A Change of Husband - Chapter 17

People who saw them for the first time found it hard to believe that Asilie and Lydia were sisters.

 

It was understandable—besides looking different, their personalities were completely opposite.

 

Unlike Asilie, who only spoke when necessary and was careful by nature, Lydia was cheerful and lively. She made friends quickly, even with strangers.

 

One might expect frequent arguments between such different sisters, but surprisingly, they rarely fought.

 

Partly it was because Asilie often gave in first, but also because Lydia treated her older sister with more care and caution than she did with others.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

But today was different.

 

Lydia couldn’t hold back anymore.

 

She knew Asilie had never dated before and was clueless when it came to love, but this was just too much.

 

“Did you sell your sense of awareness or something?!”

 

“I’m sorry, Lydia, but I really don’t understand what’s going on. Why are you acting like this?”

 

Usually quick-witted and good at judging situations, Asilie was bafflingly clueless about things like this.

 

Just as Lydia was about to scold her, a sudden suspicion crossed her mind and she asked cautiously,

 

“Wait, how long has it been since you got married?”

 

“Hmm… maybe three weeks? About a month?”

 

“Then… is this your first date since getting married?”

 

“It’s not exactly a date, but if you mean going out together… then yes, except for social gatherings.”

 

“Oh my god.”

 

Her stupid sister had included her on her first date with her husband.

 

Lydia wanted to clutch her head and pass out right there.

 

What made it worse was Asilie’s reaction. She just blinked those big eyes like she had no idea what the problem was. Lydia felt like she had a mountain to climb.

 

‘Even if I explain it, will she get it?’

 

Lydia let out a heavy sigh.

 

“Is there a problem?”

 

“A problem? Oh, there are lots of problems…”

 

While Lydia was mumbling to herself, there was a sudden knock at the door.

 

Both sisters turned toward it at the same time.

 

“This is Sophia, my lady. May I come in?”

 

“Sophia?”

 

“Oh, I was going to introduce you anyway. Come in.”

 

With Asilie’s permission, Sophia entered the bedroom.

 

She didn’t seem tired at all, despite it being early morning—she looked full of energy.

 

She was carrying a mountain of clothes in both arms, and Lydia stared nervously at her slender arms, worried they might break.

 

“I thought the dress you wore to the palace banquet suited you well, so I made a few similar styles with small changes. I also brought some dresses that would be comfortable as nightwear or loungewear…”

 

Sophia was excitedly talking about her work when she finally noticed Lydia and stopped mid-sentence.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry! I was just eager to show everything right away…”

 

“It’s fine. First, put those clothes down.”

 

At Asilie’s instruction, Sophia reluctantly set down the heavy dresses.

 

She tried to act like it was nothing, but the sisters both saw the brief flash of relief cross her face.

 

“By the way, she is…?”

 

Noticing Sophia’s curiosity, Asilie smiled and introduced Lydia.

 

“My younger sister, Lydia. Say hello.”

 

“Oh!”

 

Sophia had heard about Lydia while chatting with the maids at the Medici mansion.

 

But since the two looked so different, she hadn’t connected what she heard with the person she now saw.

 

They only shared amber eyes—and even those looked different because of the shape.

 

“Nice to meet you, miss. I’m Sophia, the duchy’s exclusive designer.”

 

Sophia politely curtsied.

 

Lydia’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Exclusive designer?”

 

She had already guessed something from the way Sophia struggled with the pile of dresses, but she hadn’t expected this.

 

“Yes, that’s right.”

 

“Exclusive designer?!”

 

“Um… yes, that’s correct…”

 

Sophia had smiled shyly and nodded at first, but Lydia’s surprised tone made her a little flustered.

 

It turned out their personalities were just as different as their looks.

 

“Oh my god! That’s amazing!”

 

“Do you… have something you need me to do?”

 

“I need your help.”

 

At Lydia’s words, both Sophia and Asilie asked at once.

 

“Help?”

 

“Help? Lydia, what kind of help?”

 

“Of course, it’s not for me—it’s for my sister.”

 

Caught off guard, Asilie pointed to herself.

 

“Me?”

 

“Sophia, my sister says she’s going to the theater with the duke next Wednesday. She needs a dress for it.”

 

“What on earth are you talking about, Lydia?!”

 

“Is that true, my lady?”

 

Asilie had been about to scold Lydia for spreading rumors about the outing, but Sophia’s excited voice stopped her in her tracks. All she could do was nod awkwardly.

 

“Goodness, why didn’t you say anything?”

 

“…Is it really that important?”

 

“It is!”

 

“Of course it is!”

 

Asilie was completely overwhelmed by the two women’s intensity.

 

If it were an official social event, maybe she’d understand. But this was just an informal outing.

