When My Enemies Began to Regret

“Carl, my younger brother’s birthday banquet was in a few days, right?”

“Are you asking me that? It will be in 13 days later.”

Fanora nodded after measuring the schedule in her head. “Alright. I will also show up at my younger brother’s birthday banquet.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that why you asked me if I would participate?”

Then, the shadow sitting on Carl’s face cleared away. Even if it was a crowded banquet hall with people he didn’t know, he didn’t feel awkward as long as she was there.

“Re-really?”

“…”

“But…”

But he soon hardened his complexion again.

Fanora hadn’t shown her face since Aloken’s funeral. Everyone thought it must be because she lost her beloved fiancé. But Carl knew the reason was because she didn’t like society from the beginning. Rather, it was surprising that she had held out until now for revenge.

“No, forget what I said! You said you don’t like your younger brother? You don’t have to force yourself to come to a place you don’t like.”

There was no need for Fanora to force herself to come to the banquet.

Carl turned down her offer with concern. Fanora quietly looked at his sweaty and troubled face.

“Carl, you will be alone if I don’t go to that banquet.”

She soon spoke quietly with a look of reminiscence.

“While other people are laughing loudly, you stand there like a flower on the wall…”

“…”

“I know that feeling very well.”

Fanora recounted her past. Several nobles looked at her with sharp eyes, treating her like a nerd. When she was younger, those gazes were more painful than being stabbed with a spear. She didn’t want Carl to feel that way.

“And don’t worry. I’ve been thinking about it again, and I think it would be a good idea to go to Purson’s birthday banquet.”

“Why?”

“That’s… If the person you hate the most shows up on your day that only happens once a year, you’ll be offended.”

Fanora laughed small as if she had plans other than consideration for him.

“I suddenly feel motivated. Besides that, how about giving a weird gift? That person is going to scream, right?”

“Yes?”

“I guess I’ll have to ruin that damn Purson’s birthday banquet at this point. Why didn’t I think of this earlier?”

It was a small act of revenge, like a mischievous prank. But just how she thought about this meant she had recovered a lot.

“Let’s go to Purson’s birthday banquet together, Carl.”

“!”

Carl looked like he didn’t know whether to be happy or not at her words. For some reason, he felt like she would go on a rampage if he let her like this.

“Don’t react like that. Because I have already made up my mind.”

Unlike Carl, who couldn’t keep his gaze still, Fanora spoke with a detached expression.

“…I didn’t want to go to any more banquets. Maybe this would be a perfect place to end it.”

“…”

“This will really be the last banquet of my social life. I’m tired of looking at other people’s eyes and acting like a noble.”

She regained her present thanks to Carl’s encouragement. Now, she didn’t feel like she wanted to throw her life away. So, she had to carefully plan what kind of future she would pursue from now on. Fanora had also outlined her future.

“The last banquet…….”

“Anyway, from the beginning, I was doing that to somehow get close to Vasago.”

Carl and Fanora promised to meet at Purson’s birthday party in the winter. However, their meeting didn’t end just because a distant schedule was set.

The next day, Carl, who had taken a vacation, visited her and went out to the flower garden together.

* * *

It was 2 p.m. the next day.

“What? Don’t have any clothes?”

This is the garden of scholars introduced by Carl. Fanora was looking at the ladybug she found here with her index finger raised, and she raised her head when she heard the words of the man standing behind her.

“Yes. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve had clothes tailored, so I don’t have formal clothes that fit anymore.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“It’s a birthday banquet, so I can’t wear a knight’s uniform, right?”

Do you think it’ll work? With that in mind, she rolled her eyes at Carl’s words. He didn’t have any clothes to wear.

“So… Lady Fanora, if you don’t mind, could you come and pick my clothes with me today?”

As Fanora began to worry, he carefully brought this out. He said that since she had been actively standing in society all year, she must know trends better than him. So he suggested that it would be good if they could choose together in that sense.

“Of course it’s fine.”

Fanora rose suddenly, releasing a ladybug at his words. She was wondering how to repay the favor she had received from Carl, but she never thought such a good opportunity would come.

“Just picking out clothes, right? I’ll give you a really nice set.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go now!”

They arrived at a boutique in the capital with a carriage straight away. It was a boutique that would become famous starting this spring when Vasago got her 18

th

birthday dress tailored here.

Fanora got out of the carriage after looking through the names on the signs described in the novel.

“Welcome!”

“Good afternoon, Young Master and Lady. What kind of clothes are you looking for?”

Although this boutique hasn’t yet become famous, it was originally a fairly large place. As soon as they arrived at the entrance, people approached them and flattered them.

“I’m looking for formal attire for this person. It’s going to be worn this winter.”

