Chapter 16
Cheres looked at Chloe with icy eyes.
Without warning, she had barged into his office and plopped herself down right beside him.
Bogus, who had been sitting there only moments earlier…
Had been kicked out of his own seat.
He stared at the situation in disbelief.
After only a few days, Bogus already looked haggard.
His complexion had noticeably darkened as he glared irritably at the disaster he himself had brought upon them.
Swinging her feet cheerfully, Chloe rested her chin on one hand.
In a bright, lively voice, she said,
“Cheres, don’t you think this mansion is far too gloomy?”
“How about I redecorate it?”
“No.”
Without even looking up from the documents on his desk, Cheres gave a flat reply.
As expected…
It was another pointless suggestion.
To begin with…
Chloe didn’t even have the authority to make such changes.
“Why not?!”
“If I do it, it’ll become so much prettier—”
“No.”
“If we just add some light-colored fabric and ribbons, everything will feel completely different!”
“We can start with the entrance hall…”
“And I’ll personally decorate your room, Cheres.”
“No.”
Cheres repeated the exact same answer in the same emotionless tone.
Talking to him was like talking to a brick wall.
But Chloe had already disappeared into her own fantasy.
“We’ll replace those old curtains…”
“Change the sofa covers…”
“And if we put some artificial flowers above the fireplace, the whole atmosphere will—”
“Chloe.”
“I said no.”
Even after being rejected outright…
She refused to give up.
She followed Cheres everywhere.
While he prepared for meetings…
While he traveled to the Knights’ headquarters by the coast…
She tailed him the entire time.
She even stood beside him while he discussed troop deployment with the Knight Commander, happily swaying the hem of her dress.
While Cheres was checking the knights’ weapon inventory…
She chirped beside him,
“Cheres, do you think ivory curtains would look better?”
“Or pale pink?”
At last…
While they were riding in the carriage…
Cheres spoke in a low, exhausted voice.
His expression clearly showed he’d had enough.
“How much will it cost?”
“Just as I expected!”
“I knew you’d trust me, Cheres!”
“The atmosphere of a home is incredibly important!”
“They always say that when a household is harmonious, everything else goes well too.”
“Roana has absolutely no sense for these things.”
“Just leave everything to me!”
It wasn’t so much that he’d willingly given her money…
As that he’d paid her simply to make her go away.
At that moment…
Cheres had absolutely no idea…
What kind of pink catastrophe would descend upon the mansion the following day.
The Real Disaster
The real problem began the next morning.
The moment I opened my bedroom door…
The hallway…
Was pink.
“…?”
Pink ribbons had been wrapped around every pillar.
Soft pink satin fabric draped down from every chandelier.
The stair railings were coiled with ribbons like enormous snakes.
Even the suit of armor standing at the end of the hallway…
Had a ribbon tied around it.
According to Mrs. Urein…
That armor had belonged to the Duke from five generations ago.
He had worn it into battle against monsters and achieved a glorious victory.
Although…
He later died from the injuries he sustained in that battle.
The armor itself had been carefully repaired and preserved as a treasured relic.
Mrs. Urein had once spoken of it with obvious pride.
Now…
A dainty pink ribbon rested shyly on top of its imposing helmet.
The armor looked as though it wanted to cry.
Standing before it…
Mrs. Urein looked utterly pale.
She held another pink ribbon in her hand.
Her expression resembled that of someone who had just received a death sentence.
I cautiously walked over to her.
“Mrs. Urein…”
“…As soon as morning came…”
“Lady Chloe brought in a whole group of workers…”
Mrs. Urein let out a long, weary sigh.
“They said…”
“His Grace had already given permission.”
“And Cheres?”
“He’s already left for the Knights.”
“He won’t return until this afternoon.”
As she spoke…
The light had completely disappeared from her eyes.
“…I’ll fix everything.”
“I promise.”
I removed the ribbon from the armor and placed it into Mrs. Urein’s hand.
Then I nodded firmly.
With a gloomy expression…
She slowly nodded back.
In every possible sense…
Chloe was a disaster.
Cheres Returns
It wasn’t until late afternoon that Cheres finally came home.
By then…
Hayden had already spent quite some time happily pulling at the ribbons.
Meanwhile…
The woman responsible for turning the mansion into this spectacle…
Had simply announced,
“I worked so hard today that I’m exhausted.”
“I’m heading home now.”
And left.
The moment Cheres stepped into the entrance hall…
He froze.
He stared silently at the brilliant sea of pink decorations for about three full seconds.
Then…
He slowly turned toward me.
