Obviously, It's My Child - Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Translator: Effe
Editor: Yonnee
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“You seem dissatisfied with your capable fiancée?”
“Do I?”
Erich asked back in a bewildered way.
“Then who am I talking to besides you, Brother? Why? Jealous of me?”
“What nonsense.”
Erich clicked his tongue. Claire looked at her with a smile.
Lady Bettina greeted Claire first with a lively smile.
“Nice to meet you. I am Bettina Rommel.”
“You are Archduke Manfred’s daughter. It’s an honor to meet you, Lady.”
Archduke Manfred was the Emperor’s younger brother, and Erich’s maternal uncle.
His daughter, Lady Bettina, was the highest of the guests today, so Claire curtsied for the first time today.
“Please be at ease with me. We’re going to be a family soon.”
“Do I look uncomfortable?”
“It doesn’t look like that at all, but you’re being too formal.”
Lady Bettina laughed softly. Claire smiled after her. She was a friendly person, so there was nothing wrong with it.
“My parents didn’t come because of that. They might take away the attention that the two of you should be having. They wondered if you would feel uncomfortable meeting for the first time at a party like this.”
“Oh my. I’m fine.”
“It looks like you will. So I guess Brother likes you, Sister. Oh, by the way, can I call you Sister?”
“Sure.”
Claire didn’t hesitate at all. She was five years younger than her, so what’s the burden? It was burdensome for Erich as well, but she never felt submissive because of her status.
“By the way, I’ve been curious since before.”
Said Bettina, her voice raising an octave because of her excitement.
“Is it okay if I ask you about the dress you are wearing right now? It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this kind of cloth!”
Bettina asked in a slightly excited voice. Claire was just happy that a big customer showed interest from the start.
“This is a new printed fabric that will be handled in the future at the Weaving Guild. It’s smooth, right?”
She turned lightly on the spot, showing the fluttering of the dress.
Bettina’s eyes lit up, but she didn’t have a chance to ask her to show more. Erich wrapped his arms around Claire’s waist and said,
“Do business later.”
“I’m trying to open up a friendship with a conversation about common interests.”
Erich only snorted.
It was then that a new guest arrived.
“Schneider, ah, uh…”
The usher who was standing in front of the door was hesitant to say the name of the guest. Because Iris whispered not to call her name.
Rather, because of that, the eyes that were focused on Claire were distracted and moved to Iris.
The moment Iris’ figure caught their attention, the party hall became silent for an instant. Emotions were fluttering in their eyes.
Iris was wearing a plain, shabby gray dress. There were no ribbons, let alone any embroidery, and her petticoat was not even expanded. No jewelry was worn on her ears or neck.
She looked like someone who had sinned and went to church to do penance.
Combined with the attitude of asking the usher not to call her and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, a story came to life.
“Oh dear, oh dear, what is all this about, Lady Schneider?”
Louisa’s entourage, including Countess Pfaffenheim, approached Iris with a fuss. Several people surrounded Iris, following her.
“Fall hasn’t come yet, so why did the flowers lose their color already?”
“Are you okay? Are you not feeling well?”
“Ah.”
Iris blushed as she hesitantly put her hands together in front of her chest. She said in a low voice.
“It’s… nothing. I, just…”
She said in a trembling voice. Only one or two urged her to speak up, but everyone was staring at her lips.
“I was hated by… Baron Delford a lot, so…”
“Miss Iris…”
“She, wouldn’t want me, to dress in a fancy way…”
Iris said in a watery voice and dropped her head.
But she immediately denied it in a startled voice.
“Oh, it’s all my fault. That’s why I don’t think I should look fancy in a place like this…”
Tears welled up in her large eyes, as if they were about to drip from her eyes.
If this was a play or an opera, it was time to stand up and give a standing ovation. She was great at capturing emotions.
Iris looked really sad and pitiful, and she seemed like someone who suffered a great price for a small mistake.
‘Wow, are you saying that because I swept up the boutiques?’
If this was a cathedral, there would have been some truth to it.
But this is a party, and Iris showed off in shabby clothes that didn’t fit the place.
“Sorry. I… thought it was not right to come. But I thought I should congratulate you on your engagement.“
Iris looked at Erich and spoke pitifully.
Iris’s slender and pure appearance was like a female lead who was crestfallen to part ways with her male lead.
Claire laughed and gritted her teeth. Even though she was trying to be generous, it was a caution for Iris to understand everything roughly, but this was not the case.
She hated to admit it, but she honestly got bothered.
[ Duke Klausener is also a man. Even though he thought of Miss Iris like a sister until now and wasn’t interested in her, if Miss Iris acted like this, wouldn’t he start being conscious of her? ]
Those were the stories.
Claire unlinked her arm from Erich’s arm and approached Iris. Then, in a seemingly friendly manner, she grabbed Iris’s hand.
“Miss Iris! Thanks for coming!”
“Ah…”
Iris tried to remove her hand to greet Claire beautifully, but Claire held her hand with a smile on, meaning ‘something between us’ and didn’t let go.
“I was a bit disappointed when I heard Count Schneider wasn’t attending today.”
“My father said it wasn’t a good idea…”
“The Count must be misunderstanding something. It’s not common that Erich has been close to you since childhood… You don’t know how relieved my heart is because you came, Miss Iris. Don’t you think so?”
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