Chapter 41
The Flower That Was Swallowed by the Beast
Chapter 41
âAre you sure you donât want to go to Archenâs Teahouse?â
âIrie, I wanted to go to Archenâs Teahouse, butâ¦! No, itâs nothing. Iâm really not upset, so we can get Windyâs hair outâ¦No, letâs buy a brush to comb him.â
Iris thought he was upset.
She squinted and looked up at Keivrand.
âHeâs not jealous of Windy, is he?â
She didnât think so. The great Count Green sulking and jealous of a little unicorn.
When she held Keivrandâs hand, his expression relaxed.
âKei, we can really go to Archenâs Teahouse. I want a teaspoon too.â
âThatâs enough, Irie. Did you know youâre surprisingly bad at lying? When you lie, your nostrils flare.â
Iris let go of Keivrandâs hand in surprise and covered her face.
Keivrand chuckled.
âJust kidding.â
âKeiâ¦â
âCome on. Letâs go get Windyâs hair outâ¦No, to see if thereâs a brush.â
Keivrand a moment ago had planned to go to âArchenâs Teahouseâ, but now walking down the market street with Iris, he didnât know what kind of expression she would make.
Returning to the noisy market street, Iris looked really happy.
Iris looked at the street vendors lined up along the street, and then she called over a woman who was carrying a basket of herbs.
âYeah, as long as sheâs happy.â
Iris, who had been sightseeing for a long time, stopped in front of a stand selling daily necessities.
She crouched down in front of the stand, picked up a comb and rubbed it against the palm of her hand.
Keivrand crouched down next to her.
Irisâ expression while checking each comb looked very happy. The straight eyebrows were slightly down, and the ends of her eyes were bent.
âHow could she think of brushing Windyâs fur with such a sweet expression?â
âKei, give me your hand.â
When Keivrand reached out his hand, Iris brushed his palm.
âHow do you feel?â
âIs my feeling important? Windy should like it.â
âBut itâs a comb for you.â
At the unexpected remark, Keivrandâs eyes grew bigger.
That sweet look just now, it was because she was thinking of brushing him?
âI thought you were buying it for Windy.â
âOf course you come first. Windy is second.â
Iris poked Keivrandâs nose.
Keivrand almost burst out laughing. He had acted so pitifully because he was jealous of Windy. Even so, Iris endearingly tried to lift his mood.
âI canât live without you, Irie.â
âBut live, Kei.â
Iris brushed Keivrandâs hair back with the comb and made eye contact.
âThere will be a lot better things ahead.â
* * *
Keivrand hasnât stopped smiling since coming back from the date with Iris yesterday.
To Celestine and Melanie, who he ran into near the drawing room, he greeted them with a refreshing smile.
âItâs a beautiful morning, Cel. Mel. The weather is so nice.â
It was raining today.
Celestine and Melanie frowned.
âWhy do you have such an appalling look on your face? Are you trying to scare people?â
âIâm going to have a lot better things ahead of me.â
Melanie poked Celestine in the ribs.
It was a hint to not deal with this madman and just keep going.
Ignoring them, Keivrand cast a faint look out the window, and spoke.
âHa, the weather is really nice.â
Celestine shook her head and pulled Melanieâs arm to escape as if to run away.
âWhatâs wrong with him?â
Melanie asked with a look of astonishment.
âHe went on a date with big sister yesterday.â
âHow can he be so crazy after a date? What the hell did Irie do?â
âI donât know.â
âWow, I canât believe it. Is that really Keivrand?â
âI hope not. What a disgusting thing of a brotherâ¦â
âAh! Boss, whatâs wrong with your face? Are you crazy? Can you close your mouth please?â
Nathanâs cry came from behind.
Celestine and Melanie hurried up the stairs into Irisâ room. Iris was sitting on the sofa drinking tea with her maids.
âIrie, yesterday, with my brotherâ¦No, nevermind I donât want to know. Anyway, Irie, letâs pick out the dresses for the wedding today.â
âI already have a lot of dresses.â
Melanie shook her head at Irisâ answer.
âThose arenât good enough, Irie. Thereâs a famous designer in Xavizar. You will need three for the rehearsal, one for the wedding, and two for the reception. Then, you will need four sets to wear for the banquets. You need a total of ten sets.â
âThat many?â
âThatâs already the minimum. If it was up to me, Iâd like for you to change every hour. I think youâre going to like the dresses too, Irie.â
Melanie held her breath as she carefully looked up and down Iris.
âThe rehearsal will last two days, Irie. Weâll have guests and meals before then, so youâll have to wear the appropriate outfits. Not the kind that youâre wearing now.â
Celestine pointed out. Iris was currently wearing a plain, comfortable dress that commoners would wear.
âThe rehearsal party lasts two days, then the wedding, and finally the reception. There will be four parties. The reception is a farewell event, so itâs not very big, but youâll get a lot of requests for a dance.â
Melanie explained.
