Chapter 10

As dinner time approached, Lucian changed clothes with Rosalie's help.

"Miss Anne, after all, you should have brought a few more dresses."

Rosalie sighed regretfully.

"If only the pumpkin harvest at my family home hadn't happened, I would have packed for you..."

The packing was done by a day laborer maid under Lucian's instructions. When Rosalie saw the personal items in the bags and wooden boxes, she slumped her shoulders.

"You had so many beautiful dresses..."

Lucian, as a noble lady, owned many dresses. However, most of them were hand-me-downs from her six older sisters, and only a few were newly tailored for her. The Fortrie family was wealthy, and it wasn't that they couldn't afford to make dresses. Lucian simply didn't need them, so they weren't made. Her sisters, who didn't like this situation, often had their dresses altered and placed in Lucian's closet.

"Your sisters' dresses are all beautiful, but they are all suited for women with skin as white as snow. With my heavy makeup, the colors of the dresses look dull."

"I don't think that's true..."

The dresses Lucian brought from her family home were only five: a morning dress, a tea dress, a daytime dress, an afternoon dress, and an evening dress. She planned to buy new ones with the allowance her father provided if needed.

"I think I need one more elaborate dress."

"Then let's buy one next time."

"Miss Anne, do you think it can be made in time?"

"Ready-made ones are fine."

"But it's the middle of the social season. Usually, noble ladies order their dresses for the next year after the evening parties end. The store might only have outdated, dull dresses."

"Would I gain something by dressing up elaborately?"

"Ugh..."

Rosalie held her head and groaned.

"Beautiful young ladies can choose from rich and handsome men. But plain young ladies not only lack suitors but also have to settle for poor and unhelpful men."

"Rosalie, you shouldn't say such things. What's important in marriage is not wealth or good looks, but respect for each other."

"But there's no such thing as a noble man who loves farming."

"I don't require my husband to have the same hobbies."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Lucian gave the example of a couple from a potato farming family.

"Did you know that they married because of their love for potatoes?"

"Yes, they are the famous potato-loving couple."

"But the cause of their arguments is always potatoes."

The wife loved long, slender potatoes, while the husband loved round ones. This difference in preference became apparent after they married.

"Because they love potatoes so much, they want the other to love them the same way. But they can't understand each other, leading to arguments."

"I see. Even among potato lovers, there can be differences in preference."

"Yes, that's right. So, I don't mind if my husband doesn't love farming. I just want someone who is generous and allows me freedom."

Farming is unrelated to the noble society. Therefore, it's ideal for each to live as they please without pretending to have an interest.

"But, Miss Anne, would that make you happy?"

"Well, I can't say until I get married. But—"

Sometimes, Lucian wanted someone to taste the vegetables she grew and say, "They're delicious." But that might be selfish.

"Miss Anne?"

"It's nothing. Let's get ready. We need to touch up your makeup too."

The evening dress was a cute one with white and light pink stripes and small flowers embroidered on it. Her mother had called it childish, but Lucian liked it. Since it was an evening dress, the chest was deeply cut. Her chest, which wasn't sunburned, had spots. She applied powder to cover them.

"Why do I get spots in such places? I have many on my shoulders too."

"Miss Anne, your skin is white where it hasn't been sunburned, so the spots stand out."

"That's true. Oh... If I had listened to my sisters, I wouldn't be covered in powder now."

Lucian felt like a cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar, a 'Snow Bowl.'

"Snow Bowls are delicious, aren't they?"

"Rosalie, I'm not talking about that now."

"Ahaha."

She sighed.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of marriage, and then about whitening her skin. She wanted to think more about vegetables and farming. Would there ever be a day when she could bite into a tomato without worrying about getting her apron dirty in the sun? The crispy skin, the thick, crunchy inner layer, and the juicy, sweet tomato juice were more delicious than any fruit.

"Oh, I really want to bite into a whole tomato right now."

"Miss Anne, noble young ladies don't bite into whole tomatoes."

"I know."

Tomatoes are not meant to be bitten into whole. They should be cut elegantly and eaten with a fork. Lucian felt depressed, thinking she was born into the wrong family.