Surviving as a Terminally Ill Heiress - Chapter 27

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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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Chapter 27

I nearly lost my wits before catching myself and asking quickly.
“I’m sorry—what did you say?”
“The young lady’s room needs furnishing. You may choose whatever you like from here, but do so thoughtfully. The Duke abhors waste above all else.”
What did she just say?
I glanced around the space.
Gold still gleamed from every corner of the Reception Room.
Seeing my bewildered expression, Aileen smiled faintly.
“If one can afford the expense and the value is sufficient, it is not waste—it is investment.”
I was nodding along, only half-understanding, when
Aileen continued to regard me with that same smile.
“And at Ambrose, every moment is an investment.”
……
“I do hope, young lady, that you will prove to be a worthwhile investment.”
What was that?
A faint sense of unease made me glance at her sideways.
“Shall we begin?”
“Ah, yes.”
Perhaps I’d imagined it.
Aileen, the very picture of kindness, thrust a stack of catalogs into my hands.
“Go on, don’t be shy—pick whatever you like. The Duke will settle the bill!”
“Y-yes!”
She was definitely a good person.
It was the happiest moment since arriving at the Ambrose Mansion.
What a stroke of fortune. Was I really furnishing my own room?
In any case, another opportunity to bleed that sour old man dry had presented itself.
“We’ve brought every catalog from every atelier we work with—all the latest collections—but since you’re furnishing an entire room, you’ll likely find it easier to choose by matched sets or series.”
“Well… I suppose that’s true.”
I flipped through the catalogs absently before speaking.
“But may I mix pieces from different ateliers?”
“Of course you may.”
Good. I couldn’t afford to be careless about fleecing the old man.
I settled in earnestly and began to study the catalogs in depth.
‘… Ah, this one.’
A smile tugged at my serious expression.
I’d spotted pieces that looked familiar.
Bright primary colors, ruffles of lace, a parade of cute and whimsical designs.
Clearly aimed at children.
Particularly this carriage-shaped bed.
‘This was all the rage at one point.’
The advertisements claimed even noble children had to queue to buy one.
I turned the pages with an indifferent gesture.
Fortunately, neither my younger siblings nor I had ever wanted such things.
Though I’ll admit, I’d envied them sometimes.
Some children from the slums had them too—cheap knockoffs, of course.
‘That’s what makes trends dangerous.’
Even without money, even without genuine desire, you want to follow along like everyone else.
I’ll admit I’m susceptible to that pull as well.
Still, I would never buy this bed.
“I don’t like this one.”
“May I ask why?”
“… I’m afraid the canopy might collapse while I’m sleeping.”
“Oh, I see.”
Aileen laughed as though I were charming.
But this is hardly the time for laughter.
Unbelievable as it may seem, this trend will end soon.
‘Because there was an actual accident.’
The canopy really did collapse, and a sleeping child was crushed beneath it.
Naturally, because the victim was from a wealthy household, the scandal became quite large.
But I wasn’t reading the papers back then, so I never learned all the details.
In any case, I firmly shut the whimsical catalog.
After that, I continued opening and closing catalogs endlessly.
“It’s difficult to decide……”
Did I never learn how to shop properly?
I could get as far as “it’s good,” “it’s pretty,” “I like it”—but I couldn’t quite commit to actually purchasing something.
Until now, all my shopping had been for immediate necessities—food and clothing—and suddenly being asked to furnish a room was overwhelming.
Especially when I had no idea what anything cost. Not that I was actually paying, but still……
“Ah.”
My eyes suddenly caught on one catalog.
A modest yet elegant side table within its pages caught my attention.
“You seem quite taken with it. Would you consider this one instead?”
It was then that Aileen suddenly offered me another catalog.
“It’s… similar, isn’t it?”
No—it was nearly identical.
I laid both catalogs side by side and examined them.
Only the handle details differed; the overall design was strikingly alike.
Had one copied the other? Which came first? I couldn’t tell from this angle.
I stole a glance at Aileen.
‘… Is this one better?’
She’d offered it casually, but she was Ambrose’s furniture merchant, after all.
She would understand products far better than someone ignorant like me.
Maybe that’s why it suddenly seemed more appealing. Besides, rejecting something a kind person had recommended felt slightly awkward.
Very well, then I’ll go with this one.
“Yes, I like it. I suppose this design really is more to my taste.”
I slid the catalog Aileen had recommended toward me.
And I gave a light nod.
“Thanks to you, choosing will be so much easier. I’m grateful.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
Phew, that went smoothly.
I glanced at Aileen sideways and exhaled a quiet sigh of relief internally.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem offended.
‘But I really did prefer the one I saw first.’
Since this was my first time furnishing my own room, I wanted everything to suit my own taste.
And besides, money wasn’t a concern.
Shall I organize them more carefully then?
Simply—left side means I’ll buy it, right side means I won’t.
And the middle…
As I stacked more catalogs with distinct aesthetics, Aileen asked with a puzzled look.
“May I ask what criteria you’re using for those?”
“They look expensive.”
“… Excuse me?”
“It’s an opportunity. Since the Duke will be billed anyway.”
Aileen stared at me with wide, astonished eyes.
Ah, was that too mercenary?
I laughed sheepishly.
“I was only joking.”
Not that it wasn’t true.

