I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Looking at the mountain of clothes, I regretted what I said earlier a little.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m fine.”

I answered nonchalantly to the maid who asked cautiously.

When I mentioned donating my clothes to the orphanage children, the headmistress looked a bit worried.

When I noticed the change in her expression and asked why, she explained that my clothes were undoubtedly of high quality. While the children would certainly be delighted to receive such clothes, they wouldn’t be very practical.

Of course, all my dresses were designed with beauty in mind. As a noble lady, there was no need for me to wear comfortable clothes for work, so my dresses were far from practical for such activities.

The headmistress pointed out that the children might find it difficult to wear the dresses while doing chores, earning a daily wage, or even helping out at the orphanage.

Additionally, she mentioned that the children might develop vanity, as my dresses were all luxurious and extravagant.

It was also evident that they couldn’t keep wearing such clothes while living in the orphanage.

It would be even more impossible as the children grew up. After all, they were commoners, and even if they found decent jobs, one of my dresses would cost several months of their wages.

Finally, she mentioned the issue of how others might perceive the situation.

While orphanage children don’t necessarily have to wear shabby clothes, wearing something too nice could arouse suspicion or gossip from those around them.

“Of course, I understand that your intentions are good.”

After explaining everything, the headmistress added this.

“But, when considering the children…”

She trailed off, unable to outright reject my offer, and I had to admit that I hadn’t thought it through enough.

“I understand what you’re saying. But it should be okay to give them just one dress, right?”

So, I decided to give each child just one dress. Something they could wear when going somewhere special or celebrating among themselves.

Perhaps, even on days that aren’t particularly important, it might be fun for them to dress up and enjoy themselves together in the orphanage.

“Yes! I should throw a small ball for the children!”

The idea that suddenly came to me seemed quite plausible, and I lifted my head with excitement.

“…But first, let’s pick out the clothes.”

Initially, I had planned to donate all the clothes I had at home, but since I decided to give each child just one outfit, I naturally had to choose that one special outfit.

There were sixteen girls at the orphanage, each with different heights, builds, and facial features.

Since I could only give one outfit, I had to be very careful with my choice, and I decided that I, who considered myself the most stylish person I knew, would personally select the outfits that best suited the girls.

However, I didn’t realize just how many clothes I owned, and that’s how I ended up surrounded by this mountain of dresses.

“Shall we start with Nicole?”

I thought of the eldest girl, Nicole. She had dark brown hair and bright green eyes.

Perhaps from working, her skin was a bit tanned, and she had a gentle, kind expression. Nicole was a mature girl who played the role of big sister not only to Lara but to all the children in the orphanage.

“Hmm…”

I pictured Nicole’s face in my mind as I approached the section with the largest-sized dresses.

Since I had already grown almost to my full height by seventeen, these were the clothes I wore when I was about fifteen or sixteen.

“This might be too big for Nicole.”

I pulled out one dress but quickly put it back.

Being taller than most, I thought this dress would be too large for Nicole.

“Maybe this one?”

I picked a dress from the section with slightly smaller sizes. Judging by my eye, this length seemed just right for Nicole.

As long as the length was right, other parts could be tailored.

“Nicole, Nicole, Nicole.”

As I sifted through each dress, I kept picturing Nicole’s face. Not this one, not this one, not this one…

“Aha!”

My hand stopped at a dress with a mix of light green and deep green.

“This should suit her well.”

Finding something that seemed to match Nicole’s gentle and kind image made me smile.

“When was the last time I wore this…”

Knock, knock.

The moment I tried to recall the distant past, a knock interrupted my thoughts. I turned my head to see a familiar face smiling unexpectedly from the open door.

“Ricardo!”

I briefly wondered if he was supposed to visit today, but I couldn’t recall anything like that.

“Is something wrong?”

Lately, with so many incidents happening, I felt more anxious than glad at his unexpected visit.

“I came by to discuss something, and the maid guided me here. But what’s with all these clothes?”

Ricardo also looked surprised at the sight of the room filled with clothes. In fact, this wasn’t even all of them; if I mentioned that the clothes I wore when I was younger were in the next room, he would be even more surprised.

“I was picking out some clothes. I decided to give each of the children at Sprendo Orphanage one of the dresses I wore when I was younger.”