On the eve of the wedding, she was a bride-to-be and on the day of the wedding sheâs the bride, so it wasnât polite to ask her for a dance in the sense that sheâs her husbandâs wife.
Of course, those of very high social status could request for a dance with the meaning of âplease accept my congratulation.â It was an honor for the bride to be asked.
A dance request after marriage meant, âI acknowledge you as someoneâs wife.â
It was also a system of etiquette between nobles and commoners in recent times where love and marriage was open. Nobles rarely married commoners, and the opposite is often the case, so it had resulted in this etiquette.
However, when a common woman married a noble, she rarely received dance requests during the reception party. Commoners were still not accepted as nobles because there are many people who have qualms with it.
âIrie, howâs your dance skills?â
Iris grinned at Melanieâs question.
âI canât say Iâm a bad dancer.â
âAha. Okay. So we donât have to worry about the dance part, right?â
âYes, you donât have to worry.â
Iris had been Alfred Hutchâs wife. He didnât want her to look stupid at the parties. He hoped that the accessories he carried would shine the most. After marrying Alfred, Iris, who had never learned how to dance, had to learn by being beaten by Alfred and his sister Jillian.
While they were talking about how to proceed with the parties, the designers and seamstresses arrived.
They first measured Irisâ measurements. Next, they showed a catalog.
A catalog full of colorful and beautiful dress designs.
They were all similarly beautiful in Irisâ eyes, but they were all different in Celestine and Melanieâs eyes.
[#Celestine] âThis feels a bit dull. Irieâs face will look dead.â
[#Melanie] âIf she wears this, I think Irie will feel too suffocated.â
[#Celestine] âOh, this is pretty.â
Iris couldnât see how the dresses they pointed out were any different from one another.
âHow many samples did you bring? Iâd like to see her try them on.â
At Celestineâs question, a designerâs assistant quickly got up and dragged over several large bags.
She was wondering what that was, but it must be bags with the sample dresses.
When she opened one of the bags, there were already perfect dresses packed.
Celestine looked around, then took out a dazzling but not too flashy dress with a soft pink color at the end of the hem.
âIrie, try this on.â
When Christina and Elly, who were standing quietly, approached to help,
âIrie.â
Keivrand opened the door while calling Iris.
At that moment, Iris was stunned by Celestineâs movement.
Celestine, who was near the sofa, flew like a bullet and slammed the door shut.
âArgh!â
Keivrand let out a small shriek as if his face had been stamped on the door.
âWhat are you doing, Cel?â
âYou crazy fellow. Didnât I tell you we were going to pick out the dresses today?â
âThatâs why Iâm here. The dress my wife is going to wear, Iâm going to pick with her.â
Celestine and Melanie exchanged glances with the expression of, âHas he lost his mind?â
âKei, please donât talk nonsense when there are other people. Iâm very embarrassed.â
âNo, what the hell? Whatâs the problem?â
âDonât you know the rule that a groom shouldnât see the bridal dress until the wedding?â
âWhat kind of rule is that? Is that even a law or something?â
âYes! If you break it, youâll be executed!â
âThatâs scary. Getting executed if you make a mistake for the wedding. Is that why people only do it once?â
âSo quickly leaveâ¦.Go away, brother.â
Belatedly conscious of the group of designers here, Celestine spoke graciously.
âPfftâ¦â
Elly let out a small sound.
Celestine turned her head and stared at Elly. She shook her head.
The group of designers were frozen, frightened by the treatment of the great Count Green by his sister.
With a friendly smile, Celestine spoke.
âNow, shall we continue with what we were doing?â
* * *
âTilette? That Tilette came to fit Irisâ dress?â
Britney jumped up and stared at the maid who brought the news.
âYes. I saw her entering the main building earlier.â
âHa! Tilette. Are you sure?â
âIâm sure. Short blue hair, red horn-rimmed glasses.â
Tilette was the most popular designer in the Gavizar Empire, no, in all of the continent. She was so popular that even if the royal family of another country asked for a dress, they were often refused because she was busy.
Her dresses were so expensive that it makes one doubt their ears when they hear the price, but it was well worth it.
A dress that makes the wearer perfect.
And even the brand recognition of Tilette.
Ladies who appear at a party in Tiletteâs dress are treated like the heroine of the day.
Britney didnât even dare to commission Tilette for a dress.
âNo way. Whereâs the money coming fromâ¦Iris, isnât she wasting too much already?â
âI know.â
âIt canât be helped. Iâll go say something.â
Rather than that, she wanted to know if Tilette really came or how great a Tiletteâs dress was.
And if there were people there, she wanted to tell them how vain Iris is right now, and how the Green familyâs reputation will be tainted because of Iris.
Also, sheâll let them know how thoughtful of an older sister she is.
== Translatorâs Note ==
1. Please report any typos, grammatical/spelling errors, sentences you find weird, and other etcâ¦in the comment section .