Best friends and close friends?
(Congratulations, Rosarin!)
Milfi, Miss Leticia... and for some reason, Miss Butterfly was there too. When I asked if she wasn’t supposed to be ‘Madam’ now that she was married, she told me she would be ‘Miss’ forever. Apparently, Miss Butterfly isn't male or female, but simply falls into the category of 'Miss Butterfly.' So be it.
“Aah, you look so wonderful! Rosarin darling, you look adorable in that dress!”
Miss Butterfly was wiggling with delight. Sadly, Milfi and Miss Leticia had grown completely used to her and were nodding along in agreement.
“I believe that wearing a white dress at the wedding means ‘I will be dyed in your colors,’ right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“”Kyaah, how romantic!””
Miss Leticia and Miss Butterfly were squealing with excitement. Oh, behind them, Lillian and Liliana were… totally put off. Yeah, I get how they feel.
“Rosarin, you preferred that dress over the fancy, expensive ones, didn’t you? But since time was short, you gave up on it… am I wrong?”
“Ugh.”
As expected of my best friend—she saw right through me. When I saw the design sketch, I was really drawn to this princess-line dress. But with my villainous-looking face and the thought of doing multiple outfit changes, I gave up on it.
Still, it’s true. I probably kept staring at it because I couldn’t let it go.
“Rosarin, you’ve always preferred cute things like this over extravagant or expensive ones.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s why I asked Dirk-sama. Then he told me he would hold a wedding ceremony just for you.”
It seemed my family, Milfi, and everyone had been in on it.
“Yeah, thank you.”
“I want to thank you too, Rosarin. Until you accepted me, all I did was hurt people.”
Milfi spoke. Every time she opened her mouth, it was to say something snide. The Laurels are a ducal family, but all of them had love marriages. Milfi’s mother was from a viscount family, so that point was often targeted. Her mother always deflected it with a smile, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt. So Milfi decided to fight back. Thanks to Milfi’s sharp tongue, no one dared speak ill of her mother anymore. But that’s when the problem began.
Her polished sharp tongue began to go completely out of control. Like during that sports day her parents once mentioned—she kept making the kids she played with cry with her barbed remarks. Deep down, she just wanted to be friends. But she couldn’t communicate well.
Aside from her parents and longtime servants who understood her intentions, she couldn’t get along with others.
Even so, no matter how biting Milfi’s words were, I—Rosarin—always smiled at her. Milfi thought I had a generous heart, but that wasn’t it. She had no malice, and I was already used to Sui, a tsundere with a sharp tongue, so I just recognized the “dere” behind her “tsun.”
“That’s right… you were kind to me even though I treated you terribly.”
“With Milfi, I was just used to sharp-tongued tsundere friends. As for Miss Leticia, I liked her honest and straightforward nature even if she wasn’t well-liked, so I wanted to be friends with her.”
Please don’t glorify me too much.
“Rosarin-chan darling, you really are… how should I put it… generous.”
“………………”
Yeah, accepting Miss Butterfly without batting an eye might mean I do have a big heart.
“I don’t mind being called a lot of things… but it’s not like I don’t get hurt. Rosarin-chan… and your family too, you all accepted me so naturally. Even your father—what a handsome man.”
“… I see.”
My father dodged Miss Butterfly’s wink attack. His face clearly twitched. That’s rare.
By the way, I think my brother was totally horrified. Though lately, he seems to have gotten used to it and doesn’t react anymore.
“I’m sorry, Rosarin-chan. I listened to Dan and tried to compete, but I was wrong.”
“Huh?”
“I lost sight of the goal for the sake of the means. That’s an unforgivable mistake for a merchant. Satisfying the customer is a merchant’s job. That rainbow dress really did look good on you, Rosarin-chan. But you weren’t looking for rare materials or a flashy dress. I was the only one who felt satisfied. I’m truly sorry.”
Miss Butterfly bowed deeply.
“No, Suigetsu-san and the others helped too, and it was a beautiful dress.”
I was satisfied in my own way, too. So there’s no need to apologize. I chose it of my own free will.
“No. Making the customer compromise is the worst. A wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure… but this time, I can confidently say I didn’t make a mistake. You look absolutely stunning, Rosarin-chan. That dress was made after everyone talked it over together.”
“… Yeah. Thank you.”
“… You’ve got good friends, Rosarin.”
“Yeah!”
They’re all friends I’m proud of.
Just a little farther to Dirk. This wedding isn’t just thanks to Dirk, but to everyone. I could really feel that.
What do you think about this chapter?
