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If there is a heaven—
If there is a heaven on earth, it must be right here.
I was completely mesmerized by the sight that was so gorgeous and sweet, it seemed like my body would melt just from looking at it.
This is currently Mouton’s hottest—that is, most popular dessert shop.
Whether or not it’s true that the pâtissier here is a disciple of the royal head chef, the desserts were beautiful like paintings.
“Libe.”
“……”
“Libe?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Are you alright?”
Adrian seemed flustered when I made an expression like I might cry at any moment, lost in rapture.
“It’s just so wonderful.”
“Libe, we came here to choose desserts for your friend, right?”
“I almost forgot my purpose.”
“But making up with each other is important too.”
I started shopping for desserts in earnest, giggling.
Ah, that’s right, Adrian said he needed to choose desserts too.
“Lord Watford, you said you were getting something as a gift too, right?”
“Yeah, but I really can’t tell what’s what. They all look the same to me.”
How could they look the same? Where are you even looking?
When I rolled my eyes and looked up at him in disbelief, he started laughing awkwardly.
Then he leaned slightly toward me and muttered quietly.
“Help me.”
Truth be told, when we first set out to choose desserts, I wasn’t too keen on accompanying Adrian.
Every time I encountered Adrian, he somehow made me uncomfortable, and I thought his playful behavior didn’t match well with me.
But if it weren’t for Adrian at the apothecary earlier, I might have fed Leonie an ointment meant for external use.
I decided I should help him choose his gift earnestly.
After all, I’m the type who feels compelled to return favors, whether good or bad.
“Alright, you said it’s for a gift, right?”
If I’m going to help, I might as well do it properly.
I rubbed my temple once as if adjusting glasses, then asked.
“Do you know the recipient’s preferences?”
“Such as?”
“What fruits they like, what colors they prefer, whether they enjoy sweet things or not, whether they always have dessert after meals or not. If they’re watching their weight or don’t care about such things. Or whether they’re planning to diet in the future or not!”
“Wow.”
Adrian only let out a brief exclamation instead of answering my questions.
“What? Where did you read all that?”
“No, this is just basic information you need when giving a gift.”
I shrugged my shoulders with a proud expression.
But Adrian’s face showed the complete opposite reaction.
“Sorry, but I can’t answer a single one of your questions.”
“Oh my, don’t tell me you don’t know anything?”
“Sadly so.”
“Hmm.”
Though my plan to help choose the perfect gift by accurately understanding the recipient’s needs had slightly cracked.
But I’m not one to give up so easily.
“Well, this makes things quite difficult. But don’t worry. Not knowing someone’s preferences doesn’t mean you can’t give them a gift.”
This time, I continued while slowly rubbing my chin.
“In such cases, you can choose a steady-seller that everyone likes.”
“Steady… what?”
“The best-selling items here!”
When I clenched my fist with an excited expression, Adrian shook his head gently while laughing.
“Ah, Libe, you really are…”
“……?”
“No, nothing. Then let’s follow Libe’s advice and go with the steady-seller.”
“An excellent choice. It will make a wonderful gift.”
After choosing Adrian’s gift, I started selecting desserts for Leonie.
Since Leonie prefers tart flavors over sweet ones, I chose a tart topped with plenty of fresh fruit and a slice of lemon cake.
“Adrian?”
Just when I was feeling elated, intoxicated by the sweet fragrance.
A well-groomed man stopped Adrian.
“Oh, Harrius.”
“Hey, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Yes, it has been long.”
When I quietly stepped back a couple of paces, Adrian flashed a smile and spoke.
“This is Lady Bernadette. She kindly came along to help with my terrible taste.”
“Nice to meet you. Harrius Cleezen.”
He was a tall gentleman with sharp eyes. He greeted me briefly before lowering his voice toward Adrian.
“Could we talk for a moment? It’s urgent.”
Before Adrian could even turn to me, I waved both hands.
“I just found something I really want to eat. I’ll be eating, so take your time and talk.”
Generous as I am, I could make this concession.
“I’m sorry. This might take a while.”
Harrius looked at me and put on an apologetic expression.
“Ah.”
It was only then that I realized the discrepancy between the time I had mentioned and the time Harrius needed.
“Adrian, you’ve already chosen your gift, so you can go now.”
“But—”
“It’s fine, just go. I hope you deliver it well.”
When I smiled brightly, Harrius grabbed Adrian by the shoulder and turned him around.
