The Mob Noble Lady Whose Inner Voice Leaks Everywhere Has No Idea Her Faves Can Hear It All - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Big Sister’s Love Stands Beyond the Door

[Johanna’s Perspective]

On the third day since making the pact, Johanna learned for the very first time just how completely uncooperative her own facial muscles could be.

Her younger sister’s voice drifted in, completely disregardful of time or place. Passing each other in the hallway: 

(Big Sister’s hairstyle takes the crown again today!) 

Handing over a book in the library: 

(Even her fingers are gorgeous... I want to make a mold of her hand and display it as art.) 

Every single time, Johanna would snap her fan open, stare out the window, and bring up the weather.

Thanks to that, she had spent the last three days doing virtually nothing but staring out windows. Her father had even asked her with a deadpan expression, "Have you grown fond of sunny days?"

And yet, she didn't hate it.

Four years ago, her sister barely spoke a word. Johanna had no idea what her sister thought of her. A small back bowed in silence under the barrage of their stepmother's harsh words. Having failed to shield her back then, Johanna believed it was only natural if her sister came to despise her.

And now, she was talking about making a mold of her hand.

"My Lady, the tailor has arrived," a maid announced.

At the maid’s voice, Johanna snapped her fan shut.

◇

The tailor belonged to a long-established shop located on the dry-goods street in the south. Her father had summoned them specifically for his daughter’s debut.

On the table in the small reception room, fabric samples were laid out in a wide spread—silk, satin, and delicate gauze. The tailor presented them one by one in front of Liese.

"Which might be to your liking, my Lady?"

"The most affordable one, if you please."

Liese answered without a moment's hesitation.

The tailor’s face fell in dismay. Johanna pressed her lips into a tight line. It was the same thing she had heard on the first night. Her sister genuinely believed, “I’m only going to wear it once anyway.”

Why on earth would it be only once? A dress made for a debut ball was meant to be worn at subsequent evening galas as well. Johanna looked at her sister’s side profile. Today, as always, her lips remained completely unmoving.

"Liese. Father did say there was no need to hold back."

"Yes. Which is why this will be more than sufficient."

Her sister pointed toward a piece of pale gray cotton. It wasn't even a fabric meant for a ball—it was the kind used for a maid's day-out attire.

The tailor’s hands came to a dead halt. Behind her fan, Johanna let out a soft, silent breath.

If she argued here, her sister would simply shut down. She remembered Theo’s words: If she finds out, she’ll shut down again.

"...In that case, would you mind helping me choose my dress instead?"

Johanna shifted the topic.

"I haven't decided on what to wear for the summer ball yet. I would love for you to select it with your own eyes."

Her sister looked up.

"Are you certain... you wish for me to choose?"

"I want you to do it."

(I get to pick Big Sister's dress...?! I feel like I've been officially appointed as her costume designer!)

Johanna looked out the window. It was a bright, sunny day, just as expected.

◇

Her sister was surprisingly passionate about it.

Holding each fabric sample up to the light one by one, she held them against Johanna’s cheek to check how the colors complemented her skin tone. She said very little out loud. Yet inside her mind, it was an endless, lively commentary.

(This blue makes her complexion look washed out. This pale rose... ah, no, too cute! It'll steal every single pair of eyes in the venue. Although... I kind of want to see that happen!)

The tailor nodded along, jotting notes down in his ledger. The only person who could hear her was Johanna.

The door to the reception room stood half-open.

Out in the corridor stood a single knight on guard. It was Ralph, Johanna’s personal knight. Short gray hair, a broad back, hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he kept watch down the hallway.

Ever since she was little, that back had always been right there.

Johanna returned her gaze to the fabric samples. Then, for the briefest moment, her eyes darted toward the doorway before returning to the samples once more.

Her sister picked up a piece of deep green satin.

"I believe this color would suit you splendidly, Big Sister."

"That looks lovely indeed," the tailor agreed, nodding.

"If it is for the summer ball, I would recommend entrusting the tailoring to the workshop of Madame Rosa, with whom we enjoy a close relationship. She hosts a unveiling event for her new creations every summer."

"Then you had better place the order early," her sister turned to face the tailor. "After this year’s unveiling, orders will come flooding in. The delivery time will be delayed by three whole months. You should secure it while you can."

The tailor’s eyes went wide.

"Flooding in, you say? It is always a lively affair every year, but to that extent...?"

"This year will be special."

(This year's new creation becomes the Queen's absolute favorite! It was written right in the official fanbook's timeline!)

Her sister spoke with utmost composure. Meanwhile, underneath that calm exterior:

(Sir Ralph right outside the door...)