“Your clothes?”

Ricardo’s eyes drifted towards a nearby dress, a very elaborate one adorned with a large rose motif made from a red ribbon.

“I know, these clothes are too extravagant for them.”

Though it was something I had realized only after the headmistress pointed it out, I spoke as if I had known all along.

Why did the most extravagant dress have to be right in front?

“But last time, Lara wore one of my dresses and was thrilled, saying it looked like a princess dress. She was even wearing it yesterday when I visited. So, I thought it might be nice for the other children to have just one dress like this.”

I held out the green dress I had chosen earlier in front of Ricardo.

“Doesn’t it seem like it would suit Nicole well?”

“Ah…”

A short sigh of admiration.

And then, silence.

“You’re not telling me you don’t know who Nicole is, right?”

“Of course not! I know her.”

“You do remember what she looks like, right?”

“Bianca! I’ve been to that place more often than you have, and I’ve seen Nicole more frequently. She’s the one who always fetches me water, saying she feels sorry for me working so hard.”

“Then why are you avoiding answering when I ask if this would suit her?”

Could it be that it doesn’t really suit her? I thought it was a pretty good choice.

I pictured Nicole’s face over the dress once more.

It should suit her well, right?

“It’s just that… I don’t know much about dresses…”

Ricardo’s voice trailed off as he slightly averted his gaze from mine.

Aha! This is ‘flustered Ricardo.’

I had never really expected Ricardo to have a keen eye for aesthetics. If he did, he wouldn’t have treated a gem like me as a mere stone in the past.

In fact, I had always suspected that his sense of beauty was rather dull, so I wasn’t too disappointed.

However…

“This dress does have some memories of you attached to it, so perhaps it’s not the best choice for Nicole?”

“……”

Ricardo said nothing, but his dark eyes flitted about like a butterfly that had lost its balance.

Watching him squirm and struggle was… well, to be honest, quite amusing.

“Ricardo, you remember, don’t you?”

“Ah…”

His mouth opened, but he didn’t manage to reply. Once again, his eyes darted restlessly.

He blinked repeatedly, as if trying to dredge up the memory, but he likely wouldn’t recall anything.

Of course not.

I don’t remember anything about this dress either.

When I tried to think of any memories associated with this dress earlier, nothing special came to mind.

It was likely one of the more simple and modest dresses I used as an everyday outfit—something I would wear while shopping or running errands.

If I were going somewhere with Ricardo, I would have chosen a much fancier and prettier dress than this.

“Well…”

Now even his lips quivered slightly.

“I’m sorry, Bianca. I… I don’t remember well.”

Ricardo hung his head low, a look of deep regret on his face. He looked like a well-trained hunting dog that had made its first mistake and was now dejected.

A moment ago, teasing him had been fun, but seeing him so downcast made me start to feel a little guilty.

“I…”

“But Bianca!”

Just as I was about to tell him it was all a joke, Ricardo suddenly lifted his head and grabbed my hand.

His sudden change in demeanor made me widen my eyes in surprise. A moment ago, his gaze had been wavering, but now his eyes were fixed on me with unwavering intensity.

“From now on, I’ll remember everything about you.”

“What?”

“I was thoughtless before, but now, I’ll be better to you. I’ll make sure every moment we spend together is etched into my memory.”

He confessed with great passion.

“The dates we meet, the dresses you wear, the jewelry, the shoes, even the words you say—I’ll remember everything.”

“You don’t have to go that far…”

It was just a little joke, but it had escalated to this. Maybe, like Maria said, I don’t come across as someone who jokes around.

“No, I will, and it will happen on its own because I didn’t realize how precious my time with you was before, but now I will really cherish it.”

I should have laughed it off right then.

I should have told him it was just a joke, that there were no memories tied to this dress, so he didn’t need to take it so seriously.

But instead, I blushed and looked down at Ricardo’s hand, which was holding mine tightly, then slowly lifted my gaze to meet his face.

A face that was making a sincere promise to cherish our time together.

“Bianca…”

After that quiet call of my name, there were no more words. But I closed my eyes, as if I knew what was coming.

And in the next fleeting moment, what I had been waiting for touched my lips.

With a thud, the dress I was holding in my hand fell to the floor.