I Ignored the Protagonists, Now They're After Me

Ch 6

Aunt Wynn had decided to stay over for a few more days in order to comply with my wish. I was nervous whenever we met in the house, acting cautious and ladylike. She only approached me with smiles and kind words, no distressed or exasperated expressions like she did in my memory.

Three days after I recovered from the fever and seemed well enough to step out, Mother, Aunt Wynn, and I prepared to stay out all day while shopping. Father prepared a carriage for us and saw us off, giving Mother and I kisses.

When we climbed the carriage and made our way towards the town, I kept looking back to see Father stare after us for a long time. Only when we turned the corner, did I not see him anymore.

•••

We arrived rather quickly. The carriage had stopped just outside of a popular plaza entrance. Our family's coachman told us he'd be back here just before sunset before he waved goodbye. I held Mother's hand as she thanked him and turned to the bustling of the people.

"Maerie," Mother said to me, gently smiling, "where would you like to go first?"

I paused, looking at the numerous buildings with plentiful signs. They seemed familiar yet strange to me, since I had not actively stepped out of the estate on my own accord. Therefore I gave a sheepish smile towards Mother.

"Maerie doesn't know. Perhaps Auntie Wynn knows a good shop?" I turned my head towards Aunt Wynn, innocently shoving the responsibility of choosing onto her.

Aunt Wynn only raised an eyebrow. "Maerie mentioned wanting a new wardrobe, so perhaps we should go to a fabric shop to look at some cloth."

"I agree with Auntie Wynn," I acknowledged hastily. I looked back at Mother and tugged on her sleeves. "Let's go to the fabric shop. I want to pick out some fabric."

Mother gave a light chuckle at my docile behavior. "Okay, Maerie, let's head over to Cloud Dust Fabrics. It's been a while since I've seen Miss Nimme."

As Mother pulled me along with Aunt Wynn hailing behind, I faintly tried to recall where I heard that name before.

Oh, right! Cloud Dust Fabrics, a store my Mother frequently went to buy me new dresses. Miss Nimme was the sole owner of that shop. She's a humble and fair lady, with an amazing eye for serving a person's fashion palette.

In the first life, there was a time when I had gotten agitated from Mother's persistent pestering of the new clothes. It was after my fifteenth birthday, when I had learned that the group were preparing to enter the academy. I wanted to practice sword fighting with them, but Mother had gotten rid of my tomboy clothes. She tried to replace everything with dresses in one of her last efforts to force me to realize that I was a noble lady.

I did not take to it kindly.

Right in front of Miss Nimme, who faithfully delivered the clothes on account of her good relation with my Mother, I had maids tear up the entire set of clothes. It had thoroughly embarrassed my Mother, and although she didn't show it, I'm sure it had saddened and embarrassed Miss Nimme as well.

Needless to say... I'm walking in her store with a guilty conscience.

As my Mother pushed the wooden door open, the light chime of a bell echoed within the shop. I glanced upwards, suddenly star-struck by the store's interior.

The inside ceiling was decorated with light and dangling strings of small candles. There were shelves and shelves of a plethora of cloth rolls and fabric pieces. Mannequins was placed sparingly around the store, each one donning it's own unique style of dress that seemed to fit perfectly. The store was sectioned by colors from darkest to lightest, and yet it seemed to encircle itself into an obscure rainbow. I admired the way bundles of white cotton were joined together into various parts of the store, really giving to the background as if they were really clouds in the sky.

How could I have had such animosity to such a beautiful shop?

"Miss Nimme!" Mother had cordially greeted, her smile growing wider as she willfully dragged me further inside. I could only stare at my Mother in slight apprehension, eyeing the door of the shop.

My plan to learn to be a noble lady... is it too late now?

As if the universe had to explicitly tell me, "It's far too late now," Miss Nimme bounced out from the back room. A warm smile appeared on her face as she recognized my Mother.

"Lady Valdoll, welcome back to my humble shop!" She welcomed, curtsying quite low.

Mother laughed before waving her off. "No need, Claudia. Today is a special day, so please be comfortable in your own shop."

Miss Nimme looked pleasantly confused. "Special day, Lady Valdoll?"

As if on cue, Mother grabbed me and pushed me in front of her, a hand on my shoulder as she proudly said, "My daughter, Maerie, wants to shop for a new wardrobe."

Then, she excitedly pointed at herself. "She also wants to shop together with Wynn and I!"

Mother waited and subtly gestured for me to introduce myself. I gave a hesitant smile before bending into a slight curtsy.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Nimme. I am Maerie Valdoll, daughter of Baron Valdoll."

Miss Nimme looks a bit startled at my greeting before she quickly bends in response.

"No, dearie, it's alright. You don't need to lower yourself," she panicked, "I'm happy to have you in my shop."

My smile grew a bit awkward. "As am I."

Even though I treated you terribly in my first life. Well, you don't know that, of course. But I do.

I blinked slowly as I examined some rolls while my Mother and Miss Nimme chatted away. As if my body knew where to go, I was drawn to the light purples and whites, eyeing the beautiful lavender cloth rolls present on the different tables. I didn't notice Aunt Wynn's presence behind me until she spoke.

"Maerie, you seem to like that color a lot." Before I even turned around, I could hear the smile in her voice.

I reflected her smile on my face as I replied, "What do you mean, Auntie Wynn?"

Aunt Wynn's hands trailed along the rolls, shifting them this way and that as she unburied more variations of the color.

"This color does suit you," she continued, "a pale lavender, just like your mother's eye color."

She looked back at me, staring warmly at my eyes.

"Fortunately, you've gotten your appearance from your mother."

I was a bit taken aback by her remark. Because of the sudden comment, I gave a nervous giggle, jokingly saying, "Then I've gotten Father's brains and personality?"

At this, Aunt Wynn's eyes dimmed and she adopted a weird tone. She reached over and touched my loosely done hair, examining it faintly before letting it go.

"Your Father's brains, hm?" She answered, lowering her gaze to mine. "I suppose you aren't wrong."

I simply gave her a questioning look before Mother and Miss Nimme walked over, engrossing me with tons of questions about my opinion on the newly imported fabric materials.