Standing motionless, Edith's rosy ears, parted lips, slender nape, and curving shoulders and sternum made him giddy.
'What am I doing?'
The embarrassment and panic that came with the realization forced me to blurt out something like, "You did a good job helping my mother, just keep doing what you're doing and don't think about anything weird."
I also remember that Edith had only had her clothes altered at Ruayal's boutique, so I told her that she could call another boutique.
I admit that I didn't say it in a gentlemanly way. But I didn't expect to be criticized by her.
"It's not like I did anything wrong, you just hate me...... I can see why you'd want to blame me, it would make you feel better."
"It's cowardly."
Why did I have to hear that?
My head was spinning. The more I thought about it, the more my temples throbbed.
"You don't know anything about me, Killian. Nothing."
Why did that woman's face look so sad when she said that?
And she was right.
Killian knows nothing about Edith.
From the beginning, he had seen her only as 'Count Riegelhoff's daughter', and everything he had assumed about her was based on his impressions of Count Riegelhoff.
"Ugh......"
The pain started at his temple and spread to his entire head, until it felt like his skull was going to crack.
"Killian......?"
And when Lizé's voice was heard from somewhere, his throbbing head gradually got better.
"Lizé......?"
Lizé, who often came to watch Killian and Cliff's sparring, was on her way to the training ground today as well.
Killian was relieved that the pain was fading.
"Killian, what's wrong, are you hurt?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine."
He could smell the fresh scent of violets as Lizé looked up at him with concern.
'Yeah, I like the faint scent of violets. The strong rose scent is just disgusting.'
With that thought in mind, his head felt better.
"I'm really okay, Lizé. I've been dealing with an asshole of a woman this morning, and I just wanted to take a moment to–"
"Did you meet Edith......?"
"I came to warn her not to get her hopes up."
"Killian!"
"I didn't say anything mean, I just......"
Killian couldn't really explain why he'd stopped by Edith's room, not at the moment.
But with Lizé by his side, he didn't have to think too hard about it.
'She's just a spy sent in by Count Riegelhoff, and if she hates her situation, she should blame her father.'
With that thought, Killian pushed Edith's sad eyes out of his mind.
He tried to erase them.
***
After Killian left, I had to find something to occupy myself with for a few days to keep my mind off of him.
If I wasn't doing something, I'd soon find myself thinking about Killian's cold words, which felt like a knife to my heart.
'In times like this, you need to get out.'
In my past life, when I was feeling a little down, I would fill a large tumbler with iced Americano and walk outside.
I especially loved going to big malls, where window shopping or sitting on a bench and people-watching would cheer me up.
It was also frustrating to be stuck inside the mansion ever since I possessed Edith.
I deliberately stayed at home to avoid the route of the original Edith, who is out partying and gossiping about Lizé, but I thought, wouldn't it be nice to go out and explore the town?
As soon as I made up my mind, I called Anna.
"Anna, let's go out."
For the first time, Anna's eyes widened in surprise at the out-of-the-blue outing.
But she didn't question or look troubled.
"Yes, my lady. I will inform the Duchess, and we will be ready to go out immediately."
"Yes, please."
While Anna went off to inform the Duchess, I took a small bag and packed the jewelry I had removed from my dress when it was altered.
Then I opened my wardrobe and rummaged through it, choosing something to wear. Doing this seemed to lighten my gloomy mood.
Anna returned to convey the Duchess' permission and put a dress on me.
"Where are you going out?"
"Actually, that's what I was going to ask you, where do you think it would be fun to go out? To be honest, I've never been out on the town by myself before."
Again, Anna's eyes widened.
But she quickly lowered her gaze, as if she'd been trained not to ask back.
"I guess it depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for cute clothing stores, accessory stores, and dessert cafes, Le Belle-Marie Street is a good place to start, or if you're looking for banks, galleries, the opera house, and upscale cafes, the Darsus Street will be fine."
"Let's go to Darsus Street."
"Yes, miss."
Thanks to Anna, who had calmly arranged the outing without asking any unnecessary questions, I climbed into the carriage in good spirits without having to make any excuses.
The view from the carriage window was enough to get me excited.
'This is the downtown of the Rofan world!'
The early modern European streets were laid out to my liking, with little in the way of antiquity.
It was like walking through a theme park decorated in a European style.
As I stared out the carriage window, the carriage turned left at a large intersection and onto a street lined with stately stone buildings.
"We've arrived, miss."
"Okay!"
Anna instructed the coachman to go to a carriage waiting somewhere along this street and came to stand beside me.
"Do you have somewhere to stop?"
"Uh, yes. I'd like to stop by a jeweler first."
"There are several famous jewelers."
"I'd like to go to one that gives a good price for gems, do you know where it is?"
Anna thought for a moment and then suggested three places: Amabile, Datrias, and Rootpican.
"How do you know so much, Anna? You seem to know everything in the world."
"You're too kind."
Of course, she is probably an extra created by the author to avoid boring and uninteresting narratives, but I couldn't be happier to have a character by my side who knows the answer every time I ask her a question.
Who needs the internet? I have Anna!
"Let's go to Amabile first, then."
I circled the jewelry store with light steps. Luckily, the diamonds I brought out were of high quality, so I was able to get a much higher price than I expected.
The highest bidder was Datrias, but they said they could only pay by check, so I sold it to the next highest bidder, Amabile, for all cash.
"Let's go to the bank this time."
"The bank is right over there."
Anna pointed to a sturdy-looking building in the middle of the street.
'I wonder if this is how Harry Potter felt when he first visited the Gringotts Wizarding Bank?'
I thought back to the fantasy novels I'd enjoyed reading in my previous life as I walked through the bank's main entrance, lined with massive columns like a Greek temple, and stepped inside.
"Thank you for visiting the Central Bank of Mallen."
A man clad like a butler greeted me politely as I entered the bank.
Unlike the bank in my previous life, this one looked more like a library.
"Please tell me what brings you here, and I'll help you out."
"I'm here to make a safe in my name."
"I see, then this way."
I followed the man's lead to the teller's window, where the chairs were plush and luxurious, and the interior of the bank must have been equally so.
'Well, this is a bank for nobles.'
I looked around curiously and smiled at the teller's greeting.
"You want to open a safe deposit box?"
"Yes, sir. A safe in my name, one that only I can open."
"There are three types of safes. A small safe for 10 million sennas or less, a medium safe for 100 million sennas or less, and a large safe for more. Which one would you like me to open for you? By the way, starting with the medium-sized safe, we charge a maintenance fee in proportion to the amount you entrust to us."
I have just over 5 million sennas in cash from the jewelry exchange, and I have taken 4 million sennas from my savings cash.
I think I'll get to 10 million sennas in no time, and I don't need to pay the maintenance fee up front.
"I'll open a small safe for now, and we'll switch to a medium later."
"Okay, then please sign the opening agreement."
Nervous but nonchalant, I read the opening agreement carefully and then coolly signed it.
But I didn't forget to use a pseudonym, just in case.
Then I handed over 9 million sennas to be deposited in the safe.
It was a lot of money to me, but I wasn't surprised to see that it was nothing in the eyes of a bank employee who sees money every day.
"When you withdraw money, you will be asked a few questions to verify your identity, along with a password and a signature. If you get one wrong, you won't be able to withdraw the money, so don't forget your password."
"Okay. Thank you."
I walked out of the bank, feeling as grandiose as an elementary school kid with his first passbook.
I was relieved to find the last 300,000 sennas in my bag after opening the safe.
"Now let's go get something to eat, Anna."
Hungry, I headed toward Anna's recommended restaurant and was surprised to see a long line outside a dessert cafe.