Chapter 32 – Everyone Has A Beautiful Side

“How are you? Are you satisfied with the hot springs bath?”

“Yes. It was great. The Pelee I drank while bathing in the hot springs was also very delicious.”

Alicia’s cheeks reflected in the mirror was flushed with heat.

Mrs Morco arranged her dress, laughing as she commented that Alicia was cute.

Considering that it was for indoor use, the dress with almost no decoration was quite simple, but it did not look shabby.

On the contrary, whenever the dress moved along her figure, it gave off an elegant atmosphere.

“Mrs Morco is like a wizard.”

“I am?”

Alicia nodded with all her might.

She had tried on many dresses, but this was the first time she thought it looked like her own.

All the dresses Cabellenus had given her were pretty, but when she wore them, it looked like her face was just floating.

From the beginning, she just vaguely thought that something like a dress did not suit her.

“I’ve never worn such a pretty dress before.”

“The dress is not pretty. It’s just that the lady is beautiful.”

“No way. I’m not beautiful.”

“There are standards of beauty, but just because someone doesn’t meet those standards, it doesn’t mean they’re not beautiful. Everyone has a beautiful side. For example, my lady has a very beautiful figure.”

Mrs Morco tapped Alicia’s exposed shoulder with her index finger.

“Figure?”

“Yes. My lady has a beautiful figure as if it was painted with a brush. That is why you will look more attractive if you wear a dress that shows off your figure.”

“……I’ve never thought about that.”

“It’s usually hard to notice. People usually focus on the shortcoming rather than strength. It’s not strange. Everyone does.”

Mrs Morco, who noticed Alicia’s drooping shoulders, tenderly consoled her.

“Is that so?”

“More than anything, you have me now. From now one, I will find all the charms that you don’t know, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Mrs Morco skillfully gathered Alicia’s hair together and tied it up.

“Now, look. You look good with your hair up like this. It’s all thanks to you having a long, thin neck like a deer. Besides, because your skin is white, all of the jewellery will look good on you.”

“…….”

“At the same time, my lady’s jewellery box is excellent. Whenever we have time, we can try them all and find out which jewel suits you best. Oh, of course, I’ll have to dispose of all those ridiculous dresses.”

“About that, do I have to dispose of all the dresses?”

“Do you not want to dispose of it?”

Mrs Morco tilted her head in confusion.

“Well, because they are all gifts from Your Grace…….”

A satisfied smile spread across Mrs Morco’s lips as she noticed the blush on Alicia’s face.

She had heard from her nephew that the Grand Duke was much more anxious, but it did not seem to be so.

“Then, why don’t we change the design by mending it?”

“Can I do that?”

“Of course. If you give me your orders, I’ll make everything possible.”

“In that case, please.”

“It’s an honour.”

Mrs Morco gave a simple greeting and lifted her hand from Alicia’s head.

It was only a brief moment of tinkling, but the neatly finished hair was simply admirable.

“Mrs Morco is really like a wizard.”

“It’s just a simple technique. You don’t have to look formal today so we can lighten it up.”

“But it’s so pretty.”

“I’m glad you like it. Next time I’ll put it up in a prettier hairstyle.”

When Mrs Morco stepped back, Shizuna, who was waiting beside her, handed over the coat she was holding.

It was a much thinner and lighter cloth coat than the fur coat worn in the carriage.

“Come to think of it, it’s amazing that it’s not cold in the castle at all.”

With the help of the maids, Alicia wore her coat and tilted her head.

Truthfully, until she arrived at Schwarhan, she suffered from the bitter cold, but she did not feel cold after entering the castle.

“There are spirit stones all over Schwarhan Castle, so it always maintains a constant temperature.”

“It’s my first time hearing about spirit stones.”

“It’s a stone that carries the essence of mana. It’s Schwarhan’s treasure.”

Mrs Morco replied, not taking her eyes off the shoes lined up on the table.

In fact, while talking, Mrs Morco’s complete attention remained focused on choosing the shoes that best matched Alicia.

“Schwarhan’s treasure?”

“Processed spirit stones can be used by people who are not wizards. So in Schwarhan, the spirit stones are processed in different ways for various purposes. The warmth inside the castle is all thanks to the spirit stones.”

Mrs Morco gave up choosing from the shoes she had taken out and urged Shirin to open another shoebox.

All of Alicia’s shoes, originally intended to be paired with her original dresses, were colourful and gorgeous. However, they did not match the dress Alicia was currently wearing.

“How amazing.”

“Yes, it is. I enjoy the benefits of the spirit stones every day, but I am always amazed and grateful. If Your Grace had not recognised the value of the spirit stones, this would still be a land abandoned by God.”

“Rather than a land abandoned by God, is it not a land where God’s blessings cannot reach?”

“Did you hear about the meaning of Schwarhan from Gazeff?”

Mrs Morco put down the shoes she was holding and turned her head towards Alicia.

“How did you know?”

“Because he likes to save face. He tries to use more refined expressions.”

[T/N: The idiom ‘save face’ means to avoid embarrassment/humiliation and preserve dignity.]

“…….”

“To be honest with you, Schwarhan’s name means the land abandoned by God. It was named this way because it was often used as a land of sinners, even though the cold weather was severe.”

Mrs Morco, who was not very happy with the shoes, came back to Alicia again.

“What do you mean by a land of sinners?”

“Now that Your Grace is in charge, they won’t dare, but for the treatment of heresy the original temple of Plaim used to send people to Schwarhan.”

“Treatment?”

