60 - Pieces of the Broken Glass Slipper
Shattered Glass Slipper Shards Episode 60
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I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled with satisfaction. With gloves on my hands, shoes on my feet, and a hat on my head, I was perfectly ready to go out.
Thinking about myself at this time in the past, plump and with my eyes only for food, it was nothing short of tremendous progress.
"Oh, Marie. I'm going out with Seril today. So you don't need to get dressed."
Marie's expression, who had been putting on her coat to go out with me, turned sullen. She seemed very disappointed, as she hesitated to take off her coat.
Perhaps Marie wanted to follow me and witness a spectacle she would never see again in her life. It's understandable, as shopping where gold is spent lavishly is a grand sight not easily seen at any time.
"Don't be disappointed. You should just do what you're good at, shouldn't you? Please, when you return to the mansion, I hope you have something interesting for me to hear. I intend to reward you sufficiently for it. Yes. Perhaps there might be something in the laundry room that could entertain me."
Blan returned to the mansion. The very person suspected of being the thief of the key!! Then how will Margo act? And Roena?!
I was truly curious. How they would act. And that there was no one more suitable than Marie to resolve this question.
For a noblewoman to go out, many things are needed. Servants and maids to carry luggage, a coachman to drive the carriage, and a knight for escort.
Usually, this task is undertaken by a knight residing within the family, and most often it's the one who is off duty that day. Therefore, when going out, one had to go through the trouble of contacting the knight order in advance.
In truth, I don't like going out with a knight. I think it's better to go alone even if I were to face danger.
Because I know they wouldn't truly save me. While now they assign me a knight capable of fighting, in the past, I didn't even receive such treatment.
In fact, for my past self, it was fortunate if a squire, who had just received their knight's spurs, even if not a seasoned veteran, appeared. It was mostly young pages who had nothing to do who took on the role of knights, escorting me.
At that time, I was a fool, but I wasn't a half-wit blind person who couldn't distinguish between a knight and a page. I was certainly not a fool who just watched the unfair treatment I received and swallowed it down.
But everyone else had excuses like they had duties, and I was bombarded with unspoken criticism asking if I wanted to go out even like this, so I couldn't say anything. This is because my reason for calling for a knight was mostly to go out and buy clothes and jewelry.
Moreover, due to repeated foolish actions, my adoptive father's attention had waned, leaving me no way to appeal my grievances. My mother had also withdrawn from me, watching my adoptive father's reactions.
If even one person had listened to my situation, they wouldn't have dared to openly slight me like this.
Unfortunately, however, I was a rebellious foal with no one to lean on, and having caused much trouble, my complaints were seen as nothing but malicious behavior in the eyes of others.
Most importantly, everyone in the mansion united as one to make things difficult for me, so I couldn't possibly win. In the end, I had no choice but to surrender and leave the mansion obediently. What more could I do?
Bringing Seril, I came out to the front gate and saw the carriage waiting for me. And the escort knight standing beside it.
I stopped my steps at the familiar back. Seril looked at me as if asking why, but I couldn't readily move my feet to approach the carriage. No, I wanted to turn back and run to my room.
"Miss?"
"Seril, did you contact the knight order properly?"
"Yes."
"Then why?"
Why was Lustewin Halberd standing next to the carriage?
As if sensing my gaze, he turned and looked at me. Very unfortunately, Sir Halberd was in perfect going-out attire, with a sword slung across his waist.
Why was he here, when he was clearly Roena's exclusive knight? To be my escort?
No, there must be some mistake. A knight like Lustewin Halberd wouldn't spare time for me.
I forced my seemingly stiff legs to move and approached him. The Knight of Clear Hearing I saw in broad daylight was still so beautiful. Especially his blue eyes, which shone with a fresh light.
"Sir Halberd, where is the knight who will accompany me?"
At my question, his face stiffened.
"Surely you're not saying you'll be my escort, are you?"
After speaking, I forced a smile. Earnestly hoping he wouldn't be displeased.
"Why do you think that?"
Because you're always Roena's.
The words rose to the tip of my tongue, but I suppressed them. Instead, I chose to control my emotions through silence.
He had told me before that he could be my sword too, but in terms of importance, Roena and I were incomparable.
Putting aside his affection for her, they were symbols representing the Bishvarts Family, a destiny inseparable from each other.
They were a perfect pair, acknowledged even by the noble ladies who were jealous of Roena. Indeed, if Roena called him, he would undoubtedly leave my side without hesitation.
Therefore, I wanted him to step down voluntarily and send another knight. Before I experienced more misery.
