# Chapter 11. The Young Lady Who Still Finds Love Difficult (4)
After parting ways with Kaji and his gang, Cecilia and I were heading towards a clothing store.
However, maybe due to disillusionment with Rab’s past, Cecilia walked silently without uttering a word.
The awkwardness surrounding us was suffocating.
‘Damn you, Rab! What do you think you’re doing hanging out with those scumbags who only see you as a cash cow! What if Cecilia is extremely disappointed in me because of this…?’
I glanced at Cecilia, but whenever our eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.
‘It’s not even my karma, yet here I am suffering… Haa…’
Lost in cursing Rab, we soon arrived at the clothing store.
“Welcome… uh?”
The shop assistant, drawn by the sound of the bell by the door, rushed over but froze upon seeing my face.
Great, trouble is already anticipated…
“I’m here to look at clothes for my cousin.”
“Uh?… Ah, yes! Please come in!”
Preoccupied with me, the assistant hadn’t noticed Cecilia beside me. Once she did, she managed a forced smile and guided us inside.
Certainly, she must have judged that dealing with Cecilia is a hundred times better than dealing with me.
What on earth has this guy done to elicit such reactions?
“Here… these are our latest designs for ladies. Is there anything that catches your eye…?”
“We should try them on first to decide.”
“Y-Yes! Let’s proceed to the fitting room then! For the young master’s cousin? If you would follow me here…”
“Ah, yes…”
Thus, as Cecilia went into the fitting room with the shop assistant, I waited in the nearby lounge, flipping through the catalog.
“Excuse me… Hello, Young Master Rab. I’m Melhen, the manager of this store.”
Looking up at the greeting, I saw a young woman bowing before me.
I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…
“Ah, Miss Melhen. What do you need?”
“Ah, there’s no particular errand. I merely wanted to inquire if there’s anything the young master might need…”
“…No, I’m fine.”
I understand why Melhen, this female manager, seems uneasy.
In recent years, the Netorie estate has risen in prominence due to large-scale mine developments.
As the saying goes, where there’s money, merchants gather. With the increased wealth of our estate, numerous merchants have relocated here hoping to profit.
It’s not just the mining business; jobs in clothing, food, and construction have flooded the estate, transforming what was once a small village into a thriving city.
So the son of the lord of such a burgeoning estate has come to her shop, and worse, he’s the notorious troublemaker. It’s only natural that she’s anxious about avoiding any issues.
Even though I’ve reassured her that everything’s fine, Melhen still seems restless.
Deciding to help calm her down, I continued the conversation.
“How many years have you been in this business?”
“Ah, you mean me? I inherited this family business… our main branch is in the capital, but I came to this estate two years ago to start my own shop.”
Two years… judging by the fact that she’s managed to keep her store running for two short years, she must be fairly competent.
Incompetent shops are weeded out and disappear.
Looking around the store again, the quality of her clothing indeed seems solid.
Frankly, the noble attire in this world tends to be overly ostentatious, but Melhen’s designs have a casual elegance reminiscent of my past life.
“How’s business here?”
“……To be honest, it’s not going well…”
“Why not?”
“Apparently, the fashion style I pursue doesn’t quite match the tastes of the nobility…”
Indeed, the nobles here like to flaunt their wealth.
They’ll go into debt just to acquire expensive and rare items to showcase their riches.
The clean and tidy designs of Melhen’s clothing probably don’t satisfy their craving for extravagance.
Even if adorned with jewels and precious metals, the original designs lack the flamboyance these noble clients seek.
As I glanced around the shop at the mannequins, my eyes inadvertently fell on an unfinished gown tucked away in a corner.
“……Is that?! What’s that?”
“Oh, you mean that dress? It’s still unfinished… I’m experimenting with various styles, but haven’t hit on a good idea yet. Heh heh…”
Spotting the incomplete gown in the corner, I immediately grabbed Melhen’s hand to prevent her from fleeing.
“You!”
“Kyaaa! Y-yes?”
