Chapter 23
#23
"Actually……."
Maria moved her lips.
Seeing her gesture as if she wanted to say something, I waited patiently.
"There's someone I really want to meet again."
Maria said, fidgeting with her fingers.
It was as if she was confessing her first love from her adolescence.
"I was so curious about their name that I even asked the guards. I told them I wanted to thank them, so please tell me."
"The guards?"
I guessed she was talking about the guards to whom Ricardo had handed over the pickpocket, but I pretended not to know anything and asked.
"Yes. I had my money stolen, but that person recovered it for me. That money was really important. It was for my mother's hospital bills."
"Ah, that was really important money."
"Yes. The scale of the capital's festival was so grand that I wanted to look around a little before leaving, but then……. It seems that the pickpocket realized I was a clueless country bumpkin."
"Bad people are good at recognizing innocent and kind people."
Maria nodded as if agreeing with my words.
"If that person hadn't found the money for me, I would have been in real trouble. But even so, they didn't reveal their name and didn't expect any reward."
A slight blush appeared on Maria's face. And her eyes began to sparkle.
"They said they didn't want a reward, so instead, I should help someone in need. I don't know how wonderful that was."
As if recalling the scene at that time, Maria looked somewhere in the air and smiled slightly.
It was a scene that perfectly matched the words 'a shy girl in love'.
And even I thought Maria looked lovely.
"I see."
"Yes. So I do have a wish to meet such a wonderful person again."
"So do you know who that person is?"
"Yes. The kind guards told me. They said they knew the person because they were famous. But I was surprised because they were really amazing."
"I see."
"Um… does Bianca know Ricardo of the Duke Wincaiser's family?"
"Yes, I know him."
"Ah, I knew you would."
I had only said that I knew Ricardo, but Bianca was delighted as if she had heard some great news.
"Then perhaps……."
Maria hesitated, glancing at me.
I knew what she wanted to say, but I just smiled slightly as if telling her to speak comfortably.
"If I make my Debutante and enter society, will I be able to meet Ricardo?"
"Probably. It's hard to meet him unless you have such an opportunity."
"I see."
Maria looked a little disappointed, with a slightly deflated expression.
Then she made a thinking face.
I already knew what answer she would give. But I waited again.
"Then Bianca, can I ask you for a little favor?"
As expected.
Maria chose to ask me for a favor.
"Of course."
I smiled brightly.
Maria, I will make you a happy person.
So that you don't have bad thoughts, so that you don't become a villain, so that you don't kill me.
I will fulfill everything you want.
Even your love.
"Hmm……. Not good."
"Maria has a very beautiful neckline. It would be better if it was a design that could highlight that."
"Is there anything else?"
"Not really."
"It's subtle. Let's put this aside for now, and try something else."
As Maria went to change into her eighth dress, I was starting to get tired of this dressing up.
The dress was not the end, but the beginning. But it had already been several hours of just starting, so it was natural.
Unlike me, who had worn many dresses since I was young and knew what suited my skin, hair color, and eye color, Maria had no idea what suited her.
When she first came in here, the first thing that caught Maria's eye was a bright blue dress. With a very large ribbon on the chest.
I was fortunate enough to quickly grab Maria's arm as she approached the dress as if possessed, making a 'Wow~' sound, or else I would have seen Maria wrapped in bright blue wrapping paper.
"Ah!"
When Maria, wearing a light yellow dress, stood in front of me, I finally thought, 'This is it.'
It went well with her red hair and green eyes.
There weren't many decorations, but that suited Maria even better.
It coolly revealed her shoulders, making Maria's strong point, her neckline, look beautiful, and the frills on the chest covered Maria's slightly lacking parts.
"This would be good."
Seeing a dress that finally caught my eye, a smile naturally came to my face.
"Is this the best one?"
Maria asked cautiously.
She looked a little tired after changing dresses eight times.
"Yes. It's very pretty."
"Isn't it a little, revealing?"
Maria said, glancing at her exposed shoulders and chest.
"It's an evening dress. It has to be that much to capture people's attention."
Does Maria have jewelry that would suit that dress?
I couldn't be sure.
Lord Wendsbury wouldn't skimp on money for his daughter, but men weren't that meticulous. And men who wield swords were even worse.
It would be better to assume that Lord Wendsbury wouldn't meticulously take care of Maria's accessories.
