The Virtually Exiled Duke’s Daughter Is Troubled When Her Fiancé in a Neighboring Country Says, "I Will Never Love You" - Episode 57

A month had passed since then.

Deborah praised Tom for his progress in practice.

“Wow, the size and spacing of your stitches are perfectly even. Your running stitch and backstitch are flawless.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you very much!”

“Then, let’s try this next.”

Deborah handed him a piece of fabric with several small holes.

“Look closely. You sew around the hole like this, making sure the original fabric is completely covered. This is called overcast stitching.”

She quickly demonstrated a sample stitch. A neat embroidered ring formed around the hole.

“I’ll do it again… If you gradually change the length of the stitches, you can create small flower patterns. But for now, don’t change the stitch length until you can make a perfect ring.”

“Why not? I want to try the flower pattern too.”

Tom, who had been practicing only basic embroidery, was eager to create patterns. Deborah met his gaze and answered firmly.

“With overcast stitching, the most important thing is to keep the stitch length and thread density uniform. Once you master this, you can use it to finish fabric edges, make buttonholes, and even create pinholes.”

“Buttonholes?”

“If you want to become a tailor in the future, being able to sew neat, even buttonholes are essential.”

“…I understand!”

Seeing Tom’s eyes sparkle with determination, Deborah smiled and exchanged a glance with Mrs. Lauren.

She had always thought he was a bright child for his age, but becoming a tailor’s apprentice was a different matter. Intelligence alone wouldn’t be enough—he also needed dexterity.

However, over the past month, Tom had steadily improved his stitches from being uneven to a level Deborah now deemed perfect. With his dedication, his future looked promising.

“If you master this, I’ll teach you embroidery patterns and other stitches. You’ll catch up to your mother and sister in no time.”

“Yes!”

The harvest season was approaching. When that time came, his family would be busy with farm work, and later with festival preparations. There was a high chance he wouldn’t have time to practice embroidery for a while. Before that happened, Deborah wanted to make sure he learned the basics.

“By the way, I heard you borrowed a book from Ashley the other day. How was it?”

“It was an amazing book! The adventure was so exciting…!”

Along with embroidery training, Tom was also learning basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. If he wanted to be a tailor, these skills were necessary. Even if he didn’t, they would be useful when selling their harvested crops.

Ashley, once a noble but now a steward, and Peter, a kitchen apprentice from a farming background who now managed food supplies, were both examples of people who had improved their lives through education. Tom had known them since his time running errands for the butcher, but he hadn’t realized their pasts were similar to his until training began. Seeing firsthand that education and skills could lead to stable jobs and food security, his heart filled with hope.

Ashley and Peter, along with other servants at the Sisley estate, would teach Tom whenever they had spare time. He took his studies seriously and was making steady progress.

“That’s great. But don’t stay up too late practicing embroidery or reading. It’ll hurt your eyes.”

“Yes! My sister scolded me for wasting candles, so I won’t do it anymore!”

“Oh, you’ve already been scolded?”

Deborah chuckled softly. It was a quiet laugh, but her smile was warm and beautiful. Tom’s cheeks turned slightly red as he watched her.

Deborah, too, had grown over the past month. She was becoming more comfortable expressing her true emotions.

Her embroidery training was also benefiting Tom’s mother and sisters. With a reference guide and diagrams she had created, they had learned various patterns. Although one of Tom’s original goals—making a decorative hat ribbon for his sister before the Harvest Festival—might not be met in time, his sister had already started making one herself. When Deborah saw it, she thought it wasn’t bad at all.

If her handmade embroidered hat caught people’s attention and gained a good reputation, others might request embroidery work from Tom’s family. If that happened, Deborah’s prediction would come true—their family’s side business would improve their livelihood.

If this plan worked, she wanted to spread these skills to other villagers as well. While she couldn’t personally teach everyone, she could lend samples and diagrams to Tom’s mother and sisters so they could run their own classes. If more people took up embroidery, Sisley’s territory could truly become known for it.

Feeling that she was able to help others, Deborah felt a sense of fulfillment.

(Will this make them happy…? No, I shouldn’t be greedy. As long as they don’t find it troublesome, that’s enough…)

As she stitched each thread with care, she thought to herself. Under her precise hands, the marquis family’s crest took shape with perfect embroidery.

◆

“Marquis, may I have a moment of your time later?”

During dinner one evening, Deborah made this request. The marquis smiled and responded.

“Of course, I don’t mind.”

“Then, I’ll visit your office later.”

“…? Ah, understood.”

The marquis had expected they would talk over tea or light drinks after dinner, so he was surprised. By choosing the office, she indicated that this wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have in the presence of many servants.

Even in the office, Ashley and Mrs. Lauren would likely be present. Since Deborah was still a hostage, a completely private conversation was unlikely.

Wondering what this could be about, the marquis welcomed Deborah into his office. Once again, he was caught off guard.

“Um… I embroidered this myself. But if it’s a bother, please feel free to decline.”

Looking a little shy, Deborah presented him with a handkerchief embroidered with the Sisley marquis family crest.

For a moment, the marquis was at a loss for words. Then, he let out a small chuckle.

(So that’s why she didn’t want to give it to me in front of others—she didn’t want to pressure me into accepting it.)

Over the past month, he had heard that she had been giving embroidered handkerchiefs with initials to many people at the Sisley estate—Mrs. Lauren, Marna, Vito, even lower-ranking servants. Even Ashley, who had initially been wary of her, received one.

Everyone who received one had happily accepted it. If she had presented his in front of them and he refused, it would have created an awkward atmosphere. She must have thought of that.

But she needn’t have worried.

“Uh…?”

Seeing him chuckle, Deborah tilted her head in confusion. The marquis responded.

“No, of course, I wouldn’t refuse. In fact, I was wondering why I hadn’t received one yet.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry for the delay…”

“It’s fine.”

He took the handkerchief from her and examined it closely. She truly was talented. The embroidered crest was flawless, and the decorative stitching around it was exquisite. There was nothing to criticize.

“This must have taken quite some time to make.”

“It wasn’t that much trouble…”

Deborah downplayed it, but even an amateur could tell that this level of embroidery required significantly more effort than a simple initial.

“Thank you. I’ll use it for special occasions.”

At his words, Deborah’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“Thank you for accepting it. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright. Good night.”

“Good night.”

As Deborah and Mrs. Lauren left the office and the door closed behind them, the marquis’ cheerful expression turned serious.

(I thought she might bring up another matter along with the handkerchief… but was that really all?)

He glanced at the locked drawer in his desk. Inside was a letter from Prince Riold that had arrived recently.