The first outing to the shopping district was nothing short of delightful.
After leaving the dress shop, we went to the café Anella had mentioned to enjoy refreshing tea and sweet desserts. We bought a mountain of accessories, jewelry, and hair ornaments at the boutique, ordered several pairs of shoes, and spent time wandering the streets, marveling at all the curious things on display.
It was the happiest day I had experienced since coming to the Duke’s Estate.
Before I went to the Temple, I had been terrified of what the bloodline verification might reveal. Once my lineage was confirmed, the days had blurred together as I threw myself into noble etiquette lessons and struggled to acclimate to the family. Amidst that repetitive routine, this was the first time I had felt truly at ease.
Though I was a little tired when we returned to the Duke’s Estate, I decided to head down to the dining room first.
The room was cluttered with the many things Marian had bought at the shops, and I thought it would be helpful to clear out and give her space to organize.
The dining room was quiet, as dinner preparations had not yet begun.
As I gazed at the soft light falling from the beautiful chandelier and the neatly set table, I quietly reflected on the stroke of luck that had brought me here.
Inevitably, my thoughts drifted to the Crown Prince, who had helped me come to this place.
He said he was preparing a gift for my grandfather, so would he be attending the banquet?
The dining room wasn't warm, but my face flushed hot of its own accord.
I didn't know how much time had passed while I was lost in thought.
Just then, the door swung open with a clatter, and Daniel and Leonic entered. Unlike Leonic, who furrowed his brows the moment he saw me, Daniel approached with a bright smile and greeted me kindly.
"Ria, did you have fun at the shopping district today?"
At Daniel’s gentle words, I nodded cautiously.
"Yes. I saw many beautiful clothes, and the Marchioness helped me a great deal."
Daniel nodded, looking at me with a satisfied expression, and his warm gaze put me even more at ease.
Leonic, on the other hand, watched the two of us in silence.
Seeing me chatting happily with Daniel made his blood boil for reasons he couldn't explain. Leonic couldn't shake the thought that I didn't belong in their family, and he found even the slightest interest Daniel showed toward me to be deeply unpleasant.
As Leonic approached me, he scowled and spoke.
"That dress is truly tacky."
I was taken aback by his words. Leonic’s tone was harsh, and his gaze was piercing.
Servants began to trickle into the dining room one by one to prepare for dinner.
I tried to calm my heart, hoping this uncomfortable moment would pass quickly. That was my specialty.
But Leonic’s anger showed no signs of subsiding.
From the moment he first met Anella, she had been the only "little sister" he had ever known.
He could still vividly recall the moment he first saw her.
Her shimmering platinum hair and those fragile, anxious eyes.
From that moment on, Leonic had resolved to protect her. Whether they were blood-related or not had never mattered.
As they spent more time together at the Duke’s Estate, Anella had grown into someone truly worthy of the family.
He loved that while she gained grace and elegance through her noble education, she never lost her original, sweet, and adorable nature.
The longer they spent together, the more firmly Anella secured her place as someone precious to Leonic.
In contrast, I had appeared out of nowhere. Despite the fact that, aside from the bloodline, I had yet to prove I was worthy of being a member of the Duke’s family, I was already receiving so much attention and welcome.
He couldn't possibly be happy about the daughter of an aunt he had never even seen.
What if I took Anella’s place?
That thought filled him with fear and anxiety.
Just because we share blood, is that girl going to be treated better than Anella? And in the end, will Anella be disowned and sent back to the Temple...?
Grandfather had said he brought Anella in because she resembled his daughter when she was young, but now that the real daughter had appeared...!
Leonic clenched his fists tightly.
His feelings toward me had started as simple antipathy, but they had now curdled into irritation and resentment.
He remembered the envious look in Anella’s eyes when she heard that Mother was taking me to the shopping district.
The fact that he was the only one who had noticed that look made Leonic furious.
If he didn't look after Anella, no one else in this mansion would.
How could I, who was wearing Anella’s borrowed clothes, not even have the decency to invite her along?
He didn't know if I was shameless or just lacked common sense, but he truly disliked me.
