Revenge Costs Interest [EN]: Chapter 51

Revenge Comes with Interest Episode 51. Petty and Narrow-Minded (51/200)

Episode 51. Petty and Narrow-Minded

2023.09.20.

Leah and the other two women were astonished by the letter from Galdenia.

It was about the sketch of the lace dress Rivette had commissioned. The letter she sent was filled with her desires, written in a very disorganized manner.

More importantly, she hadn’t included her body measurements.

“Isn’t this a wedding dress?”

Chanel tilted her head, seemingly disapproving of Rivette’s design. To wear a white lace wedding dress to the selection banquet seemed inappropriate to her.

If it ended there, it would be a relief, but there was also a veil. And she wanted jewels scattered like stars on the hem of the dress.

Leah chuckled as she looked at the sketch Rivette had sent.

‘Typical Rivette,’ she thought.

She was trying too hard to look pretty, completely disregarding the purpose of the event.

However, if the dress were made according to the design, it would be very beautiful in itself, because Chanel would be making it.

But the crown prince and emperor, who were doing the selecting, could easily misunderstand Rivette as being arrogant.

‘Am I the bride? Is that what she’s implying?’

“Chanel, make it as she wants. You can charge as much as you want.”

“Yes, Sister. Oh, and I finished the Empress’s lace cape.”

“Really?”

Chanel briefly left her seat and brought back the finished product. The moment Leah and Pauline saw the vibrant green lace cape, they exclaimed in unison.

“Fantastic, Chanel.”

Pauline gave Chanel a thumbs up, praising her.

As expected, Chanel’s eye for detail was impeccable. The dark-haired Empress would look stunning with the green cape draped over her shoulders.

“Miss, when are you going to the Imperial Palace?”

“I’m going with Terrence this afternoon. Do you want to come along, Pauline?”

“No, I think I should help Chanel. I need to take care of any necessary adjustments from the side,” Pauline said, sighing and seemingly dumbfounded by Rivette’s dress.

“You’re going to have all three riding outfits fitted, right?”

“Yes, Terrence gave me this the other day, can you believe it?”

Leah showed Pauline the paper Terrence had written with information about horsemanship. It was easy to understand because it was written in a systematic list.

“Wow! I didn’t know the Duke was capable of this!”

Pauline was also quite surprised. It detailed which movements were involved in each equestrian skill and what the common mistakes were.

“I was so touched.”

“Then, will you be signing the grapes tonight?” Pauline asked with a sly smile, referring to a romantic evening.

“I should.”

It was a part Leah hadn’t even considered.

How important it was to actually ride a horse while wearing the fitted riding clothes.

This was something that other imperial families would definitely check, but she had been so focused on the riding clothes that she had missed the really important point.

“There’s no one who rides a horse as well as the Duke.”

“That’s right.”

More than that, she was touched by the fact that he was trying to help her in this way.

* * *

Leah headed to the Imperial Palace with Terrence. Sonya and Adolf were in the carriage following behind.

“Three people, including the Empress, are participating. If we ride the horses wearing the fitted riding clothes, we’ll definitely find things to improve.”

“I suppose so. But Grace put a lot of thought into it, so there shouldn’t be any major errors.”

“I hope so.”

Leah prayerfully caressed the box she had gently placed on her lap.

She hoped that the riding clothes she made would be as pleasing to the Empress as Chanel’s cape.

Finally, Leah and Terrence arrived at the Empress’s Palace. Leah tried to ease the tension of Sonya and Adolf, who were very nervous.

The Empress greeted Leah and her party very warmly. She smiled broadly, showing all her teeth, especially when she saw the green cape Chanel had made.

“As expected, you never disappoint. Miss Chanel Vizak is very commendable. No, she’s excellent.”

“I will be sure to convey the Empress’s compliments to Chanel.”

Leah reciprocated with praise befitting the compliment.

Now it was time to show the riding clothes. Before that, Leah formally introduced Sonya and Adolf to the Empress.

“The people who made the Empress’s riding clothes used to be dressmakers for the Saint-Petersburg Imperial Family.”

“Oh my! I thought they looked familiar.”

Sonya and Adolf bowed politely at the Empress’s words.

“A long time ago, the Empress visited our country.”

Adolf replied that he remembered the Empress as well.

“Miss Vizak put in a lot of effort to bring in such valuable people.”

The Empress did not spare her praise for Grace. A friendly conversation continued for a while, then everyone’s attention moved to one place.

Sonya and Adolf hung the three riding outfits on hangers, and the Empress and her two maids kept their eyes on them.

A hat similar to a gentleman’s hat but smaller, a white shirt with a thin ribbon tie, a black jacket that emphasized the waist, and culottes [breeches that stop short of the ankle] without any unnecessary details were prepared.

