/
[ Aigis ] “We wouldn’t get jealous or angry just because Lord Lexus is kind to another. Wouldn’t that just make us hateful people?”
[ Valentia ] “……Thank you for understanding.”
So what she was trying to say was that she had nothing to feel sorry about.
[ Aigis ] “By the way, your dress is truly lovely and the lace looks very delicate. I knew the owner there had great abilities, but I didn’t realize she was capable of designs even like this.”
[ Lily ] “Exactly. It’s elegant, but the design is unique from what’s trending these days. It suits you incredibly well, like it was made for you, Miss Valentia.”
Well, that’s because it was made just for her. And the designer was in fact, not the owner of La Vie en Rose, but Lexus himself.
[ Aigis ] “I didn’t realize it since you only wear dark colors, but something bright and soft looks really nice on you.”
[ Valentia ] “I didn’t realize it, either.”
Bright colors stood out and so she assumed such a thing would not look good on her. But this dress was a lovely peach color, and if she was picking a dress for herself, she would never have thought to pick something like this.
Wearing the clothes he picked for her himself made her feel a little strange. It was somehow both warm and sad.
[ Aigis ] “Oh my.”
Aigis let out a soft exclamation, lightly elbowing Red’s arm. Understanding the gesture, Red quieted, covering her mouth with her hand.
The three ladies noticed a certain man approaching Valentia from behind. They quickly hushed each other, forcing themselves to keep back their eager smiles. But alas, their anticipation was too strong, so they quickly covered their faces with their faces.
And it was all because the man was giving them a playful smile, holding a finger up to his lips as if to shush them.
[ Lexus ] “Hey.”
It was a voice she missed more than anything. And then Valentia realized that right now, she could even see his face if she wanted to. It made her far happier than she thought was possible.
Ignoring the palpitations in her heart, with a bright smile on her face that she could not control, Valentia looked back.
*
* * *
*
He wanted to see her as soon as the exams were done, and that was something he had every right to do, considering she only asked him to stay away for that time.
But then, before the results were even announced, a scandal broke out at the worst possible time, so he had to be careful with what he did and who he met with. Obviously if he bee-lined straight for Valentia the second he got a chance, things might not turn out so great for her.
The article labeled her as ‘Student A’, but if he were to expose her identity to the general public by going to her, she’d be swarmed by reporters that weren’t afraid of a lawsuit.
And since he couldn’t see Valentia, even Goldie ended up getting depressed, as if he were physically weak.
Lexus made all of these plans to go with her to get her dress done, but it all ended up going down the drain. It was really too bad. He wanted to ask her what her favorite color was so they could match, and the more he thought about the article, the angrier and more disappointed he got that he couldn’t.
Sure, it was true that the article massively improved his public image, but he didn’t feel grateful at all. If he could, he’d grab the reporter that wrote the damn thing and throttle him, but he had to think about how the Imperial family might suffer.
If he ended up beating the hell out of a small-time reporter, not only would the Emperor and Empress yell at him to no end for it, but such a setup would give the public perfect cause to criticize the Imperial family, too.
Tch, my position can be so damn troublesome.
So, while he was forced to be by himself, he designed Valentia’s dress on his own by choosing the color and other elements he thought would suit her the best.
Though they couldn’t meet up, he thought about all the various pieces that would go into making a beautiful dress, so it wasn’t difficult to come up with the final product. Though obviously, the thought process was mostly Lexus’ rambling while the owner quietly sketched down his ideas.
Coughing up money when necessary was easy, but giving up time was much more difficult. Never before had he dedicated this much time and brain power into a woman he was seeing.
Before, the most he would do was make sure La Vie en Rose had a spot open for the woman he was taking to the Banquet, but this was the first time he had become so deeply involved in the process of making a dress.
But all the while, it never occurred to him to think deeply on why he was putting in so much effort.
It was common courtesy for the man to personally escort the lady by arriving at her home to pick her up, but Lexus was aware that their situation wasn’t one that allowed for that right now. So, without any other choice, he sent Yusef in his place.
[ Lady ] “Lord Lexus.”
He entered the banquet hall as quietly as he could, but he could not avoid people’s eyes. He was far taller than the average person, so even when being crowded with people, his head was still clearly visible.
[ Lady ] “Did you attend without a partner tonight?”
He always walked into the hall with his partner at his side, so with no woman on his arm, this was a natural question to be asked.
[ Lady ] “How about me? Shall I be your partner?”
Now that he was in the center of the hall, the crowds were making it very difficult for him to take even the smallest step forward. He also had to be sure to refuse everyone who kept coming to ask to be his partner or to spend time with them.
He just wanted to find Valentia as soon as possible so he could escape all these pesky requests.
And once he found her, she was tucked away in a corner of the hall. She had her back to him, but he could easily recognize who she was from that peach colored lace dress.
Finally, he and Valentia were in the same room.
An instinctive and goofy grin stretched across Lexus’ face as he walked up to Valentia.
[ Lexus ] “Hey.”
