Lady Cinderella - Chapter 39

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Lady Cinderella, Chapter 39

“You said you like me. Now that you’re mine, I’m going to mark you.”
“Mark me?”
Calaile would swear on the heavens that he hadn’t needed to lift a finger himself. All he had to do was toss out a bait, and his subordinates, who were always so unnecessarily fussy, would inevitably blow the whole thing up. Even setting the others aside, he was most curious about Kevin’s reaction.
Going on and on, he was nothing short of a mother-in-law, insisting that Ella wait until she came of legal age, issuing one threat after another.
‘When he sees this, he’ll faint for sure.’
The innocent Ella pounded on his chest, demanding to know why he was leaving marks on people’s necks. It was past time she realized that doing so only hurt her own hand, yet her refusal to give up was endearing as well.
“Now that we’ve confirmed we love each other, shall we go register our marriage first thing tomorrow?”
“What?”
“There’s no harm in hurrying. I’d prefer our first child to be a daughter. A cute little princess who looks just like you…”
While Calaile spread his wings in a flight of fancy all on his own, Ella watched his foolishness with a face of utter exhaustion.
“I’m going to deliver the embroidery. I’ll be going to Rose Gold with Miro for a while.”
“Ella? Wait a moment. I’m not finished talking yet…”
“Idiot.”
Where had that solemn expression gone? What stood before Ella now was nothing but an idiot, a truly idiotic fiancé. She turned away with a prim sniff and headed for the door, and Calaile began pleading once more, desperate to somehow win back her favor.
“Are you angry? I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“You know, I never once said I’d marry you, Cal.”
“What?”
“What we agreed on was an engagement, not a marriage.”
Ella darted out her tongue at him in a teasing ‘nyah,’ then immediately began preparing to head out with Miro.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Just moments ago she had been blushing and saying she loved him, and now this. Calaile chased after Ella as she turned her back on him and fled. But before long, Kevin came charging up behind him, fuming.
“How long do you intend to leave your official duties piled up? It’s already been over a week since you said you’d deal with them later!”
“I’m busy right now. Let’s talk later.”
“I prefer people who are diligent.”
The moment Ella snapped a single sharp remark, Calaile meekly let himself be seized by Kevin. He never knew that watching the back of his beloved as she walked away could be so painful. Farther and farther she went, far, far away. Ella didn’t so much as glance back. And so she left for Rose Gold Dress Shop, carrying the embroidery for the Empress’s gown.
“Kevin, if Ella doesn’t come back like this, I’m going to fire you.”
“Goodness, if you’d set me free, I’d be most grateful.”
“You wretch.”
Just as the first little steps of love were barely beginning to take shape, he was being obstructed, and tears of bitter frustration blurred his vision, but there was nothing to be done. Just as Ella, who worked day and night for his sake, always did, he too had to become a diligent and admirable Grand Duke. Heading back to the Main Building, Calaile gave an order to Olga.
“From now on, make sure the shop owner comes to us directly so Ella never has to go out first again. No, have her stop by regularly, every few days.”
“I shall carry out your order, Your Grace.”
It was an order blurted out of his reluctance to let her leave. Even after pressing his lips down on it like a seal, he still felt uneasy. As he wondered whether it would be better to have that woman named Mary live in this house too, Seth approached him with an awkward expression.
“Your Grace, excuse me, but you have a guest.”
“A guest?”
“Baron Lloyd and his wife have been waiting in the Reception Room for over an hour now. I found it difficult to bring the matter to you…”
“Baron Lloyd and his wife?”
He had told them plainly to send word in advance, yet now that the matter of the guardianship had been neatly settled, a visit without notice was far from welcome. Still, it was a problem that had to be dealt with once and for all. Since Ella had stepped away, this would be the perfect chance to put an end to it by whatever means necessary, so that no such talk ever came up again.
“I’ll see them myself.”
“Your Grace!”
Kevin was nearly driven mad by the mountain of work piling up. Overdue approval documents alone would take three full days to clear, yet his master was too busy trailing after his fiancée’s skirts to pay any mind. Of course, Calaile brushed aside the agonized Kevin, claiming it was simply punishment for his grumbling about Ella.
* * *
“Ella, what’s this mark?”
“Oh, this? A bug bit me.”
Unable to bring herself to say Calaile had bitten her, Ella brushed it off with a vague excuse. Mary could not bear to see a grown young lady engaged to be married walking around with such a mark, so she took a scarf from her bag and wrapped it around Ella’s neck.
“What a nasty bug.”
“Yes, a truly nasty one.”
Though she said so, color bloomed brightly across Ella’s cheeks. Ever since the stepmother and stepsisters had rudely barged in, security outside had grown far stricter. Inside the shop, only Miro and a few others were assigned as guards, so Ella could now spend her time with Mary in comfort.
