TVBDP 13

Chapter 13

“Welcome!”

The store, bright and spacious, was very luxurious inside as well.

As we entered, the well-dressed clerks and the owner bowed 90 degrees.

This place, a store Yvonne liked very much, was ‘Elmodor,’ a place famous for being the most expensive brand in the Empire.

The Duke let go of my wrist, then cleared his throat and spoke.

“Kuhum. I thought about calling a designer to the house too, but I heard you have a frugal personality that likes to go around stores and purchase directly.”

‘Huh? A frugal personality, you say?’

The Duke seemed to be increasingly misunderstanding something strangely about Yvonne’s personality.

Yvonne wasn’t frugal, but because she liked to show off, she deliberately went to luxury stores and spent money recklessly.

My conscience was pricked.

And… since it was my first time shopping with a ‘father,’ I felt bashful and shy.

‘This is such a happy feeling.’

As I took a step forward, the staff moved according to my pace.

I glanced back.

Appearing in this store accompanied by the sleek Master of the Magic Tower, Duke Argenthose, and the successor, the handsome Young Duke Argenthose, I felt as if I had become a precious princess.

‘Although Yvonne isn’t a princess (royalty), she is actually of precious status.’

Suddenly, Yvonne’s memory comes to mind.

When Yvonne appeared in the store alone, although the store clerks were scared of Yvonne, they didn’t treat her this politely.

A Princess circling alone outside the Duke’s family.

It was the same everywhere, let alone high society.

Because she is an outsider with no particular future visible.

But the attitude of the staff right now was too different.

Right now, I am not an outsider, but the beloved daughter and younger sister of the Duke of Argenthose’s family.

‘Surely… did he bring me shopping himself aiming for this?’

To lift my spirits?

Looking at the wealthy silver-haired people resembling me, my heart ached for some reason.

I don’t envy the female lead Cordelia even a little bit.

Cordelia is an illegitimate Princess, and although she is royalty, she is a Princess who was treated very coldly by her family, not recognized, and cast out from the royal family.

If I had lived as Cordelia… I wouldn’t have felt this warmth.

Although the Duke and Varden felt scary at first, I thought it was fortunate to be born as a villainess with a family.

“Come, come. Look around quickly.”

I smiled brightly at the Duke who gestured meaning for me to look around to my heart’s content.

Because, really, I was thankful.

Then the faces of the Duke and Varden stiffened hard.

The Duke’s pupils shook.

He opened his mouth with a trembling voice.

“I realized for the first time… that you resemble your mother.”

“Me?”

“Right. Smiling, you resemble her this much.”

“…I just realized it too.”

My face became hot because the Duke and Varden stared at me too blankly for a long time.

The dead Duchess, huh.

Would a portrait remain somewhere in the mansion? I should go see it once.

The father and son, who were only looking at me with their mouths shut, suddenly changed to having burning gazes and looked around the items in the store.

After whispering together and gathering opinions, the Duke suddenly pointed to the shoes placed on the display shelf.

“That one.”

“Yes, Duke! Do you like those shoes? They will suit the Princess very much!”

“Send everything except that one.”

“Pardon?”

“That one has heels too high. It seems like my daughter’s ankle will break walking, so exclude that one.”

The Duke excluded the high heels about 9cm tall giving his own reason.

Then he spoke to Varden, who was the only one agreeing with his words among the dumbfounded people.

“What are you doing. Let’s go to the next store.”

“Yes, Father.”

Varden moved his steps briskly and left the store with the Duke.

‘E-Excuse me?’

I became dizzy at the tremendous scale of shopping I had never imagined.

Did the god of impulse buying descend today or something.

Confused wondering if upper-class shopping is originally like this, I hurriedly left the store chasing the Duke and Varden who had already gone out.

And, the god of impulse buying continued to possess the Duke.

The Duke almost cleaned out ten high-end stores in the Naciel District, and at the end, I was on the verge of tears.

Even so, this is too much.

‘It would be nice if he gave me all that in money.’

Accessories, hats, dresses, shoes, bags, scarves, handkerchiefs, fans, etc.

I have nowhere to go wearing things like this.