It was a casual greeting, but crazily enough, he couldn’t understand why it got caught in his throat for a second. He was normally the kind of man who had no issue speaking loudly and proudly, but for some reason, he ended up only saying a very distant, ‘hey’.
But obviously Lexus’ words got stuck in his throat after saying such a pitiful greeting, making it hard to breathe. It was because when she looked back at him, Valentia had a smile on her face.
[ Valentia ] “Lexus?”
[ Lexus ] “Long time, no see.”
[ Valentia ] “Yes. It’s been a while.”
But now Valentia’s expression was as straight as an arrow. It was so blunt and cold that for a second, he thought he saw wrong earlier.
Though, in the past, he likely would’ve openly scoffed that a woman capable of making such a cold expression even existed, but now, he was thrilled and elated to be met with that face of hers, chilly gaze and all.
[ Aigis ] “Hello, Lord Lexus.”
[ Lily ] “Hello, Lord Lexus.”
[ Red ] “Hello.”
The three ladies bowed and greeted him in unison.
[ Lexus ] “I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation with your friends.”
[ Valentia ] “No, it’s alright. They’re not my friends……”
Valentia quickly shook her head in embarrassment.
What she said sounded very rude, but she felt like she needed to say it quickly. She was afraid these three would not appreciate being associated with her like that, tied together by the reckless use of the word ‘friends’.
[ Aigis ] “That’s a little disappointing.”
[ Valentia ] “I’m sorry?”
Aigis narrowed her eyes as she faced Valentia. Never before did someone’s look make Valentia want to shy away, but with the way Aigis was looking at her, she felt a little ashamed right now.
For Valentia, who’d never had a lady friend of the same age before, Aigis was the first person to try and open up her heart to her. She was afraid she might’ve hurt her feelings, but this was the first time Valentia ever considered how her words might accidentally hurt someone, so she could not even recognize that thought properly.
[ Valentia ] “I’m sorry. I don’t know if I was rude or not.”
And so Valentia apologized out of embarrassment, despite not even understanding the blunder she had made.
[ Aigis ] “Were we the only ones who thought we were your friends?”
Now Valentia’s eyes were widening.
[ Valentia ] “N, no…..it’s not like that…..”
The embarrassment, the shame, and the touch of warmth hitting her heart were all so unfamiliar and new to Valentia. She stood still with a confused expression, as if her brain didn’t know what to do.
Valentia was like a talented child. Smart and learned through the books she read, but she did not know what other ladies her age ought to know. She was like a young girl, with no family or friends at her side, not knowing what to say in a moment like this.
All because she never learned it.
That’s what Aigis saw—a woman who was smart and was thought to be arrogant because of it, but was truthfully an awkward stranger to anything that strayed away from studying.
And it was especially difficult, considering nobles were rarely straightforward, dealing in a language that required one to be astute in conversations, and good at reading the atmosphere.
And that’s what Aigis was good at, so she handled this situation with grace and elegance.
[ Aigis ] “You promised, did you not? I trust you haven’t forgotten.”
Valentia quickly understood what that promise was—the promise she made to teach her how to study well.
Back then, it was merely a casual comment made to push the conversation forward between women that were not very close to one another. But now, this was a promise that must be kept.
[ Lily ] “Oh, may we join as well?”
[ Red ] “I would not wish to miss this either. This is a chance to learn from the top student herself.”
The air softened as Lily and Red joined in. Valentia gave a vague smile and slowly nodded.
[ Valentia ] “Of course. Any time.”
Deciding to slowly clear away the awkward air, Aigis spoke again.
[ Aigis ] “Lord Lexus. The cookies you sent us before were very delicious. I wished I could have thanked you earlier, but there was never a good chance for it.”
[ Lexus ] “I’m glad you enjoyed it. The three of you were a huge help. I will not forget that.”
[ Aigis ] “Now, we will allow you to take your lady.”
[ Lexus ] “Thank you for watching over my partner while I was away.”
[ Aigis ] “No thanks are needed. We did it because we like her. We will speak again soon, Miss Valentia.”
[ Valentia ] “Yes. See you again soon.”
As their conversation came to a quiet and kind close, a commotion started to stir near the entrance of the banquet hall.
[ ??? ] “Why not!? Is there a rule that only students can enter or something!?”
It was a very sudden and shrill voice.
[ ??? ] “I already looked it up in the rules. There’s nothing written that only students of the Academy can enter.”
That was true. It was not written down in the guidelines, but this was a banquet where only the students came and not even a single professor was in sight. It was an unspoken rule that everyone kept up with, even if it was not explicitly stated.
[ — ] “That’s true, but if you act like this, it’s just a little difficult.”
That was how someone responded, but it sounded like they were a little stunned.
Though they were certainly complaining like one, it can’t have been a child who was whining and making a fuss. If it had been, they’d get a more stern reprimand.
[ Valentia ] “What’s going on?”
[ Lexus ] “Ah, well…..”
And then Lexus immediately went to hold his forehead with an exhausted hand…..
[ Valentia ] “Lexus?”
…..for the source of the young and chipper voice was someone Lexus knew very well—his one and only cheeky baby sister.