“By the way, the fees for everything we’ve done so far come to quite a sum. When exactly do you plan to collect this money?”
“It’s not yet time.”
“Oh? The Empress’s gown commission is quite a large amount, you know.”
Mary examined the embroidery Ella had brought along with great care. Commissioning an embroidery meant to be pinned directly over the bosom would have been too obviously imitative, so the Empress boldly wished to use Ella’s looped embroidery for both the waist and the slit trim at the center of the gown.
True to the Empress of the realm, she opened her purse with great ease. Yet since the gown’s very life would rest in the hands of the embroidery, Mary set her labor fee somewhat higher than usual.
“That should be about right. Is it insufficient, by any chance?”
“Goodness.”
It had taken quite a while, but with the embroidery fee alone set at two hundred gold, Ella was left at a loss for words. Five hundred gold her husband had lost to gambling debts had nearly cost her her life. Why should that still make her chest tighten all of a sudden? Still, none of that had anything to do with her anymore.
“What do you think?”
Ella’s ultimate goal was independence. If she kept building her reputation step by step like this, then selling embroidery to the nobility alone would be enough to live on her own. If the Empress wore this gown, it would surely spread by word of mouth, and she felt confident she could make a living for years without worrying about running out of work.
“Thank you, Mary.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. I’ve already told you. I don’t want to lose my talented master embroiderer.”
Talent needs someone who recognizes it before it can blossom. When Miro said a bit of shopping would do them good, Ella decided to take only about five gold for now and leave the rest for later.
“Or perhaps you should deposit the rest in a bank? I’ll help you with it.”
“Yes. Miro, we’re planning to step out for a little while. Would that be all right?”
“Command me as you wish, my lady.”
Miro’s cheerful reply lifted the spirits of both Mary and Ella. After what had happened the other day, Miro seemed determined to make amends, and he escorted the two women with great care. Once they had properly gone to the bank and opened an account, Mary handed Ella, right there on the spot, all the money she had earned up to now.
“This is money you earned with your own hands. It will probably become the seed fund that protects you for the rest of your life, so manage it well and spend it wisely.”
“I will. Thank you so much, Mary.”
Had Ella met a wicked adult, receiving fair pay like this would have been impossible. Even her stepmother, Patricia, had done nothing but squeeze every ounce of labor out of her. In that sense, Ella counted meeting Mary as the greatest stroke of luck in her life. Summoning their courage, the two of them held hands tightly and strolled through Royal Madison Square, where shops lined both sides of the street.
“Look over there. The decorations are so pretty.”
“They really are. Oh my. Ella, take a look at that.”
It was the first time since her return that Ella had truly strolled along a street like this.
The macarons at the Grand Duke’s Residence came out in mountains almost every day, yet who would have thought they’d cost this much outside? In her old life, Ella wouldn’t have dared even to touch them, but now things were different. The gown, the sweets, everything she enjoyed now was a luxury she could hardly have dreamed of. She wanted somehow to repay his tender kindness. Ella followed Mary toward a men’s goods shop.
“That cravat would suit His Grace so well.”
The cravat, a men’s neckpiece made of smooth, lovely silk, came in a wide range of colors. Among them, a deep navy with black stripes seemed like it would look especially good on Calaile.
“It really would.”
“Why don’t you give it to him as a gift this time?”
It was the first money she had earned since her return. Since the shop catered to nobility, the price was far from cheap, but it was worth the investment.
Calaile was the one who had saved her life. If he hadn’t rescued her that night of the ball, she would still be stuck in that filthy house, covered in ashes, falling apart day by day.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Ella bought the cravat. Since she was already out, she had it wrapped as a gift and treated Mary to a meal. She also passed out a Chocolat Bonbon to each of the people waiting for her.
“His Grace has already given you the money, so my lady needn’t open her purse at all.”
“I want to do this for you, so don’t worry about it.”
Among those who had served long at the Grand Duke’s Residence were not a few who suspected the lady was indulging in luxury on the strength of the Grand Duke’s favor. Even though Olga had made it clear that all expenses were at the Grand Duke’s bidding, such prejudices refused to vanish easily.
Ella did not bother to defend herself against such misunderstandings. Those who stood by her came to understand her sincerity without any clumsy explanations from her. Miro, without the slightest suspicion, popped the Chocolat Bonbon the lady had offered straight into his mouth.
“Is it good?”
“That one has liqueur in it. If you like drinking, you’ll probably like that too.”
“Haha, so you’ve caught me out.”
The pleasant outing ended without incident. It had been a proper outing after so long, and Ella’s spirits were thoroughly refreshed. Now and then, some people noticed the Lion and Lily Crest stitched on the clothes of the guards nearby and whispered that this must be the fiancée of the Grand Duke Wellington they had only heard about, but Ella no longer minded.
‘There’s no need to decide right away. It won’t be too late.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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