Resetting Lady - Chapter 16

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Lord Raymond Sayertes is from a baron’s family, and he has deep connections with Mr. Verdick Evans. Above all, he’s my benefactor who saved me. Isn’t it natural that I should make a good impression?”

“…Until now… you, you’ve never been like that. You’re… already….”

She purses her lips and criticizes.

“Lewd….”

“Hey, you… ah.”

Could this really become a problem? Karen glared at Dulan. Somehow it felt unfair. Why don’t men show any signs even after losing their virginity? It would be fair if men also got injured down there every time. Karen glared at Dulan as if she wanted to devour him. Helen quickly stood up and urged Dulan.

“Lord Dulan, since there’s no time, Miss Karen needs to finish her grooming.”

“It’s… still mor, morning though?”

“Women are different from men.”

“Ha, wast, wasting time on useless things, that… that’s nothing but vanity.”

At those words, all the women in the room looked equally fierce. What do you know? How dare you.

“Would you like to try such vanity too?”

“Use, useless nonsense… I have evening prayer….”

“Shut up.”

She pinched his lips shut with her fingers and called for the masseuse.

Raymond would certainly look incredibly handsome today, so even if she was just a stone next to a diamond, shouldn’t she at least shake off the dirt? Helen, Donna, and the masseuse tensed up and approached Dulan.

And after quite some time had passed, the three women collapsed from exhaustion.

Indeed, Dulan never fails to meet expectations.

“Usually they become strikingly handsome or… well… you know, something like that?”

Helen, Donna, and the masseuse were frustrated, while Karen was indifferent. She was satisfied with just shaking off the dirt. That’s about the level of expectation she had for Dulan.

“A, a person’s worth isn’t judged by appearance.”

Then do you excel in any other value besides appearance? Character, strength, knowledge—you don’t measure up to Raymond in any of these. But instead of saying this, Karen raised her eyebrows and said, “Now it’s my turn, so move aside,” as she entrusted her body to the women.

And Dulan watched as a pretty girl transformed into a breathtaking beauty.

* * *

Isella ground her teeth.

“This one’s no good either! Bring something else! I need clothes that will make my skin look whiter!”

“Then how about this ivory color?”

“It’s dull! Are you joking right now?”

“…Yes.”

Verdick couldn’t stand listening to his daughter’s tantrum from the adjacent room and knocked on the door. Isella insisted on the room next to Verdick’s, claiming she had nightmares, but from a father’s perspective, it was quite torturous.

“Isella, that’s enough.”

“Even Father is saying that?”

“What am I….”

“Sob….”

At Verdick’s sighing words, Isella burst into tears. Seeing this, Verdick felt fatigue wash over him all at once.

“…Sigh.”

Even the Evans family maid he had specially summoned wasn’t much help. Originally, she had the selfishness typical of a pampered child, but it wasn’t to this extent. Since coming here, she couldn’t control her emotions at all.

Verdick got a headache thinking about the knight his daughter was obsessed with. He needed to push things forward quickly before that man started scheming. It was already troublesome enough that he had become difficult to handle due to his unnecessary abilities, and now his daughter was acting like a depression patient all the time.

“Isella.”

“Yes.”

“What exactly is the problem?”

“Lord Raymond rescued the Hyer young lady.”

“Yes, he showed what it means to be a knight.”

“Hyer is… sob… prettier than me.”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“What if Lord Raymond falls for that girl?”

“By that logic, Lord Raymond could form a harem with women. Ah, men too.”

“Father!”

“Do you remember when you got engaged?”

“…When I was five.”

“Do you think a child of that age can discuss serious emotions?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m telling you to stop with the fairy tales. I also saw your mother’s face only once before marrying her. The Catherine Hyer you mentioned would have been engaged to Dulan Lloyd around that age too. You and Lord Raymond, me, and even Lord Hyer—it was the same for all of us. Falling in love and getting married is something only street urchins sing about. Love is built after marriage.”

“I loved Lord Raymond the moment I saw him!”

“You also fell in love at first sight with the blue diamond you received for your last birthday.”

“Father.”

“That’s enough. You’ve been acting overly emotional since coming here. For a nobleman to suddenly break off an engagement and then marry someone else’s fiancée—that’s hard for me to imagine.”

But Father. You think everyone moves according to their own interests and logic. But is that really true? Is it really? Will Lord Raymond marry me for profit and have children out of duty, and must I marry him to give you a grandson with a noble surname?

“The blue dress would be best.”

“Miss, please raise your arms.”

Isella couldn’t speak. She had duties. Born with the Evans name, fed, sheltered, and clothed, she had to repay that debt. Isella put on the blue dress she liked least of all.

“Do you still have nightmares?”

“…Sometimes.”

“What kind of nightmares are they?”

Isella felt as if some light was coming through the window.

