Chapter 21
Chapter – 21
That little sphere had veered off course.
She poured everything into drawing him closer, only for him to respond with…
“Doesn’t that make me invaluable?”
A puzzled tilt of his head.
“Far more than what the Count provides, correct?”
His unexpected words sowed doubt about her scheme’s success.
Attempting to outmaneuver the central hero might prove futile from the start.
“Benvolio could shoulder the entire performance burden.”
Her ideal staging of The Prince and the Pauper hinged on the beggar’s compelling portrayal, elevated further by the royal’s delivery.
She acknowledged inwardly that demanding Leo reveal the prince’s authentic depths stemmed from her personal craving alone.
Snapping from her musing, she rose to swap outfits, spotting the maid lingering uneasily by the threshold.
No offer of aid appeared forthcoming.
“Has the Count begun billing me for basic assistance? Leave me be. Select any gown from my transported trunks and secure it.”
Such elaborate noble attire defied solo handling.
Extra costs for dressing struck her as absurd.
“N-no, that’s not the issue.”
With a timid gesture beyond the frame, the maid clarified.
“They’ve gathered out there already, seeking permission to proceed.”
“Proceed with what?”
Her vacant stare sharpened at the servant’s look; she signaled approval.
“Send them through.”
Irritation prickled.
“Right away.”
The portal parted to admit Alfredo, trailed by fresh faces.
Arms laden: silken fabric, gem strands, bands, pendants, plus an arsenal of tresses tools.
Alfredo positioned himself forward, his team aligned like soldiers.
“What exactly starts now?”
“Your transformation!”
“With this many? Such intensity?”
“Direct order from the Count: fashion you into a spectacle that leaves the gathering speechless.”
Him?
The notion of “speechless” puzzled until the layers settled.
Masterfully stitched gown of flawless artistry.
Resplendent diamond cascade, etched with finesse.
Adornments engineered to fracture light into rainbows.
“Obscene wealth.”
Her prior incarnation as a celebrated performer immersed her in extravagance.
Household budgets earmarked “upkeep” sums, dispatched to high-end vendors.
She grasped the signal of true excess.
Trinkets so dazzling they threatened to dominate the body they graced.
The mirror revealed her evolution; surrounding breaths caught.
“Overwhelmingly…”
She claimed the word.
“Stunning.”
Awed quietude reigned.
Self-admiration evidently shocked them.
She lingered undeterred, drinking in the image.
“This form wields such grandeur effortlessly.”
“Few blend these elements without clash.”
Servants and Alfredo shook off stupor, voices rising in chorus.
“A living portrait of enchantment!”
Sorceress suited better.
“Instant captivation for the Count!”
Time would tell.
“What honor we’ve achieved!”
Strange claim from them.
Servants’ reverence fit; his fervor baffled.
Sweeping past flattery, she descended the stairs.
The ritual consumed hours; the journey beckoned.
In the receiving room below, the Count lingered predictably.
Crossed limbs, lenses balanced, sifting missives in his departure ensemble.
He would join regardless.
Spare glance at her glory, she advanced and addressed him.
“Count.”
No reply.
“Count!”
Eyes flicked upward, flaring wide for an instant.
Composure snapped back.
“Funds well allocated.”
Precisely.
She mirrored Diensche bluntness.
“Skip compliments. Tally it against my obligations. Full restitution assured.”
Arno’s features hardened.
Evenly:
“Acquired a diamond source this round.”
Initial haze cleared to realization.
Another product placement maneuver.
“Sapphires before, diamonds today. Their realm dwarfs ours.”
A servant heralded the vehicle’s arrival.
“Let’s move.”
“Count, departure calls.”
“Very well.”
“Waiting for you to stand?”
“Farewells demand standing?”
From his throne-like seat in tailored finery, he appraised her.
Wordlessly, he gained his feet.
“I’ll accompany to the gate. Revel well.”
Meeting his height:
“My attendant’s remark yesterday troubled you?”
“Correct.”
No surprise.
Her brow creased.
“You accepted I’d eject you, swayed by that bold fool.”
“Understood—”
“Here stands my response.”
The array itself.
Ornaments advancing his enterprises?
Diensche rationale crystallized.
Value secured her place.
Benvolio’s call pierced from the entry.
“Princess, the coach readies…”
She pivoted to his gaping stare.
“Princess?”
“Radiance erases familiarity, doesn’t it?”
A wry huff propelled her onward.
“Beyond words, exquisite.”
Bluntness defined him.
Arno merited no farewell.
Security bloomed within: no rejection awaited.
Past diva shadows loomed, rife with discard dread.
Mother auctioned her; father clung solely via elder’s leverage.
Utility burned as her quest: corporate savvy squandered gladly.
Shin Seong-hyeon’s stepmother vetoed growth.
Idleness enforced.
Art her lone bastion.
Yields barren.
Theater relegated her to shadows.
This world elevated her role.
Catherine Herotia gazed across the Meseña estate, pleasure etching her smile.
Once the duchy’s pulsing core, nearly imperial in might.
Her father’s final quarters, a site of deep revulsion.
“Father! Louisa cannot helm Meseña! Her vanity will torch the heritage!”
“Hush. Lesser lines meddle not in heirs.”
People-blind to the end.
Shunned the fresh emperor, mourned the fallen one, bestowed folly upon Louisa in death throes.
Perceptive sight denied, decline swallowed the line; she’d wield a thriving domain by now.
Castle dominion already hers.
Crowded hall and radiant Jeanne drew her fond eye.
Poised high, Jeanne exuded refinement and superiority, eyes sweeping the throng.
Beauty’s tributes flowed unending.
“This land’s supreme vision.”
“Maturity gap bars her from consort; such waste…”
Her favorite barb:
“Outclasses that spoiled royal spawn.”
Jeanne eclipsed Louisa Meseña entirely.
Catherine passed along the whispers; Jeanne shrugged wearily.
“Mother.”
“That aloofness?”
“Flatterers dart eyes toward Louisa’s spot. Still—”
Her languid survey confirmed the absence.
“She stays away.”
“How so?”
“Handpicked gown from my couturier. Imagining her in bargain finery amuses.”
Childhood rages resurfaced.
“Beauty alone suffices!”
At ten, mismatches sparked servant ordeals.
Vanity’s grip extended: cherished arts, tunes, forms; dissent bred tempests akin.
Theater bid held no shock.
“She delivers.”
Attractive ensemble assured acclaim.
Chatter proved it widespread.
Catherine observed:
“Victory aside, it marks debt rites. Noblesse debased; abandonment from the Count looms.”
“Him?”
A shade unjust.
Louisa leaned heavily on his patronage.
Aesthetic pursuits craved Diensche aid.
“Watch closely. His absence beside her signals fracture ahead!”
Catherine beamed; Jeanne nodded once.
Rival escort foretold dissolution.
Entry murmurs swelled.
“Louisa herself?”
Assembly yielded to the advancing figure.
Swathed in lavish splendor.
Gems ignited, yet her glow outshone.
Two escorts flanked her.
“Not solitary—doubled!”
Catherine brightened; Jeanne’s face shadowed.
Recognized instantly: Tears of the Sea.
Empire-renowned legacy of the departed Diensche Countess, value eclipsing the estate.
Such fervor gripped the Count?
Diensche’s mark emblazoned boldly, paraded amid rivals.
