Chapter 48
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"I think these shoes are better than that one."
The slave calmly pointed to the red shoes, as if she had never felt shame.
Josephine couldn't help but chuckle. She couldn't help but marvel at the slave's shamelessness in offering a serious opinion when she knew the intent was to humiliate.
Well, with a face that thick, she supposed she could have wagged her tail at such an indifferent man.
Her irritation flared again at the thought. The fact that the slave actually looked prettier in the slave's shoes only added to Josephine's anger.
"Hi, Lady Chatel."
Just then, a staff member spotted someone and hurried out with a knowing look.
Josephine whirled around to see a woman who looked to be about her age approaching with a curious look on her face.
"Hello, I'm Amelie Chatel, and I overheard something interesting, so I came to see you. I'm sorry if I'm rude."
The Chatel were a family of Counts, active in the capital's social scene. A good messenger to spread the word about the day's events.
Josephine smiled and welcomed her excuse.
"You're welcome, Lady Chatel. I'm Josephine Nubel."
"Oh, you must be the daughter of Viscount Nubel."
Amelie glanced away, as if the situation was finally becoming clear. It was obvious where her gaze was going.
Normally, her first reaction would have been a sense of entitlement at the capital's nobility ignoring her, but not today. Josephine satisfied her curiosity with a generous tone.
"I was in a hurry to get to the capital and didn't bring enough maids with me, so I had to borrow a slave from Colonel Barthez."
"Ah. I see."
Amelie unfolded her fan to cover her face. It was not hard to imagine the shape of the lips hidden beyond.
Josephine talked to Amelie for a while. Occasionally glancing at the slave's stiff shoulders and bony, clasped hands.
The scene was repeated over and over again at the dress shop and jewelry store Josephine visited next.
The thrill of unmasking the slave and receiving the stares was a thrill she could not get enough of.
Thanks to this, Josephine, who had been diligently going from store to store, was completely exhausted before the sun had even set.
"I need to rest."
It was a bit much to go back, so Josephine decided to take a break at the tea room in the shopping center.
She settled in at a round table set outdoors.
She was delighted by the small fountain with trickling water and the colorful, old-fashioned landscaping with red flowers around it. She felt like a grown-up here, alone.
Josephine sipped her iced tea as she listened to the crystal-clear water and stole glances at the slave who stood outside the parasol because she was not allowed shade.
Her platinum hair glistened with every ray of sunlight. Somehow, no sweat broke out on her blemish-free, white skin.
The shade of the bonnet draped over the slave's face deepened as the sun emerged from the clouds. To Josephine's irritation, the peach-colored lips peeking out from beneath it remained shut.
'How can I humiliate her further?’
What she had done so far was not enough. She needed something more, something that would make her feel better.
As she pondered, Josephine took a sip of her cold tea, which had quickly turned lukewarm.
"Huh? Josephine?"
A man passing by on the street suddenly seemed to recognize her.
Josephine frowned and turned her head, her eyes widening as she recognized him.
"Alex?"
"Wow. I see you all over the capital. Long time no see."
Alex flashed her an intimate smile and walked over and sat down across from Josephine in a friendly manner.
He was the eldest son of Baron Deville, who ran one of Admiral Lasser's top investments, and was related to the Marquise Lasser, as was Josephine’s family.
As a result, he was often in her company from a young age, and not without annoying Josephine with his persistent courtship.
With Roan in her heart, there was no way she could have been attracted to a boy her own age, and Alex was a loud, savage brat compared to him.
"Hmm. So why are you in the capital?"
She asked sarcastically, and Alex replied, leaning back arrogantly in his chair.
"Well, the Golden Wheel is entering Brunois."
"Oh, the one that's famous on the eastern continent?"
"Yes. They're going to hold a fair in the capital, but before they do, they're going to make a deal with our organization. So everybody's been screaming to get their hands on us. Thanks to that, I feel like I need a hundred bodies.”
Josephine snorted at the businesslike bravado.
She knew Alex was helping Baron Deville with his work as part of his training to become the heir, but to her, he was still a big kid.
"I'm serious, you're going to regret rejecting me all these years. Of course, I'm a merciful man, so I'll forgive you."
"I'm sorry, my lord. I already have a gentleman in mind."
Josephine waved her fan in the air and sighed like a lady. Alex rolled his eyes.
"What, you still have your eye on Roan Barthez? I thought you'd have woken up from your dream by now."
"Why would it be a dream?"
Josephine sputtered, and Alex shrugged his shoulders, nonchalant.
"He doesn't even treat you like a lady."
"That was before I was of age. He's a perfect gentleman, unlike you."
"Well. Do you really think it's any different now?"
Josephine glanced at Alex, who was scratching his head in disbelief, then turned her head away, not wanting to deal with him anymore.
"Huh."
Alex, who had been sitting leisurely with his clasped hands on the back of his head, suddenly threw his head back and asked curiously,
"Who is this?"
Alex's eyes, rolling at an angle, locked on the woman who had remained as still as a statue from earlier.
"I don't recognize the maid. Is she new?"
Josephine's eyes lit up at Alex's belated interest in the slave.
"Actually, I was in a bit of a hurry to get up here and didn't bring enough people with me. So I borrowed her from the Barthez mansion for a while."
"Borrowed?"
"Yes. She’s Colonel Barthez's slave."
"And if she's a slave..............., she's the one that His Majesty the Emperor gave the Colonel?"
"That's right."
Alex's mouth dropped open, as Josephine had predicted, and a cruel smile crossed Josephine's lips as she watched.
"When I become Mrs. Barthez, I’ll let you borrow her.”
"Me?"
"Yes. After all, if she’s my husband's slave, she’s mine."
Alex didn't call Josephine's bluff like he did earlier. Instead, he lazily scanned the slave with a sly glint in his eye.
"Hmmm. That is quite tempting."
Alex suddenly jumped to his feet.
A wicked grin tugged at the corners of Alex's mouth as the slave, sensing the danger in the air, backed away.
"Then may I have a look at what I’ll be borrowing, future Mrs. Barthez?"
"Of course."
Josephine, flattered by the sweet title, agreed in a softer voice.
No sooner had she given her permission than Alex snatched the slave's arm. The wrist, thin enough to snap at the slightest exertion, was held loosely in his grasp.
"The Colonel has unusual tastes. I can't believe he likes a woman so skinny. Or does she have the ability to satisfy men in bed?”
The slave struggled against the man's taunting words, hoping to shake him off, but the effort only earned him a sneer.
"You're being insolent for being a slave, and it makes me wonder how pretty you are. Let's see."
The rude man suddenly reached out and snatched her bonnet off her head. The worn hat fell to the floor, revealing the face that had been hidden beneath it.
Alex forgot his sarcasm and stared, stunned, unable to take his eyes off the slave.
Bare in the brilliant afternoon sunlight, the woman was beautiful beyond words. Her hair, golden and wavy from the bind of her hat, and her eyes, which reminded him of fresh apricots, held his gaze unwaveringly.
Her slightly flushed cheeks and fluttering lashes gave her an air of innocence and wistfulness, like a fairy caught by humans.
"Oh...."
The man who had been happily wagging his tongue suddenly started to stutter as if he had lost mind.
Josephine's eyes sharpened as she watched the pathetic scene.
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