 

Even though Sophia was the official designer, Asilie hadn’t wanted to burden her with unnecessary work. That’s why she hadn’t mentioned it—but now she wondered if she had made the wrong decision.

 

Lydia could read her sister’s thoughts just from her expression.

 

‘So clueless.’

 

Shaking her head, Lydia stood up.

 

“I’m done eating. I’ll skip breakfast today.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I think I need to have a deep talk with Sophia. Can I go?”

 

Worried she might cause trouble, Asilie looked over at Sophia.

 

Interpreting the look as asking for her opinion, Sophia nodded quickly.

 

“I have plenty of time.”

 

“But Lydia…”

 

“I’d also love to spend time with the young lady, my lady. And if you find anything uncomfortable with the dresses or nightgowns I brought, just send a maid to let me know.”

 

Thinking the matter was settled, Lydia quickly stepped next to Sophia.

 

“Shall we go, then?”

 

“Oh, and no need to be so formal. Hohoho.”

 

Without even waiting for Asilie’s answer, the two linked arms like old friends and disappeared like the wind.

 

At the time, Asilie had no idea she would come to deeply regret bringing together energetic Lydia and loyal Sophia.

 

“Lady, how about this one? The dress you wore last time with the exposed shoulders suited you so well, so this time I tried a design with an open back. Is it too intense?”

 

“I think it’s great.”

 

“I knew Miss Lydia would like it. It’s already a trending design in other countries.”

 

Asilie furrowed her brow tiredly, thinking she didn’t understand why Lydia’s opinion was so important when it came to her dress.

 

The trouble had begun since she had inadvertently allowed them to talk to each other that day.

 

“Miss hasn’t been sleeping in her room.”

 

“Lydia? Is she sneaking out of the mansion?”

 

“Well, it seems like she’s been staying up all night in the head designer’s studio.”

 

“What?”

 

Asilie frowned. She had noticed Lydia’s face growing increasingly tired, much like Sophia’s dark circles, but she had no idea this was the cause.

 

In reality, Lydia didn’t seem like she was very close to her older sister and brother-in-law, but she did want to help their relationship grow a little, even if only in a small way. However, Asilie, who had no idea of this, sighed, holding her head.

 

“Why is she doing this…”

 

“What do you mean why? Of course, it’s natural. It’s her first date with her brother-in-law, and you think she’ll just wear any old thing?”

 

“Well, it’s not an official event, but Sophia hasn’t been sleeping and is working hard, so I can’t help but feel sorry for her.”

 

“Oh my! No, Lady. You should give her your full support. There will be many other nobles at the theater. In fact, there are some who are even more concerned with looking their best for such occasions.”

 

“You heard that, didn’t you? In a situation like this, how could I let Sophia suffer alone?”

 

Faced with their pressing comments, Asilie felt more and more like she was losing control.

 

The card she had to play in this situation was, in the end, the “etiquette lesson.”

 

“Not Sophia, but you can’t do this, Lydia.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You’re part of the Medici Mansion now. And you’re going to the theater with us next Wednesday, so what do you think the other nobles will say if they see you not even knowing basic etiquette?”

 

Lydia’s face stiffened at those words.

 

She had already been struggling with the etiquette lessons she had just started recently, and Asilie was now asking her to take even more lessons, which could push Lydia to her breaking point.

 

“I heard your progress in your lessons has been slow.”

 

“Well… it’s because I never learned them before, so I’m still not used to them. But I’ll get better soon.”

 

“Well, I find that hard to believe. I heard from Baroness Airis that you’re not the most diligent student.”

 

Baroness Airis, who was in charge of Lydia’s lessons, had also taught Asilie at the Grand Duke’s household.

 

As a result, she couldn’t help but compare Lydia’s progress to Asilie’s, but what the Baroness didn’t know was that Asilie already had seven years of social experience.

 

Lydia, though not a particularly brilliant student, was now seen as lazy and undisciplined, thanks to her exceptionally talented older sister.

 

Lydia wasn’t very enthusiastic about her etiquette lessons, but there was a sense of unfairness in her that couldn’t be ignored.

 

“From tomorrow, I’ll be testing you on the etiquette lessons you learned that day in the afternoon. If you don’t pass, I won’t allow you to meet with Sophia. Sophia, you wouldn’t want to interfere with Lydia’s studies, would you?”

 

“Of course not, Lady. I believe Lydia can do it!”

 

It seemed like they were in the clear, but this was a miscalculation on Asilie’s part, underestimating Lydia’s determination.

 

Starting the very next day, Lydia scored 100 points every time on her tests.

 

It was a frightening focus.

 

Asilie had to raise both her hands and feet in surrender when she saw Lydia, who finished what took her over a month to learn in just three days.