A chill ran straight down Johanna’s spine.

(Big Sister's checking him out once every three seconds! I'm the only one in this entire house who notices! This is pure bliss!)

The fan slipped straight out of her hand.

A sharp, dry sound echoed off the floor. As the tailor bent down to pick it up, Johanna went to say "It's alright," but her voice cracked mid-sentence.

Her cheeks were burning. Her ears were burning. Even her neck felt ablaze.

Once every three seconds.

Had she really been looking that often? Perhaps she had. No, she definitely had.

Reflexively, Johanna glanced at the door. Ralph remained standing in the exact same posture, watching the corridor. He didn't even turn around.

He was outside the door. Not inside the room.

—It only works when we are in the same room.

That was what they had confirmed in the study on the first night. Beneath her lap, Johanna squeezed her hands tightly together.

He can't hear it. Ralph can't hear a thing.

She almost slumped in sheer relief. But immediately after, a cold sweat broke out across her back.

What if this had been the dining room? What if her father, her brother, and Theo had heard that just now?

(Ah, she looked again! I get it, I totally get it! You just can't help staring at that back!)

She wasn't staring! ...Well, okay, she did look. But that was just to verify!

"B-Big Sister?"

Her sister looked at her with a bewildered expression.

"Your face is quite red. Do you have a fever...?"

"...No. It's just... the sunlight."

"The sunlight..."

Her sister looked toward the window. The curtains were drawn shut.

(Is Big Sister flustered? But by what? ...No way, did she notice my gaze? Nah, impossible. I'm just a background character, after all.)

Johanna took a deep breath. The pact. She must not react.

She tried to look out the window, only to remember the curtains were closed. Helpless, she stared up at the ceiling instead.

Through it all, her sister’s voice continued relentlessly.

(An engagement with a neighboring kingdom... Big Sister has quietly taken on that burden for the sake of the family all this time. Unable to tell a single soul, just looking at him once every three seconds...)

Johanna found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the ceiling.

The engagement had been decided when she was fourteen. It was a marriage proposal her father had accepted after agonizing over it deeply. Johanna had simply smiled and nodded. She believed that was the duty of an eldest daughter.

She had never told a soul about her feelings for Ralph. If she spoke of them, it would only cause trouble for everyone—her father, and Ralph himself.

(I'm on your side! I won't say it out loud, though... But at the very least, we have to pick a dress that looks best from the angle of that back!)

Johanna bit her lip.

It was a secret love she had shared with no one. Not her family, not her maids, not even her own diary.

And yet, her sister, who had returned after four years, knew all about it. She knew, and she had quietly decided to be on her side.

The very sister whom she thought despised her.

"...Liese."

"Yes, Big Sister?"

"I'll go with that green. At Madame Rosa's workshop."

Her voice didn't tremble. It was surprisingly, remarkably steady.

Her sister gave a firm nod.

"That is a fine choice. It complements the color of your eyes best of all."

(Alright! I'm going to watch over her from the very front row at the summer ball!)

Johanna picked up her fan and slowly opened it. Behind its cover, she came very close to tears.

◇

After the tailor left and her sister departed for the library, Johanna remained alone in the reception room, laying out a sheet of stationery.

It was the order form for Madame Rosa’s workshop.

On the first page, she requested her own green dress. On the second page, she copied down her sister’s measurements—the ones she had surreptitiously copied from the tailor’s ledger earlier.

In the fabric section, she did not write "gray cotton."

Pale lavender silk. Delicate embroidery along the hem. She chose the color that would make her sister look the most beautiful on the night of her debut.

In the client field, Johanna penned her own name.

—We did not invite you. This is your home.

Those were the stiff words her brother had spoken in the dining room on the first night. Johanna had wanted to say the exact same thing. But she couldn't answer her sister's inner thoughts out loud. They had a pact. So, she decided to say it through fabric instead.

Sealing the envelope, she looked up to find Ralph’s back visible through the open doorway.

Johanna looked at that back just once.

...From now on, I'll make it at least once every five seconds.

◇

A little over a month later.

Madame Rosa’s summer unveiling caused an unprecedented stir that year. The Queen took a liking to one of the new creations and wore it to an evening gala. Orders flooded the workshop, pushing delivery times all the way to the end of autumn.

The following week, when Johanna visited for her fitting, Madame Rosa herself came out to greet her.

"Lady Ahrens... May I ask you just one thing?"

Holding the green satin, Madame Rosa tilted her head in curiosity.

"How did you know before the unveiling that things would turn out this way this year?"

Johanna didn't answer. She simply smiled.

And that smile was something Madame Rosa would go on to talk about with great amusement at a tea party the very next day.