Winter, who had taken care of some urgent business at the company, left the headquarters around lunchtime. Hayel, who had come out first and was loading his spare suit into the carriage, asked.
“Sir, are you going straight to the North?”
“No, I have something to take care of first.”
"Yes?"
As Winter got into the carriage, Hayel asked with an anxious face.
“Are you saying there is a schedule I don’t know about?”
“That could be true. Why are you so surprised?”
"No..."
Hayel, who had promised to inform Jen that Winter was not in the capital when they arrived in the North, trailed off. Winter said.
“I’m going to buy all the islands in the Reckless River before my wife goes to Congress.”
“I heard that. Why do you want to buy that island where there are no people?”
“There are no people. Two families live there.”
Winter explained to Hayel the title of the Reckless River based on the information he had heard from his wife. When Winter told the coachman the name of a famous restaurant and sat back in his chair, Hayel asked.
“Who owns the other two islands, excluding Hagu Island?”
“Lady Ella Philippe. It originally belonged to the former King.”
"Okay."
“Ash Lawrence will naturally expect those two islands to be his. But I will take them, and my wife will stop the council from erasing ‘all islands’.”
“Then, the little lady can take away the title to the Rekless River and all its islands?”
“Stolen? It’s legal. How can a piece of trash take the title? There’s a noble Princess like my wife.”
Winter no longer had any intention of hiding how much he looked up to his wife. Hayel also genuinely cared for his little lady, so he had no complaints about that.
“So, are you going to see Madame Ella Felice now?”
“Yeah. I decided to meet her. She told me in advance as soon as she got a call from my wife.”
“That... doesn’t seem like a very friendly relationship between mother and daughter.”
Winter nodded at Hayel's words, which became twisted whenever the topic of her parents came up.
“My wife said the same thing. Of course, we indeed grew up seeing adults we didn’t like, but if we ever have children, we should at least have a grandmother. Ella or... my own mother. Of course, we won’t see them often.”
“...”
“Oh, I don’t know. My wife secretly sent word to my mother that she had arrived safely at Rockround.”
“It was ‘secretly’, so whoever found out was at fault.”
“So I didn’t say anything either.”
“Because the little lady is a kind person who always sends greeting letters.”
“My wife knows me well, so shut up.”
Winter was annoyed.
Neither Violet nor Winter were more cruel to each other's parents than to their own. Winter realized that his wife and he, who seemed to have nothing in common, shared only loneliness.
So, little by little, he was beginning to feel that even loneliness was sweet. It seems that this was the kind of situation where love drives people crazy.
After a while, the carriage stopped in front of the restaurant Winter had promised. He stood there for a moment, and soon a carriage with the Felice family crest stopped, and Ella got out. Ella looked at Winter with her usual cold eyes. Winter said.
“Come on in.”
“Please do so.”
Ella walked ahead into the restaurant with a blank expression.
The restaurant on the fifth floor overlooking the ocean was where Winter and Violet had previously eaten. Before getting into the main topic, the two began their meal in a very awkward and uncomfortable situation.
Ella had never liked her son-in-law before their marriage. It was true that he had helped the country overcome a great economic crisis, but it was still shocking that a foreigner and even an illegitimate child would marry Lawrence. Even if Winter were far from the direct line, Violet was the legitimate daughter of the previous King and the last Princess of Rockround.
If that was all there was to Winter Blooming before, now there's the added assessment that he's one of those who isolated her daughter in the South.
After a while of silence, Winter spoke to Ella, who was eating with a displeased expression.
“I think you have received the call.”
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
Winter paused at Ella's words. Only then did he realize that the greeting his wife always nagged at him for was necessary, and he suppressed his temper and said.
“How have you been?”
“You ask so quickly.”
"...Sorry."
Winter was very distressed by the fact that he could not be trusted not only by his wife but also by her friends and her mother. And that was not all. He could not even do anything to his wife's beloved servants. If they insisted that they would quit unless he doubled their salaries, he would surely give them as much as they wanted.
Ella said, putting down her spoon.
“You have now been designated as the successor to the Blooming family. You should follow etiquette. In particular, when writing a letter to your mother-in-law, where is the rule that you should have an employee write it? Of course, you should write it yourself.”
“It was because I wasn’t in the capital.”
“But you should have written it. Violet, that girl is very well-mannered. She never made a single mistake since she was little. She was much more upright than adults, so you didn’t have any complaints about her?”
Winter could never answer that things had improved so much, even though it looked like this.
Winter realized for the first time that, compared to Ella, his wife was the one who rarely criticized his behavior. It was just that no one had ever criticized his behavior, but if the Duke and Duchess of Blooming had treated him like a son, all of his actions would have been problematic.
Ella narrowed her eyes and continued.
“From now on, when you write to me, write it yourself. Especially...”
