“Are you sure you don’t want to go to Arhen’s teahouse?”
“Rishi, the reason I wanted to go to Arhen’s teahouse was…! No, it’s nothing. I’m truly not sulking, so let’s go buy a comb to pull out—I mean, to brush Windy’s fur.”
She was clearly sulking.
Rishi narrowed his eyes and looked up at Kay.
*Surely she isn’t jealous of a little unicorn, is she?*
That couldn’t be right. There was no way the formidable Count Green would be pouting out of jealousy toward a young unicorn.
When Rishi took Kay’s hand, her expression softened.
“Kay, it’s really okay to go to Arhen’s teahouse. I want a teaspoon, too.”
“Forget it, Rishi. Don’t you know that, surprisingly, you can’t lie? Your nostrils flare up when you do.”
Rishi, startled, let go of Kay’s hand and covered his face.
Kay giggled.
“I’m joking.”
“Kay….”
“Come on, let’s go. Let’s look for a comb good enough to pull out—or, I mean, to brush Windy’s fur.”
Because Kay had been so fixated on ‘Arhen’s teahouse’ earlier, she hadn’t noticed the expression on Rishi’s face as they walked through the market.
Back on the bustling street, Rishi looked genuinely happy.
He would linger by the vendors lining the path or call over a woman carrying a basket to examine her medicinal herbs.
*Yes, as long as Rishi is happy, that’s all that matters.*
After browsing for a while, Rishi stopped in front of a stall selling miscellaneous daily goods. He squatted down, picked up a comb, and swiped it across his palm.
Kay squatted down beside him.
The side of Rishi’s face, as he checked each comb, looked incredibly content. His well-defined eyebrows were slightly lowered, and the corners of his eyes were curved.
To think he was imagining brushing Windy’s fur with such a sweet expression.
“Kay, give me your hand for a moment.”
When Kay held out her hand, Rishi dragged the comb across her palm as if brushing it.
“How does it feel?”
“Does my feeling matter? It’s Windy who should like it.”
“But this is a comb to brush *you* with.”
At these unexpected words, Kay’s eyes widened.
That sweet expression from a moment ago—was it because he was thinking of brushing *her*?
“I thought you were buying it for Windy.”
“Of course, you come first. Windy is second.”
Rishi tapped Kay on the nose.
Kay almost burst into laughter. She felt pathetic for being jealous of Windy, and she felt overwhelmed by how adorable this woman—who had her completely wrapped around her finger—truly was.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Rishi.”
“Just keep living, Kay.”
Rishi combed Kay’s hair back and locked eyes with her.
“Because from now on, even more good things will happen.”
+++
Since returning from his date with Rishi yesterday, Kay had been walking around with a constant, silly grin on his face.
When he ran into Jen and Nels near the drawing room, Kay greeted them with a bright, refreshing smile.
“It’s a beautiful morning, Jen, Nels. The weather is truly wonderful.”
It was raining.
Jen and Nels wrinkled their noses in disgust.
“Why are you walking around with such a nauseating look on your face? You’re scaring people.”
“Because I have even more good things to look forward to.”
Nels poked Jen in the side. It was a signal to leave and not engage with a madman.
Whether they cared or not, Kay gazed wistfully out the window and murmured,
“Ah, the weather is just so nice.”
Jen shook his head, linked his arm with Nels, and scurried away as if fleeing a plague.
“What is wrong with that man?” Nels asked, looking horrified.
“He said he went on a date with his sister-in-law yesterday.”
“He’s acting this crazy just because of a date? What on earth did Rishi do to him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wow, I can’t believe it. Is that really Count Kaybrant Green?”
“I wish he wasn’t. To think such a cringey person is my brother….”
“Ugh! Captain, why is your expression like that? Have you lost your mind? Shut your mouth!”
Nathan’s shout came from behind.
Jen and Nels hurriedly climbed the stairs and entered Rishi’s room. Rishi was sitting on the sofa with the maids, drinking tea.
“Rishi, yesterday with my brother… no, never mind. I don’t want to know. Anyway, Rishi, today we are going to pick out the dress you’ll wear to the wedding.”
“I have plenty of dresses.”
At Rishi’s reply, Nels shook her head.
“That won’t do, Rishi. A famous designer from Gavizar is coming. We are planning to prepare a total of ten dresses: three for the pre-wedding party, one for the wedding, two for the after-party, and four for the meals.”
“That many?”
“We’ve already cut it down as much as we could. If it were up to me, I’d have you change every hour. I feel like you’re the type of person who makes dressing up worth it.”
Nels swallowed, scanning Rishi from head to toe.
“The pre-wedding party will last for two days, Rishi. Guests will be arriving before then, and there will be times you eat with them, so you need to be dressed appropriately. Don’t dress like that.”
Jen pointed out. Rishi was currently wearing a plain, comfortable dress typically worn by commoners.
