The Ugly Lady’s Secret Pouch

Another autumn rain had begun. Lila was sitting on the sofa in her parlor, admiring the palette Lucas had given her.

“Well, do you think this will make you feel better?”

Yes, I think so.

The crystalline palette glistened in the reflection of the lamplight.

The day after the Autumn Ball, Lila had lost count of the number of times she’d been tormented by Lucas.

Only after sleeping for a day or so did she manage to wake up. She was exhausted from pulling an all-nighter for the Autumn Ball, and Lucas hadn’t let her go, so she’d passed out.

Even though the potion had healed her instantly, there was still a part of her that had been hurt and she couldn’t help but toss and turn.

When she woke up and saw Lucas looking at her. She couldn’t help but criticize Lucas as he looked at her lying on the bed. No matter how surprised she had made him, it wasn’t unfounded.

But when she questioned him, he only replied with this.

A backup punishment in case he didn’t keep his promise.

…Or something like that.

Anyway, Lucas seemed quite flustered with the infuriated and sulking her. Even if he spoke to her, she didn’t answer and left the parlor room.

And from then on, gifts began to arrive.

“You’re not going to apologise for dying, are you?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t know that the gift was an apology, but she just wanted to hear him say, ‘I’ll be careful next time.’

Fighting Charlotte over at the Autumn Ball was wrong, but isn’t that the same as sleeping with her?

Pouting her lips and grumbling, Lila couldn’t tear her eyes away from his gifts.

“Better than the last one, huh?”

It was bigger, with more compartments for cosmetics and different depths.

The compartments came in different sizes, some wide and some narrow, so it seemed like there was something for everyone.

“What is this?”

Lila muttered as she spotted a small, long box. She unwrapped it and opened it. Inside was something finely wrapped in a silk handkerchief.

“Uh…?”

Lila’s eyes widened as she pulled back the silk handkerchief to reveal the gift.

Inside the handkerchief was a single red rose. It wasn’t a real red rose, but the red rose on the handle, which was made like a rose branch with crystal and emeralds, looked really like a rose.

I don’t know what kind of hair it was, but it was much softer than her original brush.

“This is…”

She kind of liked it. No, she liked it quite a bit. It wasn’t a single kind; if she remembered the shape of her brushes, there were flat ones, round ones, and different sizes.

“It’s beautiful…”

The brushes glowed whenever the light caught them. The red bristles didn’t irritate her skin at all, but they were firm enough to be useful for applying make-up.

“Do you want me to forgive you?”

Lila, who had just muttered, ‘This will make me feel better,’ disappeared. The sight of the gift seemed to lift her spirits.

“No, no, no. I still need to hear it from you.”

She had hoped for a genuine apology instead of a gift, and while she didn’t mind him being so feral, she hoped for the least.

Just thinking about that day for a moment sent a shiver down her spine.

It seemed odd that her mouth was grumbling yet her hands were cherishing his gift, but Lila was in a good mood.

Then there was a knock, and the door opened. There were only two people allowed in without her permission.

“Wife.”

Her husband, who had been swearing the entire time, stormed into the room. His face lit up when he saw her sitting on the couch, putting the gift back in the box.

He walked quickly to the couch where she sat and casually kissed her cheek.

But Lila jerked her head away.

“Wife?”

“I don’t need a gift like this, I just need words from the heart.”

Lucas’s eyebrows arched as he watched her clutch the box containing the gift tightly in her arms.

“I see.”

Lucas wanted to give her what she wanted, but there was one thing he wanted, too.

Sitting down on one knee directly in front of her, Lucas gently took her pure white hand in his and spoke.

“I’m so sorry for forcing you to do this. But if you don’t honour your promise to me, I might do the same thing again. This is something I can’t back down from.”

At his firm tone, Lila’s eyes widened and then narrowed.

“You promised me. Are you going to keep saying that?”

She knows what he’s worried about, and she can’t probe further.

Lucas pressed his lips to the back of her hand, then removed them before speaking in a low voice.

