When A Villain Meets A Villain - Chapter 42

Gianna kept grumbling out of annoyance about how Atalante had reversed her decision twice, but she came down to the fitting room as soon as she was called.

‘Why am I fretting about not being able to dress a girl like her?’

However, just as she decided to flare her temper as much as she could, the moment Gianna spotted Atalante sitting in the fitting room arrogantly, her irritation disappeared like melted snow.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

At the sound of her insincere apology, instead of being angry…

“I–If you know how to be sorry, don’t be fickle anymore!”

There was a mushy feeling that she rarely felt. Gianna used a sharp tone for no reason, to prevent the fact that her anger had already been mollified, from being caught.

“Please try it on immediately. Right now, the clothes…”

“Before that, there’s something that you must know.”

Atalante chose her words carefully with a serious look in her eyes.

Gianna seemed to have great pride in the clothes she made, so she would definitely nitpick over the wearer’s condition.

‘There’s nothing I can do if you find my tattoo annoying.’

Atalante swallowed down her regrets, and spoke in a determined voice.

“My back silhouette is a little scary, is that alright?”

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Gianna was a designer that valued hangers as much as the clothes.

If she was a professional, the clothes would be made with the client’s body shape and atmosphere in mind, but Gianna was an artist before she was a professional.

Therefore, she needed a ‘model’ that would make her clothes stand out more than her clients.

Although she had many clients that filled her pockets satisfactorily, there wasn’t a model that would make her heart race. Perhaps that was the reason for her slump.

As such, Atalante, who appeared during that period, was the first person that played both the role of a model and a client perfectly.

“Is it weird?”

Atalante was embarrassed to find Gianna standing there blankly without speaking, so she frowned.

Isn’t it normal to say empty words like you’re pretty? Atalante had never been fitted for a dress, so there was no way for her to know if that was a normal response.

Much time had passed as she stared at Gianna’s eyes that had lost their focus, before her lips finally opened slowly.

“S–Seriously…”

As she trembled enough for others to wonder why was she like that, a scream of admiration burst out of her mouth.

“Crazy!”

“Cra… what? Do you want to die?”

Atalante raised her fist when she realised that she wasn’t armed at the moment, but Gianna didn’t stop talking.

“It can’t be described using any of the adjectives in the world. Ahh, to think that it’s to such an extent with just an unfitted dress and without any accessories. Seriously, seriously…!”

She was so glad that she accepted the commision to make Atalante’s clothes!

Didn’t the head chef with a large physique that was staying somewhere say something similar to that?

Bewildered, Atalante had only blinked slowly instead of replying to her.

“I–in the future, allow me to continue making your clothes!”

“Wait a second, what’s with that creepiness!”Perhaps saying those exaggerated lines wasn’t enough as Gianna even grabbed Atalante’s hands.

Freaked out, Atalante turned around immediately and said.

“Get a hold of yourself and look at this properly. Is this really okay when there’s something like this on my back!”

A delicate rose quartz coloured rose vine covered Atalante’s straight back.

Gianna’s eyes shone even brighter after taking a glance at it.

“It’s beyond fine, it’s perfect!”

“What?”

“Though the current combination with the dress is perfect, it would also go well with a lovely lace design, which gives it an unconventional look. I’ll have to pay more attention to the back of the clothes that I’m going to make!”

“Hey, is this really alright?”

As Gianna, who was beyond herself with excitement, was about to enter a one-sided argument with the bewildered Atalante, Lionel entered the room.

“Why are you sticking to Miss Atalante?”

Stunned by Lionel’s chilly voice, Gianna separated from Atalante.

The disapproving gaze only lasted for a moment, as Lionel stiffened when he faced Atalante properly.

“J…Just say it if it looks weird. Don’t look at me like that.”

Atalante blushed at his gaze, and spoke in a needlessly sharp tone.

But Lionel just stared straight at Atalante with his mouth slightly agape, as if he was unable to hear her.

Just as she was about to protest again, a neat voice flowed out from his parted lips.

“Everyone, close your eyes.”

At his words, Paul and other knights that were standing behind the grand duke, closed their eyes without hesitation.

After observing the expressions of everyone for a moment, Gianna followed his orders reluctantly.

Lionel, who had obstructed everyone’s view in an instant, approached Atalante with urgent movements.

“W–what is it?”

He always had a smile in front of Atalante, but this time he was different.

As soon as he was standing in front of her, he removed his indoor coat with a stiffened face.

As she was momentarily distracted by the wide shoulders that weren’t hidden by the large shirt he was wearing, Lionel wrapped his outer garment around Atalante immediately.

“But I’m not cold?”

“…That’s not it.”

Lionel, who let out a short groan, lowered his upper body while holding the outer garment that he had wrapped around her.

His forehead, which was pressed in an area near her shoulder, was strangely warm, and at a brief glance, his earlobes were slightly heated.

‘Do you have a fever?’

Tyrants are as healthy as the amount of curses they received, but there seemed to be an exception.

‘Is it a cold? I heard that dogs don’t catch a cold in summer. Would a dog-like person be susceptible?”

As Atalante stopped being sarcastic internally and was about to ask if he wasn’t feeling well, Lionel opened his mouth first.