“There are four parties in total: the two days of the pre-wedding party, the wedding day, and the after-party the next day. The after-party isn’t as grand since it’s for seeing the guests off, but you’ll receive a lot of requests for dances.”
Nels explained.
It was etiquette not to ask for a dance on the pre-wedding day because she was a bride-to-be, and on the wedding day itself because she was a bride, out of respect for her being solely her husband’s woman.
Of course, those of high status could ask for a dance, signifying, “Please accept my congratulations.” Receiving such a request was an honor. A dance request *after* the wedding meant, “I recognize you as [Husband’s Name]’s wife.”
This etiquette had emerged recently as marriages between nobles and commoners became more liberal. While rare for a noble young lady to marry a commoner, the reverse happened occasionally, leading to these customs.
However, when a commoner woman married a noble son, it was rare for her to receive dance requests even at the after-party. Many still felt reluctant to accept commoners into noble society.
“Rishi, how are your dancing skills?”
At Nels’s question, Rishi smiled gently.
“It might be a bit awkward to say it myself, but I’m good.”
“Ahaha. That’s true. Then we don’t need to worry about the dancing, right?”
“Yes, you don’t need to worry.”
Alford Hutchis did not want his wife, Rishi, to look like a fool at parties. He wanted the accessory he carried around to shine the brightest. After marrying Alford, Rishi, who had never learned to dance, had to learn while being subjected to the harsh tutelage of Alford and his sister, Julianne.
While they were discussing the party logistics, the designer and the seamstresses arrived.
They first measured Rishi’s dimensions and then unfolded their catalogs. The pages were filled with countless glamorous and beautiful dress designs. To Rishi, they all looked similar, but to Jen and Nels, every detail mattered.
“This one feels a bit dull. It’ll make Rishi’s complexion look washed out.”
“I feel like Rishi would be buried in this one.”
“Oh, this is pretty.”
Rishi couldn’t tell the difference between the dresses they were pointing at.
“You brought some samples, right? I’d like to see her try them on first.”
At Jen’s question, the designer’s assistant quickly dragged over several large bags. When they opened them, perfectly finished dresses were revealed.
Jen examined them, then pulled out a dress that was blindingly glamorous, with only the hem of the skirt accented in pale pink.
“Rishi, try this on.”
Just as Krisina and Erwel approached to help,
“Rishi.”
Kay called out to her and opened the door.
At that moment, Rishi was startled by Jen’s sudden movement. Jen, who had been near the sofa, flew like a bullet and slammed the door shut.
“Argh!”
Kay let out a small scream, as if his face had been smashed into the door.
“What do you think you’re doing, Jen?”
“You crazy man. Didn’t I tell you I was going to pick out dresses today?”
“That’s why I came—I’m going to help pick out the dress my wife will be wearing.”
Jen and Nels exchanged looks that clearly said, *‘What kind of crazy nonsense is this?’*
“Kay, please, stop spouting such foolish things in front of others. You’re embarrassing me.”
“No, why? What’s the problem?”
“Don’t you know the rule that the groom shouldn’t see the bride’s wedding dress until the wedding?”
“What kind of rule is that? Is it written into law?”
“Yes! You get the death penalty if you break it!”
“How terrifying. To think that a wedding could result in an execution if you mess it up. Is that why people only do it once?”
“So, just get lost… leave, Brother.”
Noticing the group of designers in the room a bit late, Jen spoke with poise.
“Pfft…”
Erwel burst into a small laugh.
Jen whipped her head around to glare at her before shaking her head. The designers stood frozen, shocked by the treatment the great Count Green was receiving from his younger sister.
Jen turned back to them, offering a gentle smile.
“Now, shall we continue with what we were doing?”
+++
“Tioret? Tioret came to tailor Iris’s dress?”
Brittany sprang to her feet, glaring at the maid who had delivered the news.
“Yes, I saw her entering the main house earlier.”
“Ha! Tioret, of all people. Are you certain?”
“I’m certain. Short blue hair and red-rimmed glasses.”
Tioret was the most popular designer in the Gavizar Empire—no, in the entire continent. She was so sought after that she often turned down royal families, claiming she was too busy. Tioret’s dresses were astronomically expensive, but they were worth every penny.
A dress that made the wearer look absolutely perfect. Added to that was the prestige of the ‘Tioret’ brand.
Any lady who appeared at a party wearing a Tioret dress was treated like a hero for the day. Brittany hadn’t even dared to contemplate commissioning a dress from her.
“This is absurd. Where would House Green get the money for that… Isn’t that Iris already being too extravagant?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“I can’t let this slide. I’m going over there to give her a piece of my mind.”
More than that, she wanted to see if it were true that Tioret had really come, and just how magnificent her dresses truly were.
And if the people of the Green family were there, she wanted to point out how vanity-filled Rishi’s behavior was, and how much it was dragging the name of the honor-bound House Green through the mud.
Besides, she had to let them know what a thoughtful, caring older sister she was.