“This is the second time already that you’ve been hurt. Can you understand how I feel, having almost lost my wife twice in this short time?”

The polite inquiries and the eager looks swayed her, but she couldn’t bring herself to have such a wild night. Not that she didn’t like it, of course, but still…

As she was lost in thought, something came in front of her. The box Lucas pulled from inside his jacket was very large.

“What is this…”

Before she could ask, Lucas opened the box. Inside was what looked like a doll’s house. A doll’s house with a familiar structure and furniture.

But there was one corner that was a little different: a dresser that was much larger and more beautiful than the one she had, and it was lined with drawers.

“I’ve placed the order in advance, and while I would have loved to make you a workshop of your own, I think it’s better for you to decorate your own workshop, so I’ve only commissioned the dresser and chest of drawers for your bedroom.”

So, it was a small bedroom in the north, not here.

Lila’s delicate lips parted as if they had been strained. A crimson tongue darted out from between the parted lips.

Lucas did not take his eyes off the sight and continued.

“Wife, I’m sure you’ve had a lot of time to reflect…”

“I forgive you. Not because of the gift, but because you spoke to me directly like this, and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, do you understand?”

Cutting him off, Lila hastily added her reasoning, unable to look away from the box she was holding.

Lucas curled his lips in silence as he watched her.

She was adorable, hugging the box of brushes tightly and unable to take her eyes off the dollhouse.

He’d never seen her ask for something first, and he’d been learning her tastes one by one.

When he had a perfect grasp of her interests, he smiled wryly.

“I’m very pleased to hear that you like it, my lady.”

* * *

Lila rubbed her hands, sweaty with nerves, against her dress as they rode in the carriage stamped with imperial emblems.

“Madam, would it not have been better to go with the Duke?”

Jessie, nervous as ever, asked across from her, but Lila was distracted right now.

The Emperor’s chamberlain suddenly arrived, saying she had been invited by the Emperor.

She was in her parlour, putting away her cosmetics in a newly ordered wooden creamer, when she was surprised.

The chamberlain arrived uninvited, and in a carriage with imperial emblems.

Lucas had vacated the mansion. Michael had returned to the Academy.

Of course, even if they had been at the manor, they would have had no choice. Who could refuse an order from the Emperor, much less another man?

Lila remembered Lucas’s words from earlier. She remembered how he’d told her to do what she wanted because he’d take responsibility, but she knew the Emperor wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

She thought, in that case, let’s just play nice and not hurt Lucas.

That was it. As she climbed into the imperial carriage, she felt nervous to death.

“How do you call someone who works? It came out of the blue, and when I kept him waiting, the chamberlain gave me a look…”

Lila remembered the chamberlain, who kept looking at her with impatient eyes. The Emperor’s chamberlain…

He was someone Lila would have only seen from a distance.

Fortunately, his carriage was separate, and Lila was able to climb into it with Jessie.

The two carriages glided smoothly into the palace. They entered the palace grounds in one smooth motion, unhindered.

The carriages stopped, and the chamberlain’s voice came from the doorway.

“Lady Este, please come out.”

At his call, Lila took a deep breath and rose to her feet. The chamberlain stood behind the open door.

Taking his hand, which he offered casually, Lila stepped down from the carriage.

Jessie tried to follow her quietly. But the chamberlain stopped her.

“You’ll be waiting here.”

“What? But…”

“Ugh! Do you dare to enter the castle where the Emperor is!”

From the sound of it, the chamberlain was talking like an emperor. Lila wanted to say something at the sudden surge of offence, but she held back.

“Jessie, I’ll just be a moment.”

“Yes, Madame…”

“I’ll be right back.”

Lila said, smiling enviously. Jessie watched her leave with anxious eyes.

As she watched Lila and the chamberlain disappear, Jessie pulled a round object from a pocket on the inside of her skirt.

It was a communication device that would allow her to contact Lucas directly. Ducking into a corner out of sight, Jessie pressed the button.