Translator: Nox

Chapter 25

~Chapter 25~

“Nice to meet you, Miss Harriet. I’ll show you to your room.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, there’s no need to stand on such ceremony. Shall I bring your meals to your room, or would you prefer to take them in the dining hall?”

“To my room—yes?”

“Understood. I’ll carry your luggage for you.”

The kind maid picked up the bag from the floor and led the way. Harriet had already gotten a general look around while following the butler earlier, but Countess Pellon’s mansion was far larger than Listerwell Mansion.

It wasn’t just bigger—the interior was far more luxurious in every way.

‘To think I’ll be living in a place like this…’

She was glad she’d mustered the courage to write that letter to Trisha. The maid, Esther, who was walking ahead, turned back to Harriet with a comment.

“Everyone was wondering who might be coming, but we were truly shocked to see it was such a young lady. And the countess’s niece, no less…”

“Didn’t it seem strange for someone you’d never even seen to suddenly show up?”

“More than that, we were surprised that anyone was coming here to live. We do have the occasional guest stay overnight, but you’re the first to come stay with the countess.”

Now that she mentioned it, the mansion felt somewhat empty despite its size. That was probably because so few people actually lived there.

“So Great-Aunt has been living here all alone for the past thirteen years?”

In this massive house, all by herself. She must have been lonely.

Just then, Esther stopped in front of a door.

“This is the room where you’ll be staying, miss. That one over there is the countess’s bedroom, and next to it is the study. I’ll show you around the rest slowly.”

With that brief explanation, Esther smiled at Harriet and flung the door wide open.

For a moment, Harriet couldn’t believe her eyes.

“This place… is my room?”

“Yes! The countess specially instructed us to put care into it, so we did our very best. Do you like it?”

Harriet stood there in a daze, her mouth slightly agape, slowly taking in the room.

The wallpaper, curtains, and bed canopy were all a soft light sky blue. The vanity and fireplace were matched in white.

The sofa, chaise, and chairs were covered in blue paisley fabric, while the walnut wardrobe and table lent the room an air of elegance.

An expensive-looking carpet covered the floor, and a display cabinet beside the fireplace held teacups and a teapot.

Finally, her gaze lingered on the vase atop the table. The fresh pink flowers in it were something Harriet hadn’t owned once since turning twelve.

“Do you like it?”

Of course she did. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

Clop, clop.

Hooves rang out cheerfully as the carriage crossed Genoa’s bustling streets. The moment pedestrians and other carriages caught sight of the Pellon family crest emblazoned on its side, they hurriedly cleared a path.

The carriage came to a stop in front of the Louvre Dress Shop on Payton Street, and the owner rushed out to greet them.

“Welcome, Countess Pellon! It’s been too long!”

“Indeed it has, Ashley.”

“I was shocked when you reserved the entire morning! Are you planning to replace your entire wardrobe?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable question. Trisha was an important client, but she wasn’t the type to order several dresses at once.

Clearing three whole hours without taking other customers was tantamount to signaling a large order.

“What more new clothes does an old woman like me need? The person you should be focusing on today isn’t me.”

Trisha glanced over her shoulder.

“Harriet, say hello. This is Ashley Luba, the owner of the dress shop I’ve been dealing with for years.”

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Harriet Listerwell.”

Harriet gave Mrs. Luba a light curtsy. The woman looked quite surprised. Harriet suspected she already knew who she was, and she was curious what reaction she’d have.

But Mrs. Luba was not only a skilled designer but a seasoned businesswoman as well. She immediately greeted Harriet with a warm smile.

“Delighted! To think I get to make a dress for such a beautiful young lady—I’m already thrilled. Hohoho!”

It might have been flattery mixed with empty words, but Harriet’s heart truly fluttered.

The elegant, glamorous dresses in the display window, the refined atmosphere, the staff’s professional demeanor…

This was just like the shops she’d visited with her parents as a child. Things she’d taken for granted back then now made her realize anew just how privileged her early years had been.

“Please, come inside.”

