Chapter 28
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Caius replied nonchalantly.
"It's not me you need, but the lady here."
The merchant's gaze fell on Louise, and Louise, who had followed him in, asked, embarrassed.
"Excuse me, sir, but wasn't there a cat here?"
"You mean our Marie? Why are you looking for Marie........."
The merchant looked around in confusion.
His gaze finally settled on the cat. The cat everyone was looking for was asleep, curled up in a ball on a wide cushion at the top of a high shelf.
Louise was delighted and asked again.
"Her name is Marie? Is Marie always here? I know some cat lovers around here.................. and I was wondering if she could come and see her."
"Of course! You're welcome to come and see!"
"Thank you."
Louise greeted, and Caius interrupted with a grimace.
"You have a bad habit of always saying thank you with your bare mouth. If you thank a merchant, you should buy him something. How about this?"
He pointed to a long scarf made of red cashmere. Louise threw up her hands in dismay.
"I don't need it, Your Excellency."
"Have you ever seen a lord enter a merchant's shop and leave empty-handed? Pick one, you'll need it now that you're out of your morning robes."
The man who had said that much added grumpily.
“I say this because you didn’t like the fur I had custom-made for you."
Louise replied with a quick glare.
"I did, Your Excellency. I liked the fur."
He chuckled.
"Something other than a shawl, then. I'm afraid Burg might be a bit cold for you, and how about some long gloves, they're lovely."
The merchant interjected quickly, noticing.
"Yes, these gloves are made of baby sheepskin, soft and warm. Oh, and would you like to see this, a muff for your hands on cold days..................."
The merchant must have been blinded by the water because he offered Louise a hand muff for a lady. When Louise averted her gaze, the merchant quickly changed his recommendation.
"Oh, by the way, these handbags are back in fashion again..................!"
Caius was pleased, and the merchant was eager to sell. It seemed impossible to leave the store without picking up something.
But then a simple-looking hairband caught Louise’s eye.
The band was lightly dyed red and looked like it could be used to easily put her hair up. It was soft to the touch, so it wouldn't hurt to wear it for a long time.
As she fiddled with the band, Caius mocked her deployment.
"That's it?"
"This is more than I deserve."
The man sighed at Louise's answer, then pointed to a hat on display right next to her.
"Is that one for indoors? Or for outside?"
The merchant replied with a smile.
"Your Excellency has great taste, indeed! That is a bonnet, but it is also worn outdoors. It's made of soft material, and the brim curves nicely, so it's very comfortable."
"Try it on."
Louise hesitated. She didn't want to try the expensive hat and leave her item.
But the merchant seemed unwilling to pass up the opportunity to make another sale. He lowered the hat to show it, and Caius snatched it up and slapped it on Louise's head.
"Ah, Your Excellency."
The merchant tied the bonnet back and forth to shape it, whether Louise panicked or not.
Louise's wandering, embarrassed gaze met Caius's deep golden eyes and froze.
The light from the shop's chandelier seemed to illuminate only him. The yellow lights clung to his sharp features, his smooth nose, and his black lashes, making them glisten strangely.
And his eyes were like molten gold.
His eyes, which were far from romantic, showed a kindness that she had never seen before.
When he finally found a shape he liked, the merchant took a step back.
"My goodness, you're so beautiful, the wares really shine. I’m going to sell a lot of hats if you stand here like this."
Caius interrupted the merchant's inane joke.
"Not so fast. This lady is a necessary addition to my manor."
"Your Excellency, I'm sure....................."
Louise’s words were easily drowned out by the merchant's merry laughter.
Soon, as Caius paid for the headband and the hat, the merchant asked happily.
"And when you come to see the cat Marie, I'll keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't disappear anywhere!"
Louise was gauging Miriam's progress in her head. Caius replied simply.
"She’ll come in three days with another lady.”
"Of course!"
The merchant exclaimed, and saw them off.
Outside, the western sky was already reddening.
Louise barely had time to remove the hat Caius had placed on her head before she climbed into the carriage.
The man who followed her set the fine wooden box containing the long-awaited hairband down on her thigh.
"Is three days too soon?"
Louise blinked at the sudden question.
"Ah, well, it's a little different from the promise I made to the lady..................."
She looked up at Caius and smiled.
"It's getting colder, so three days is fine, I'm sure the lady will be pleased, thank you, Your Excellency."
He corrected, maintaining eye contact.
"Caius."
Louise didn't immediately recognize what he wanted.
"Yes ......?"
"You seem to have forgotten that I have a name, Louise."
If he dared to ask her to call him by name, she couldn't comply. She blinked in surprise, and he smirked.
"Is that all you've thanked me for today? For not listening to one of my easy requests?"
Louise opened her lips, then closed them again without making a sound. She thought about it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
But Caius sat there, as if waiting for her answer, and did not even start the carriage.
When she had finished, Louise closed her eyes deeply and opened them. Her tiny lips parted awkwardly, and she spoke without confidence.
"Thank you................... Caius, sir."
Ha, the man let out a low chuckle.
"You know it's not that."
Still, he let it go.
Caius tapped on the window to signal the coachman. Then the sound of multiple hooves in the background rang out.
"You can take your time, Louise. I've told you before, I have a lot of patience."
Louise avoided his gaze and looked down at the box of headdresses. She'd clutched it with both hands until they arrived, and now the wooden box was warm.
She was embarrassed to even hold Caius's hand as they descended the carriage, though she doubted he noticed.
***
Three days later, in the morning, the carriage was already waiting in the garden.
"How do I look, teacher?"
Miriam, whom she met in the hallway, asked cautiously.
She was wearing a dress with blue stripes on the shoulders. It was eerily similar to the one dress Louise had worn after she had taken off her mourning garments.
"You look beautiful as always, Miriam."
Louise said, and then added thoughtfully.
"But don't you think the dress looks a little like mine?"
Indeed, the blue stripes were out of place in early winter in Burg, and Louise was puzzled by Miriam's choice. She couldn’t say that the clothes she brought were the only ones she had, but Miriam's situation was as different as heaven and earth.
Miriam, however, did not understand the question at all, and was rather amused.
"So, will others think we are sisters?"
Sisters.
Louise blinked for a moment, not realizing that was the role Miriam was expecting her to play.
But even so, sisters were only allowed to wear similar dresses when they were very young. As they approach adulthood, it would look ridiculous to go out in similar outfits.
But when she saw Miriam's excited face, she couldn't answer straight away.
"Of course. I'd be so proud to have a sister as nice and pretty as my lady."
Miriam bounced on her feet with excitement and threw her arms around Louise.
It was rare for her to make the first move. Eventually, Louise smiled and started walking toward the stairs.
In her head, she replayed what Caius had said the other day.
"If you feel so strongly about Miriam, it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to be part of the family."
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