AWLITEB Chapter 2

"This is what Mother bought me when I was nine. How dare you steal what's mine?"

"I, I'm sorry. I found it by accident and it looked so pretty, so I just tried it on. I'm really sorry."

"You barely wash and you take my things...!"

Rosalie, unable to contain her anger, raised her hand.

Thinking of the pain to come, Isabella squeezed her eyes shut, but—

"Stop."

Martha intervened.

Rosalie stopped her hand just before striking Isabella's cheek and huffed angrily.

"Mother, this thing doesn't know her place!"

"His Grace will be here soon. What if he notices the redness on her cheek?"

"......"

"Stop fussing and go fix your appearance. You don't have time to waste on that thing."

"...Yes, Mother."

Rosalie lowered her hand and shot Isabella a sharp look.

Just as Isabella was feeling relieved, Rosalie snatched a candlestick from a maid who was entering.

Isabella flinched, and Rosalie smiled coldly.

"Don't worry. I have no intention of stabbing you to death with the candlestick."

Rosalie tapped the sharp part that held the candle with her finger.

Then she jabbed Isabella's stomach with the flat base of the candlestick.

"Ugh!"

As Isabella groaned, clutching her stomach, Rosalie smiled as if finally satisfied.

She pinned the brooch she'd taken from Isabella to her own chest.

"Count yourself lucky. If not for His Grace, you'd have been slapped and kicked. Probably would've broken several ribs, too."

Rosalie tossed the candlestick back to the maid and hit Isabella's shoulder hard as she passed.

Isabella staggered, barely maintaining her balance.

"I'm here, Mother."

Ethan entered the drawing room and spoke.

Having just finished hunting monsters, he had dried blood here and there on his fancy hunting outfit.

The eldest son of the White family, he never felt inferior in front of any high-born family thanks to the ease that wealth provided.

To put it kindly, he overflowed with confidence. Objectively speaking, he was a man who thought himself the center of the universe.

Ethan wasn't particularly ugly, but his distinctive arrogance showed clearly in his features.

Rosalie looked Ethan's appearance up and down with an incredulous expression.

"Brother. I told you not to be late."

"I'm not late. The Grand Duke's arriving soon?"

At Ethan's words, Rosalie made a horrified face and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Good heavens, watch your language! What if you misspeak in front of His Grace?"

"Fine, fine. Can't ruin our little sister's marriage."

Ethan spoke cunningly and grinned.

Martha, who had been arranging lemon chiffon cake, finally looked up and examined her son's appearance.

"Ethan. Still in hunting clothes? Go wash and change quickly."

"Yes. I just stopped by before washing. I was curious what kind of grand tea table was prepared."

Ethan approached, popping a grape into his mouth and shrugging.

During the three people's conversation, Isabella stood with her back pressed against the wall, holding her breath like a dead mouse.

"Choose the most splendid and expensive outfit. There's already talk everywhere about marriage to a baronial family, which is worrying for His Grace."

"Yes, Mother. Of course. I'll choose something so impressive even the Grand Duke will be surprised, so don't worry."

Ethan spun around once like a dancer, laughing as he left the drawing room, then stopped when he spotted Isabella.

As soon as their eyes met, Isabella shrank like a mouse before a snake.

"Well. You're family too, officially, so you should attend, right?"

Ethan looked Isabella over from head to toe and grinned.

Isabella felt goosebumps wherever his gaze touched.

"Compared to when I saw you a month ago, at least you don't smell."

Ethan approached Isabella.

Isabella wanted to step back as much as he advanced, but she couldn't since her back was already pressed against the wall.

"Dressed in clean clothes, you look fairly human, don't you?"

Ethan whispered in Isabella's ear and snickered.

Isabella flinched and covered her ear, avoiding his gaze.

Martha seemed uninterested in what was happening here, and Rosalie, who normally would have been, now witnessed Ethan's teasing and approached forcefully.

