The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 144

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Chapter 144

Translator: Yonnee

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“I’m not quite sure.”

April’s eyebrows were knitted together now.

“It’s been almost ten years since I started being in charge of His Excellency’s wardrobe. Throughout all that time, there was only one other time that the Marquis wore clothes that weren’t black.”

“One time?”

“Once? When was that?”

Radis was surprised to hear that there was one other time, but it seemed like even Berry and the other maids were shocked as well.

“You guys don’t remember? His Excellency wore white robes for his coming-of-age ceremony.”

“What? I thought he wore black for even his coming-of-age back then.”

As such, Nicky replied.

“He wore white those robes… for a very brief time. I think it was only about ten minutes? As soon as the ceremony was over, he ripped it off of him.”

“Ripped…”

“So you’re saying the Marquis didn’t just take it off…”

Nicky brought both hands over her chest and formed two tight fists.

“Literally. He ripped those robes off and got out of there.”

“That guy, really.”

April elbowed Nicky on her side and said, “Stop joking.”

“Anyway, that’s why it looked to me like His Excellency has taken up a great challenge today.”

“I get it.”

April cradled one cheek with the palm of her hand and let out a sigh.

“You guys should know just how painful it is for me to be in charge of His Excellency’s clothes. Just black, black and more black. Still though, it’s gotten a little better these days. He sometimes wears white dress shirts from time to time, and we’re trying to pretend not knowing that he’s sneaking in a few different dark colors little by little.”

“I see…”

Inwardly, Radis could only think that if April had been able to hear Yves’s speech about his ‘dark angel’, she’d also know that his penchant for black clothing would be thanks to the angel’s black wings.

Sipping on her cup full of lemon tea, Radis asked herself,

‘If he’s having such a hard time, why’s he going out of his way to practice something like that?’

* * *

“This thing— just bothers me so much…!”

Yves continued to shake the hem of his green vest all the way until he reached his office.

But there’s nothing he could do.

This was all because of what Olivier told him the other day.

“The mere sight of black clothes that look like mourning clothes appalls me. To be more precise, perhaps it’s a feeling closer to repugnance.”

“Damn it, I didn’t know that.”

But it wasn’t strange not to know about this fact.

Olivier’s private life was closely guarded.

No one but Olivier’s closest acquaintances would have known about his preferences.

As a matter of fact, there were only a few people who had been by Olivier’s side throughout the years, and the very closest to him could be counted with just one hand.

And really, they weren’t any normal people either.

Perhaps you could say that it would be even more difficult to get intel on what Olivier had for breakfast rather than intel about the exact diagnosis of the emperor’s recent ailment.

Yves had been making such laborious efforts to break through Olivier’s iron walls.

Although Yves hated social gatherings to the point of death, he went up to the north and attended banquets held by the imperial family, and whenever he crossed paths with Olivier, he hovered around the prince with all his might.

As a result, he managed to hold Olivier’s birthday banquet last time, but Olivier’s response to that was, as usual, cold.

Yves had spent countless hours, money and manpower, yet the result was just that much.

Yet now, he couldn’t believe that it could all be chalked up to his black clothes.

“F*ck. Why doesn’t he like the color black? There’s no other color in the world that’s as comfortable…!”

He couldn’t understand the prince’s logic at all, but there’s nothing he could do.

It’s impossible for him to change Olivier’s tastes, so Yves would have to adjust and fit the prince’s standards instead.

He’s lucky enough to know about it now.

In the end, Yves made up his mind.

‘Alright. Let’s consider it to be a success if I can wear this vest for the whole day.’

It was a challenge he had set up for himself, and he was the kind of person who had to succeed once he had made up his mind.

In all honesty, this was hard for him.

It felt as though he had hangnails on all ten fingers on his two hands, and he was so terribly conscious about them that he felt like he’d die because it was ten times more painful that he had to stop himself from ripping them off.

Still, Yves endured.

He hardly got any work done in his office, but it didn’t matter.

That’s where Marcel should swoop in.

However, in the afternoon, he had three back-to-back meetings, large and small.

He couldn’t concentrate on the meetings at all. Besides that, he had to put all his heart and soul into hiding his skittishness.

It became a bit more bearable when it was time for him to wrap up the upcoming subjugation schedule. He reviewed the reports that Lux had sent over with Ardon, the knight captain of the marquisate’s chivalric order.

Ardon did not say a word about his vest.

Whether it was out of consideration for Yves or whether the knight was actually just originally uninterested about such things, Yves was able to get through that meeting quite comfortably.

However, it was not the same come his meeting with the marquisate’s administrators.

Administrator Bronson’s eyes were wide as he said the following words.

“Ohh! Why, this— It seems as though spring has come early to the Marquisate!”

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