But it didn't matter. I could lend her mine.
Perhaps an emerald that would suit her clear green eyes would be good.
Emeralds weren't really my taste, but I would still have two or three sets.
Yes. It would be nice to just give it as a gift rather than lend it.
Then Maria would be even more grateful.
"Calculate this."
As I said to the clerk, Panya, who had been waiting next to me, quickly handed her a checkbook.
"Ah! I'll pay."
Maria hurriedly approached us.
The Marquess hadn't assigned Maria a personal maid yet, so she took out a pouch from the bag she had brought herself.
It seemed that the Marquess hadn't given her a checkbook as well as a personal maid.
"How much is it?"
Maria asked, untying the pouch, and then froze.
"Pardon?"
Maria asked the clerk again as if she had misheard something, and then froze again after hearing the price again.
Slowly turning her head and looking at me, Maria blinked her eyes a few times.
Her expression was saying.
'Bianca, I'm hearing nonsense!'
"Panya."
As I sent a kind smile to Maria and called Panya's name, she quickly handed the check to the clerk, being quick-witted.
"No, wait! Just a moment!"
Maria hurriedly tried to grab the clerk, but the clerk, who had experienced all sorts of hardships, was not so easily swayed.
As soon as she received the check, she turned around and hurried away to write down the dress amount.
"It's too expensive, Bianca!"
"Is it? It's an average price."
What would she say if she knew that there were dozens of dresses in my closet that were more than twice that price?
"I can't accept something this expensive."
Maria shook her head with an anxious expression.
"Why?"
"It's too expensive."
"Why shouldn't you receive something that's too expensive?"
"Pardon?"
"You know it's expensive. But why shouldn't you receive something expensive?"
"Because you shouldn't."
"So, why shouldn't you receive something expensive?"
"My mother said that you shouldn't receive such things from strangers……."
"Am I a stranger?"
"Ah, no! That's not it! It's just that I would feel too sorry if I received something this expensive."
"Then if you receive something that's not expensive, you wouldn't feel sorry?"
"Pardon?"
"If you receive something expensive, you feel sorry, and if you receive something cheap, you don't feel sorry? The giver's heart would be the same."
"Uh, that's……."
Maria stuttered a little at my question.
"I received a very cheap gift a while ago."
"You did, Bianca?"
"Yes. It was a very crude and cheap gift, probably bought from a stall somewhere in the market."
It was even broken.
"But it was very… precious to me. So I keep it very carefully."
I didn't tell her what it was.
I didn't tell her who I received it from.
I couldn't say why it was precious either. Because I didn't know either.
I kept it because I couldn't throw it away. I put it in a corner of the drawer in my room and opened it once in a while when no one was around.
After opening the drawer alone and looking at it five times, taking it out and looking at it for no reason, I realized that I was cherishing it.
I am cherishing this.
"Money isn't important. What's important is the heart."
Before I knew it, Maria was staring at me.
"This dress is a gift of my heart that wants to get along with Maria. So please don't feel burdened and accept my heart."
After listening to my words, Maria hesitated for a long time and finally nodded.
"Okay. Then shall we go buy my second heart?"
"Pardon?"
"Change your clothes and come out, Maria. We have to buy shoes next."
"W-wait a minute, Bianca."
Maria grabbed my hand in a flustered manner.
"A second heart?"
"If you bought a dress, you have to buy shoes that match the dress."
"You can just wear what you have……."
"Oh! No way. It's a once-in-a-lifetime Debutante. A perfect dress needs perfect shoes."
"Is there anything after the shoes?"
Maria said anxiously, and I smiled brightly as if telling her not to worry.
"Don't worry. After that, it's all just small things."
"Ah, is that so? That's a relief……."
"Trivial things. Like stockings or petticoats, or a small emerald necklace."
"Pardon?"
Maria nodded at the words stockings and petticoats, but her eyes widened at the word emerald.
"Or very small emerald earrings?"
"T-that's not small, is it?"
"Oh my? The dress is this big, and the shoes will be about this size, but compared to that, emeralds are very small."
Unlike Maria, who had a surprised expression, I smiled brightly again.
To be surprised by this much.
I have a special gift prepared.
When she sees that, will Maria cry or laugh?
I hope she laughs. And I hope she's happy.
I hope you are very, very happy.
