Chapter 25: Dinner Party
After marrying Prince Agustin in my first life, my attire gradually became more flashy.
Red, pink, purple, jewels, silk, gold — anything to catch my husband’s attention.
Looking back, it was tasteless, but at the time, I thought the flashier, the more beautiful I could be.
To make matters worse, I was one of the few people who could pull off luxurious clothing, so I got carried away.
Just thinking about how I must have looked to others makes me cringe with embarrassment.
…Oh, it’s so embarrassing. Too embarrassing!
So in my second life, I’ve made an effort to dress more modestly.
Even though I’ve reached an appropriate age for social events, I rarely attend them, and my mother scolds me for having so few dresses.
Come to think of it, flashy dresses might not even be my style.
I prefer calm, adult-like colors such as blue, green, and beige.
But out of all the colors, I really like the color of young grass…
“Thank you for inviting us, Your Excellency Duke Cervantes.”
“Welcome, Marquis Benito. Please feel free to enjoy yourself.”
My parents smiled and shook hands with Duke Cervantes at the entrance of the Duke house. I held my younger brother’s small hand and stood up straight to look as beautiful as possible.
Beside the seemingly calm and peaceful exchange between adults, I felt a sense of shame spreading inside me.
When Camilo, dressed in a dark grey frock, and I met eyes, he froze.
…I guess it really doesn’t suit me.
Yeah, I knew it all along.
The impression of wrongdoing is not easily erased. Even if you (I) dress modestly now…it’s kind of funny, isn’t it?
“Well, well, well, I’m amazed by such a beautiful Young Lady, like a goddess. You chose my son well. Hahaha!”
His Excellency Duke Cervantes laughed heartily.
He seemed like such a kind person, making the atmosphere bright with his cheerful tone.
“I’m honored by your praise. You are right, I am very proud of my daughter. I’m just surprised at how much she’ve grown in the meantime.”
Otoo-sama is too biased. Even if he really thinks that way, I wish he would be a little more modest…
The first time we met, I had greeted the Duke and Duchess as a member of the royal family, but this is the first time we have had a long conversation like this.
His Excellency is also a younger brother of the king. However, because he was born out of wedlock, he relinquished his right to the throne and now serves as the commander of the Dragon Knights while living in the Duke’s mansion in the capital.
With his red hair and blue eyes, and at the age of 44, His Grace’s short chin beard suits him well. His sturdy physique, wrapped in a frock coat, looks so similar to what Camilo might look like when he grows older.
“That’s really something, isn’t it? Camilo seems to have worked hard.”
It was Duchess Cervantes who showed a gentle smile.
Her only son inherited perhaps nothing more than her light green eyes. She herself is a beautiful woman with glossy brown hair, delicate and fragile.
I knew they were nice people, but it seems like they’re much more welcoming than I had imagined.
I secretly exhaled and made a deep curtsy in the manner of a lady.
“Nice to meet you. I am Leticia Benito, the eldest daughter of Marquis Benito. It’s truly an honor to be invited here today.”
Of course, I have received proper education as a lady, and I should have perfect manners, especially since I have memories from the first time.
When I lifted my face and met their eyes again, Duke and his wife were wide-eyed.
Can I take this as a favorable reaction?
“…Well, well. This Young Lady is much more splendid than I imagined! Right, Camilo?!”
Duke complimented me with admiration and slapped Camilo’s back.
It seemed like quite a bit of force was used because Camilo leaned forward with his body, but then stood upright like a puppet.
It was a very strange behavior.
Finally, Duke frowned suspiciously and slapped his son’s back again without mercy.
“Hey, Camilo. Can’t you say at least one compliment to a woman?”
Still, Camilo remained silent, and his gaze remained fixed on me, so I started to worry.
What…? What happened? Are you feeling sick in your stomach?
“It’s no good, my dear. This boy has completely lost himself.”
“It’s disappointing. But I guess it can’t be helped.”
The Duke and Duchess smiled wryly, but I didn’t really understand what they were saying.
Moreover, I didn’t even notice that my parents were grinning behind me, so I was just bewildered.
The dinner party became enjoyable.
His Excellency the Duke was a good conversationalist, and surprisingly he seemed to get along well with my father who lives in the world of politics.
I was worried that Camilo was speaking less than usual, but he was very polite and spoke to my parents with great manners.
He ate the food properly, so I guess his stomach was fine.
I was surprised that the Duke and Duchess were already convinced to keep our engagement secret.
It seems that Camilo talked to them about my enthusiasm for studying and club activities, and they even encouraged him to support me, which was wonderful.
I felt very warm inside and even forgot my ladylike manners and thanked them with a big smile. I hope they didn’t think it was inappropriate.
As we talked about our daily lives at the Academy and savored the delicious food, the dinner progressed, and lemon sorbet for dessert was served.
I noticed that Sam’s mouth was stained and picked up a napkin.
“Sam, look this way.”
As I wiped off the red tomato sauce stain, Sam smiled happily with narrowed eyes.
He’s such a polite and good child that I forget he’s still very much a kid. He’s cute.
After making sure he was completely clean, I turned back and suddenly locked eyes with Camilo. I felt like I saw a color in his eyes that I’ve never seen before, and I tilted my head slightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
He averted his gaze awkwardly when I asked.
Did I do something wrong without realizing it…?
Then Duke-sama chuckled and patted his son’s back.
Camilo didn’t even look at his father and ate the lemon sorbet in silence.
𝕆𝕟𝕘𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘
𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕕
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