I don't know who mistakenly conveyed the message, but he was not a man who would waste his time on such a trivial matter.
"I can see what you're thinking, but I will not make the mistake of voicing it. However, what is certain is that I am the knight who will escort you today."
But he was resolute, and spoke curtly as if my attitude was worthless. The hand extended for the escort seemed unwavering.
A tedious standoff, which seemed like it would last forever, continued as neither side yielded.
In the past, I had consistently ignored his outstretched hand, pretending not to see it. This rude behavior made me feel disappointed and served as a good preventive measure to avoid further encounters. Because even an excellent gentleman would become furious if his courtesy was refused.
However, Sir Halberd possessed an unexpected boldness when making a decision, with the ability to resolve matters swiftly.
To my great surprise, he approached me first, took my hand, and pulled me along, then, in an unexpected turn of events, pushed me into the carriage—or rather, he lifted me in as if embracing me—a shocking display.
And that wasn't all. Looking at me, unable to speak due to my bewilderment, he even performed a courteous bow with composure. It was he who instructed the coachman to depart.
"Please forgive this rudeness."
"......"
I wanted to retort something, but my chest felt constricted, as if a large lump was stuck there.
Instead, I bit my lip and lowered my eyes. If the carriage turned back now, everything would be resolved, but I couldn't go to meet Madame de Chateau-roux without a proper dress.
In the end, it meant I had to go to the boutique with Sir Halberd, but the wait had been too long to ruin the long-awaited meeting with such an incident.
So, I had no choice but to force myself to open my mouth and whisper to him.
"Please take care of me."
At the same time, I stroked my palm with my other hand, feeling the lingering warmth from his, and repeated to myself like a mantra. Do not commit the foolish act of confusing duty.
The boutique I am going to is very famous among noblewomen, run by the Emperor's half-sister.
Dibelin Maignont de Dauphine.
She, commonly known as Madame Dauphine, was someone who elevated dresses to the realm of art with her exceptional aesthetic sense and insight.
Not only were the designs beautiful, but every single item used in the dresses was handcrafted by artisans, leading to the common assessment that they were clothes one would want to wear even at the cost of a fortune.
Especially since she did not sell her creations to just anyone but only to those who pleased her, her dresses possessed immense rarity value.
Many prominent ladies wished to wear her clothes, and upon obtaining her new dress, they would flaunt it in high society. Even Madame de Lavalier herself owned only a few of Madame Dauphine's dresses, so what more needs to be said?
In the past, I had never even crossed the threshold of this shop. This was because Madame Dauphine disdained my extravagant hobbies and my almost cheap taste.
My vulgar taste of thinking that a dress was beautiful only if it was adorned with jewels, and my vulgar mindset of believing that money could buy anything, evoked her contempt.
Every time I visited and begged her to sell me a dress, all I received were cold replies, mockery, and indifference.
"Even if not a single one of my dresses is sold, it will never go to a young lady. Not even a single scrap of fabric. So, give up."
Afterward, she made a dress for Roena to attend the imperial ball, and also gifted her the dress to wear when she got engaged to His Highness the Prince.
But I could never wear a dress from Madame Dauphine until the day I died.
The carriage, which had been speeding along in silence, stopped in front of the boutique not long after we left the mansion.
I alighted from the carriage with Sir Halberd's escort. Women passing by stopped their steps upon seeing Sir Halberd, then began to murmur and tilt their heads as they saw me descending after him.
Lustewin Halberd is one of the most popular knights in the empire. He consistently ranks among the top in the annual Founding Festival—the empire's biggest holiday—tournament, and last year, if my memory serves me correctly, he must have won. It's no wonder other people recognized him. This also applied to the women inside the boutique.
As we entered the shop, all eyes were solely on Lustewin Halberd. It was so ardent, almost burning, that I flinched beside him.
"It's Sir Halberd."
The gaze of Madame Dauphine, the owner of the boutique, was also fixed on Sir Halberd. She rose from her seat—she seemed to have been having tea with the ladies who visited the boutique—and approached us.
Wearing a blue dress that flowed around her neck, she looked exactly the same as in my memory, with no changes whatsoever.
Her tall, gaunt frame, slightly slanted eyes, low nose, and prominent cheekbones made her appear somewhat neurotic. Her flaws were even more pronounced when she was with beautifully adorned women.
Madame Dauphine was well aware that she was not a beauty. She openly boasted, "If I had a beautiful face, my dresses would have become even more famous."
Even gossipmongers marveled, "How can such beautiful dresses come from the fingertips of someone like her?"
However, if one looked into her eyes and spoke with her, they would understand how futile appearance is.