Ella took a deep breath as if she couldn't understand this no matter how much she thought about it before continuing.
“How can you stamp the company seal on a letter and send it?”
“What's the problem with that?”
Ella's eyes widened in frustration as Winter couldn't hold back. Winter's mouth immediately shut tightly at the same expression Violet often made. Ella said.
“Of course, it is a problem. Think about it. When I received your letter, the first thing I heard from my butler was, ‘There is a letter from Kanik.’ What do you think I thought?”
“You must have thought I was from Kanik.”
“Of course, the only people I know in that company are you and that girl Anjali. Who knows? It could really be promotional material from Kanik. I could have just thrown that letter away. Such an important letter!”
“Yes, I really am trash.”
“Are you talking back to me now?”
“...”
Winter thought that he should be better than his wife from now on. She had him in the palm of her hand and could swing him around as she pleased, but she had never criticized him so harshly. Of course, it was because she had never criticized him so harshly that he was being broken up by his mother-in-law now.
After spewing out all the nagging that Violet should have done, Ella said with a stern face.
“Okay. Now, let’s talk about the contents of the letter.”
“Is it okay if I get to the point?”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
“I understand that you have the power to influence the title of the Reckless River.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Let’s negotiate.”
“If I give away the two islands I have, my son will be left with nothing. Really nothing.”
“I understand how you feel because I am the less pretty one of the two.”
From the moment the negotiations began Winter, who had been his son-in-law, changed his attitude to that of a businessman. This was a change that was even more noticeable to Ella, who valued etiquette.
Winter continued, calmly touching Ella and Violet's wounds.
“But you value etiquette. If you value etiquette, don’t you also value the roots of Rockround?”
“Of course.”
“I know that Ash Lawrence was the one who would become King. But please look at them objectively. They are not son and daughter, but completely separate talents. If you could entrust an important matter to one of them, who would you choose? As you know, my wife is a good person.”
Ella paused at Winter's words. In the meantime, he continued.
“It was none other than Violet who accepted the marriage proposal of a foreigner like me to save this country from danger from the beginning. My purpose was the title. My wife’s purpose was to solve the economic crisis of Rockround. I know that Ash’s actions were also involved in that process. But who made the noblest choice at that moment? My wife was the only one who sacrificed herself for the sake of the nation’s survival, not for her own benefit.”
“Are you sure you can call your marriage a sacrifice?”
“At the beginning of our marriage, I didn’t want to admit it either. Now, I know what kind of person my wife is, and I know that she loves me, so it doesn’t matter. My wife was the Queen of this country. Even though she’s not like that now, she’s the one who should be the one who cares about Rockround more than anyone else. She’s the one who has to make that choice. My wife always corrects me when I say that she’s not a Princess, but she still, always, makes choices that are more Princess-like than anyone else.”
Ella had no further answer. Winter continued.
“I will pay you a fair price for the island. But... I know that this is not something that can be decided by price. Ultimately, it is up to you, Madam.”
With that, Winter also remained silent and continued eating.
Violet was so nervous that her hands and feet were cold, so she needed something to focus on. That's why she was going to cook, but since Winter was so worried, she turned her attention to preparing a dress to wear to the council.
She tailored her neat dark blue dress and black coat to fit her body line and chose buttons to put on the coat. Violet looked at the three kinds of silver buttons the buttonsmith had made, and also looked at the brooch for a long time since she would obviously have to change it on the day anyway. Among them, she chose a large leaf-shaped brooch made of five kinds of gemstones.
Contrary to expectations that Hayel would contact her soon, her telegram was delayed. Finally, Jen, unable to bear the tension, asked.
“The secretary hasn’t contacted me. Should I just call the doctor? I think he’s probably gone up north by now.”
“Yeah. I see.”
Violet nodded.
Her mind was divided between wanting to confirm the pregnancy and not wanting to confirm it. However, she couldn't keep putting it off because she was afraid.
After a while, the two doctors that Hayel had chosen as the best in the obstetrics and gynecology department came first to check whether or not she was pregnant.
And finally, the attending physician came in and said with a disappointed face.
“Young Madam, don’t you trust me? Why did you call two more doctors?”
“I’m sorry. I know what you’ve been through.”
“That’s... right. Understandably, you would be concerned after meeting such trash doctors.”
“But you’re the last one. If it’s not your opinion, it’s all useless.”
The attending physician finally showed a satisfied expression after Violet's soothing words. And after finishing the examination, he spoke with a happy face.
“When three doctors agree, it’s hard to be more certain than that.”
“Really... Really?”
“Yes, the baby is here. Congratulations, little lady.”
“Sir, are you going straight to the North?”
“No, I have something to take care of first.”
"Yes?"
As Winter got into the carriage, Hayel asked with an anxious face.