Since I lived as a self-righteous troublemaker and my reputation is the worst, I am an outsider villainess.

He buys too much, really too much.

Only after I begged that it was enough now, the two men crazy about shopping smacked their lips as if regrettable and nodded.

“Right, then let’s have a cup of tea now.”

“This way.”

The Duke and Varden took me to a cafe in the Naciel District, perhaps having found out a place in advance.

‘Cafe, Dyling?’

Although it was a cafe with a very luxurious exterior and interior and atmosphere, because I went around too many luxury stores until just now, no inspiration came.

I just wanted to rest.

‘I want to go home.’

Mentally exhausted by the storm shopping I experienced for the first time, I sat down on the chair as if sagging.

When the clerk set the tea on the table and turned around, I looked at the Duke sitting opposite and spoke seriously.

“Father. I am very thankful for the presents. As you know, I intend to only study at home to become a new person now. Since I have nowhere to go wearing them, I want to return half of them.”

“Yvonne. Why do you have nowhere to go wearing them!”

The Duke, holding a teacup, shouted suddenly and cut me off.

‘Why is he getting angry like that?’

As I opened my eyes round in surprise, the Duke cleared his throat and gestured with his chin to Varden.

Then, as if promised, Varden made a determined expression and opened his mouth.

“Father says he will introduce a good man to you. You just have to meet at this cafe in three days.”

“…A man?”

What is this sound all of a sudden.

Surprised, I stared blankly at the Duke.

‘Surely?’

Come to think of it, I recalled that when having breakfast together, the Duke said in passing to meet another man and forget the Crown Prince.

I thought it was just words, but did he plan a matchmaking interview seriously?

Being so dumbfounded, my face flushed bright red.

“Father! I am fine, really!”

“Aren’t you not fine. Yvonne, trust me and meet him just once. He will be much better than that bad fellow.”

A bad fellow.

Is he saying that to Crown Prince Adrian?

Surprised that the Duke openly calls the Crown Prince a bad fellow and worried on the other hand, I looked around.

Fortunately, no one came near this seat where the Duke of Argenthose and his children were gathered.

Wondering if I was the only one worrying, the Duke drank tea calmly and leisurely.

“Now, Varden. Explain.”

“Yes. Hmph hmph. Listen. Ludnine Iels. Current age 22, height 188cm, body is very sturdy. He is a Sword Master and his occupation is the Duke of Iels and the Guardian of the ‘Northern Gate’.”

I couldn’t interrupt Varden who was explaining about my matchmaking partner with a serious attitude.

So I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this situation where he says he will introduce that famous ‘Duke Iels’ as a matchmaking partner.

Although he was a man who never appeared even once in the original work, since I grasped the domestic and international situation studying with history and politics teachers all this time, I knew who Ludnine Iels was.

He is a person way too important.

Duke Iels.

A historic Duke family with a territory in the northern part of the Empire, guarding the Northern Gate.

The Duke Iels family was one of the four Duke families who were founding contributors of the Empire, and unlike the Duke Argenthose family who settled in the capital under the pretext of protecting the capital with magic, it was a family that adhered to staying in the northern territory.

Wealth is known to be similar to the Duke Argenthose family.

Also, it is said that Duke Ludnine Iels, the current young master of the Iels territory, is such a handsome man, gentle, and outstanding in many fields.

So even though if one becomes the partner of him, the master of the Iels territory, one has to stay mostly only in the Iels territory in the North, there are many young ladies anxious to receive Duke Iels even once somehow.

‘The dance teacher told me this.’

I recalled the dance teacher who used to make a fuss often delivering gossip of the high society.

And looking at the men expecting my answer with sparkling eyes, I sighed.

“No, why would such an outstanding Duke meet me?”

“What?”

I nailed it into the two men who stiffened rigidly as if shocked.

“Let’s be honest. I am a villainess with bad rumors and reputation. Although I am reflecting, they won’t even believe me.”

“A villainess… Who dared to spout such reckless remarks to Princess Argenthose.”

The Duke’s eyes were dyed with anger.

“Yvonne, right. Honestly, there were times you were a mad dog but. Actually, you are decent in your own way too!”

Two men defending me excitedly.

I looked at them alternately in a daze.