Chapter 8
“You don’t have to be so polite. From now on, I’m…… No. There is no need to rush.”
DeHeen, who was trying to make her call him father, swallowed his word. Not only he’s not used to it yet, but he also doesn’t want to force Esther to do anything. They both needed time to accept each other.
“Make yourself comfortable. “
DeHeen doesn’t know how to talk to her because he only had sons. Children at her age were especially scared of him. He thought it would be better to just leave her alone.
Esther, who couldn’t be comfortable even when she was asked to, bowed her head because she had nowhere to look at.
‘Esther……’
She even received a new name, but it still doesn’t seem real to her yet. Even if DeHeen was kind to Esther, she can’t easily trust him as he is still not trustworthy. The things that Esther went through were too harsh for her to trust him just because she was feeling grateful.
So, Esther was being mindful of her demeanor in Deheen’s presence. She didn’t even breath much, fearing that he might be annoyed.
The time went by in silence.
‘I’m sleepy…’
Esther had to forcibly lift her heavy falling eyelids. She was so nervous about travelling faraway to fall asleep. It was a pity that she couldn’t sleep the night before.
She opened her eyes and threw away her sleepiness, but she couldn’t help to nod her head as the drowsiness poured out. Her straight posture was also disturbed. A few minutes later, Esther’s gentle breathing came out.
It was only then, DeHeen, who was looking at the window the whole time, turned his head.
DeHeen stared at Esther, whose eyes were close as she had fallen asleep.
‘You sleep well in front of me.’
DeHeen’s eyes which were staring at Esther gently curved. And every time Esther breathed out, her eyes bent softly.
‘You look like your age now.’
A 12-year-old child who was too mature was all over his mind. He couldn’t read any emotions from her face. There was a feeling of tiredness on her face, which was covered by her childlike looks.
‘What kind of life have you been living?’
The eyes when they first met.
The intense eyes of those who were prepared to die, they could only be seen on the battlefield. So, he asked someone to investigate if she had an unfortunate past, but there was nothing special.
In the case of abandoned children, who were raised in slums, they are fortunate if they are sold to temples.
While DeHeen was in a state of confusion, the sunlight entered the window and touched Esther’s face.
From her small face, her round-eyed feature is visible. Her eyes are covered with long eyelashes. Even though she is thin, her sleeping appearance was pretty lovely.
A gentle smile passed by De Heen’s mouth unconsciously. It was a smile that no one had ever seen. He thought he was just observing, he was not even aware of his soft expression.
At one point, DeHeen’s face became serious.
‘Why is it so short?’
Esther’s clothes caught his eyes. He doesn’t know when she started wearing those clothes, but there was no way it would fit her. Both sleeves for arms and legs were seriously short enough revealing the skin.
It seems that the clothes, which were sewn so many times, were in tatters. Not even the low-ranking servants in DeHeen’s mansion wore such tattered clothes.
“Those temple bastards…”
The forehead of furious DeHeen was furrowed. He can’t believe they didn’t dress a child properly even though he made a huge donation every year. He wants to go back to the temple and question them right away.
For the first time, he wanted to do something for Esther. DeHeen quickly opened the window of the carriage. Ben, who was following the carriage on his horse, approached the window.
“What can I do for you?”
“I need to stop by the dressing shop. We’re going to Odard.”
There were still deep wrinkles in his forehead. At the sound of their conversation, Esther quickly fixed her posture as if she hadn’t fallen asleep.
“You can sleep more.”
“No, I didn’t sleep.”
Esther’s eyes widened as she heard DeHeen’s voice.
‘You need to get your act together.’
If she let her guard down, she might be thrown away in a strange place, or something might happen. Just looking right now, the carriage seemed to be turning to another destination. She only heard the last word, Odard, and she was suspicious of the purpose for going there.
* * *
Tersia, ruled by DeHeen, was prosperous like the capital. People flocked by themselves because of the rumors of good trades, and since then, a commercial district was developed, particularly the famous Odard’s Lille Street.
Lille Street, where dressing shops are concentrated, has become a trending symbol of the social world. And among the shops, the most well-known is Christine’s dressing shop.
This luxury place was crowded with visitors and operated through a reservation basis. Christine, the Madame, was constantly dealing with customers today.
As she was discussing her guest new dress, she was startled by the maid who ran into the parlor.
“What, Your Grace is here?”
“Yes. Quick, quick. He’s already got off the carriage.”
“He’s never been here before… what’s going on?”
Christine was the designer who was in charge of the dress of DeHeen’s late wife. The relationship continued, and she was still in charge of the clothes of the Grand Duke and his twin sons.
However, she usually visited the mansion. In fact, DeHeen has never been here in person.
