Chapter 13

Seeing how nervous the child looked, I gave her a bright smile.

That didn’t mean I intended to force Rinea into anything.

I simply waited for her to come out of the room on her own.

Rinea hesitated, her lips moving slightly as she struggled with her decision.

Instead of urging her, I continued to wait with the same gentle smile.

“……”

Rinea took in a small breath.

Then, as if she had finally made up her mind, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

I smiled brightly, proud of the child who had finally taken one small step toward me.

“Shall we go?”

As I said that, I stood up and held out my hand toward Rinea.

Her gaze lingered on my palm for a moment.

“Hm?”

When she continued to hesitate, I tilted my head.

Only then did she slowly reach out her small hand and tightly grasp mine.

‘She’s so tiny.’

I didn’t know much about children’s development, but I did know that Rinea’s frame was unusually small for a ten-year-old.

I carefully held her hand.

Although it was thin, because she was still a child, her palm was soft and warm.

‘So cute!’

Her chubby cheeks, where her baby fat still hadn’t completely disappeared, were simply adorable!

Looking down at her, I pressed my lips together to keep myself from smiling too much.

If I were her mother, I wouldn’t have been able to resist covering those cheeks with kisses.

Of course, if I did that now, I probably wouldn’t be able to see even a single strand of Rinea’s hair ever again.

“Today’s schedule is simple. First, we’re going to eat something delicious, and then we’ll go see some friends!”

“Friends……”

“Hmm?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I immediately noticed the way Rinea hid the rest of her sentence.

‘Rinea doesn’t have any friends.’

In the narrow world of nobility, connections were built from childhood. The guardians would introduce their children to each other and help them form friendships.

‘But my mother-in-law would go to parties and spend the entire time enjoying herself, never caring about what Rinea was doing.’

Besides, unless it was an important party that she absolutely had to attend for appearances, Rinea had hardly ever been allowed to go.

Naturally, she had few chances to become close with children her own age.

And even when she did attend, she always wore the same three dresses that had clearly become too small for her. The original story said that no child approached her first to become friends.

The funny thing was, the Delmore Count family wasn’t doing well enough to be considered wealthy, but they weren’t poor either.

‘Of course money isn’t the measure of happiness, but shouldn’t they at least spend enough on a child’s basic needs?’

If my mother-in-law reduced even half of the luxury items she bought every month, she could easily buy Rinea ten beautiful dresses.

Right now, Rinea looked like a child who had never been properly cared for, and even children her own age looked down on her because of it.

The person who treated Rinea the worst among them was a supporting character named Zenith from the Baron Atilini family.

Zenith had apparently disliked Rinea since childhood.

More precisely, it was closer to the fact that the Baron and Baroness Atilini had carefully controlled their daughter’s friendships from a young age.

‘That bad relationship would continue until they became adults, when the two of them would become rivals fighting over the position of Empress.’

Of course, I didn’t particularly want Rinea to marry the Crown Prince.

And as for the Duke, who was much older and surrounded by frightening rumors? Absolutely not!

‘She’ll just meet a good person when the time comes and marry them. And if she doesn’t want to get married, I can just support her for the rest of her life.’

I walked with Rinea until we reached the main road.

Normally, around two in the afternoon, the coachman would have taken her to the Annexa Count’s residence.

But today was different.

“Here!”

I waved at the hired carriage I had called beforehand.

Rinea, thinking she was supposed to do the same, waved along with me.

“Pfft.”

The sight of her little white hand fluttering in the air made me let out a small laugh.

Rinea became embarrassed and quietly lowered her hand.

“Because it was cute. Come on, let’s go!”

We climbed into the carriage that had arrived in front of us and headed toward the center of the capital together.

Lombardi, the largest commercial district in the center of the capital.

It was a place that led the way in the latest trends.

And the boutique I had reserved in advance, Talote, was a shop famous among noble girls for selling the most fashionable dresses and accessories.

“The Delmore Count family with an appointment at eleven this morning.”

“Oh my, welcome. Please allow me to show you to Room Two.”

The interior was decorated with marble and magnificent chandeliers, giving it an atmosphere of ultimate luxury.

After entering Room Two and sitting down, an employee approached us with a friendly smile.

“We’ll select dresses in the size suitable for Lady Rinea and bring them out shortly. Please wait a moment.”

“Very well.”

While the employee went to choose dresses that would fit Rinea, the girl looked around in confusion, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.

She had never been to such a luxurious store before.

“This place……”

“I made a lot of money recently. I wanted to let our Rinea wear some pretty clothes.”

Hearing my words, Rinea looked up at me in shock and quickly shook her head.

“N-no, it’s okay!”

“Hmm? What is?”

“I don’t need dresses like these. I don’t think they’re something I should wear.”

Even while saying that, her eyes kept drifting toward the dress displayed on the mannequin inside the room.

I secretly smiled.

There was no way a child wouldn’t like something sparkly and beautiful, like a princess dress.

The way Rinea peeked at the pretty dresses her friends wore, her eyes clearly revealed that she wanted to try them on.

But accepting something I bought for her must have felt embarrassing and burdensome.

“Oh dear, then what should we do? The money I spent reserving this place today can’t be refunded.”

“Is it… expensive?”

“Yes! So, wouldn’t it be okay if Rinea just tried on the dresses once?”

At those words, Rinea slowly nodded.

Seeing how timid she was made my heart ache, but I was determined to make Rinea happy!

“Thank you.”

“No, no. It was my wish to see Rinea wearing pretty clothes. Thank you for making my wish come true.”

At that, Rinea’s soft, pale cheeks twitched.

She looked embarrassed, but she didn’t seem to dislike the situation.

Then—

Knock, knock.

The door opened, and the employee entered while pushing a rolling rack covered with dozens of dresses.

She immediately began measuring Rinea and chatting nonstop.

“Our little customer should only need slight alterations after purchasing these dresses. Oh my, your daughter is very beautiful.”

“I agree.”

I proudly bragged about Rinea’s cuteness as if I had personally given birth to her.

“Our Rinea doesn’t have a single unadorable feature. She’s round, angelically pretty, and even kind-hearted.”

“My goodness, I can see that too.”

Rinea didn’t know what to do as the compliments went back and forth.

Her soft, mochi-like cheeks gradually turned a deep rosy color.

She didn’t seem to dislike it.

She was just incredibly shy.

“Rinea, what color do you like? Personally, since you have blonde hair, I think sky blue or light pink would suit you.”

“Our little customer looks especially lovely in lace!”

“And ribbons are cute too!”

Rinea quietly changed outfits again and again, following my and the employee’s enthusiastic suggestions.

“This one! We have to make you wear this to the tea party today!”

I exclaimed happily after finding a light pink dress that looked perfect on Rinea.

The employee nodded in agreement.

“It really is beautiful!”

“Then I’ll buy every dress we’ve seen so far. Would it be possible to have them altered and delivered to the Delmore Count residence by nine tomorrow morning?”

“Oh my, of course! They’ll arrive right at nine tomorrow morning!”

Since I was purchasing several extremely expensive dresses at once, the improved service was only natural.

I made one more request.

“And do you have a dress with a similar design that would suit me as well?”

At today’s tea party, I had to show everyone that Rinea now had a reliable new mother.

The employee measured my size and soon returned with several dresses.

I chose the most simple one among them.

I didn’t particularly need anything expensive.

“I’ll take this one. Would it be all right if I wear it out now?”

“Of course, madam!”

I changed into a light pink dress similar to Rinea’s, paid for everything, and left the shop.

“Hold my hand! It’s easy to get lost.”