"That's enough! Please hurry and go change for His Grace's arrival."

"Fine, I get it. So pushy."

Ethan slowly pulled back, looked at Isabella regretfully for a moment, then left the drawing room.

"Don't even think about seducing our brother just because they washed you up a bit."

When Rosalie whispered a warning, Isabella shook her head with a shocked face.

"N-no. It's not like that."

"Disgusting. As if I care what kind of origins you have."

Rosalie shuddered, then returned to the tea table and joined Martha in the final preparations.

The maids also busily filled the table, and Isabella breathed near the wall as if present but invisible.

"His Grace the Grand Duke's carriage is in sight."

The butler entered the drawing room and spoke.

"Oh no!"

Rosalie stamped her feet, showing a childish reaction. Her cheeks were already flushing red.

"Rose. Can you become the Grand Duchess if you show all your emotions like that?"

At Martha's criticism, Rosalie composed her expression. However, the flush couldn't be hidden.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm just so happy."

"Go check on Ethan and see how much preparation he has left."

At Martha's command, the butler bowed briefly and left the drawing room almost at a run.

"Honestly, Brother is too carefree about everything. If he has even the slightest negative effect on my marriage, I won't forgive him."

"Still, your brother has good judgment, so don't worry. You just focus on not losing your cultured and elegant appearance before His Grace."

"Yes, Mother. I will. I'm confident. Whenever we went to tea shops together, he always gave me kind compliments. He said I was truly beautiful and elegant."

Rosalie clasped her hands together and smiled as if the memory was still enchanting.

Martha smiled at her proud daughter and took her hand. Then she noticed Rosalie's brooch and frowned.

"Must you wear that butterfly brooch? It's too worn."

"Wearing such a modest accessory might make a better impression, Mother."

"Well, since you're dressed so beautifully and lavishly, choosing one such accessory isn't bad. Now let's prepare to greet His Grace. He'll be crossing the courtyard soon."

"Ah! Did you have the guards at the door stand down? We should show proper courtesy since the Grand Duke is coming."

"Don't worry, dear. Mama already took care of everything. You just think about serving His Grace comfortably."

Rosalie nodded with eyes overflowing with love for her mother.

In the Empire, it was customary for families receiving an important guest to have the guards at the main gate stand down.

By doing so, they expressed welcoming the guest with open arms and harboring no suspicion whatsoever.

"Now, if you've calmed yourself sufficiently, let's go greet His Grace."

"Yes, Mother."

As Martha and Rosalie left the drawing room smiling, Isabella tactfully followed behind them.

Ethan was also just descending the stairs with the butler.

"I can't take this."

"I made it on time, didn't I?"

Ethan countered Rosalie's words and grinned.

Martha waved her hand as if to say they could argue later, then led everyone toward the main gate.

Martha stood at the front, with Ethan, Rosalie, and Isabella lined up behind her.

"If you ruin my marriage, I won't forgive you."

Rosalie ground her teeth at Isabella.

Isabella quickly nodded.

Soon footsteps approached and the butler opened the door.

"Welcome, Your Grace."

Martha curtsied first, and Ethan and Rosalie followed suit with proper courtesy.

Isabella also hurriedly bent her knees and bowed her head before even seeing Grand Duke Genos's face.

Because she gripped her skirt tighter than usual when curtsying, Isabella's feet were completely exposed.

The problem was that her feet were bare.

Since her head was bowed, Isabella's feet came into her own view.

Isabella gasped. She hadn't put on shoes when leaving the basement.

Isabella hastily raised her head, and her gaze met Genos's.

It was in that moment that Isabella first saw the face of Genos, Rosalie's fiancé and Grand Duke of the Rhathus Empire.

Below jet-black hair sat bright brown eyes like fine-grained wood.

She'd often heard rumors that he was handsome—and how enthusiastically Rosalie had bragged—but she hadn't known he'd be this dazzling.

