-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: I Just Said That Because It's Beautiful
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The garden of the Duke of Dominica's estate is truly a beautiful place.
The only warm space within the cold and solemn family.
In that sunlit spot, rainbows bloom from the lion-sculpted fountain, and dark red roses symbolizing the Dominica family entice butterflies.
Thanks to this beautiful scenery, I often visited the garden too.
To use it as a sanctuary that drove away the stifling, chilly atmosphere of a noble house.
But at this moment, everything in the garden that always healed me had lost its light, frozen as still life.
Because my fiancée had pierced straight through my slip of the tongue from our first meeting.
I stared blankly at my fiancée, Laura Clarins, lost in thought.
'Was my compliment really that awful?'
Yes, I admit it was a poor choice of words.
She'd just introduced herself, and here I was babbling about her pupils—anyone would think I had zero communication skills.
Honestly, if Laura had greeted me with "Your eyes look like rotten mackerel," I might've reconsidered breaking off the engagement myself.
But still.
Didn't I try so hard afterward to make up for it? Shouldn't that count for something...?
We're barely going to see each other anyway—couldn't she just let it slide?
Inwardly cursing the ruthless chill of noble society, where even fiancés get no mercy, I replied.
"There's no other meaning."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I just said that because it's beautiful."
"..."
Laura stared at me blankly after my answer.
Her expression swirled with emotions I couldn't read.
To end the topic, I added,
"If my words offended you, I apologize. It was a trivial observation."
"...No. There's no need to apologize."
"I see."
Good, that settles my blunder.
Before Laura could bring up yesterday again, I quickly sat down and changed the subject.
"How's the tea?"
"It has a unique aroma. Is it produced by the Dominica family?"
I nodded.
"It's tea infused with the scent of Dominica roses. Familiar to the people here."
"I see."
With that, Laura brought the tea to her lips again.
But her expression twisted slightly, as if the aroma wasn't familiar at all.
I smiled faintly at the sight.
'It's definitely unfamiliar to first-timers.'
Dominica roses have an oddly faint citrus scent.
Like the fresh aroma from a tangerine or similar fruit.
Even I tilted my head the first time, wondering if fancy noble tea always smelled like this.
But once you get used to it, nothing beats it.
Especially when nursing a headache—if you sip it here in the garden, your worries seem to melt away.
That said, it's still a very distinctive flavor for newcomers.
Maybe switch teas next time.
Laura's from a count's family, after all—she must be picky about tea scents.
Broadening my horizons and trying her favorite could be a nice experience.
'I'll look into Laura's tastes later.'
Wonder what aroma she likes?
As I pondered that, Laura spoke with unusual urgency.
"It's unique, but I really like it. I'd love to have it again."
She said that and sipped again.
But her demeanor didn't look like she was enjoying it.
I tilted my head for a moment, then realized.
'Oh, did she think I got offended because she didn't say the family tea was good?'
Not really.
Of course it'd be nicer if she enjoyed it, but I wouldn't complain if it didn't suit her.
This tea is pretty unique, after all.
To clear up her misunderstanding, I said calmly,
"No need to force it. Tea is a matter of taste, and Dominica tea especially so."
"I'm not forcing it. And now... I can say I'm one of the Dominica family too."
With that, she gulped down more tea.
She even smiled lightly, as if proving her words.
I nodded readily.
"I'm glad."
Of course, I didn't take her words at face value.
No way she'd get used to the scent after just a couple sips.
She was probably just acting to accommodate me.
But her words left quite an impression.
'One of the Dominica family now, huh.'
Not wrong, technically.
If she marries me, no one could deny calling her that.
Though our wedding will never happen, being engaged gives her every right to say it.
But more important than the surface level is her intent.
This must be her way of showing goodwill.
Like, "We're engaged and will see each other often, so let's get along."
Pushing back would just dismiss that intent.
And it'd only worsen the image of my lacking communication skills from our first meeting.
Building a friendly rapport with her is exactly what I want—no reason to ruin it.
With that tacit agreement, we chatted in a much more relaxed atmosphere.
Mostly me talking, Laura chiming in.
I'd planned to learn about her through conversation, but she never steered it toward herself.
A bit odd, but—
'Well, it's the Dominica family.'
Coming alone to a house swirling with vicious rumors.
It's natural to hide yourself and gather info out of unease.
I can learn about Laura later.
I went along with the flow she set.