“Debutante, how about not going there?”

“What?”

“Instead, I’ll hold a banquet for you in the grand duchy. One that’s bigger than the Imperial Family’s. What do you think?”

After Lionel muttered a string of unintelligible words, he slowly raised his upper body and returned to his original height.

“You told me to do whatever I want, but all of a sudden?”

Lionel nodded instead of answering.

With a gaze of a puppy begging its owner for a stroll.

“Why?”

“…I expected it, but the fact that you’re much more beautiful than I had imagined is troubling.”

‘What is he saying when his face is several times prettier than mine?’

However, since the expression ‘beautiful’ made her quite happy, Atalante pouted instead of correcting his words.

“What’s so troubling about that?”

“I might kill all the people in the hall that’s looking at you.”

“…that’s troubling indeed.”

Atalante let out a heavy sigh, vowing to somehow keep that man from bringing a weapon during the debutante.

Of course, the fatigue wasn’t displeasing at all.

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Time passed quickly, and there were three days left until the day of the debutante.

Everything that was required for the banquet was ready, and they were in the middle of dance practices in order to complete the assortment.

Perhaps due to her talent for anything requiring her body, the skills Atalante was born with displayed its true value in dancing.

Actually, the reason why she managed to get the basics down in a short period of time was mostly due to the excellent guidance of the dance instructor.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, that was the truth.

“Your skills are improving day by day.”

Atalante flushed at Lionel’s admiring praise, and pushed his body aside while grumbling.

“Is there a turning step while being face to face?”

“Haha, what will the people that practice until their feet are blistered because they were unable to master the steps do when they hear you?”

“Let them listen. You’re the one that told me to do whatever I want whenever I want.”

She was even going to reveal her tattoo, so why did she have to worry over the whispering of others.

At her valid defence, Lionel burst into laughter and replied, “Isn’t that right.”

“But still, wouldn’t it be better to drape something over it? It’ll be my first time going to a place that’s full of aristocrats, so it’s bothering me.”

Atalante herself thought that she looked very pretty while wearing a dress made by Gianna. It wasn’t just that it looked good on her, but it was to the point that the dress was made for her.

As Lionel watched Atalante touch her back for no reason, he made a short nasal sound, ‘Hmm’.

“And don’t you say things like, isn’t that also very pretty, how about not participating in the debutante instead.”

Atalante said flatly, like she had expected his response.

Recently, all the words that Lionel has said were of similar content. There was nothing that’s not beautiful about her, and telling her not to go to the debutante as he didn’t want to show it to others.

The person that arranged for her to attend the debutante was Lionel himself, so it still didn’t make sense.

As his lines were stolen away by her, the corner of Lionel’s lip curled up awkwardly.

“Actually, I also have something that I want to hide on my face, so I understand how you feel.”

As soon as Lionel’s words finished, suspicion entered Atalante’s rising gaze.

“You’re kidding, right?”

She had often scrutinised that superior face with hawk eyes in order to find something less than desirable, but it had always ended in vain. That was because no matter how she looked at every angle, and even in its entirety, his face was breathtakingly perfect.

But Lionel seemed to be sincere.

“I’m not kidding.”

“You’re quite a picky one. What the hell is it that you’re dissatisfied about?”

As if he found the way she quibbled over it lovely, he whispered in a soft voice with a doting look

“Here, the mole on my cheek.”

“Mole?”

After staring persistently at the place Lionel was pointing to, she spotted a small dot around his left cheek, just like he had mentioned.

Did she miss the presence of the mole there because it looked overly harmonious?

“No, what’s so irritating about that little thing in the first place?’

It was annoying that even the location of the mole was perfect. It was to the point that she wanted to steal it and put it on her cheek.

“You look like you don’t understand.”

“It would be weirder if I understood. I thought it was some sort of big flaw. On the contrary, you look prettier because there’s a mole there.”

Atalante was merely conveying her thoughts frankly, but Lionel’s cheeks turned a little red.

He must have heard enough praises about his beauty to be sick of it for the rest of his life, but hasn’t he adjusted yet?

Lionel rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, avoided eye contact with her slightly and continued speaking.

“That’s exactly how I feel.”

“What?”

“It means that your tattoo is no different from this. Though it’s annoying to me, other people don’t really care about it.”

Atalante wanted to ask how could the mole and the tattoo be the same, but she could only close her mouth at Lionel’s words.

“Of course I find it pretty. Just like how you said that my mole is pretty.”

“…Your tastes are quite unique.”

“I should be saying that to you.”

In the end, it was Paul’s urgent voice that broke the strange atmosphere between the two.

“Your Highness, you need to come out for a while!”

As soon as he heard his voice, Lionel’s eyes turned cold. It seemed like he was quite irritated that the pleasant mood was destroyed.

“What is it?”

“A carriage accident occurred in front of the townhouse.”

“So?”

It might have been a little surprising, but Lionel’s expression was calm, as if he had heard that the sky was blue today.

In the end, Paul opened the door and entered the room, and spoke with a very distorted face.

“That’s… The person that’s involved in the accident is Mr Tross from the County of Evita.”

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