“Thank you, my Lady. Then I’ll borrow this guy for today.”
While Adrian left, I rubbed my hands together and headed toward the display case.
Though I had found it rather bothersome to accompany him, being left alone felt a little lonely.
‘I’ll just eat with Leonie.’
I was in the middle of packing something for myself along with the desserts I was gifting to her.
“Oh my, who do we have here?”
A sharp voice from behind froze me in place.
I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.
“Long time no see, Lady Bernadette.”
Damn it, it was Paley.
It was the first time I’d seen Paley since our confrontation at the ballroom.
“Ah, yes. I have urgent business, so I’ll be on my way.”
Avoiding Paley was the best course of action. At the ballroom, I had fought on Leonie’s behalf, but today, there was no need for that.
And then it happened.
“Lady Bernadette, this is quite strange.”
Paley grabbed my wrist and muttered lowly.
“Pardon?”
“My Lady, after insulting me like that at the ball, you haven’t said a word of apology.”
I slowly closed and opened my eyes at the voice coming from behind me.
Ah, why do our paths keep crossing like this?
It made sense, though. In the original story, I had been close friends with Paley. We had similar likes, tastes, and frequented the same places, so overlapping was natural.
From now on, I should do the opposite of whatever comes to mind.
“Not only did you humiliate me in front of everyone with incomprehensible words, but you’ve been wagging your tail at His Highness the Grand Duke.”
Stay calm, just endure it one more time.
Don’t make trouble where there isn’t any.
I forced my lips into a gentle smile.
“Ah, did I do that?”
The moment I opened my mouth, I felt the atmosphere around us change instantly.
Everyone was watching us.
“I’ve been too busy with personal matters to send an apology letter. Sorry?”
My pride wouldn’t let me just say sorry outright, so I ended with a slight upward inflection.
“You seem to have time to shop for desserts despite being busy.”
Unlike my intentions, Paley didn’t seem willing to let this go.
“Even busy people need to eat…”
“Seeing how nicely it’s wrapped, it must be a gift?”
Paley looked down at what I was holding and lifted her chin.
“Oh my, don’t tell me it’s for Lady Almaz?”
The women standing behind Paley made disapproving sounds like a studio audience.
“Yes, I heard Leonie wasn’t feeling well, so I wanted to bring her something pretty and delicious.”
I should have held back.
Should have made an excuse and opened the door.
“Lady Bernadette, why have you changed so much?”
Paley suddenly lowered her eyebrows and looked me up and down.
“And what’s with your appearance today? Why have you become so servile? Could it be your family is in financial trouble?”
“What?”
“Ah, is that why you’re desperately clinging to Leonie now? But oh dear, the Almaz family isn’t doing so well either.”
“……”
“My Lady, you should be more careful about whom you associate with.”
The snickering gradually grew louder. More and more women began to laugh openly.
“My goodness, she’s wearing such strange clothes again today.”
“The Bernadette Marquisate must be struggling.”
“I hadn’t heard such rumors. How pitiful.”
Ah, I really just wanted to live quietly.
I blew my bangs with a puff of air and raised my head.
Hey, you should know—I’m the type who absolutely must return whatever I receive, be it good or bad.
“My, it seems you don’t know.”
As I opened my mouth languidly, Paley stared at me with strange eyes.
“Do you know how much effort and sweat goes into making that yellow dress you’re wearing?”
“Why should I know that?”
I grabbed the hem of Paley’s skirt lightly and gave it a little shake before letting go.
“Did you know the yellow dye is extracted from the Cobain flower? That it only grows in high altitudes? And did you know that due to diplomatic issues, the supply is unstable and it’s becoming a national problem? Do you know how much this issue is giving the imperial family headaches?”
“W-what are you saying?”
“Ah, you might not know. A pathetic person who only thinks about what to eat and what to wear wouldn’t know such things.”
“Lady Bernadette!”
Paley shouted, but I knew well that she was getting angry because she had nothing to say in response.
“I’m not some thoughtless fool who lives like that. Look here, my Lady. If you’re a noble lady, you should think about how the world works. Don’t just go around wearing flower decorations in your hair. Nobles should set an example first. Living thoughtlessly like this now is an act that stains your family name.”
“Lady Bernadette, how dare you speak of our family…”
I cut Paley’s words off sharply.
You know what really makes me angry? When people don’t listen to others’ words till the end and just say what they want to say.
“I’m saying this because I’m truly worried about the Isley family.”
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