“There’s no one who can stand bare in the endless snowy fields and the freezing winter cold, and above all, pure white snow is good for erasing everything. They called it deportation, but it was practically no different from the death penalty.”

“…….”

“As a servant of God, they cannot defile their hands directly, so in their own way, they found a neat solution.”

Although it was not a simple story to tell, Mrs Morco, who told the story, still seemed to have little interest other than the shoes.

Mrs Morco breathed a faint breath and stared at the shoes worn by Alicia.

The lace ribbon adorned in front of the shoes drew attention even with the slightest movement by Alicia.

“It’s a cruel story.”

“Do you think so?”

“Doesn’t Mrs Morco think so?”

“I don’t know about the kids right now, but death wasn’t a big deal for the Schwarhan people at the time. It wasn’t that difficult to see the bodies of friends or family members who were fine until yesterday. So, I wasn’t interested in the story. No. It’s a land of death anyway, and I thought it wouldn’t matter if there were a few more lives there.”

“Mrs Morco has become indifferent.”

Mrs Morco frowned and eventually took off Alicia’s shoes.

A neat dress and fluttering lace shoes was not a very good combination to see.

“It’s because I suffered through too many deaths to be emotional for each one. I had no choice but to be indifferent. Of course, I cried all day when my twin sister died.”

“When you say twin sister, Sir Gazeff’s…….”

“You don’t have to worry about it. It’s all in the past now. Frankly, I can’t even remember her face anymore, but when I see my own face, I just think that she would have looked like this if she was alive.”

Eventually, Mrs Morco’s expression brightened only after removing the protruding accessories from the shoes.

She put the shoes back on Alicia’s feet in a restrained motion and then put on a proud face.

Behind her back laid the unselected shoes.

“It’s a bit disappointing that I couldn’t match the shoes for you right away. But I’m satisfied with this today.”

“…….”

“I told you not to get bored, but I must have told you a story that was too dark. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not something for Mrs Morco to be sorry about.”

Alicia frantically waved her hands.

“Then, please keep it a secret from Gazeff that I told you this story.”

“A secret?”

“Because he’s different from me. He’s still young, and he’s quite emotionally sensitive. Yes. He’s like an example of the young people of Schwarhan right now. They’re angry at the atrocities committed by the Plaim Temple, and they’re anxious to change Schwarhan.”

Mrs Morto clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.

“I don’t think Sir Gazeff would change Schwarhan badly.”

“I’m not saying Gazeff would be bad. However, good intentions don’t necessarily produce good results. Besides, no matter how powerful he is, the Grand Duke – whom the child blindly believes – is still a person in the end.”

“…….”

“Additionally, even if there is a spirit stone, it doesn’t mean Schwarhan itself will change. Schwarhan is still a frozen land of death and is eager to take more lives. Unless that fact changes, nothing much will change. It’s more efficient to try not to lose what we are enjoying right now.”

Mrs Morco grumbled and awkwardly chuckled when she realised that she had said more than she intended.

“I’m afraid I’ve said all this nonsense. Don’t worry too much. Just treat it as an old woman’s whining.”

“No. It was a great time to learn about things I didn’t know.”

Alicia hurriedly shook her head from side to side.

She was not lying.

Alicia always wondered about Schwarhan.

“I’ll tell you a more interesting story next time–”

*Knock, knock–*

“Are you ready, my lady?”

“Oh my God. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. This guy is no different. If it’s okay, may I let him in, my lady?”

[T/N: ‘Speak of the devil, and he shall appear’ is a proverb used to acknowledge that someone who was being discussed has unexpectedly appeared.]

Mrs Morco smiled and asked Alicia for permission again.

Alicia nodded quickly.

“I hope you had a good time with my aunt. As you know now, my aunt is a respectable lady, but there are often moments when she puts rude expressions in her mouth….”

Gazeff, who had been speaking smoothly, found Alicia and unconsciously stopped.

Honestly, he once thought that Alicia, who was scared and withdrawn, was like a small animal.

But he never thought she was beautiful.

Alicia left such a mediocre and bland impression it was impossible to understand why Cabellenus was attracted to her, and the evaluation had not changed at all since the time he first met her.

However, looking at Alicia now, he thought he could change his mind.

Although there was nothing particularly different about her face, the atmosphere around Alicia was very different from before.

Alicia, dressed in lighter attire and her hair tied up, was elegant and dignified, making it comparable to being an aristocrat of any family.

The thought that she was a princess in ruin or a slave no longer came to mind.

 

“……I was worried that my lady might have felt uncomfortable.”

Gazeff belatedly repeated his original words and briefly coughed.

No matter how surprised he was, it was disloyal to look at the future Grand Duchess in this manner.

It was terrible to think about what would have happened if Cabellenus had seen how he was reacting right now.

“No, it wasn’t uncomfortable.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Your Grace has decided to go directly to the dining room so you can make your way there too.”

Gazeff tried to smile as usual but turned his head awkwardly away from the gaze he encountered.

He tried to accept it calmly, but after all, Alicia’s present appearance was too strange.

It seemed like he was looking at a totally different woman.

“Is it okay to have a meal with Your Grace in Schwarhan?”

Alicia’s face brightened noticeably at the long-awaited news of Cabellenus.

Although everyone was kind, she missed Cabellenus.

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“Yes, of course. You must be feeling hungry, so let’s quickly go to the dining room. The dishes made by the chef of Schwarhan Castle are very delicious. I’m sure you’ll definitely love it.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Alicia, who was shyly blushing, was a familiar sight to Gazeff.

Gazeff finally breathed a sigh of relief and resumed his role as Alicia’s attendant.