 

 

“I’m so tired.”

 

Asilie complained, and Esperad chuckled softly.

 

To her, it felt like a serious matter, but to him, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

 

Since Lydia came to the Medici Mansion, Asilie looked a little more tired but also a lot brighter.

 

Their quiet days, with little conversation and somewhat awkward silences, had slowly started to change.

 

“It seems your sister-in-law is bothering you again.”

 

“I wish she would ease up, but I think she finds it fun.”

 

“If your sister-in-law enjoys helping the designer, wouldn’t it be fine to just let her do it?”

 

“Well…”

 

Asilie trailed off, looking troubled.

 

“Honestly, I do feel a little sorry. I haven’t been able to stop her more actively because of that.”

 

“Sorry?”

 

“You probably already know, but we were terribly poor. There were days we didn’t even have a proper meal. I’ve felt so hungry at times that I thought I might die. We were just grateful to have something to wear.”

 

Asilie gave a bitter smile.

 

Their father had been in massive debt. They had no money, no food, and no decent clothes or a home.

 

“Father sold the noble title and even the castle to fight poverty. But in the end, he couldn’t win.”

 

Even after selling his honor, all he got was a small sum of money.

 

He used that money to feed his starving daughters.

 

Had it been possible to sell their bloodline, he would have done it—such was the severity of their poverty.

 

The reason they ended up in such dire circumstances wasn’t just because of their father. He was naïve and easy to deceive, so he was taken advantage of.

 

Before he was beaten to death by creditors who couldn’t collect their debts, their father always lived with a sense of guilt.

 

Though the daughters had anger in their hearts, they never blamed their father, who did his best.

 

It was the right thing to do. Had they let their bitterness show, they would have been burdened with guilt for the rest of their lives.

 

“If Lydia had shown an interest in such things, she probably wouldn’t have been able to voice it in front of that poverty.”

 

And Asilie understood that because she had lived it.

 

“If Lydia really is interested in Sophia’s work, then I’m just glad she’s found something she likes. That’s why it’s hard for me to tell her not to do it.”

 

“Then shouldn’t you just watch her, no matter what she does? Are you worried about the perception of making clothes?”

 

“No, not at all. If it weren’t for you, she’d probably be living and dying as a commoner. I don’t care about that.”

 

“Then don’t make yourself miserable by overthinking.”

 

Esperad spoke gently as he patted her shoulder.

 

The warmth from his touch, through her thin clothing, was a great comfort to her.

 

Asilie realized she had been talking too gloomily and quickly changed the subject.

 

“I’ll try not to. Anyway, even in all this, there are some pretty dresses.”

 

“Your sister-in-law seems quite talented.”

 

“Well, it’s more that she recommends dresses that I like or designs that would suit me.”

 

“Indeed, your sister-in-law knows you better than anyone and will help you find the most fitting clothes.”

 

“Ah, it’s all thanks to Sophia’s talent.”

 

“I won’t deny that she’s a talented designer. I also think it was a wise decision to hire her as our in-house designer.”

 

“Did you like the tailcoat you wore at the royal banquet?”

 

“That was nice, but what I really liked was the change to the servant uniforms. Everyone says the new uniforms are more comfortable and easier to maintain.”

 

Asilie’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

Sophia, who had been working tirelessly on her dresses, had also been designing the servant uniforms?

 

Now that she thought about it, the maids’ uniforms had indeed changed. She hadn’t noticed before…

 

“I didn’t even realize the uniforms had changed. I’m just glad you like them.”

 

“In the end, it’s all thanks to you.”

 

“No, I really didn’t do much.”

 

“You did, Asilie. I’ve realized a lot. I always thought I should treat those who are already here well, but I never thought to support those with potential.”

 

Esperad’s praise made Asilie blush.

 

All she had done was hire a designer who would one day make a name for herself, but it was Sophia who did all the work. Hearing that she was the reason behind the changes made her feel embarrassed.

 

“Do you know that Madame Marce is very happy?”

 

Esperad, noticing her bashfulness, smoothly changed the subject.

 

“Madame Marce?”

 

“She’s been quite unhappy with the maid uniforms. She really likes the designer now.”

 

“Oh, that explains why Lydia and Sophia were bringing tea to her so often when they were working. I didn’t realize that was the reason.”

 

Esperad smiled as he saw her understanding.

 

Indeed, good changes were taking place at the Medici Mansion.

 

As the day’s work came to an end, chatting about the events of the day helped relieve some of the accumulated fatigue.

 

Nowadays, talking before bed had become so enjoyable that it made her reluctant to sleep early.

 

On days when she did fall asleep early, she felt a bit lonely.

 

It was the same for both Esperad and Asilie.

 

The couple didn’t yet realize that this was the process of becoming a family.