Lady Cinderella - Chapter 40

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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 40

Now was the time to focus on what lay in front of her. Once she had finished the Empress’s work, a repair request arrived for Kate’s ruined gown. Kate had apparently made the rounds of every shop in the capital, been turned away at each one, and then come crawling all the way here to beg. Ella couldn’t help but laugh.
“What do you think? Shall I refuse?”
“No, let’s take it. But you have to charge her an outrageous price.”
Whether Kate had sent the gown here knowing Ella worked at this shop, Ella couldn’t say. Still, Kate had been using her for free all this time, and now that Kate was in need, watching her plead was rather satisfying. They agreed to take the job on the condition that no one revealed Ella had made the gown herself. The guards loaded the bundled dresses into the carriage.
“Your Excellency must have been kind enough to grant you permission.”
“He isn’t an ordinary man, after all.”
“But he is your fiancé, isn’t he?”
Ella’s conscience pricked at the thought of comparing him to Calaile, and for a moment she could find no words. His achievements were too numerous to count on both hands. The Emperor, grown ever more jealous of his unbroken string of victories, kept starting wars, and then starting more.
If it had been her, she doubted she could have endured such a fate. No matter how hard she tried, all she would receive in return was the Emperor’s suspicion and hatred. Standing alone in that lonely place, silently risking his life to protect the people of the Empire, the Grand Duke had been a great source of strength for Ella to hold on.
“He has wings large enough to carry him. He ought to soar even higher.”
“And what about you?”
Ella, who was meant to take the Grand Duke’s hand and climb even higher stairs, smiled faintly with a sad look once more.
“Unfortunately, my wings are too small to lift me that high. I’m happy enough just embroidering like this and spending peaceful days.”
Her reluctance to open her heart was one thing, but Ella seemed unaccustomed to being loved. Such an attitude was a problem for her, and unkind to him as well. Mary spoke plainly.
“That’s the kind of thing that would hurt His Grace’s feelings terribly if he heard it.”
“Excuse me?”
“If it were me, I’d naturally want the person I love to share what I see and feel with me. But you’ve drawn a firm line between yourself and His Grace from the very start. Are you afraid of being hurt?”
Hearing the problem she had only dimly sensed voiced by someone else, Ella hesitated, unsure what to say, and in the end nodded. She was afraid of this happiness coming to an end, and she was also afraid of how the aftershocks of the future she had altered might arrive.
“Just as much as you fear being hurt, His Grace will be hurt too. He is sincere toward you.”
She had tried to avoid it because she didn’t want to be hurt. If these feelings grew any deeper, the parting would surely hurt all the more, so she wanted to pull away as quickly as possible. If Mary could tell at a glance, then the perceptive Calaile surely couldn’t have missed it. She remembered his words, telling her not to leave and that they would solve this together.
“But that’s just greed.”
“So what if it is?”
Faced with Ella’s grave expression, Mary burst into giggles. The older she grew and the more years passed, the more she came to feel that nothing in this world was fixed. Even if Ella had been mistreated and abused until now, there was no law that said she must live that way forever. Mary wanted Ella to know there were other choices open to her.
“If your wings are small, you can just ride on the Grand Duke’s back. He’s certainly strong enough for that. Is there anything wrong with that?”
“But…”
“Until you can fly on your own strength, at least until His Grace tells you to get down, just ride quietly. Even if you tried to get off on your own, you’re already so high up in the sky now, aren’t you?”
Now that the engagement had been officially settled, if they were to suddenly part ways, it would become a matter of Calaile’s reputation. Marquis Osborn of the Third Prince Faction, who grit his teeth at the mere sight of Calaile, would surely mock him openly. Ella didn’t want to cause harm to the man who had been so kind to her, let alone fail to help him. Seeing Ella steady herself, Mary patted her shoulder with a satisfied smile.
“I’m always on your side. Even if His Grace were to cast you aside, I’m here, so don’t worry too much.”
“Mary.”
“Of course, it doesn’t look like that will ever happen, though.”
Mary glanced sideways at Miro, who was watching them from behind, and wore a self-satisfied smile. If he had any eye for people, he would never let go of Ella, or rather, he wouldn’t be able to. Even now he was openly overprotective, and he had already gone so far as to leave a red mark on Ella’s slender neck. Not that he was aware of it himself. Now that things had turned out this way, Mary found herself considering stirring up a little mischief of her own.
“Stay the night here tonight. When there’s a lot of work, we all gather together and stay up until dawn. You’re a precious member of our dress shop too, so if you can come, I’d be delighted to welcome you.”
“Really?”
Sharing sweets, making snacks when they got hungry. And when it grew very late, sipping a drink or two while they talked as friends. Thinking of those evenings made her heart flutter. Her memories with Mary were the one bright spot among the wretched recollections of her past. Just hearing the offer made her so happy that Ella carefully turned to Miro and asked.
“Miro, if I stay here overnight tonight…”
“I’ll probably be killed by His Grace first. Please, let that one thing be.”
“I’ll have to ask for his permission, won’t I?”
Watching the Lady so giddy with excitement, Miro pictured Calaile’s face turning to stone. He would surely be overcome with jealousy, his expression as if the heavens had fallen. Everyone could easily predict his reaction, yet only Ella herself failed to see it. With her heart so light, Ella smiled to herself, clutching the cravat box she meant to give Calaile.
