Gilbert was persistent. Some days it'd be breakfast, others it'd be lunch. But every evening, he sent a different servant to come and greet me.
But that caused the opposite effect of what he'd intended. The Marquis was beginning to believe that Gilbert was a rude person.
Rather, he should've just visited me in person instead.
Then, he could've made the excuse that he loved me sooo much that he wasn't thinking straight. A couple of people would believe it.
But all he did was send his servants.
Under his orders, his servants spent their whole day walking back and forth in front of the Marquis' gate. Though, they weren't as stupid as their master.
They were ashamed of what they had to do, but Gilbert was scary and they were forced into it.
The Marquis thought that such a person wouldn't be able to gain his respect. They say that a servant's personality reflects their master's. Marquis Morgana was from a prestigious family, so the servants also demonstrated self-respect.
I didn't overlook his peculiar behaviour. Everytime Gilbert's servants passed by the gate, I gave them a glare.
Even my parents, who had no part in my marriage and had told me it was my old problem, were displeased with the situation.
Eventually, they were fed up with him and threatened Gilbert, telling him to keep his servants away from the Marquis' vicinity.
Oh well; I sat to the side and drank my tea.
As Gilbert's reputation plummeted into a grave of his own creation, I got a bit closer with the crow. For now, I've named it Raven.
"Miss, I've put the carriage on standby."
Hearing her words, I stood up. Raven flew up and rested on my shoulder.
I lowered the little crow down without batting an eye.
"It's no fun watching something you've already seen."
"Gyaak? Gyak! Gyak!"
Raven was dejected and in tears when I left him inside.
While I was in the carriage heading for the main road, I noticed Gilbert's servants secretly following me.
In the dressing room, there were four ladies waiting for me.
Charlie Morgoz welcomed me with enthusiasm.
"Eve! Thank you so much for inviting me! I wanted to buy a new dress, but Vanessa's Designer Boutique is too popular these days and is always overbooked."
"I'm just glad you'll be accompanying me today. I hope you'll be able to find your favourite dress."
I was in a good mood, so I smiled.
Charlie lowered her head and whispered quietly.
"I looked at the room beforehand. I don't really have good taste when it comes to dresses, so I was wondering if you could advise me….."
"Of course. You're looking for a dress to wear to the upcoming royal ball, right?"
"And a dress for Monica's birthday party. Thank you so much, Eve! As expected, you're the only one I can rely on!"
I tilted my head to the side.
"Monica's birthday party? Do you need me to come too?"
Last year, Charlie was treated like some fashion terrorist at Monica's birthday party. It was a simple dress, but Monica overreacted.
"It's fine. It's not like she's going to beat me up constantly when I'm there. I'm sure it'll be worse if I don't go."
I sat down with Charlie, who was used to Monica's tyranny, and looked at the catalog. Within it, there were various sketches of exquisite dress designs.
I came here often, so I didn't need to take any measurements.
I checked the fabric samples that will be used in the dress and picked out some lace, frills, buttons, jewelry sets, and finally some shoes.
As expected, shopping is nice. Spending money is the best. Charlie also had her arms folded and a satisfied expression on her face.
"Eve, I made a reservation at a restaurant. Will you be coming with me?"
"Oh yes, there's this delicious dessert shop too!"
"I'm determined to spend a lot of money today. Let's enjoy ourselves until sundown!"
"That's right! The first to go back will have to eat everything they ate today once more!"
When the other ladies heard Charlie's words, they all looked shocked and were wondering if she was cursing them or not.
I smiled and was the first to leave the dressing room. But then, I made eye-contact with a man waiting in front of the dressing room.
Gilbert, in all of his glory, stared down at me.
"You must be feeling better."
I could hear the steps of the other ladies approaching.
I replied with a bright smile.
"Oh my, that can't be. I still have a raging fever."
"Do you really expect me to believe that lie?"
"Really? But I'm afraid that if I don't leave to buy jewelry and dresses, my sickness will get worse. I forced myself to come out here with my sick body."
Of course, that was all bullshit. Gilbert looked like he was about to pop a vein so he also replied with bullshit.
"That's enough. This is also hard for me to see."
"Uhum?"
"All you're trying to do is attempt to make me worry about you."