Did this raise my intimacy with Laura?
I hope so.
***
Laura Clarins was confused.
Her meeting with her fiancé, Leonardo Dominica, had gone in a direction she never imagined.
'What is this guy?'
He was truly strange.
A first impression matching the rumors, yet clumsy inner thoughts.
And the words he actually spoke were bizarre.
To the point she spent their brief first meeting with zero gains.
Of course, it wasn't solely his attitude's fault.
Laura herself had been just as off.
Unthinkingly, Laura rubbed her eyes.
'Jewel-like eyes...'
Was it a compliment?
Or words hiding another intent?
She couldn't tell.
But the moment she heard it, her composure crumbled pathetically.
It was something she'd never even dreamed of hearing.
To Laura, her eyes were a stigma.
A brand proving she was different from others.
This stigma had shattered her once-eternal paradise and forcibly exposed ugly secrets she never knew.
That's why, even after resolving to use this power to right her wrongs, Laura still loathed her eyes.
Let alone calling these purple eyes jewel-like?
The moment she heard it, her heart tore in two and thrashed.
A small Laura in her mind whispered excitedly.
[He complimented my eyes! Maybe he'll understand me? Accept me fully?]
But at the same time, the big Laura lodged in her head whispered gloomily.
[You're not falling for it again like an idiot, are you? No way. Deep down, he finds them horrifying.]
Laura's heart wavered at the small Laura's voice, but the big one's filled her head.
[Dad couldn't understand. Mom couldn't. Even the servants who've known me since birth couldn't. A guy I just met? Ridiculous.]
[He just said whatever to win you over. Can't have a bad relationship with his fiancée, so he tossed out cheap lip service.]
[Even if sincere now, once he learns what your eyes really are, he'll change his mind completely.]
Laura snapped to attention at big Laura's final words.
'...Right. That's how it'll go.'
Those words rang so convincingly true to her.
Because that's how it had always been.
Not long after her eyes turned purple, those around her still loved and worried for her.
Until they learned those eyes could read thoughts.
With her resolve hardened, small Laura whined with dripping reluctance.
[But he said they're prettyyy...]
Big Laura mocked her.
[He didn't say pretty, did he? Just jewel-like.]
[Isn't that code for "useful"? It's the Dominica family. They know the rumors. That's why they bought you.]
'...'
At big Laura's words, Laura's heart sank coldly.
And memories resurfaced.
The question of why the Duke of Dominica wanted the Clarins family.
Back then, caught in futility, she'd dismissed it briefly without an answer.
But revisiting the question brought a hypothesis she'd never considered.
'What if the Dominica family wanted not the Clarins house... but me?'
If they'd heard the rumors about her and confirmed they were true—
Then all the questions resolved.
Dominica had paid the Clarins with an engagement to acquire her eyes for use.
'I need to confirm.'
If her guess was right, her entire plan was for naught.
Knowing she could read thoughts, they'd have measures to prevent her from using it on Dominica.
'Even the weird thoughts from Leonardo might be—'
Laura's heart pounded unpleasantly.
Like someone squeezing it with a creepy grip.
Forgetting caution, she bluntly asked Leonardo,
"What did you mean yesterday?"
"What do you mean?"
"What you said about my eyes—what did you mean?"
After asking,
She flung her "eyes" wide open with all her might.
To catch not a single word of his inner thoughts.
And from his closed lips flowed words that shouldn't be visible.
[Was my compliment really that awful?]
Ah.
Compliment.
Leonardo had definitely said it that way.
As he spoke, the word sharpened.
"There's no other meaning."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I just said that because it's beautiful."
Beautiful.
My eyes.
So "jewel-like" meant beautiful.
My eyes.
"..."
Realizing that, Laura's mind blanked,
and small Laura in her heart screamed in joy.
[I told you! I told you!]
The voice boomed like a drum, pounding her heart.
A sound utterly different from before.
But Laura forced her composure back.
Because Leonardo's words reminded her of big Laura's.
[I'll look into Laura's tastes later.]
...Right now, he calls my eyes beautiful.
But would he still, knowing their secret?
Laura couldn't be sure.
So she claimed to like the ill-suited tea and blocked stories turning to her.
Hiding so he couldn't figure her out.
And under the blanket called secret, peeking only her eyes out, she thought,
'Not now.'
Not yet.
Neither my heart nor his.
So let's take more time and watch.
We're bound by engagement, after all.