* * *

The Study of the Duke of Ambrose.
“You seem pleased.”
“You’ve arrived.”
When Gustav entered, Aileen, who knew him well, immediately got down to business.
“This is the piece the young lady found most appealing.”
“This is…”
“Yes, it’s the new product from our own atelier.”
One that Gustav himself had supported fully and planned to push as a flagship item.
Aileen laughed softly.
“It seems the two of you share the same aesthetic sense.”
Though the piece was only at the sketch stage—not yet commercially available, and thus just a handful of drawings rather than a finished catalog like the others—the moment Labyune’s composed eyes fell upon the desk, they gleamed a deep crimson.
Like the eyes of a beast who’d spotted prey worth hunting.
The same eyes Gustav wore now.
The other furnishings Labyune had chosen one by one were equally varied—from already renowned masters’ works to budding ateliers beginning to make their names.
At first glance, they seemed to share no common thread.
Yet when gathered together, they harmonized beautifully.
Both aesthetically and practically, they were excellent.
Moreover, the imitations Gustav had deliberately slipped in and recommended had all been cleverly avoided.
This could hardly be coincidence.
Gustav’s lips twitched slightly.
“… So the girl isn’t completely blind.”
“Young and inexperienced as she is, one might expect her to be easily swayed, yet she resists.”
“Hmph. What use is a person without conviction?”
“Truly, she is your blood.”
“Kah—hack! Believe what you will!”
Gustav turned away with a stern face, but his shoulders trembled faintly with contained laughter.
When he looked back at Aileen, he wore the cold expression of the Duke of Ambrose once more.
“And the arrangement?”
Aileen brought her hand to her chest.
“Settled. The young lady did not waste my time.”
Had she done so, she would have paid a considerable price—regardless of being Ambrose.
But the encounter had proven pleasantly surprising.
Blood will tell, as they say; such a rabbit-like face already bore the unmistakable mark of Ambrose.
One might already begin to mourn for whatever unsuspecting hunters cross her path.
Should they be careless enough to trust in that gentle, drooping gaze, they will surely have their throats torn out.
‘Most peculiar for a girl of merely ten.’
It wasn’t simple precociousness.
Like a laborer who’d worked the same task for ten years, she carried a curious weariness—a dull, flat affect with remarkably subdued emotional expression.
Yet the way she spoke with her distinctive voice and expression, honest and unguarded, was quite remarkable.
‘If that too is Ambrose, then it is Ambrose, but…’
Good heavens, making jests with such earnest conviction.
Aileen was quietly chuckling to herself when
Gustav noticed the problematic stack of catalogs.
“What are these?”
“Ah, she selected them because they looked expensive. You’ll be settling the bill, after all.”
……
“As it happens, they’re only the premium lines from each atelier. You certainly do have a discerning eye.”
Afterward, the Study echoed with the sound of Gustav’s rather loud coughing fit.

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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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