CH 75

In Fact, This Marriage (2)

Talin shrugged and lowered his hand and turned to Lily.

The bedroom, which was spacious enough for Lily to always feel empty, was filled with all kinds of precious metals in an instant.

Lily suddenly remembered the contents of the letter he had left.

He said small presents… Did he mean this?

Lily felt like a princess.

“Everyone thinks that Arcadia is a poor territory, but to exaggerate a little, it might be richer than the imperial family. The lord even told me to just order it all when he couldn’t choose what to buy.”

Hearing Talin’s explanation, Lily looked down at the tea table.

Only then did she realize that all these books were catalogues.

Lily picked one up. “I could decorate a castle with this. That’s my job, after all.”

Managing the castle and hosting guests was strictly the duty of the mistress. Lily, too, had considerable experience in this field.

De Winter Castle was too plain for a duke’s castle.  To put it bluntly, it was practical, not elegant nor dignified at all.

Talin trembled. “It may be interpreted that way, but if I dare to comment, it would be better to ask the lord about it. Perhaps the lord’s intention is not to make Madam care about these trivialities.”

“It’s not trivial. Managing the house and people…”

No one cared for such work but in fact, she had to.

In addition, the castle had many places to decorate, and above all, it was quite spacious and complex.

Talin paused. “I apologise. I didn’t think about what Madam wanted to do. I had no intention of undermining your hobby.”

Lily looked up at him and smiled softly. “No. I didn’t mean to reproach Sir Talin.” She turned her attention back to the catalog. “Should I ask the administrators for a separate budget for managing the castle? There are many things I want to ask about the structure…”

“Sister!” Dandelion’s cheerful cry from the door broke the conversation between the two. “Oh, open the door. I’ll just go to Sister!”

“…”

Talin frowned and sighed nervously.

* * *

Dandelion leaned against the door on his back and rolled his green eyes. “Sister, are you sick?”

Lily was dazed for a moment, probably because the question was so unexpected.

As he looked at his older sister, Dandelion wiggled his toes. “My sister collapsed and had a fever. Then you heard that you couldn’t go to Brother Tristan… I mean, I came here because I thought you were very sick.”

“Oh, Tristan. I made him wait…” Lily then remembered what had happened.

I had completely forgotten. I’ve never been like this before…

Dandelion glanced down at the floor again. “I want to apologize to Sister… I was so surprised then. I think I was a bit harsh on Sister.”

Hearing the mumbled apology, Talin frowned even more. It seemed to him that the lady’s brother was eight years old, not eighteen.

Lily took a deep breath and reached out. “Come to me. Dandelion.”

She couldn’t help it.

After her mother died, he was the younger brother whom she raised by feeding him a bottle of milk and changing diapers, although that job passed into the hands of his nanny after her father took over the house.

It was easy for her heart to go soft for him.

As Dandelion crawled closer, Lily stroked his curly silver hair. “You have nothing to apologize for. You didn’t say anything wrong.”

The subtle resentment against her for taking their mother away was a feeling shared by the younger brothers.

“Wow. Oh my gosh.” He glanced through the open catalogue quickly. “What is all this?  All these dresses and rings are no joke. You were choosing accessories. Wow…  Did you buy all these? Everything here? I really want…”

The words shot out like a rapid-fire cannon. Talin’s nose scrunched slightly.

“Sister is completely blessed. I wish I was a woman too. Then I would have met a husband and been treated properly. Women really live comfortably. It’s really unfair.”

“Dandelion.”

“Can I take a few as gifts? If Sister insists, I’ll definitely take care…”

“Dandelion!” As Lily resolutely raised her voice, Dandelion raised his head in amazement. “I haven’t finished talking yet.”

His mouth screwed shut at the lowered voice.

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll buy it with my money. But, from now on, stop hanging out with Tristan.”

“Huh?”

She looked into Talin’s eyes for a moment, then looked at her brother again. After all, Tristan was a felon. Since Talin was a high-ranking knight, he would have known more about Tristan’s identity.

“Did Tristan take you to the maid’s dormitory?”

Dandelion’s face turned white and blue alternately, his fingers clenching. “Yeah, but I didn’t do anything. Unlike Tristan, I really just went out to play. You know me, I’m just mischievous… I won’t do bad things because I’m afraid.”

Lily frowned and tilted her head as if she did not understand. “Unlike Tristan? What does that mean?”

“Ah, that…”

Talin was amazed.  It was the first time he saw someone get trapped so thoroughly with words.

Dandelion looked at Talin, then looked at his sister again. And then he immediately lowered his head to the floor. “I…” He glanced behind him as if he had committed a major mistake. “I brought him there…”

“What?”

Lily and Talin reacted in unison.

He gulped down dry saliva. “Brother Tristan asked me to bring him to say thank you to you… So he’s standing outside the door right now.”

Their eyes turned to the tightly closed door.

“The chief with the chapped lips allowed it… So I brought him, Sister.”