But before Isabella could sink deeper into Genos's appearance, his gaze lowered to Isabella's bare feet.

Isabella hastily lowered her skirt to hide her feet.

Then Genos naturally withdrew his gaze from her.

"Thank you for the invitation, Baroness White. I consider it an infinite honor."

When Genos politely extended his hand, Martha offered the back of hers.

At the Grand Duke's ensuing hand kiss, Martha felt as if she'd become the Empress herself.

In that brief moment, she even imagined making the noble ladies who had been subtly condescending toward her as a baroness kneel before her.

"Rosalie."

Genos smiled gently.

At her fiancé's single smile, Rosalie felt as if her entire body was melting.

"Your Grace."

When Rosalie extended her hand, Genos briefly kissed the back of hers too.

Rosalie couldn't hide her ecstatic expression and flushed. She tried to calm herself, remembering Martha's advice, but it wasn't easy.

"Ethan. It's the first time since we saw each other at the hunting grounds long ago."

"Yes, Your Grace. You've become more imposing in the meantime. I should learn your exercise methods."

"I haven't been able to exercise for several days due to new territory issues. I'm embarrassed."

"Your Grace is also remarkably modest."

The conversation between Genos and Ethan flowed as naturally and shamelessly as water.

After greetings coated in learned refinement, Genos's gaze finally turned to Isabella.

"My lovely youngest daughter, Isabella. She's such a shy child that she never shows her face in society, so you're probably seeing her for the first time. Isabella, you should greet His Grace."

Martha spoke in an exceedingly warm voice.

"Isabella White greets Your Grace."

Isabella spoke in a trembling voice.

Genos extended his hand to her as well.

"It's an honor to meet you. Lady White."

Isabella hesitated for a moment.

Another noble family's daughter would have acted naturally, but Isabella, who was usually confined to the basement room and only brought out when needed, fumbled before the high status of a Grand Duke.

When others debuted in society and learned refinement and wit appropriate to situations and occasions, Isabella hadn't even received similar opportunities.

"Bella, what are you doing? His Grace is waiting."

Rosalie spoke kindly, even using a pet name.

Sweet sister Rosalie, who dutifully looked after her shy, introverted, boring younger sister.

Rosalie was using her reclusive younger sister to secure such an image publicly.

She was trying to show that kind and good appearance to her fiancé this time too.

Isabella finally extended her hand to Genos, and Genos grasped her slender hand.

Every noble family raised their daughters to be thin, but such gaunt fingers were a first.

Of course, Genos didn't make the mistake of showing surprise at a lady's body. He calmly kissed the back of Isabella's hand and released it.

For the first time, Isabella felt as if heat was spreading over the back of her hand where someone's lips had touched.

Martha turned first and gestured toward the house with her hand.

"Then may I guide you to the drawing room, Your Grace?"

"Of course."

Rosalie could barely contain her excitement at being in her own mansion with her fiancé.

It felt exactly like visiting her parents' home after marriage.

"A truly magnificent tea table."

Genos looked down at the elegant table and spoke.

Starting with cake redolent with lemon scent, there were crisply baked scones, fig jam made by the head maid herself, clotted cream, pink roll cake made with wild strawberries, all neatly and prettily arranged.

"It's an honor, Your Grace. Please sit."

Martha gestured toward the head seat.

When Genos didn't refuse and sat down, Martha and Ethan sat on either side of him. Next to Ethan sat Rosalie, and Isabella's seat was beside Martha.

Rosalie looked irritated that she couldn't sit beside Genos due to family hierarchy.

"Isabella, what are you doing not taking your seat?"

Martha asked Isabella, who stood in front of her chair.

Isabella hesitated, only chewing her dry lips.

"I apologize. Please excuse me for a moment."

Isabella bowed deeply to Genos, then left the drawing room quickly, her soles almost glued to the ground.

Behind her back, Rosalie and Martha's murderous gazes followed, along with Genos's peculiar gaze.