Ch#287
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper Side Story 4 Episode 1
4. Proposal
Duchess Debenzel occasionally revealed unexpected and whimsical sides. Considering how perfectly flawless she always seemed, without even room for a needle, it was astonishing. At such times, the duchess resembled an ordinary girl.
The letter she sent me this time was surely born from some outlandish whim. While her eccentric behavior wasn't entirely new to us, it was bewildering enough that I couldn't bring myself to reply.
What could I say to her demand to recreate a tea party from years ago by wearing the exact same outfit from then?
The design was now so outdated it would be laughable to wear it. I couldn't even recall if it still hung in my wardrobe.
No, I think I had given it to Marie as compensation long ago. That showed just how ancient the story was.
To remake a past dress just for one of the duchess's tea parties—was it truly worth that much effort?
A sigh nearly escaped me, but the letter's closing plea to attend without fail left me no choice but to prepare.
Fortunately, the tea party was a month away, giving ample time to craft the dress.
With Marie and Seril, I racked my brains and barely recalled the dress's design and color from back then.
They were utterly flustered by the unexpected order but soon grew excited, striving to recreate it more perfectly than I remembered.
"Should we do your hair and makeup like back then too?"
Marie’s unforeseen question left me speechless. She had pointed out something I hadn’t considered, blocking my words.
Good heavens.
A chill ran down my spine. Not only wearing an outdated dress, but matching the hairstyle too—what an utterly ridiculous spectacle that would be.
The tea party probably wouldn’t even need a separate jester. Everyone would be too busy laughing at each other.
Even worse was my act of writing back to ask about it in the letter. Regardless of intent, shouldn’t one defer to the hostess’s wishes?
A few days later, Duchess Debenzel’s reply was enough to draw a massive sigh from me.
『Of course, isn’t it obvious?』
Duchess Debenzel must have gone mad.
She wasn’t the only one acting strangely.
Duchess Rosan surprised me with uncharacteristic behavior too. Was it the strain from competing to become empress? Or lingering fallout from defying the Emperor’s command for Sir Ailes’s sake?
She showed up unannounced, insisting we go on a trip. She didn’t seem like the Lysette Rosan I knew. Since meeting her, she had never once ventured out so impulsively.
"We need moments like this sometimes."
Luse’s explanation was simple. She wanted to retreat to House Rosan’s villa and rest. She had prepared everything, so I just needed to come along. Her excited face as she coaxed me was infectious.
Stunned by the sudden proposal, I tried to calm her.
"Wait, Luse. A trip out of nowhere?"
"It won’t be bad. We should indulge in some fun like this occasionally."
"But…"
"Shh, come here and look at this."
She grabbed my hesitating hand and strode out to the front gate. Outside waited several carriages piled high with travel bags.
Proudly gesturing to each one, Rosan detailed what she had packed. The sheer volume made it seem like she planned to live there, not just visit.
"Perfect, right? So Cisse, you just need to bring your clothing bag."
With natural poise, she ordered the surrounding maids to pack my things. Anyone would think she owned the mansion.
Of course, the maids glanced at me and didn’t move. With a sigh, I told them to stand down.
"Isn’t it too sudden?"
"No, it’s not. We’re exhausted right now. It’s time to rest. His Majesty won’t give us a break, so we have to escape like this."
Duchess Rosan whined dramatically.
She had endured days of mental strain under the Emperor’s pressure, leaving her utterly drained.
Now that she mentioned it, her face looked pallid and unwell. Dark shadows hung heavily under her deeply sunken, fatigued eyes.
Just months ago, she hadn’t looked like this.
Her relatable exhaustion nearly made me wrap my arms around her shoulders.
I too had spent recent days in frenzy. Especially since Roena took the Lavalliere name, leaving no respite as I schemed to counter her.
Thus, I holed up in the study daily, buried in documents. Staring at text motionless for hours gave me headaches and strained my eyes, but there was no choice.
Competent aides around me were still scarce. Only a handful could be trusted with real work. What I needed was someone like Mago—blindly loyal to Roena yet efficient and devoted.
Marie was greedy and dim, Seril unreliable due to past memories. Trusting loyalty born of violence was odd, wasn’t it?
Of course, loyal Mlange existed, but she wasn’t particularly clever. Perhaps raising Arina to keep by my side would be better.
Compounding this was my nature of distrusting anything untouched by my own hands, driving me relentlessly.
Not trusting people easily only worsened my fatigue. Past experiences made me constantly suspect others. Truly, I was courting hardship.
Anyway, time was limited, yet tasks overflowed. Some solutions emerged only at the brink of crisis. Maddening.
Thus, I staggered through days like a fugitive from work. Days of relaxing with a maid’s massage felt ancient history.
Insomnia piled on, robbing even proper sleep—three hours at most.
This left me dizzy, nearly fainting several times.
My physician warned that sudden collapse wouldn’t be surprising and insisted on rest, lest I fall gravely ill.
As Duchess Rosan said, what we needed was rest.
But fleeing blindly on a trip like this wasn’t wise. Even one day off piled documents like mountains; returning from travel would fill the study so full of paper I couldn’t enter. I lacked confidence to clear it all at once.
"Oh, please."
Rosan pleaded with my hesitation, describing the villa’s lake and gardens.
Strolling the grounds, picnicking at a favored spot, then horseback riding or fishing would be delightful. She even tempted me with possible swimming.
I was startled by her mention of ‘fishing,’ typically a men’s pursuit.
Noblemen saw hunting as the ultimate display of masculinity—sport and exercise to flaunt strength.
Killing prey and spilling blood proved their prowess.
I couldn’t grasp why they exalted it so, but these fools, intoxicated by their acts, approached hunts with grim resolve like war.
They yielded hunting grounds to women only for cheers. Otherwise, they drew strict lines, preening as if accomplishing great deeds.
Fishing shared context—hunting fish. Less barbaric than beasts, yet still killing life. Thus, they declared it unfit for delicate women.
Of course, successful hunters or anglers were rare, and braggarts at best, yet excused for being men.
Fragment of the Broken Glass Slipper
Novel by Yeolmae
Author: Yeolmae
Publisher: Kwon Tae-wan, Woo Cheon-je
eBook Publication Date: 2024-05-07
Production: CL Production
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