Chapter 79

“You’ve come to meet me in quite an unusual manner.”

“I thought it might be a bit surprising for you.”

Jonas scrunched up his nose and ruffled his bangs.

Anyone else might have fallen for such a trick, but Iona never kept such company in the first place.

Perhaps because she hadn’t grown up like a typical noble, she found the company of servants more cumbersome than comforting.

Even today, she had left Marsha at home.

“We had agreed to meet after today’s gathering, so it was expected,” Iona said.

“I did try to surprise you, albeit unsuccessfully.”

Iona had informed Leroy of her return first, as he had requested before she reached the capital.

Considering this, it seemed he had sent Jonas to meet her, as their meeting was already scheduled right after the aforementioned gathering.

“Did your visit to the estate go well?”

“Yes, it was a bit busy, but well worth the effort.”

“Didn’t Duke want to see you? I know I did, Dame.”

“It seems now you have a good relationship with your sister.”

“What?”

“You’re basically singing my praises, aren’t you?”

“No, I wasn’t…”

“By the way, I’m curious about how Yulia is doing these days.”

Ignoring Jonas’s flattery that wasn’t exactly flattery, Iona inquired about Yulia’s well-being.

Jonas scratched his neck, looking somewhat perplexed, but then answered willingly.

“She’s doing well. Seems like she’s even made some friends.”

“That’s good to hear. I’ve been busy and haven’t been able to pay much attention to her, so I was worried.”

“You’ve done more than enough by bringing her along with you. She even found a partner for the royal ball recently, saying she doesn’t need me anymore.”

It seemed couples who had mutual understanding had already claimed each other early on.

For a moment, Iona felt a twinge of sympathy for Erna’s earlier nervousness. But then Jonas continued speaking, and she found herself suddenly rigid.

“Which leaves me as the odd one out, I suppose. The Duke will be attending with you, Dame Iona, anyway...”

“...”

“Oh, he mentioned that you two would meet today to order matching outfits. Couple outfits.”

“Matching... outfits?”

“Yes, I’ve heard that couples often coordinate their clothing. Not that I’m an expert.”

Iona felt a faint trickle of cold sweat down her back.

Matching outfits, really?

Since she had already told Leroy in advance, she hadn’t been particularly concerned about his reaction to this matter.

Even if she attended as Richard’s partner, she assumed that Leroy would understand, provided she explained the situation well.

But it seemed Richard’s took this royal ball more seriously than she had expected.

‘This is awkward.’

For all she knew, Richard might have made this decision just to make Leroy uncomfortable.

It felt a bit unfair that while someone else was pushing the envelope, she found herself tasked with delivering the awkward message.

‘I’ll have to discuss it first and then decide how to handle this.’

Iona swallowed an inward sigh and looked out the window.

As she tried to gauge her location by the landscape, she soon realized that the carriage was heading in a direction different from what she had anticipated.

Since they hadn’t specified a meeting place, Iona had assumed they would meet at Jonas’ relative’s house as usual. But perhaps that wasn’t the case.

Iona turned to Jonas with a puzzled expression.

“Where are we going?”

“Ah, we recently renovated a house. Duke plans to take you there from now on.”

It was customary for people of power to have at least one secret residence in the capital, unknown to others.

It seemed like a place that had been neglected for a while but was now prepared for their clandestine meetings. Iona nodded, accepting the explanation.

After a while, the carriage stopped in front of a terrace house.

Upon arrival, Iona realized it was a place she already knew.

Though she was a lady in name only, she was aware of some of the real estate owned—or at least held under different names—by the Duke’s family.

Iona donned the veiled hat offered by Jonas and stepped out.

Jonas, who seemed to be visiting this place for the first time, hurriedly pulled out a note with an address written on it to get his bearings.

Iona glanced at the note and spoke.

“Follow me this way.”

“What?”

“It says No. 57, doesn’t it?”

“Ah, yes.”

Jonas scurried after Iona, almost as if their roles as guide and guest had been reversed.

Iona found the exact location without any signs of confusion.

Upon reaching the top floor of the building and ringing the bell, the waiting maid immediately opened the door.

“The master is waiting for you inside.”

Iona took off her hat and shawl, handed them to the maid, and entered.

Compared to a mansion or other townhouses, the space was modest, yet fully furnished and complete in its own right.

The entire room smelled strongly of wood, as if the furniture and flooring had recently been replaced.

As Iona moved toward the living room, she narrowed her eyes slightly at the sound of a woman’s voice coming from behind the wall.

Opening the door, sure enough, there was a familiar face sitting across a low table from Leroy.

“Hello, Dame Iona. It’s an honor to see you again.”

Penelope, a staff member from the Modrov Manor’s tailor shop who had made a house call last time, rose to greet her.

To think the person to take her ‘custom clothing’ order was already here.

Iona had intended to spill the beans to Leroy as soon as they met; she found herself in an unexpectedly awkward situation.

Misinterpreting Iona’s confused expression, Leroy kindly explained the situation.

“I thought it’d be best to order our clothes for the royal ball in sync with your return. The timing was a bit tight to get it done on the date we wanted.”

“Since it’s for Dame Iona and Duke Leroy, we made it happen. But you must keep it a secret that we’re taking additional orders at this time,” she said, covering her mouth with her index finger and offering an awkward smile.

Unable to think straight, Iona decided to move her body instead, sitting beside Leroy as naturally as possible.

Leroy, who had been thoughtfully looking over a catalog, slid it towards Iona, saying, “Good timing. I’ve been hearing all sorts of recommendations, but I can’t quite imagine them. What do you think?”

“I’m... not really sure about these kinds of things.”

“Ah.”

Recalling Iona’s sparsely filled wardrobe, Leroy let out a candid sigh.

“Then let’s leave the design to the experts and at least decide on the color. Do you have a preferred color?”

Iona usually just wore whatever—either the royal knight uniform or something Marsha had picked out for her. The idea of having a ‘preference’ was unthinkable.

Before Iona could speak, the person in front began listing several options.

“The trend these days is fabrics in turquoise with a sheen. Or, we could go in a completely different direction with red silk mixed with black lace to give it a powerful feel. The color would also match beautifully with your eye color.”

“Not bad.”

“A darker tone, but if it’s properly adorned, it’s likely to stand out more than anyone else’s. It would also match well with the Duke’s outfit.”

Both Leroy and the woman looked at Iona as if seeking her approval. Overwhelmed, Iona gave a slight nod.

A quick back-and-forth later, the consultation was swiftly concluded.

Thanks to her, who had already gathered insights into Iona’s preferences from their last encounter, most of the decisions were made for her.

“Then I’ll take my leave. I’ll come by your place for a fitting in a week,” said the woman, her melodic voice filled with formality. She left her seat without delay. Iona tried her best to send her off with a smile, as the woman had clearly carved out time from her busy schedule for them.

Still, an air of awkwardness was inevitably felt.

As soon as the door closed, Leroy swiveled his body toward Iona. Leaning back against the arm of the sofa, he surveyed her intently.

“You look pale. Are you unwell?”

Extending his arm toward Iona in a familiar manner, he expressed his concern.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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