If he hadn't stepped in and insisted that Mother take Anella along, he knew for a fact they would have gone just the two of them.
Without a care for the envious Anella.
Seeing only boxes heading to my room when they returned to the mansion, it was obvious how I had behaved while out.
Seeing me come down to the dining room so brazenly, wearing that dress as flashy as a peacock, it was clear I intended to flaunt my status as the Young Lady of the Duke to my heart’s content.
He could see right through my shallow intentions—desperate to show off in fine clothes that didn't even suit my station.
For all he knew, perhaps a magical potion had been developed to alter bloodlines.
The members of the Demonic Cult were increasingly infiltrating the Empire, causing chaos with their tricks.
Leonic felt a surge of irritation at the suspicious thought that suddenly crossed his mind.
He couldn't understand how his family, having been swindled by a fraudster just a few months ago, could be so foolish as to fall for me again.
He especially couldn't fathom why Daniel was being so affectionate toward me.
"What’s so funny?"
Leonic’s voice was cold. Daniel looked at him with a slightly surprised expression.
"Oh, I was just explaining the mansion to Ria. Since everything is still new to her."
Even with Daniel’s explanation, Leonic’s expression did not soften.
The moment Leonic looked at my dress, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside him.
Thinking of the delicate lace, the intricate floral embroidery, and the Tenebris fortune that must have gone into commissioning that lavender dress made his stomach churn.
He stepped in front of me, making no effort to hide his displeasure.
"Does this even suit you?"
He spat the words out, mocking me for being dressed up so prettily.
"Does a dress like this even belong on you? And what could you possibly know about our family that you’re asking questions?"
I was so flustered by Leonic’s aggressive words that I couldn't answer.
For a moment, Leonic’s hostile attitude overlapped with the image of Catherine I had seen in the shopping district.
"Just how many of these things have you bought with our family’s money? Do you think this makes you a real Young Lady of the Duke? Don't make me laugh."
As Leonic stepped toward me, he inadvertently reached out his arm. I recoiled in surprise.
In that instant, the lace of my dress caught on the bracelet around his wrist, pulling taut and beginning to unravel.
Leonic hesitated for a split second, trying to pull his bracelet free, but the more he moved, the more the lace tore away.
The sleeve was left in tatters.
"Ah, damn it..."
Leonic stared at the ruined dress with a flustered face.
He knew he was at fault, but unwilling to admit it, he scowled and shouted.
"This is all because you got too close to me! What’s so special about you that you have to go around wearing clothes like this?"
Leonic berated me at the top of his lungs.
It was as if everything were my fault.
Starting with the fact that I had come here wearing such a dress in the first place.
I lowered my head in silence, covering the torn sleeve of my dress with my other hand.
Seeing me like that only made Leonic’s anger flare higher.
"You, it’s because you go around wearing things that are nothing but flashy, thin, and cheap!"
Daniel tried to intervene, pulling at his brother from the side, but Leonic’s rage was not easily quelled.
"Brother, calm down. You’re the one who made the mistake!"
But Leonic did not back down; instead, he raised his voice even higher.
"Daniel, look at this clearly! Can you be sure this child is the daughter of our aunt? No, look at her—wearing a dress like this, acting as if she’s already a real Young Lady of the Duke—"
His words, spewed out to avoid admitting his mistake, were a jumbled mess. It felt as though lashing out at me was the only solution.
If only this child hadn't appeared in the first place...
Leonic’s voice was a chaotic mess, beyond his own control.
"Look, the ruined dress suits you perfectly now. This is your level. There’s no way someone like you could ever belong to the Tenebris family."
At that moment, the dining room door opened, and Cassius appeared.
As if the commotion had already spilled outside, he seemed to have grasped the entire situation.
His thick brows arched sharply, making his expression heavier and more intense.
Cassius strode toward Leonic in a single motion.
For a moment, Leonic froze under his father’s intense gaze. Something was wrong.
Before he could even speak, Cassius’s hand moved with lightning speed.
*Slap!*
Cassius’s hand struck Leonic across the cheek.
The sharp sound rang out, cutting through the air.
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