“Can’t you see it belongs to me now?”
With a swish—
“Master?”
And there stood Cecilia, having just changed into another gown.
But Young Lady? You look like you’re about to faint. Are you alright?
A date with Young Master Rab.
Cecilia had briefly felt grateful to the Countess for arranging this private time with Rab, but her mood soon soured.
“Long time no see, Rab! I haven’t seen you around much lately. Who’s this lovely young lady you’ve brought along?”
A group of unsavory men approached Cecilia and Rab.
Though their behavior reeked of troublemakers, Cecilia felt more irritation than fear.
‘Ugh… this is supposed to be my date with the Young Master. Who are these men?’
From their conversation, she could tell they had some past acquaintance with Rab. But knowing the current Rab is different from the rumors, Cecilia could only see them as a malicious crowd trying to harass her man.
What’s more, their gazes reminded Cecilia of the cold and repulsive looks her parents used to give her—treating her like an object.
“Hold on! Hmm, hmm. Rab, remember that tavern we went to last time? You seemed to like it. If our wealthy Young Master Rab foots the bill, I’m sure the ladies there would be thrilled. How about it?”
“Hmm…that might be difficult. I’m currently showing my cousin around the estate.”
Though he introduced her as his cousin, which saddened her slightly, Cecilia realized he was telling a white lie to protect her from potential scandals involving their engagement.
The arranged marriage between the ducal and count families.
While mutual love might make it simple, the problem lies in the fact that this arrangement is akin to a loan using their children as collateral.
If word spreads that the ducal family sold their child to the count family for money, it wouldn’t be good for Cecilia’s position either. So she silently resolved to follow Rab’s thoughtful lead.
“Guess all this noble talk isn’t familiar to a commoner like you, huh? You clearly didn’t understand our subtle hint to leave.”
“…”
“What? You’re talking back? You’ve started believing you’re a noble just because I associate with you. How utterly ridiculous.”
Though Rab’s firm rebuke to the leader, called Kaji, might appear to others as a reckless young man relying on his family’s backing, Cecilia understood differently.
The slight tremor in his hands unseen by others, the beads of sweat rolling down his cheek—
Yet his inner thoughts, prioritizing his own safety, were far from self-serving. The sight of him boldly stepping forward to hide his vulnerable side for his own happiness deeply moved Cecilia.
During the walk to the clothing store, her silence and avoidance of eye contact stemmed not from anger, but from embarrassment at revealing her own excitement.
“Y-Yes! Then we’ll start getting dressed here! The young master’s cousin, if you could come this way…”
“A, yes…”
Upon arriving at the clothing store, Cecilia entered the fitting room as instructed by the assistant and began trying on the selected attire.
“Beautiful…”
Though flustered by the assistant’s reactions, even a novice like Cecilia could see the store’s clothing was excellent.
Unlike the dazzlingly ornate garments adorned with jewels that her parents favored, the simple yet elegant style enhanced her grace. These were truly masterpieces.
“Excuse me, miss. Is it true you are related to Young Master Rab as cousins?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
She almost corrected the title to fiancé but caught herself, respecting Rab’s earlier decision.
“Please allow me to warn you… It would be best not to get too close to Young Master Rab. He runs with bad company and frequently changes women. His reputation as a playboy is well-known…”
“Hold your tongue.”
“!”
“You saw all this with your own eyes? Have you ever spoken to him? Have you worked alongside him?”
“Well… no, but the rumors-”
“Don’t pretend you know everything based solely on rumors. He is not that kind of person.”
Though the Rab from the past may have been different from the Rab now, people often judge others solely based on hearsay. As the foolish shop assistant spouted nonsense about this brave and admirable person, Cecilia struggled to contain her rising anger. After changing, she stepped out of the fitting room determined to display her new outfit.
“My, what do we have here?”
SWISH!
“Master?”
Looks like unwanted flies have joined the party in my absence.
What to do… should I get rid of them…?
(translation ends here based on provided text)
