[I WENT overboard, didn't I?]
Zoe, who should be relaxing while dipped in a tub with warm water and fragrant petals, thought to herself.
She was aware that she shouldn't have used violence. But in her defense, she really hated it when someone sneaked up behind her. She had plenty of unpleasant experiences from being approached from behind. Plus, one of the most important rules of fighting was to always protect your neck.
"My lady, you were amazing earlier," Dal, who was washing her hair, said in an excited voice. "I didn't know that you're good at fighting."
"I learned some self-defense while I was at the temple," Zoe lied smoothly. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. In Zoanne's memories, she saw her learning some basic self-defense moves with the other priestesses. But it was more of an exercise than a way to horn one's fighting skills. "Dal, was my action too cruel?"
"Not at all, my lady," her attendant said. "They had it coming after they sided with Miss Ashmore and treated you poorly."
"May I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course, my lady."
"Why didn't you betray me?"
"Can I be honest?"
"Sure, why not?"
"You're prettier than Miss Ashmore," Dal said bluntly. "I have a thing for good-looking people, Lady Zoe."
She laughed not at Dal, but because she found her answer satisfying. It was genuine and weird. Luckily, she liked weird people because she considered herself as one. "Dal, do you want to help me get prettier?"
The young attendant squealed in excitement. "How can I help you get prettier, my lady?"
"I don't like the clothes that I have anymore."
She took a peek inside Zoanne's walk-in closet a while ago. For a noble lady like her with enough wealth to catch the current empress's eyes, her clothes were too plain and modest.
[Is it because Zoanne lived simply in the temple for many years?]
Well, 'simple' wasn't her style.
[Forgive me, Zoanne. But even though my family's money came from blood, I'm still used to luxury. So please allow me to splurge using your family's wealth.]
"My lady, do you want to go shopping?" Dal asked excitedly. "Come to think of it, you haven't bought a new dress yet for the upcoming banquet."
Ah, 'that' banquet.
In the novel, Milli-bitch attended the banquet using Zoanne's name. That dumb bitch joined a group of nobles that planned an elaborate scheme to bully Isaak Viotto that night. Worse, Milli-bitch didn't just take part in that terrible act.
In fact, Milli-bitch was too dumb to notice that she was manipulated by her "friends" to lead the bullying.
Thus, House Rochester became the ghoul duke's target.
[I'm dumb, but at least, I know how to not mess with monsters.]
To save herself from the wrath of Isaak Viotto, it seemed like she had to attend the banquet and make sure that Milli-bitch wouldn't get their whole family killed.
[My rarely used brain is now working overtime, huh?]
"Yeah, let's do that," Zoe said, then she turned to Dal, whose face was glowing with excitement right now. "Help me choose what dress to buy for the banquet, Dal."
***
[IT'S NOT my style, but this will do.]
Zoe chose a soft brown dress that, surprisingly, looked aesthetically pleasing.
The dress that she wore took the form of flowing fabric with soft pleating falling from the neckline. The folds were gently gathered in the natural waistline (natural because thankfully, it didn't require a corset), then fell into a small train at the back.
But the highlight of the dress was the sleeves: they were set at the natural shoulder line and they were decorated with puffs of fabric at the sleeve head.
Ah, right.
She remembered that the current fashion trend among the ladies in this novel was similar to either the artistic dress or the aesthetic dress that emerged in the 1850s and 1890s in her world.
Although most of the dresses here didn't require to be worn with a corset and were looser now, the fact that the dresses were still long enough to touch the floor disappointed her a bit.
After all, she liked wearing clothes that showed off her shapely legs.
[Zoanne's legs are very nice-looking so I want to show them off, but I'd probably get arrested for 'obscenity.']
Or maybe not.
[Who knows unless I try, right?]
Anyway…
Dal dressed her up with two more layers of clothes before she was satisfied. The last piece of clothing that she had to wear was a thick coat. After all, it was autumn, so the weather was pretty cold.
Surprisingly, despite her heavy clothes, she still looked and felt comfortable.
"Lady Zoe," you're all set," Dal said excitedly after applying makeup on her face. It seemed like the trend here was the same as where she came from. In her world, it was called "no-makeup makeup look." "You look so pretty!"
"Thank you, Dal," she said while looking at the compact powder and lipstick tube in her attendant's hands.
