that amount—was a huge sum.
Even though she hadn’t yet explained what the job entailed, Jelton already looked as though he’d be willing to risk his life for Edith.
“If the job goes well, I’ll pay you ten gold as a success bonus.”
“Hic—!”
Caught off guard by the amount, Jelton let out a hiccup.
Yes, that reaction made sense.
Even to Edith, ten gold was a sum that made one’s head spin.
It had only been two months since she’d gone from having no money at all to receiving an allowance.
The amount Edith had on hand wasn’t that large either.
‘When it’s time to spend money, you must spend it decisively. Trying to save a single pese could cost you everything you have.’
Following what was written in her mother’s diary, she decided not to begrudge the expense.
Above all, this was a matter of her life.
‘Healing my skin isn’t what matters. If my skin gets better, Julia might attack me in some other way. This time, she might try to kill me with poison—who knows?’
Edith couldn’t understand why Julia, who had gained everything by becoming marchioness after her mother’s death, hated her so fiercely.
She wanted to grab Julia by the collar and shake her, shouting for her to just leave her alone—but there was no one who would listen to that.
So for now, she had no choice but to act exactly as Julia wanted.
“Uh… s-so… what is it that I have to do…?”
After hiccupping for a while, Jelton finally gathered himself and asked cautiously.
Edith placed her palm against her cheek and said,
“I don’t know whether my condition will improve. But if it does, I’ll need your skills.”
“My… skills? All I know how to do is put makeup on actors…”
“Yes, that. I’ve watched several plays here, and your skill at making young actors look like old men is excellent. Then making smooth skin look ruined, like it does now—that should be possible too, right?”
“It’s possible… yes. But why go to such lengths…?”
“You don’t need to know the reason. If my skin shows signs of improvement, I’ll come back here again. Then you’ll make my face look like this—just like it does now.”
“Until when?”
“Until the wedding.”
It seemed Jelton knew about Edith’s marriage to Grayson, because he nodded without prying further.
“If you do well until then, I’ll give you ten gold after the wedding.”
Even though this was the second time he’d heard the promise of ten gold, Jelton hiccupped again.
Hic.
Fidgeting with the corner of his mouth, Jelton asked,
“If… if, miss. What if it doesn’t get better?”
“If you keep your mouth shut about my visit today until the wedding, then even if my face stays like this—like this mess—you’ll still receive five gold.”
“…”
“What matters here is your mouth. I don’t want rumors about this spreading before the wedding.”
“I’ll put a lock on my lips. Just until the wedding? Even after it’s over, I’ll never speak of meeting you.”
Edith placed the gold coin on the table and slid it toward Jelton.
Staring at the coin in front of him, Jelton swallowed hard.
“I’m trusting you to keep your word.”
“Of course.”
The moment Edith withdrew her hand, Jelton hurriedly grabbed the gold coin and tucked it into his pocket.
As Edith turned to leave, Jelton even bent deeply at the waist to see her off with exaggerated courtesy.
‘So this is why it’s all about money.’
The title of Lady Reynolds hadn’t impressed Jelton in the least, but a single gold coin had trained him into an obedient dog.
She was starting to understand why the Reynolds family was so obsessed with money.
***
After visiting the academy dormitory expansion site and confirming that construction had begun, Grayson boarded his carriage and departed.
Next on his schedule was a tea time with foreign royalty, whom he was set to visit at a department store.
Since there were plans to open a branch of the Argo Department Store in that country, maintaining relations with foreign royalty was important.
As Grayson stared out the carriage window, thinking about how to steer the upcoming conversation, a flash of vivid red hair caught his eye.
He could only see the back of a woman wearing a black hat, yet he knew at once that it was Edith.
She was heading into a bookstore.
“Stop.”
His mouth moved before he even thought.
As soon as the coachman halted the carriage, Grayson stepped down.
The bookstore Edith had entered was one frequently used by academy students, a place filled with nothing but dull textbooks.
Edith stood in the very back corner, gazing up at the shelves.
Only when he stood beside her did he notice that, unlike usual, she was wearing a hat with a black veil draped over it.
She seemed so absorbed in choosing a book that she didn’t even realize someone had come to stand next to her.
Grayson remained quietly at her side for a moment.
When she reached for a book, he reached out as well.
Their fingertips brushed lightly in front of the shelf.
“Ah.”
Only then did Edith notice Grayson, letting out a small exclamation.
Grayson didn’t know why he was doing something so meaningless.
He could have simply called her name—there had been no need for their hands to touch.
“Duke.”
It was Edith’s voice.
But because of the tightly woven veil, he couldn’t see her expression.
When Grayson instinctively reached toward the veil, Edith stepped back.
“No, Duke. I’m not in good condition right now.”
“I see.”
“I didn’t expect to run into you here. Are you on your way to the academy?”
“I’m on my way back. I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this either.”
“Y-yes…”
Flustered, Edith lowered her head.
If she had known she would meet Grayson here, she would have gone straight back to the estate.
She had said she was going out to look for something good for her skin, so she had returned to Alca Road thinking she might as well buy a book.
That had been her mistake.
Grayson didn’t seem like the type to forcibly lift her veil, but she couldn’t predict how he would react if he saw her face.
At the same time, she wondered if it might be better to tell him in advance.
‘We’ll be going on regular dates until the wedding. I can’t keep hiding my face behind a veil forever. Even if my face improves, I’ll be wearing makeup anyway—so I should at least ask the duke for his understanding.’
The reason her face had ended up like this was Julia’s unilateral decision.
It was a matter between women, and telling Grayson about it wouldn’t cause any trouble between him and Wyatt.
“Um, Duke. Since we’ve run into each other anyway, there’s something important I need to tell you.”
“I’m a bit busy, Miss Edith.”
“Ah, I see.”
If he was busy, he could have just pretended not to notice her and passed by.
Then she wouldn’t have had to worry about this at all.
Pouting slightly in irritation, she pressed her lips together—only for Grayson to add,
“I have a prior appointment at the department store. If you’re alright with it, would you like to come along?”
“What? No. Why would I go there?”
“If you don’t mind, wait there until my business is finished. You’re welcome to shop under my name.”
He was telling her to use his name and buy whatever she liked. There was no real reason to refuse.
‘Fine. I was going to have to explain this face sooner or later anyway.’
There was no conversation as they rode in the carriage.
Edith found the silence uncomfortable, but Grayson continued to gaze calmly out the window.
Fidgeting with her fingers, Edith asked,
“Duke. What is your appointment at the department store?”
The moment she asked, she realized she shouldn’t have.
She expected an answer along the lines of, ‘That’s none of your concern,’ and in truth—
The Grayson seated across from her glanced briefly at Edith’s face, hidden behind the veil, and answered evenly,
“I’m meeting Duke Omel of the Kingdom of Edes.”
Surprised that he answered at all, Edith stared at him, and he asked as if puzzled,
“Is there something strange about me meeting Duke Omel?”
“No, it’s just… I didn’t expect you to answer.”
Grayson let out a short laugh.
“It’s hardly something that needs to be kept secret.”
“Right. It’s not something that needs to be kept secret.”
The conversation ended there again, but this time, Edith didn’t feel as uncomfortable as before.
If she asked a question, she got an answer.
That was enough.