I honestly didn’t know how to describe the expression on his face.
“They told me…”
“This was something you approved.”
“…This isn’t what I approved.”
The veins at Cheres’ temple visibly bulged.
He took a slow, deep breath.
Behind him…
Bogus stood completely pale.
Well…
There was no way anyone could see this scene and remain calm.
Bogus opened his mouth…
Then closed it again.
I watched him squeeze his eyes shut in despair.
While I was observing his reaction…
Cheres reached a decision.
“…I’ll deal with it.”
“I suppose the best solution is to burn all of these hideous things.”
“No.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“I only waited because everyone said this had your permission.”
“May I clean everything up myself?”
“…Please do.”
Cheres pressed a hand against his forehead.
The veins stood out across the back of his hand as he rubbed his temples.
Behind him…
Bogus nodded so violently it looked like his head might fall off.
His face practically screamed regret.
This…
This is exactly what people mean by reaping what you sow.
At this rate…
I felt certain it wouldn’t be long before Bogus himself begged for Chloe to be dismissed.
That…
Was the moment I’d been waiting for.
Of course…
I had no intention of leaving the mansion looking like this for very long.
I immediately called Mrs. Urein and all the maids.
Together…
We began restoring the estate.
In order to recover the dignity and prestige of House Beredan…
Mrs. Urein gritted her teeth while painstakingly removing the adhesive Chloe had used to stick ribbons onto the historic armor.
The butterfly effect Chloe had unleashed…
Was now sweeping through the entire mansion.
The Aftermath
Naturally…
There was no way Chloe would quietly accept what happened.
The following morning…
She arrived for work…
Only to find the mansion completely restored to its original appearance.
“What?!”
“Who touched my masterpiece?!”
Her shrill scream echoed throughout the entire first floor.
Thanks to that…
Hayden woke from his morning nap much earlier than usual.
“Waaahhh!”
Hayden’s crying mixed together with Chloe’s shrieking.
Chloe stormed straight toward me.
Standing in front of me while I was trying to comfort Hayden…
She exploded.
“Did you remove everything, Your Grace?!”
“Do you know how much effort I put into that?!”
“Chloe.”
“Hayden is crying.”
“Please lower your voice.”
“That’s not the important issue!”
Trying to calm an excited Chloe…
Was impossible.
Hayden, who had just begun settling down…
Immediately burst into tears again because of her shouting.
I sighed.
Fortunately…
I’d already anticipated something like this.
No matter how wild Chloe was…
She still had parents.
So…
I’d already sent someone in haste to House Maleite.
When I’d asked Mrs. Urein about Countess Maleite…
She’d described her as,
“A very upright, honorable, and steadfast woman.”
Then she’d added,
“She’s probably the only person capable of keeping Lady Chloe under control.”
At the time…
Mrs. Urein had been saying those words while holding a bottle of adhesive remover.
Thankfully…
It took less than an hour for Countess Maleite’s carriage to arrive.
During that entire hour…
Chloe had continued screeching like an enraged pig.
By then…
Hayden had cried himself to sleep from exhaustion.
The moment Countess Maleite saw her daughter shouting at me…
Her expression instantly turned ice-cold.
Noticing her mother’s arrival…
Chloe immediately quieted down.
Could you stay quiet, please?
Countess Maleite bowed politely.
“I greet Your Grace.”
“I am the one who oversees House Maleite.”
“Please feel free to call me Lady Fiona.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Fiona.”
“I’m sorry you had to come because of something like this.”
“I sincerely apologize for my daughter’s rudeness.”
“I beg you to forgive her childish behavior.”
“Mother!”
Chloe turned toward her mother with an aggrieved expression.
In a calm voice…
Countess Maleite called her daughter’s name.
“Chloe.”
“Explain exactly what you are doing.”
“How dare you…”
She paused deliberately between each word.
“…Raise your voice…”
“…At the Duchess.”
It couldn’t have been easy to pour that much anger into such a composed tone.
Chloe visibly shrank.
“W-Well…”
“I only wanted to make the mansion prettier…”
“For Cheres…”
“We’re leaving.”
“Mother!”
“Immediately.”
Countess Maleite grabbed Chloe by the arm and began dragging her away.
Even in the middle of that…
She didn’t forget to bow respectfully to me.
Although Chloe looked utterly wronged…
She couldn’t overcome her mother.
Watching Countess Maleite’s retreating figure…
I could almost feel decades of accumulated patience…
And exhaustion…
Resting upon her shoulders.
Perhaps…
Countess Maleite was actually the strongest person in the entire South.