“Ah! I will guide you right away.”

No matter how much she looked at it, Carl didn’t seem to come to the boutique often. He kept looking around as if the scenery here was fascinating.

Unlike him, who was relaxed, Fanora had a small worry. The Andras family’s unique bulky physique was a hindrance to fitting clothes. It was impossible to adjust and wear pre-made clothes, so he would have to get custom clothes.

She checked her pocket. All she had was a few pennies to pay for the carriage. It seemed like today’s payment would have been in Celsius’s name.

“Lady Fanora, what should I wear?”

“Probably what’s trending on this year, no, what’s going to be trendy in this line of clothes.”

They looked through the clothes lined up in the boutique and chose what to wear to Purson’s birthday banquet. Though she’d love to choose a ridiculous outfit that could ruin Purson’s birthday, Fanora carefully chose a nice outfit for Carl. She didn’t want to see him being ridiculed.

“How about this? Carl.”

“It looks like it’s hard to move. It’s just flashy, but how do other nobles duel while wearing something like this?”

“Normally they don’t duel. Even more at the banquet…”

She tried several clothes that would match his hair color. “Light purple is surprisingly not bad.”

“Please pick anything. I’ll wear whatever you choose.”

She didn’t really have a great sense of fashion either. But after hearing Carl’s words, she felt even a greater sense of responsibility. Her expression became quite serious.

“Lady Fanora.”

However, Carl didn’t seem to consider this shopping very important. He didn’t concentrate throughout the selection of clothes, but when he saw the dress hanging in the corner of the store, he snapped a question.

“What are you planning to wear to this banquet?”

“Just any clothes I have at home,” replied Fanora bluntly without taking her eyes off the hanger.

But at Carl’s subsequent question, her hand in choosing clothes stopped.

“Then what kind of clothes do you like?”

It was something Carl said without thinking much about. Nevertheless, when Fanora heard this question, the regret in her heart came to mind.

“…”

White is trending in Kasius this winter, so everywhere you look in the store, there are a lot of clothes made of white fabric. She looked at the atmosphere of such a store and spoke quietly. “Actually, I like black clothes.”

“Black clothes?”

“When I was young, I couldn’t take my eyes off whenever I saw clothes in black cloth.”

She murmured with her eyes down. “That’s how I learned the word ‘fascinating’.”

Fanora continued, rummaging through the men’s clothes hanging on the wall of the store. “But the only time you can wear it is at a funeral.”

“…”

“There’s nothing I can do since I was born as a noble of Kasius. I wonder what kind of glares I’ll get if I wear it to the banquet.”

The nobles of the capital considered black as a lowly color. Since it was a color worn by servants and used at funerals, it was naturally the color to be avoided in banquet dresses. But Carl listened to her and spoke with a calm face.

“But it’s not prohibited by law, right? Can’t you just wear it?”

“Yes?”

“You want to wear a black dress anyway. Even in places other than funerals.”

Fanora turned around and sighed quietly. “You will get glares, Carl. In the society—”

“It’s your last banquet, so what’s wrong?”

But she didn’t expect to hear this answer.

Fanora rolled her eyes for a moment. It wasn’t wrong. She has no intention of continuing the act anymore.

“If you decide to put it down anyway, I hope Lady Fanora does what you want to do.”

“…”

“Furthermore…”

Carl looked at Fanora, who had stopped her actions, then smiled softly. It was an expression that came from a pure heart.

“It would be a bit sad if you have to give up the clothes you love so much for the rest of your life just because of what other people think.”

“…”

Some say emotions have no form, but his sincere words clearly resonated differently.

When Fanora heard his words, she felt bitter. She didn’t know if Carl could feel that she felt conflicted. But he insisted on this.

“And, I assure you, if you wear it confidently, you will definitely look cool in any outfit.”

“!”

Carl spoke in a soft voice. “I swear right here that you’ll look great in a black dress. So don’t worry about it.”

Fanora laughed quietly when she heard Carl’s words. “I know, right? Is there anyone in this world who would look better in black than me?”

She finally made up her mind. She decided to wear a black dress to Purson’s birthday banquet this time. So she immediately called the boutique owner and ordered a black dress.

After that, she had positive thoughts.

It was exciting to imagine Purson’s crumpled face. Although the reputation she had worked so hard to build would be ruined by this one prank, she was fine with that.

“You’re right. As expected, it would be best to wear black clothes to this banquet.”

For her, this birthday banquet was the finale. She had been torn about what to do with the rest of her life, but she had to come to a conclusion with spring approaching.

After a long regression, she decided to abandon the name Celsius.

So, she decided to think of this black dress as a mourning dress for her difficult social life.

* * *