Christine left the room after asking the other guest for her understanding. She ran straight down to the first floor. And just in time, DeHeen entered the front door of the shop.
“Your Grace! Why did you visit here without a word?”
Christine wore a bright smile to hide her surprise. DeHeen’s cold eyes looked at Christine. He entered the parlour with a pleasant expression.
“I was just passing by, is that alright?”
“Of course. Your Grace has visited me personally, so it’s alright.”
Christine smiled brightly and winked her eyes. Then, her eyes settled on the little girl standing behind him.
‘Who is she?’
She had never seen that child before while visiting the Grand Duke’s mansion. Her patched and tattered clothes didn’t go well with the Grand Duke, but Christine only looked at her with a curious gaze.
It was because DeHeen raised his eyebrows languidly as if to warn her. His cold stare was telling her not to be interested. Christine ignored her curiosity out of fear of upsetting DeHeen.
“What kind of clothes should I prepare?”
DeHeen pointed at Esther and said quietly.
“Prepare a dress that would suit this child.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Of course, she didn’t ask why.
In her shop, it was Christine’s job to choose clothes for the guest if the guest had decided on her. Christine smiled friendly and approached Esther. For Christine, who always did her best efforts to serve her guests, the little lady was no exception.
“Will you follow me, miss?”
“……Yes.”
Esther glanced at the Madame in wonder. Although she was a middle-aged retired socialite, she was younger than any priestess at the temple. Her gestures were full of elegance. Esther followed Christine, while thinking how elegant she is.
At the top of the four-story dressing shop, a parlor was prepared. It was a space reserved for valuable guests to enjoy.
The walls were tiled and sparkled under the chandelier. The high-end couches were soft enough for you to sit and choose clothes comfortably. The Madame offered a seat to Esther, who was mesmerized by the VIP room.
“Lady, would you like to sit here?”
“Can I sit down?”
Esther hesitated to sit on the sofa. It was because the sofa that looked extremely expensive at first glance, will seem to get dirty if she sits down.
Suddenly memory from the temple emerge
There was a fixed seat for each individual at the temple. A person will be punished if he or she would take a seat higher than his or her predetermined status. The memory of the thorough discrimination made Esther hesitate.
“Sure, as much as you want.”
But the Madame smiled kindly and encouraged Esther to sit on the sofa.
‘This is not the temple.’
Esther sat on the sofa, reminding herself that she had already escaped from the temple. The sofa was so high that Esther had to struggle to sit. When she sat down, her feet didn’t touch the ground. Her feet were hanged in the air, swaying straight back and forth.
Esther put her hands on her lap and kept her feet to stay still. Christine smiled and asked her to wait.
“Wait a minute, please. I’ll get the catalog.”
As Christine walked across the bookshelf, several maids served tea and dishes on the table. The colorful dishes contained different kinds of cookies. The sweet smell of freshly baked cookies stimulated Esther’s nose.
‘It smells delicious……’
Esther wondered while looking at the cookies.
The cookies look so good that the chocolate in it made her mouth water. Come to think of it, she couldn’t even remember when she ever had such a sweet dessert.
During her time in prison, she was forced to eat secretly. Even when the temple distributed rations, such expensive snacks were not given to Esther.
Maybe that’s why her hand keeps moving towards the cookie.
‘I want to eat it!’
Esther’s eyes trembled greatly at the intense desire. Even though she thought she could endure it, she couldn’t look away from the cookies.
The cookies are piled up on the plate. She thought eating one wouldn’t make any difference. She thought just one would be okay. Eventually, Esther asked in a small voice.
“I……Can I have one of these?”
“Of course, there are plenty of cookies, so help yourself.”
Christine, who took out a booklet from the bookcase, smiled sweetly. Esther’s eyes glistening at the delicious cookies.
All this time, she followed Christine like a puppet. She wasn’t interested in the rooms filled with dresses. Only cookies made her interested.
She is prudent for a child brought by the Grand Duke. She was definitely different from the young noble at her age.
As Christine granted her permission, Esther’s eyes became brighter than before. Esther carefully picked a cookie, as if she was choosing an important item.
After she held it in her hand, she smelled it first. When she couldn’t stand it anymore, she took a little bite.
‘It’s so delicious.’
As the sweet taste spread to the tip of her tongue, she was moved. It was so delicious that she couldn’t imagine how she could live without knowing these foods until now. And then, tears were formed.
“Kekekek.”
Christine laughed aloud when she saw Esther. It was so cute how the eyelashes were fluttering over her round eyes. Christine urged the happy Esther to eat as much as she wanted, then, she opened the booklet she had brought to her side.
“Would you like to see this?”
Esther, who was clutching the cookie with both hands, nodded vigorously.
End of Chapter 8