[This world is really more progressive than most medieval fantasy worlds. In fact, as far as I remember, the empire has already built its first train. Of course, it's not as modern as the one in my world. The era in this novel has the same vibes as the early 19th century.]
But of course, it wasn't really comparable, since this world had magic and supernatural stuff.
"My lady?"
"We should go," Zoe said with a smile, then she asked the thing that she had been meaning to before she got distracted. "Dal, I'd like you to recommend two knights that we can trust."
Dal looked confused at first, then her face turned determined when she nodded. "My lady, we cannot trust the captain of the knights."
***
"I'M GOING to play outside for a bit," Zoe announced to the servants waiting below as she walked gracefully down the grand staircase. She was used to wearing high-heeled shoes, but she was still amazed at how Zoanne's body moved: graceful and light. The noblewomen of this empire were really cool, huh? "While I'm away, I want you to all keep an eye on Miss Millicent Ashmore. If you let her out of her room…" She smiled, then she made a slashing motion at her throat using her thumb. "You know what will happen to you, right?"
The maids, the butlers, and even some of the ten knights lining up on either of her sides lowered their heads in fear.
[Did I just become a tyrant a few hours after I possessed this body?]
Well, all she could say was…
[Noice.]
She was distracted from her corny meme-joke when the knight, with a slightly different uniform from the rest, approached her.
[This must be Captain Lawrence Brook, the one Dal warned me about a while ago.]
Captain Lawrence Brook was a six-footer dude with neat blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a pleasant face and a nice athletic build. According to Dal, the only "flaw" of the captain was the fact that he was the bastard youngest son of a count.
[Also, according to Dal, Captain Brook is very close to Milli-bitch.]
"Lady Zoe, I shall accompany you," Captain Brook said politely, then he bowed to her. "It's dangerous for my lady to go out without a guard."
"I know, right?" she said lightly. "But Captain Brook, I need you to stay here in the mansion for an important mission."
He raised his head, confusion visible in his eyes. "What mission would it be, my lady?"
"Keep an eye on Miss Ashmore," she said, then she walked past him before he could even complain. "Fritz Greenwood, come out."
She heard a loud gasp, then a skinny young man (probably in his late teens or early twenties) emerged from behind the other knights.
Fritz Greenwood was a baby-faced young man with chestnut hair and olive eyes. He had a small frame compared to his peers. Plus, he looked meek and clumsy. But according to Dal, Fritz was the only knight who treated her with respect and admiration.
[Does he have a crush on Zoanne or something?]
"I-I'm F-Fritz G-Greenwood, L-Lady Z-Zoe!" Fritz Greenwood said in a trembling voice, because his whole body was trembling as well. Heck, even his pupils were shaking. Was he that nervous to talk to her? "I-I will d-die for m-my l-lady!"
The young knight's declaration was met with an awkward silence.
[He's so cute!]
"Thank you, but I prefer you to live with me because I need a reliable escort," she said with a bright smile on her face, hoping that her pretty face would make the servants forget her "scary" image. "Can I depend on you for my safety, Sir Greenwood?"
Fritz's whole face turned red, but his pretty olive eyes sparkled with delight. "I w-won't die and p-protect you, m-my lady!"
She giggled at his response, but turned serious as soon as she felt a hostile aura from behind her. When she turned around, she saw Lawrence Brook looking at her. For a second, she saw a murderous look on his face. But as soon as their eyes met, he returned to normal and even had the audacity to smile at her.
[Ah, he's going to kill me.]
She knew because as the daughter of an infamous mafia family, she had experienced several life-threatening situations in her life. Thanks to that, she could now easily tell if someone wanted her dead.
Who would have thought that she could use that "ability" now?
"Captain Brook, please take care of Miss Ashmore while I'm out," she said with a smile. "I can depend on you, can't I?"
Captain Brook, then he bowed to her. "Of course, my lady."
"Thank you," she said, then she turned around to take a look at each one of the servants lined up on her either side. "Ah, before I leave, I have an assignment for everyone."
The servants all bowed to her. "We're humbly waiting for the ladyship's order."
"Oh, it's simple," Zoe said brightly. "I just want each one of you to confess all the wrongdoings that you've done to me in a reflection letter."
***
"MY BUTT hurts," Zoe complained after thirty minutes of sitting inside the fancy carriage. The couch was firm, but not that soft. Plus, she didn't expect that the Rochester Estate was this far from the Royal Capital. "Are we not there yet?"