Mrs. Luba personally led Trisha and Harriet in.

As they entered the dress shop, one of the staff members turned the sign on the door. No one else would be allowed in until one in the afternoon.

Trisha sat comfortably on the sofa in the center of the shop, clearly familiar with the place.

“We have a lot to do, Ashley. Let’s start with some day dresses.”

“You haven’t even had a cup of tea yet, madam.”

“I didn’t come here to drink tea—let’s get to it.”

“My, your impatience hasn’t changed a bit.”

Mrs. Luba pretended to be a little flustered but kept a smile on her face. At her signal toward the back, a staff member promptly brought a style book.

Trisha handed it to Harriet.

“Why don’t you pick out the ones you like first?”

Feeling a bit dazed, Harriet carefully took the style book and began flipping through the pages.

“Wow, they’re so pretty.”

Even the first page was filled with gorgeous dresses.

Harriet had never been able to afford custom clothes from a place like this while living at Listerwell Mansion. Bella had worn dresses from expensive shops, of course, but Harriet had only been able to shop at places barely a step above commoner dress shops.

Uncle John had bragged about how ‘expensive’ her dresses were, but Harriet knew they were worlds apart from the clothes she’d worn as a child. She couldn’t miss how coarse the fabric felt against her skin.

‘This place seems even more expensive than the shops I went to as a child.’

She could tell just from the clothes Mrs. Luba and the staff were wearing. They didn’t follow trends too overtly and featured restrained designs, but the fine workmanship set them apart from ordinary garments.

Harriet tried not to get too excited as she carefully examined the style book. In the end, she selected one simple, neat design.

“This one seems good. It doesn’t look like it’ll stain easily, and it seems versatile enough to wear anywhere.”

She’d also chosen it thinking it would suit Trisha’s conservative tastes. A dark gray dress could change its vibe entirely with a different shawl, making it a practical choice.

Trisha glanced at the design Harriet had picked and furrowed her brow.

“Are you shopping for mourning clothes?”

“Pardon?”

“You’re young. You should wear bright colors. You need to stand out if you want to make connections with people. You don’t have an ugly face—why do you lack confidence?”

At those words, Harriet instinctively touched her face.

Considering Trisha’s usual sharp temperament, saying her face “wasn’t ugly” was practically a compliment.

Harriet had been called ugly for nearly ten years, so that one remark filled her with joy and embarrassment. It had been so long since anyone had seen her as pretty that the feeling felt unfamiliar.

For the first time in ages, a bit of confidence welled up inside her.

Harriet hesitated before flipping through a few more pages of the style book. Then she pointed to one design she’d admired earlier but only from afar.

“What about… this one?”

It was a gray striped dress with yellow ribbons. She worried she’d get scolded for picking gray again, but unexpectedly, Trisha nodded in approval.

“That would suit you well. You’ve got a good eye.”

Her heart pounded just from that small acknowledgment. As Harriet quietly savored her pride, Trisha spoke up again.

“That one’s good, but I think these would suit you too.”

Trisha quickly flipped through the style book.

The designs she selected were far more glamorous and trendy than the one Harriet had chosen. A white dress with black lines and ribbons, a bright yellow dress, and even a deep purple one with a check pattern that looked perfect for autumn.

“Hm, we’ll need an empire dress and an organdy one each as well.”

Muttering to herself, Trisha called Mrs. Luba over and began pointing out designs without hesitation.

“This one, this, this too, and this one.”

“My, your taste is impeccable. They’ll suit Miss Harriet perfectly. For the striped dress she picked, we could make a jacket in a different color as well. Shall we?”

“Yes, that sounds good. Make it a shade darker than the stripes.”

While Trisha and Mrs. Luba got enthusiastic, Harriet sat beside them with her eyes wide in shock.

“Gr-Great-Aunt… isn’t that too many?”

“We’ve barely picked a few day dresses—what are you talking about? We don’t have time, so we haven’t even gotten to winter clothes yet. Ashley, let’s move on to evening dresses.”