...Pardon?
Has he gone insane at this point? In the middle of his maniacal laughter, I furrowed my eyebrows. I clenched my fist so hard I felt my bones. Then, I relaxed my hand.
He must have been so upset when I ignored him. It'd be nice if I could punch him.
He died in the novel anyways. I wouldn't be making any bad choices if I were to cut him off early on.
Though the soft-hearted Rehan might be sad, since they're related by blood after all. The male lead, Rehan, was Gilbert's brother. Though Gilbert would rather beat him up than call him 'brother.' His inferiority complex towards Rehan caused a bunch of problems in the novel, it even caused a mishap.
Ugh, maybe it's okay to kill him after all.
"I've already told you, I'm not going to marry you."
It seems like he thought I was joking because I answered him with a smile.
"That's not true."
"It's true."
"Lady Maevia, I don't have a lot of patience. Don't forget that I'm already fed up with you."
His crimson eyes stared at me, resembling those of a beast. They seemed to say 'yield whilst I'm still ordering you nicely.'
To Gilbert, Maevia Morgana was just the Marquis' only daughter. Like a flower in a greenhouse that had never been watered by anyone but her parents.
A fierce woman who wields the sword, yet has never been compared to anyone else or met the cruelty of the world.
I gave him a mocking smile.
"I'm serious."
"...."
"How ridiculous of a man you must be to believe that bullsh..."
I was right about to swear at him when someone pulled me from behind.
It was Charlie standing in front of me.
"Can you stop? Eve doesn't like that."
Charlie straightened herself up and faced him.
"You are not her fiance. Actually, I don't even think you're her friend. Act appropriately."
I could feel that Gilbert was about to explode in a few minutes. Yet Charlie didn't stop.
Oops, looks like you picked the wrong person to mess with.
Morgoz was a warrior family whose mission was to defend the borders from savage tribes in the west. Regardless of gender, those who were born with the Morgoz name wielded the sword. As a result, Charlie, who was from Marquis Morgoz's family, was used to being in dangerous situations. Even if she was just clumsily choosing a dress a minute ago.
I didn't know how he was planning to make me face his fury and pressure when there were so many people watching us.
Look, Vanessa is also a loud person. Since she deals with a lot of nobles, she's well versed in spreading rumours about them.
"Don't go. Charlie will solve this."
Reina, who was well-known for being shy, grabbed me with trembling hands. Near tears, she looked like she'd never experienced this kind of thing before, yet still tried to reassure me.
Of course I was fine. If I wasn't able to handle his shitty temper in the first place, I wouldn't have provoked him.
I wouldn't fight a losing battle.
Gilbert gritted his teeth as he tried to persuade Charlie, who was defending me.
"Step aside, please. Let's not make a bigger problem out of this. I just need a proper conversation with Lady Maevia, who's been avoiding me."
You look like you want to grab me by the neck right now. Who would believe you?
Charlie wasn't persuaded and remained firm,
"I'll call the guards."
"Do I look like a bastard that would hurt a lady? I said I just wanted to talk. If you look down at me like this, it'll come back to bite you. In the future, I'll become Grand Duke Kallakis and will rule all of the northern territory...!"
"Please leave, young master. Before your reputation plummets even further."
"….Ha."
Finally, Gilbert took a half step back.
When he passed the surrounding ladies, I heard him grit his teeth. Charlie's guards followed him as soon as he left the dressing room.
Charlie entered a nearby cafe, shared a few words with the owner, and gestured for them to come in.
The knights blocked the doors as soon as we entered.
We offered the owner a large sum of money for briefly monopolizing the cafe and he welcomed us with a big smile.
The ladies sat down first and asked me,
"Maevia, are you okay?"
"Do you need me to call a carriage? Do you wish to go back home?"
"I believe it's better if we take a break here before going back. What if the young master follows us?"
Their intense reactions puzzled me.
They seemed like they just wanted to attack him; all I wanted to do was ruin his image. The ladies seemed to have already recognized him as an enemy.
Charlie, in particular, was glaring at him so intensely that it almost seemed like her eyes were going to set on fire.
When I made eye-contact with Charlie, who remained deadly silent, she hesitantly opened her mouth.