Misfortune 65

Chapter 65

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She could count on one hand the number of times she had seen Roan since she had come down to Blois. Compared to now, his time in the capital had been rather idle.

Of course, that didn't mean she didn't miss him.

Especially not in front of Leticia, who was convinced they were lovers. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Huh?"

Delnia was lost in thought. Suddenly, the harbor, which had been quiet before, was swarming with people.

They looked as small as ants, but it was obvious who they were: a group of people dressed in white in the military harbor.

She wondered if something had happened.

A voice from outside broke her concentration as she surveyed the harbor with a serious expression.

"Delnia!"

Startled, Delnia jumped to her feet and opened the door.

Leticia, who had just come up the stairs, poked her head in the doorway and exclaimed in delight.

"Are you busy right now?"

"Uh, no. I'm not."

"Then can you do me a favor? It's urgent."

Delnia nodded her head without question at the urgency in her voice.

"Anything I can do, of course."

"Good. Margaret!"

Leticia called over the railing and shoved her way into Delnia's room.

Delnia flinched and stumbled backward at the unexpected momentum. Leticia didn't let that stop her.

"Actually, there's a shipboard party tonight at Naval Headquarters. But there's an urgent letter addressed to the Captain, and I need to get it to him right away, and I don't know anyone else."

Barely breathing, Letitia thrust the letter in front of Delnia's nose.

When Delnia took the letter with a shudder, Leticia spoke in a pleading tone.

"May you take it to the Colonel immediately? Please."

There was no way Delnia could refuse when Letitia crossed her arms over her chest. There was no time to think of the butler or other servant more suitable than her for such an errand.

"Yes. I'll go right away."

Delnia turned to leave the room, but Leticia grabbed her wrist firmly.

"Wait."

"What?"

"You can't be leaving like that. They are having a party there."

Delnia lowered her head, following Leticia's gaze as it swept over her. Her eyes caught sight of the worn black dress that now felt almost like skin.

Sure, it wasn't exactly party-appropriate, but what did it matter? She wasn't going to attend the party anyway.

"I'm just running errands, so my outfit should be................"

"Oh, but it's still a party."

The well-reasoned rebuttal was met with an unchanged tone.

Feeling subtly out of place, Delnia was at a loss for words for a moment, and Leticia glanced behind her.

Sure enough, Margaret was there. Her hands were full of something.

Delnia's eyes widened as she realized what it was.

What Margaret was holding was clearly a dress. The light pinkish fabric was not rich, but it had a subtle sheen to it.

"My daughter has been coming up with new designs lately, and I have a lot of leftovers. I took it to make an apron out of it, and now it's coming in handy!"

She had never heard the phrase "leftover clothes" before.

If Delnia had been in a position to think normally, she would have seen right through the lie, the exaggerated enthusiasm to deceive.

But with Leticia in front of her, holding her arm, eyes glowing, ready to pounce, her mind went blank.

"No, I................"

"It's okay, it's okay, just stop wearing that nun's habit."

Leticia mumbled something along the lines of, "It's okay, it's okay." Delnia couldn't figure out what she meant by okay.

Meanwhile, Margaret, who had become Leticia's faithful servant in recent days, came up behind Delnia and quickly ripped the black dress off her back.

Delnia let out a single scream as she stood naked. It was like walking down a deserted street and being mugged. Only this one was completely unprepared, while the other was fully prepared to rob her.

"Margaret, over here!"

She flailed her hands and feet around without knowing what was going on, and when she finally came to her senses, she had already finished getting dressed.

Delnia stared at her reflection in the mirror, still a little dazed.

The dress was a harmonious combination of a slim waistline that accentuated her curves and a skirt that flared out underneath. The red waistband elevated the otherwise boring design.

The curvaceous shape of the dress was a definite departure from the current trend of layering underdresses in abundance. In its favor, it had a classic appeal and, to be more honest, a modest amount of fabric.

But to do so, it would have required more delicate basting in areas that could be deceptive. It's hard to imagine the amount of work that must have gone into it.

"Oh, it's perfect!"

Leticia exclaimed. Delnia was just as excited.

It wouldn't have been possible without taking her measurements or measuring her own clothes.

Come to think of it, Leticia still hasn't gotten back the dress she took to be cleaned.

From the piecing together of clues, Delnia had a rough idea of what was going on.

But that didn't mean she could do much about it, other than surrender to Leticia and Margaret's touch.

"Your hair is boring."

"Why don't we put in those hairpins Delnia bought last time? They're red, and I think they'll go well with the dress.”

"That sounds great! Delnia, where are your hairpins?"

Before Delnia could open her mouth, Margaret was already digging through the drawer. She was a real thief.

"Here."

It didn't take long for Margaret to find it, and she handed it to Leticia.

Exotic red petals bloomed in her loosely tied hair, which fell to one shoulder. It was an accomplishment that Leticia had achieved with just a few flicks of her hand.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" she exclaimed.

"I guess my skills haven't gotten too rusty. The girls of the village used to line up outside my house every day to have their hair done."

Leticia's eyes sparkled with pride as she looked down at her work.

"Normally, I would have put your hair up, but I need more pins. I'm sorry, but it's the best I can do for now."

Delnia didn't know how to react to the sincerity in Leticia’s voice. After all, she hadn't realized she was getting her hair done in the first place.

"Leticia."

Delnia called out urgently, as if she were being chased by something, and she couldn't help but know what Leticia was expecting.

"I'm................"

I'm not his mistress or anything, I'm just the enemy that took his family away from him.

You should say that.

But as she stared into Leticia's eyes, sparkling with anticipation, her mouth just wouldn't open.

"What's wrong, are you uncomfortable?"

Delnia shook her head, unable to form the words that had been sitting on the edge of her lips.

"No."

Finally, Delnia shook her head with a bitter smile.

After a moment of puzzlement at her lackluster response, Leticia tugged on Delnia's wrist at Margaret's urging.

"Then let's get going. I've had the carriage waiting at the door. It will take you to the docks."

Delnia was whisked out of the hall and into the carriage.

Letitia, who had kindly closed the carriage door for her, waved wildly with Margaret.

"Goodbye!"

As the carriage pulled away, the farewell figures grew smaller and smaller until finally they disappeared.

Delnia leaned back against the carriage's backrest to catch her breath, relieved to be free from the constant fluttering of hands.

At least she was alone in the carriage. She could think calmly.

‘I’ll just have to grab someone and have them deliver it for me.’

Sorry for Leticia and Margaret, but Delnia was really only running an errand.

She didn't want to run into Roan if possible, so she decided to give the letter to someone else and then kill some time around the neighborhood before returning to the residence.

After all, all she had to do was fulfill Leticia's request.

It would look a little ridiculous if she showed up all dressed up to run an errand, but.....................

'Still, it's better than going in there.'

While Delnia was making her decision, the carriage, which had been running hard, came to a halt.

Now able to get out of the carriage without the coachman's help, she walked straight to the dock.

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