"We're almost there, my lady," Dal, seated across from her, said with a blushing face. "Lady Zoe, please refrain from saying vulgar things in front of other people, okay? It's okay if you use such a language when you're with me. But if you talk like that in front of other people, they will definitely look down on you."
"Is 'butt' considered a vulgar word?" she said with a soft laugh. "It's just a body part."
Her attendant gave her a pleading look. "My lady, please listen to me this once…"
She laughed at Dal's cute expression. "Alright, I'll behave in front of other people," she promised her. "Anyway, I have a mission for you."
Dal straightened up in her seat right away. "I'm listening, my lady."
"My gut feeling tells me that Captain Brook will try to kill me later," she said seriously. "You can win against him, can't you?"
The attendant suddenly looked worried.
But she knew that Dal was a better swordsman than Captain Brook.
After all, she remembered that in the original novel, Duke Isaak Viotto praised Dal for her swordsmanship before he killed the poor attendant who just wanted to protect Zoanne.
[Isaak Viotto killed Captain Brook and the other Rochester knights without a word. But when Dal fought the ghoul duke, she lasted a few minutes, and that impressed Isaak Viotto. That makes me think that Dal is a better and more skilled knight than Captain Brook.]
Dal took a deep breath, then she nodded firmly with a determined look on her face. "I swear on my life that I won't let Captain Brook lay a finger on you, Lady Zoe."
Zoe smiled and winked at Dal. "Thanks, bestie."
***
"M-MY LADY, I thought you were going to buy a dress for the upcoming banquet!"
"I did, didn't I?" Zoe said, while looking around her in amusement. "I brought a dress and you're carrying the box where it was packed, aren't you?"
Right now, they were in a plaza called the Dimas Plaza.
It was a street filled with high-end stores and thus, most people in the crowd were nobles dressed in obviously expensive clothes. The architecture of the surrounding buildings was so unique and colorful.
In fact, she felt like she was in Portobello Street, which she would often visit each time she would take a vacation in London. Just like in Portobello Street, the establishments around her became bigger and were lined up with more shops as she walked along with it. She walked gleefully until she reached the part of the plaza where she found vintage shops, street food stalls, and a flea market.
[Well, it seems like this "flea market" is still for the rich because the items I see on sale have ridiculous prices.]
"My lady, you didn't buy a dress," Dal, still not over the type of "dress" that she bought in a store that made the young attendant blush earlier, whispered behind her. "You bought lingerie! It's only meant for married women!"
She giggled at Dal's innocence.
But to be honest, the "lingerie" that she bought wouldn't pass as lingerie in the world that she came from. It was too modest in her opinion. And it worked well for her since she didn't like the "trendy" dresses in the first shop that Dal recommended to her.
[If I'm going to attend that banquet, I'm going to do it with a bang.]
"Don't worry, Dal," she said casually, then she stopped in front of the shop that she had been looking for ever since they arrived at the plaza. It was a shop that she remembered because, in the novel, Runa would often visit it with Isaak Viotto. But much to her shock and disappointment, the shop was closed. "Oh, no."
She turned to her attendant and Fritz, who were both carrying several boxes in their hands. She offered to carry some of the boxes, but the two vehemently and politely declined.
"Is there another candy shop here?" she asked her attendants. "I'm seriously craving some lollipops now."
She used to be a heavy smoker during her teenage years back in her world.
Shoving a lollipop in her mouth helped her lessen her cravings for cigarettes. She was so used to having candy in her mouth that she was craving for some, even in Zoanne's body.
"This is the only candy shop in the plaza because Count Evans is monopolizing the business, Lady Zoe," Fritz said politely. Thankfully, the knight had calmed down and could speak without stuttering now. "I know another candy shop, but it's located in the commoner's street, my lady."
She was about to say that it was okay when, all of a sudden, she felt a chill down her spine.
Based on her experience, it probably meant that someone who wanted her dead was watching her.
Her thoughts were confirmed when she saw Dal's grim expression.
[Ah, Captain Brook must be here already.]
"Fritz, bring the things I bought back in the carriage," Zoe said to the knight with a smile, then she turned to Dal. "Break the arms and the legs, then throw him in the carriage. I will wait for you here."
Dal bowed to her. "I humbly received my lady's order."
***
NOTE: Hi! Please consider ADDING 'I Won't Let The Ghoul Duke Go Hungry!' to your LIBRARY. Thank you! <3