In particular, the emblem of the Lubeck Imperial Family was embroidered on the chest of the jacket with gold thread. And the long deerskin boots looked soft at a glance.

Anyone could tell that a lot of care had been put into it.

“It’s beyond my expectations, Miss Vizak.”

The Empress was surprised to see the riding clothes and jumped up from her seat.

To reinterpret a man’s suit to fit a woman’s body, yet not miss the elegant figure and dignity of a woman, was excellent.

The Empress’s maids also clapped and cheered, seemingly very pleased.

“Since there are no frilly decorations on the culottes, they are very neat, and the original luster of the fabric shines.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Empress. In addition, I have something to suggest.”

“What is it?”

“This is the Duke’s idea, but it would be good for one of the maids to try riding a horse wearing the fitted riding clothes. That way, we can immediately know the pros and cons of the clothes.”

The Empress happened to be thinking the same thing. She couldn’t afford to have trouble on the day of the competition after riding a horse without trying it on in advance.

Even if she didn’t know, other imperial families would be making thorough preparations.

Perhaps other places might also come out wearing culottes. The important thing was how to differentiate themselves, and riding clothes that were more comfortable for performing equestrian skills would determine the victory or defeat.

“I see.”

“If there are any uncomfortable parts, they should be supplemented.”

“That’s a good idea. Hmm, what if Mary wears it? She’s the most sensitive of us.”

The Empress designated one of her maids. Sonya quickly took the maid to the dressing room to fit the riding clothes.

* * *

When the Empress and everyone else came out to the riding arena, Terrence was already there waiting.

Leah waited with a trembling heart for the maid Mary to appear. Finally, Mary, riding a white horse, appeared in the riding arena.

“Wow!”

Exclamations came from here and there. Mary, wearing black riding clothes, looked very dashing. Leah quickly took out a piece of paper and prepared to check the items.

Then Terrence approached Mary and whispered something in her ear.

“!?”

Leah felt a little strange. There was no need to whisper like that…

Besides, Terrence was smiling at Mary. Soon, Mary nodded and spurred her horse on.

After Mary slowly circled the riding arena once, Terrence approached her again, and this time Mary whispered something in his ear.

Then Terrence corrected the direction of Mary’s legs.

‘Why is he touching her legs directly?’ Leah wondered.

Of course, it wasn’t bare legs. She was wearing long boots, so there was no direct skin contact, so there wasn’t a big problem.

However, Terrence’s actions of touching another woman’s calves so casually didn’t look good. Maybe it only looked that way to her.

But after correcting her legs, Terrence and Mary looked at each other and nodded, and then smiled. It was as if they were communicating only with each other.

Mary rode her horse again and jumped over the obstacles. Then applause erupted from here and there.

But Mary’s expression was not very good when she returned to her original position.

She seemed to have a lot to say, so she whispered in Terrence’s ear, and he immediately grabbed Mary’s waist and readjusted her posture overall.

Not only that, but the two had a long conversation about problems with the armpits and sleeves of the riding clothes.

Of course, it was an action that could be done. But when Mary rode her horse, Terrence slowly followed her and shouted.

“Excellent. You did very well.”

Leah had never heard Terrence’s kind voice like that. She was surprised that he was so freely praising another woman.

Suddenly, Leah looked around. Everyone was clapping and cheering, but she felt like she was in a different space.

She reacted sensitively to Terrence’s every action, where his gaze was directed, and even the subtle expressions Mary showed to Terrence.

Leah suddenly felt suffocated. It was a different feeling from when Terrence praised the Empress to provoke her jealousy.

Rather, she felt worse than that time. Or maybe Terrence was just helping her, and she was being petty and narrow-minded.

‘Focus on work,’ she told herself.

Leah shook her head to shake off the thoughts that filled her head. But this time, something she couldn’t just ignore happened before her eyes.

Terrence jumped on the horse and sat Mary in the front seat. The two circled the riding arena together, jumping over obstacles. It was basic for them to constantly talk while riding the horse.

‘Is there really a need to do that?’

What she couldn’t stand anymore was that when Mary grabbed the reins, Terrence grabbed her hand and held it together.

Then the Empress broke Leah’s thoughts.

“The Duke has become very kind. It must be all because of Miss Vizak.”

“Yes…? It’s only natural for a gentleman.”

‘There’s no need to be a gentleman to other women,’ Leah thought, her jealousy rising.

Finally, the riding demonstration was over.

Terrence grabbed Mary’s waist and helped her off the horse. He didn’t forget his duty as a gentleman until the end. She was so impressed that she was about to cry.