34
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Aileen, overwhelmed by the cigarette smoke, coughed repeatedly, tears welling up in her eyes as she managed to reply.
"T-Thank you..."
Many soldiers and the Grand Duke's knights smoked. But Aileen had never smelled cigarette smoke on them.
That was because they avoided smoking for several hours before coming to see Aileen. She had only seen them smoking a few times by chance.
She knew Cesare occasionally smoked, but she had never even caught a faint whiff of it from him. Everyone was careful because Aileen disliked cigarettes.
This was the first time she had been directly exposed to smoke like this. Ornella didn't stop smoking, even though she clearly saw Aileen struggling.
Aileen was struggling with the smoke and wanted to escape quickly because she was afraid of Ornella. Aileen hurriedly opened her mouth.
"Then..."
"Ah, wait a moment."
Just as she was about to say goodbye, Ornella raised her hand. It was a gesture as if she were commanding a pet dog. Aileen and the maid had no choice but to wait there.
Ornella leisurely finished her cigarette, threw the butt on the hallway floor, and extinguished it with her heel. The maid quietly took out a handkerchief and picked up the cigarette butt. Only after dusting off her clothes did Ornella look at Aileen.
Aileen, trapped in the cigarette smoke, was barely breathing. Ornella smiled brightly at Aileen. It was a smile that seemed to make flowers bloom all around.
Even after being treated so harshly, Aileen thought Ornella's smile was beautiful.
'This is the kind of person who should be called Lily.'
The woman who perfectly matched the nickname "Lily of Traon" brought her face close to Aileen's.
"I wonder if you can see anything with this..."
She reached out to touch her bangs, and Aileen stepped back in surprise.
"Sorry if I startled you?"
Ornella wore a faint sneer. Her pretty pink lips uttered barbed words.
"I was just curious. As you know, Lady Aileen, it's hard to understand. Why His Highness chose you. I knew he was being kind because you're the daughter of his deceased nanny, but he wouldn't decide on marriage out of pity, would he?"
"Objectively speaking," she paused for a moment, scanning Aileen up and down. Her neatly groomed eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Aileen suddenly became self-conscious about her attire. The dress Cesare had given her was for banquets and not suitable for a day like today, so she had chosen the cleanest dress she owned.
She thought it was neat and decent enough, but compared to Ornella, it was like wearing rags. Aileen's dress, made with the minimum amount of cheap fabric, had only a few ribbons for decoration.
In contrast, Ornella's dress was obviously expensive at a glance. It used plenty of fabric and had frills made of embroidered lace, giving it a rich feel.
Ornella even smelled nice. It was thanks to the fresh flowers she had placed in her hair for decoration. The scent of fresh flowers, which quickly pushed away the cigarette smoke, was alluring.
Aileen recalled the moment she had placed the watch box on the sofa at the Grand Duke's Residence. The pathetic, utterly mismatched watch box.
"It must be hard for you, Lady Aileen. There's a limit to how far you can go with a marriage of unequal status. Have you prepared a dowry?"
"Ah..."
Aileen was speechless. It was a problem she hadn't even considered. Unless she was being sold off, a bride was generally expected to prepare a dowry.
Of course, Aileen was being forced into the marriage, but it was still a marriage to the Grand Duke. She couldn't possibly go empty-handed.
Seeing Aileen's face turn pale, Ornella clicked her tongue as if she felt sorry for her.
"Your mother has passed away, and there are no suitable noble ladies around. There's no one to tell you even the basics."
Her words were absolutely right. There was no one to teach Aileen about the reality of marriage. Aileen had vaguely thought she was getting married, but she hadn't actively considered what she needed to prepare. At best, she had been worrying about how to control her father.
"This is a big problem. Oh, come to think of it, you haven't even received a ring yet. It seems like nothing is going properly."
Ornella pretended to be surprised as she looked at Aileen's empty left hand. Aileen quickly covered her left hand with her right hand to hide it. Her cheeks flushed with shame.
"Hmm, I happen to need to hire a new maid."
Ornella grabbed the ribbon on Aileen's dress. When she pulled on the ribbon with her silk-gloved hand, the loosely tied ribbon quickly came undone.
Aileen looked at the ribbon she had pulled. The frayed ends were messy. Ornella dropped the ribbon as if she had touched something dirty and recoiled her hand.
"I'll give you a generous salary."
"..."
Aileen bit her lip. She could feel the maid beside her watching anxiously.
Being a maid of the Empress was an honorable position. An ordinary noble lady would be overjoyed and honored. But Aileen was going to be the Archduchess of Erzeht. For Aileen, the offer to become a maid was a clear insult.
To be honest, she felt ashamed and humiliated. She was ashamed of the Elrod family's poverty. She hated her appearance and clothes, which were so starkly compared to the lily-like beauty.
But such things would happen often in the future. She had been prepared for it from the moment she decided to become the Archduchess of Erzeht.
Facing it in reality was more painful than she had expected, but she could still endure it. Aileen frowned to hold back the tears that were welling up in her nose. Then, she mustered what little courage she had and timidly retorted.
"Thank you for your consideration. But... I'm fine."
"There's no shame in accepting help when you're in trouble, Aileen."
However, hearing her being lectured as if she were naive, her lips tightened again.
'What am I going to do about the dowry...'
Even if she sold the brick house and all the medicine in the lab, she would never be able to come up with a dowry befitting the Grand Duke's family. Moreover, she hadn't even been granted access to the lab yet, so she couldn't even enter it.
Aileen's shoulders drooped endlessly, but suddenly Ornella's voice became much kinder.
"Lady Elrod. If anything happens in the future, tell me. I'll help as much as I can. We're family in the Imperial Family now, aren't we?"
Aileen was flustered by the sudden change, but she soon realized the reason. She heard the sound of shoes behind her. She could tell who it was just by the leisurely footsteps.
"Archduke Erzeht!"
Cesare was walking down the hallway. He was simply walking down a hallway lined with pillars, but she couldn't take her eyes off him, perhaps because of the coat tails fluttering in the wind. She thought his uniform was the most handsome, but the coat suited him very well too.
While Aileen was staring blankly, Ornella hurried towards Cesare. She looked very moved.
"It's been three years. How have you been?"
"It's been a while, Lady Parbellini."
When Cesare greeted her simply, a faint pink blush appeared on Ornella's cheeks. She looked lovely. Aileen watched her from behind. Her excited eyes, raised voice, and shy gestures were full of affection for Cesare.
Originally, she had wanted Cesare as a marriage partner, so it was perhaps natural. Aileen understood Ornella's feelings a little. She must have been angry that an insignificant person was about to take the place next to the person she had wanted to marry.
Aileen thought she would have hated it too if she had heard that Cesare was marrying someone like her.
Ornella and Cesare were a picture just by standing together. They were both stunningly beautiful.
Aileen watched them, feeling like a blemish scattered on a perfect picture. Ornella took out a handkerchief and covered her mouth. She coughed softly after turning her head and apologized.
"I'm sorry. I think my clothes were a little too light. The weather is colder than I thought today..."
She stopped speaking as she whispered weakly. It was because Cesare immediately unbuttoned his frock coat. However, her eyes, which had been full of anticipation, were soon filled with bewilderment.
"Aileen."
He called Aileen after taking off his coat. He waited until Aileen hesitated and approached him, then draped the coat over her shoulders.
The generous coat enveloped her body. Aileen inadvertently grabbed the coat and looked up at him. Cesare adjusted his slightly disheveled cuffs and said.
"Wear it. She says she's cold."
