The Seven Day Bride : Alicia, who lives in a frontier town, is visited by someone who is only in her memories.
”Alicia, there was a man in front of the shop. There were guards, so I guess they were aristocrats.”
”Thank you, Jean. I’m going to the shop as soon as I can.”
Alicia stopped hanging out the laundry, thanked her neighbor Jean, quickly hung out the remaining laundry, locked up her house, and headed for the shop. It takes less than five minutes from her home to the shop, but Alicia let out a sigh at the stares of the town’s residents that she felt on the main street.
It has been nearly seven years since Alicia opened her dressmaker’s shop in this frontier town, which is about seven days by carriage from the capital of the Northern Kingdom, but she is still treated as a “stranger” by the residents of this town.
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The residents of this town, who were born and raised here, get along like a family. However, people like Alicia, who come from other parts of the country, are looked upon as strangers and kept at a distance.Although they are not driven out of the town, few of the residents are as friendly as Jean.
Alicia had also thought about marrying a man who was born and raised in this town. However, she abandoned that idea when she saw a woman who had married from a neighboring town, and was treated as a stranger by the man’s family, even though she had even given birth to a child.
Alicia believes that doing business with the residents will not work, so she takes advantage of the town’s location as an inn along the route and does business with travelers as her customers.The residents, who do not like strangers, did not welcome travelers, so the travelers naturally came to Alicia’s shop.In the beginning, many travelers came to the shop because of the beautiful owner, but Alicia did not care about that and was very careful in her work, and the reputation of the store spread from traveler to traveler.
Alicia’s shop’s reputation spread among travelers because of the “ fixing ”.When she first started her shop, Alicia only did what she was asked to do, but she began to use the knowledge she gained from taking on various travelers’ requests to suggest fixes to make their journeys a little easier.
None of the fixes were major. Many were small improvements, such as adding a layer of thicker fabric to the knee area of a traveler’s pants who said his knees hurt, or adding buttons to the pockets of a traveler who said he lost things easily, but the travelers liked Alicia’s fixes.Some of them show up at the store every time they come to this town, even if they have no business here.As travelers came in and out of her store, the residents became even more disdainful of Alicia and her store, but Alicia did not care, as she thought this was the best way to go about it.
Now wealthy merchants and aristocrats also come to Alicia’s shop.The reason for this was the fall of the lord who ruled the area, and the building that used to be the lord’s villa just outside the city was turned into a luxury hotel.They staying at the hotel began coming to Alicia’s shop because of its reputation. Their visits also made Alicia jealous, but she did not mind, thinking it was inevitable.
Of course, there were times when Alicia felt lonely, frustrated, and sometimes angry at the residents for their unreasonable responses, but she couldn’t help it because she couldn’t change the fact that she was a stranger.
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As Jean said, there were travelers in front of the shop who were fully concealed by their cloaks.
“Sorry for the wait.”
Judging by their physiques, there were three men and one woman. Alicia, who judged them to be a noblewoman and her escort, called out to the women, but it was the man closest to the door who responded to her voice.Pretending not to notice, Alicia approaches the door and unlocks it. She had heard from a client whose job was to escort merchants that they did not want to be stared at while they were being escorted.
So Alicia was caught off guard.
“Alicia.”
What reached her ears was the voice of a man who should not be in this town.
With the door halfway open, Alicia looks at the man right next to her. Alicia is surprised to see the man’s red eyes pointed at her.
“…… Sir Hubert?”
“Been a long time.”
A strong wind suddenly blew as Hubert removed the hood of his cloak before Alicia’s eyes, his dark hair spilling out.Stunned by the situation, Alicia’s reaction was delayed, and the door was nearly crashing into her body as a strong wind blew it open.
“Caution!”
At the same time Alicia heard Hubert’s impatient voice, she felt her body being pulled with a strong force. The next moment she felt a vibration in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
Alicia is startled to hear Hubert’s voice in her ear.Alicia realized she was being held by Hubert and hurriedly tried to push his body away.
It’s a closed day at the shop, and they’re alone in the silence.
Alicia could see that she had been protected from the crashing door, but she could not understand why Hubert was here. In her stupor, the scent of a nostalgic cologne snatched her nose.
Alicia thought, this is not a dream, I have to calm down first.
Alicia remembers her tutor telling her that nobles are to kill their emotions at all times, and she smiles, grateful for her hard education.
“Thank you for visiting.”
Frightening Hubert gave Alicia satisfaction, but he is also an aristocrat.In an instant, the agitation vanishes from his face and he becomes expressionless.With an elegant face, a suit that is instantly recognizable as custom-made, and shiny leather shoes, Hubert’s appearance is seamless.Hubert was more fearless in front of her eyes than the twenty-year-old Hubert in Alicia’s memory.
“Been a long time.”
A greeting already made. Alicia noticed that Hubert’s mouth was tight and he looked away slightly to avoid eye contact.
Alicia thought, he can get nervous too.
Alicia’s tension relaxed a little, probably because she realized that Hubert was nervous. His dark hair, still disheveled, calmed her even more.
“Alicia?”
Alicia realized that Hubert had called her by name. This was the second time. It was too natural to realize that Alicia and Hubert were no longer calling each other by name.
“It’s been a while.”
Alicia lightly fingered the edge of her skirt and pulled her left leg behind her right leg and bent the knee. Her muscles trembled, and Alicia remembered when she had just learned to curtesy.
“Marquess Reynard.”
Hubert Cliff Reynard, he is the head of the Reynard Marquise family in the Northern Kingdom, who was Alicia’s husband for only seven days.
“Excuse me, sir. We would like to be present.”
They were waiting for the greeting to be finished. Just as Alicia returned to her posture, the door to the shop opened and the three people outside entered.
Alicia thought, Knights of the Raynard family.
Their cloaks are embroidered with Reynard’s family symbol. And Alicia chuckled at the awkward glances they gave her.
Alicia thought, I’m the ex-wife of “ The Seven Day Bride” so no wonder they’re confused.
Alicia smiled at the woman who looked troubled behind the knights.
“Marchioness.”
“What? Um, its …… I’m ……”
She looked troubled. Then she looked at Hubert as if asking for instructions. Alicia thinks this is a surprising reaction, and Hubert lets out a sigh and sits down on the sofa in the reception area.Alicia’s face showed that she blamed Hubert for his rudeness in not escorting his wife and not encouraging her to sit down. Hubert looks at Alicia and smiles bitterly.
“She is not a marchioness.”
If not a marchioness, then a fiancée, or perhaps a lover? When Alicia turned to look at her, she hurriedly took off her cloak to show Alicia that she was wearing a maid’s outfit.
“She is the maid of the Marquise.”
To be continued…
The English version is made using translation software. If you find any mistakes or inappropriate expressions, please let us know through “Report a typo”.
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