The Ugly Lady’s Secret Pouch

Chapter 6: I’ve never experienced anything like this!

Part 1

Lila fought off the stifling atmosphere in the comfortable carriage.

The Duke’s carriage, no match for Baron Este’s, was different in size. It was as if an entire small room had been crammed into the carriage.

There was a cushioned one-seater sofa and a stool with footrests, flanked by round side tables.

There’s an abundance of flowers, an assortment of cookies, and a teapot and teacups on the table. A reading table attached to the carriage ceiling moved freely, like a modern-day monitor arm, so you could easily open a book and read it right in front of you.

A gentle stream of fresh air and cool scents made the carriage even more pleasant.

Across from her, or next to her, was Lucas, who was just as engrossed in reading as she was. She sat on the one-seater sofa, her long legs stretched out on the stool.

They had set out two days ago to attend a coming-of-age ceremony at the imperial court, and had stopped in a village halfway through to stay the night.

They had stayed at an upscale inn that only the nobility could afford, and the breakfast had been fabulous.

The treatment was so different from when she had traveled north in a shabby baron’s carriage that Lila felt like her eyes had been opened to something new.

She was awakened to a simple, instinctive ambition: to save as much money as possible before she sets out for freedom.

She became interested in the small things that made her happy, such as carriages with comfortable seats that make it impossible to feel even the slightest movement, magic tools that blow fresh air like an air purifier, and a teapot that kept her tea cold.

They were on their third day of traveling, and she never grew bored or uncomfortable. There were drinks, snacks, books, cushions, blankets, everything within range.

The only thing that bothered her was Lucas. On the first day of the carriage ride, she tried to talk to him.

But he was too busy looking at his papers to answer. She didn’t know if he had time now or what, but he was reading a book.

Lila lost herself in her reading, trying not to notice that Lucas wasn’t talking to her at all.

About two hours later, the carriage stopped for a moment. Curious, she raised her upper body from the couch and drew back the curtains at the window.

High, red walls greeted her.

“Looks like we’ve reached the capital.”

Lucas said, not even looking up from his book. The carriage, which had stopped for a moment, picked up speed again.

Even within the capital, it would take another hour to reach the Montefeltra family’s mansion, which was close to the imperial court.

Lila’s hands were sweating just by entering the capital. Her long-awaited coming-of-age ceremony was about to begin.

In the novel, Heinrich takes her back to his house as soon as she finishes her coming of age when she was 19.

Until then, the three of them had been keeping each other in check, as if there were an unspoken rule.

Heinrich, the illegitimate son of the Duke of Frederick, had a troubled childhood and was obsessed with Lila. Heinrich’s soft-spoken manner and good looks made her accept his proposal of marriage without question.

Perhaps she was to blame for not taking it seriously, since the real marriage could wait until after the cohabitation period.

He was gentle, but at night he wore a different face. He was relentless, persistent. It was Heinrich V. Frederick who held onto Lila as she fainted from exhaustion, begging her to look at him.

She had already realized at her coming of age last year that he wasn’t interested in her, but she wanted to make sure she had one last chance.

So she scheduled the last time at her coming of age at age 20.

While she was lost in her thoughts, the carriage was pulling into the ducal residence in the capital. It was smaller than the estate in the north, but large enough for the capital, where land was expensive.

To the point where she feels sorry to compare it with the barony.

“We’ve arrived, Duke.”

Lucas swung his legs off the stool at the sound of Vincent’s voice from outside the carriage. He ran his long fingers through his tousled hair for a moment and turned her head toward Lila.

“Shall we get off, then?”

“Yes.”

Lila straightened her clothes as well.

“Open the door.”

Lucas said, and the door swung open. Behind the familiar face of Vincent stood a row of servants.

The servants and butlers who maintained the mansions in the capital greeted Lucas as he stepped out of the carriage.

“Greetings, Duke of Montefeltra!”

Their voices rang out in unison. Instead of answering them, Lucas held out his hand into the carriage.

Lila took his large, firm hand in hers for the first time, finally receiving the escort Vincent had provided her.

The servants bowed their heads, waiting for the Duke to speak. Each of them with a chewed expression on their face.

The swish of a dress echoed through the room. One of the servants, who had been sneaking a peek out of curiosity, made a ‘gulp’ sound and ducked his head in surprise.

“Vincent, you can greet her later, but let me show her to her room first. She must be tired.”

“Yes, Duke.”

The servants looked up, looked at Lila and Lucas, and frowned. Their freckled faces looked odd in their eyes.

“Let us show you around, then, Duchess.”

But their faces were stunned by Vincent’s next words. They exchanged glances as if they had heard something they couldn’t believe.

Their expressions didn’t go unnoticed, but Lucas paid no attention.

They were servants, after all, and there was no escaping the line.

Lila followed Vincent’s lead to the highest floor. The layout was not unlike a mansion in the north, so she wouldn’t get lost.

It’s almost as if it’s a replica of a mansion in the north, just scaled down.

Lila says to Vincent, who opened the door for the Duchess.

“It looks like you’ve taken the mansion up north and scaled it down.”

Vincent responded with a small smile.

“They could have built it a little differently.”

Her eyes widened slightly, as she’d never heard Vincent say anything with a hint of humor in it, and then disappeared.

“Huh, that’s what I mean.”

Vincent watched for a moment as Lila let out a small laugh.

“Would you like to have a maid here in the manor?”

“No. I am comfortable alone.”

“Well, if you need me, I can be reached at…”

Lila cut him off, her voice filled with laughter.

“I’ll just ring the bell, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then, you must be busy, so go. I will rest for a while.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Vincent bowed and left. Lila smiled as she saw the exact same structure as the Duchess’s room in the north.

“Just a little smaller.”

She scrambled to her feet and made her way to the balcony, compared to that of the north, a warmer air greeted her. It was a familiar air.

Her eyes scanned along the long driveway. She could just make out the blue roofs of the Barony of Este in the distance.

“Hmm, I wonder how Louie and Becky are doing.”

It wasn’t that she was genuinely worried about them; she was just a little curious, even if she didn’t like them.

Lila walked into the room and stood by the window on the other side of the balcony. She pressed her fingers to the window, looking out at the golden glow of the palace through the transparent pane.

She traced her fingers over her reflection and muttered to herself.

“Tomorrow will decide everything. I’ve been trying for ten years, and hard work will never betray me.”

So don’t worry too much, Cho Yoon Seol.

No, Lila El Este.

I’m definitely going to leave the original route.

And I will live my life.

Free and joyful.