“Nightmares with corpses.”

“Why, did your mother or I die? People are bound to die….”

“No.”

“Don’t interrupt me.”

I have to speak. While Father is listening.

“Here, at the Hyer house… a maid, nightmares of seeing the corpse of a dark-skinned maid.”

“Was there such a maid?”

“…She went on leave from our second day here. I keep seeing her corpse in my dreams.”

“Then what’s there to worry about? Call that maid and see that she’s alive, and those ridiculous nightmares will end. You’re not trying to say you’ve become a prophet, are you?”

“No, that’s not it….”

She swallowed.

“She’s been on leave ever since.”

Verdick, who had been frowning while checking her outfit, looked up for the first time with puzzlement.

“What? It’s been quite a while since we arrived….”

“Father. I haven’t seen her since that nightmare.”

Why did the dark-skinned maid disappear after that? If seeing her corpse was just a vision, shouldn’t she have appeared the next day? Isella kept trembling. She recalled the vision she saw in that room that night. The severed maid’s face had wounds. It was an excessively vivid vision.

That was so terrifying.

* * *

The dinner was uncomfortable from the start.

“Lord Raymond, fine dining is certainly a form of pleasure, but what do you think about the finest wines coming from monasteries?”

Looking at the beautiful rosé wine that matched the pink foie gras, Isella spoke.

“Father Dulan would know better about such things than I do.”

Raymond smoothly deflected.

“…Well.”

Dulan, who had been holding wine, barely managed to swallow before answering.

Dulan was practically being tortured. He became intimidated before even a few words were exchanged, and his shoulders hunched. As Dulan continued to stutter, Raymond’s expression changed subtly. Dulan’s stuttering seemed particularly severe today, making it uncomfortable for observers, so Raymond didn’t pass the conversation to Dulan anymore.

Breaking the brief silence, the lord spoke to Karen.

“Karen, are your injuries alright?”

“Yes. Thank you, Father. It wasn’t much of a wound.”

“Thank you, Lord Raymond.”

Raymond smiled gracefully in response.

“I’m only ashamed that I couldn’t prevent it in time, my lord.”

“I’m truly grateful, Sir Knight.”

Karen also smiled at Raymond with violet-like eyes. Raymond smiled back at her, and Isella bit her teeth and spoke again.

“So what do you think, Father Dulan?”

“…Wh-what do you mean?”

Oh, that boldness. That shamelessness. Karen once again admired Isella’s stubbornness and silently ordered water instead of an aperitif.

Can’t we just shut up and eat the next course? Why does today’s meal have to take three hours? Do I have to endure Isella’s high heel attacks—not the kind under the table, but the kind where she grabs her shoe and aims it directly?

On top of that, do I have to taste Verdick’s ambition and feel dejected, and notice Raymond’s goodwill? All without alcohol, no less. Karen chewed the goose liver thoroughly and waited for the conversation to pass. The only consolation was that the mushroom aroma of the sauce on the meat was quite nice.

“I was curious about the priest’s views on the relationship between gastronomy and sin.”

Instead of Dulan, the Lord put down his knife and continued the conversation.

“Failing to control oneself is a sin, but I find it hard to accept that gastronomy itself is sinful. Young Lady Evans, does that mean we commit sins every day?”

Isella paused momentarily at the words of the elderly Lord, who wasn’t her target Dulan, but continued speaking.

“Doesn’t excessive gastronomy become a sin? I’m simply curious. While gastronomy certainly brings us great joy, isn’t moderation also necessary?”

“Then the problem would be setting the standard for ‘excessive.’ It sounds like you’re saying this meal is excessive—on what grounds do you make such a statement?”

“The most certain thing is that rulers should always think of their subjects, shouldn’t they?”

The rather aged Lord’s eyebrow twitched slightly at the obvious hostility shown by the young woman, but that was all. It was difficult to scold a daughter in front of her father. Especially when that father had his lips curved upward at his daughter’s behavior.

“Hmm, so in Miss Isella’s view, today’s meal seems inconsiderate of our people?”

It was a meal he had put considerable thought into. Much more luxurious than his only daughter’s birthday party.

Even considering it was to commemorate the contract with Verdick, it was certainly an extravagant meal. Though only the appetizers and soup had been served, it was clearly evident.

The appetizers alone were numerous. Besides the foie gras, there were ravioli with leeks and spring onions accompanied by mint and garlic sauce, and caviar cured in sea salt. The garnishes included mashed boiled eggs mixed with parsley and onions, and butternut squash sprinkled with a bit of sugar and salt, all excellent in both appearance and texture.

Compared to what the Evans Family had served Raymond, it was modest, but considering what they ate at Hyer House, it was an unprecedentedly luxurious meal. Isella was pointing this out. Even while she herself was receiving that same treatment.

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