* * *
Baron Lloyd and his wife waited endlessly for the Grand Duke in the Reception Room of the Side Residence. Because the Trust Fund Management Bureau had granted permission far too easily, Baron Lloyd had combed through every reputable law office in the capital.
“Unless your daughter was forcibly abducted, your position is unfavorable.”
Even though the interpretations of the law varied slightly, every lawyer he met reached the same conclusion: Baron Lloyd would lose with better than ninety-eight percent certainty. Even that remaining two percent came with a condition attached: “Only if you are confident you can persuade your daughter.”
“Damn it!”
Baron Lloyd, who had merely squandered a fortune on consultation fees, could not swallow his rage. From beginning to end it had been utterly exhausting, and now he felt humiliated, as though the Grand Duke had looked down on him, which wounded his pride terribly. He would not lose to the Ruth household either.
At first, Ella had also been meant to be handed off because she would only hinder his remarriage, but once the other side asked for her, he deliberately refused to give her up. Baron Lloyd was a man with a thoroughly twisted and wicked disposition. And this time he had picked the wrong opponent. Patricia clicked her tongue inwardly as she watched her husband fume, never knowing when he might upend the whole table.
“Calm down. At this rate, nothing will get done.”
“And whose fault is that? You were supposed to manage this properly!”
“What does it matter? We’ll hand the girl over if we must, but we’ve fulfilled our duty as parents. All that’s left is to collect the reward.”
While they had been talking at the Rose Gold dress shop, the Grand Duke had burst in and taken Ella away without so much as a backward glance. Patricia could tell from that hurried expression alone. How the two had met and what exactly had caught his eye no longer mattered. The Grand Duke was fond of Ella. No one is easier to handle than a man blinded by love.
“His Excellency has arrived.”
At the announcement of the Grand Duke’s arrival, Baron Lloyd and Patricia rose from their seats and offered their respects. Because of their previous clash, the Grand Duke’s soldiers stood with stern faces, wary of Baron Lloyd, who might lunge at the Grand Duke at any moment. Of course, a paunchy man like Baron Lloyd could never defeat Calaile, who had been tempered by war. Calaile, his temper now even more sour, looked at Baron Lloyd and Patricia as though they were vermin.
“What business did you have in calling me here? The formalities have already been completed, surely.”
“We wish to offer Your Grace a few words.”
“Are you the girl’s stepmother?”
The word “stepmother.” Even if she’s a stepmother, she’s still a mother, but Calaile deliberately chose the title with its cruel undertone. Adding a note that accused them of acting this way only because she wasn’t their real daughter was just a bonus.
“Yes, I am Ella’s mother. A woman’s married life depends greatly on the support of her birth family. Yet it’s rather troubling to be treated so coldly by you, when we are Ella’s parents.”
Seeing her act so shamelessly, without even a shred of embarrassment, left even Calaile at a loss for words. The mere act of listening to more of it made his anger flare, and he cut her off outright.
“So, what is it you want?”
“If you truly mean to take that girl, you ought to at least repay the cost of all the clothes and food you’ve given her, don’t you think? If you’d sent her to another household, you could have easily gotten five thousand gold.”
“Oh, you’re impossible. How can you say something so uncultured out loud?”
I couldn’t tell how she’d arrived at such a figure, but one thing was certain: it was sheer nonsense.
“So you’ve come to me asking for money?”
When the Grand Duke’s brow furrowed, Patricia realized her mistake and quickly searched his face. If I’ve misjudged this… well, it’s hardly likely the Grand Duke would truly dote on such a worthless girl out of madness.
Patricia wore a sly smile while furiously running the numbers in her head. She had to name a sum high enough to line their pockets, yet not so high as to wound her husband’s pride.
“Well, that’s a matter entirely up to Your Excellency. It’s for you to decide what Ella is worth.”
Her tone, weighing a person as though pricing merchandise, made Calaile want to leap from his seat. But sending them away like this would solve nothing. This was a test of the Grand Duke.
If the Grand Duke had truly fallen head over heels for Ella, he would hand over the money without hesitation. And if he turned them away, they could use that very fact to denounce him. Heads or tails, it was a profitable bet, and Patricia chuckled inwardly.
“Marquis Ruth turned out to be all talk, too.”
Unwilling to be outdone, Baron Lloyd went out of his way to add another remark. Marquis Ruth. Ella’s maternal uncle, who had turned a blind eye even though she had endured such agonizing circumstances. Getting entangled with them would do neither side any good, so Calaile had deliberately not reached out. And the Ruth household hadn’t contacted him even once.
Her maternal family had long since become strangers, and now her birth father and stepmother had revealed their vulgar nature the moment they learned Ella was worth money.
‘They really are the worst.’
I couldn’t comprehend how an angel could have emerged from such a gutter. I understood what they wanted, but I had no obligation to answer them right here.
“Leave now. I’ll let you know once I’ve given it some thought.”
“Then we’ll come visit again another day.”
Before Baron Lloyd could open his mouth again, Patricia hurriedly took her husband by the arm and quickly left the Side Residence. Of all things, this matter with her parents had to be resolved quickly so that Ella would no longer tremble in anxiety.
“Your Excellency, what do you intend to do?”
“Money, is it.”

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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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