Chapter 24

Maxim nodded to Mrs. Greta. She skillfully chose a position where Leana could see and placed chocolate and candy down one by one. Leana glanced at them while shedding tears.

“Do you see? Chocolate and candy.”

Moreover, the chocolate was even shaped like a rabbit. She held onto Elena’s sleeve while sniffling. It seemed tempting, but the carrots were really hard to eat.

And while Elena was easy…

“That mister is scary…”

She whispered. Unfortunately, those words reached both Maxim and Hazel’s ears. Hazel burst into laughter. He didn’t have a good impression for children to see. Apart from being handsome, his expression was particularly cold.

“He’s not a scary mister.”

Elena shook her head with a surprised face.

“Sniff… Mister, can’t you give me that chocolate?”

She asked with eyes brimming with tears. He crossed his arms.

“That won’t work. Not until you eat the carrots. But it’s rabbit-shaped. How about bear-shaped next time?”

“Huh, huh… The shape changes?”

“It could, if you wish it.”

“Wow…”

She pondered seriously. No matter how much she thought about it, this was, this was…

Her trembling eyes turned toward the carrots. Then she closed her eyes tightly, pushed the carrot into her mouth, and chewed.

She swallowed it with a gulp. And the next carrot, and the next one too. After quickly drinking water, she reached for the chocolate. Watching this, he smiled slightly.

“Tomorrow it’ll be a bear.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

She quickly put the chocolate in her pocket. This was Leana’s very precious trophy. She patted her now-full belly and unwrapped candy to pop into her mouth.

What pretty chocolate.

She should savor it.

---

Elena failed to leave without Hazel.

“Since we’re going anyway, it would be nice to look around the department store with Maxim too.”

“But Maxim is busy… Wouldn’t that be rude?”

“Maxim is always busy, Elena. He’s not a workaholic, yet he lives like that all the time.”

She smiled awkwardly. Maxim ended up calling Miles. Her heels, treated by him, felt soft and cushioned. The maid who saw Elena’s heels chose flat shoes for her today. Thanks to that, walking was much more comfortable than yesterday.

“You’re quite stubborn too. When your feet got that way, you should have said something. Was the size wrong?”

Hazel clicked her tongue briefly.

“…It’s fine now.”

“We can buy shoes that fit your feet when we go today. Before, I just had them bought hastily, that’s why it turned out that way. There are many good shoes, so it would be better to look around together slowly.”

She smiled brightly. No matter how she thought about it, Riana and the imperial family should compensate her with a huge amount. They should acknowledge the fact that she was working so hard for Maxim.

She hummed as she got out of the carriage.

“What a beautiful day.”

Elena glanced at the sky. As she said, it was indeed a beautiful day. So much so that she wondered if it was okay to be this leisurely.

---

“With this method, a lawsuit is possible, and because of that, mother and Derek would be punished, right?”

“That’s correct, Miss Elena.”

“Then how much money would it cost to file the lawsuit?”

“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that part. The company will handle it.”

She clasped her hands together. Really… her heart fluttered.

“Then please proceed with the lawsuit. And regarding the rights over Leana and me…”

Her eyes wavered. This part was also problematic. Why didn’t this country allow unmarried women to be independent? Before marriage, women belonged to their families. They said this was for protection, but to Elena, it was just an obstacle.

Cecilia in prison for five years…

“Is there a possibility mother could get out of prison early?”

“If someone pays 100,000 gold, it would be possible.”

“That would be impossible. I’m worried that the rights over Leana and me might be wrongly transferred to someone else.”

“Miss Elena, there’s also a way to find a guardian. For instance, isn’t Lady Hazel a good guardian right now? It might be good to ask her.”

“No. I don’t want to impose that much. I’ll think more about this problem.”

Or maybe during the five years Cecilia was locked up, another solution might arise. Though it was sad that she had to rely on an uncertain future, what could she do? She had no choice but to do her best in the given situation.

“I understand. Then I’ll contact you if there’s any progress.”

“Thank you.”

She stood up from her seat. Her heart was pounding. In the end, she was sending Cecilia, her own mother, to prison with her own hands. She had sometimes imagined such things before.

She never thought it would become reality.

She came out of the room with a somehow deflated face. Her steps were as heavy as her heart. But she acknowledged this was the best option.

‘Mother…’

You brought this upon yourself. Please don’t resent me too much.

Father, I’m sorry…

---

He glared at Hazel. That stubborn woman. All of this was Grandfather’s fault. And she had to drag even busy him around the department store. He really had no intention of coming out, but somehow…

[Maxim, can’t you even do this much for me? How did I raise you?]

He couldn’t defeat Hazel when she protested with her familiar repertoire. It seemed better to finish quickly and send her back.

“How about this one?”

Hazel was rummaging through the department store like a fish in water. Elena was awkwardly following behind her.

“It suits you well.”

“Not me, you. Choose something you think is pretty too.”

“I’m really fine. Please, Lady Hazel…”

Elena turned pale and shook her head, but he would bet that she couldn’t defeat Hazel. As he expected, she was dragged back into the store, succumbing to her persuasion.

He wiped his mouth.

He couldn’t shake the feeling of being dragged around as a mere extra. He knew this would happen. He let out a short sigh and ran his tongue inside his mouth.

Shortly after, Maxim, who had been standing guard outside the store with crossed arms, was likewise dragged inside by Hazel.

“Are you just going to stand there so ungracefully? Don’t do that and try choosing something. You’ve been running the department store for years, you must have an eye for these things.”

Lady Hazel gently pressured him. He sighed slightly and looked around the store. His eyes caught shoes made from leather that had been tanned for a long time to make it soft.

He also saw Elena struggling to put on shoes.

He gestured.

“Show me those shoes too.”

“These shoes?”

He nodded slightly. Elena glanced at him. Maxim choosing women’s shoes? It was a composition she had never even imagined. She looked carefully at the shoes he chose.

“You chose well, sir. There’s exactly one size left of these shoes in this store. They’re popular among young ladies. They might look a bit rough, but the lines are well-drawn, so they’re pretty when worn.”

The clerk explained kindly while helping Elena try on the shoes. She wiggled her toes.

“And they’re comfortable too.”

“Indeed. You have a good eye for choosing items.”

“And what’s even better about these is that they can be customized as you wish.”

The clerk continued explaining while bringing out a box from inside the display. The obviously expensive-looking box was full of accessories that matched the shoes.

“These are decorations made to attach to the shoes. If you attach them here like this… they’re completed with a new feeling like this.”

She looked at the shoes carefully. She liked them the most among all the shoes she had seen so far. Moreover, weren’t these shoes that Maxim had personally chosen for her? She didn’t want to attach meaning to such things, but she couldn’t help her heart fluttering.

She wiggled her toes.

Moreover, every time the clerk changed the decorations, they transformed into new shoes.

“You can purchase just one decoration, or you can purchase several…”

“Send everything here to the mansion. And are there other colored shoes in the same design?”

She looked up at him with a start.

All of that? Then how much would that be?

Her eyes spun round and round.

“Ah, yes! What you’re wearing now is basic black, and there are also blue and white.”

“Same size.”

“Yes, sir!”

This was the first gift Elena received from Maxim.