“Are you saying there is a schedule I don’t know about?”
“That could be true. Why are you so surprised?”
"No..."
Hayel, who had promised to inform Jen that Winter was not in the capital when they arrived in the North, trailed off. Winter said.
“I’m going to buy all the islands in the Reckless River before my wife goes to Congress.”
“I heard that. Why do you want to buy that island where there are no people?”
“There are no people. Two families live there.”
Winter explained to Hayel the title of the Reckless River based on the information he had heard from his wife. When Winter told the coachman the name of a famous restaurant and sat back in his chair, Hayel asked.
“Who owns the other two islands, excluding Hagu Island?”
“Lady Ella Philippe. It originally belonged to the former King.”
"Okay."
“Ash Lawrence will naturally expect those two islands to be his. But I will take them, and my wife will stop the council from erasing ‘all islands’.”
“Then, the little lady can take away the title to the Rekless River and all its islands?”
“Stolen? It’s legal. How can a piece of trash take the title? There’s a noble Princess like my wife.”
Winter no longer had any intention of hiding how much he looked up to his wife. Hayel also genuinely cared for his little lady, so he had no complaints about that.
“So, are you going to see Madame Ella Felice now?”
“Yeah. I decided to meet her. She told me in advance as soon as she got a call from my wife.”
“That... doesn’t seem like a very friendly relationship between mother and daughter.”
Winter nodded at Hayel's words, which became twisted whenever the topic of her parents came up.
“My wife said the same thing. Of course, we indeed grew up seeing adults we didn’t like, but if we ever have children, we should at least have a grandmother. Ella or... my own mother. Of course, we won’t see them often.”
“...”
“Oh, I don’t know. My wife secretly sent word to my mother that she had arrived safely at Rockround.”
“It was ‘secretly’, so whoever found out was at fault.”
“So I didn’t say anything either.”
“Because the little lady is a kind person who always sends greeting letters.”
“My wife knows me well, so shut up.”
Winter was annoyed.
Neither Violet nor Winter were more cruel to each other's parents than to their own. Winter realized that his wife and he, who seemed to have nothing in common, shared only loneliness.
So, little by little, he was beginning to feel that even loneliness was sweet. It seems that this was the kind of situation where love drives people crazy.
After a while, the carriage stopped in front of the restaurant Winter had promised. He stood there for a moment, and soon a carriage with the Felice family crest stopped, and Ella got out. Ella looked at Winter with her usual cold eyes. Winter said.
“Come on in.”
“Please do so.”
Ella walked ahead into the restaurant with a blank expression.
***
The restaurant on the fifth floor overlooking the ocean was where Winter and Violet had previously eaten. Before getting into the main topic, the two began their meal in a very awkward and uncomfortable situation.
Ella had never liked her son-in-law before their marriage. It was true that he had helped the country overcome a great economic crisis, but it was still shocking that a foreigner and even an illegitimate child would marry Lawrence. Even if Winter were far from the direct line, Violet was the legitimate daughter of the previous King and the last Princess of Rockround.
If that was all there was to Winter Blooming before, now there's the added assessment that he's one of those who isolated her daughter in the South.
After a while of silence, Winter spoke to Ella, who was eating with a displeased expression.
“I think you have received the call.”
“Let’s get straight to the point.”
Winter paused at Ella's words. Only then did he realize that the greeting his wife always nagged at him for was necessary, and he suppressed his temper and said.
“How have you been?”
“You ask so quickly.”
"...Sorry."
Winter was very distressed by the fact that he could not be trusted not only by his wife but also by her friends and her mother. And that was not all. He could not even do anything to his wife's beloved servants. If they insisted that they would quit unless he doubled their salaries, he would surely give them as much as they wanted.
Ella said, putting down her spoon.
“You have now been designated as the successor to the Blooming family. You should follow etiquette. In particular, when writing a letter to your mother-in-law, where is the rule that you should have an employee write it? Of course, you should write it yourself.”
“It was because I wasn’t in the capital.”
“But you should have written it. Violet, that girl is very well-mannered. She never made a single mistake since she was little. She was much more upright than adults, so you didn’t have any complaints about her?”
Winter could never answer that things had improved so much, even though it looked like this.
Winter realized for the first time that, compared to Ella, his wife was the one who rarely criticized his behavior. It was just that no one had ever criticized his behavior, but if the Duke and Duchess of Blooming had treated him like a son, all of his actions would have been problematic.
Ella narrowed her eyes and continued.
“From now on, when you write to me, write it yourself. Especially...”
Ella took a deep breath as if she couldn't understand this no matter how much she thought about it before continuing.
“How can you stamp the company seal on a letter and send it?”
“What's the problem with that?”
Ella's eyes widened in frustration as Winter couldn't hold back. Winter's mouth immediately shut tightly at the same expression Violet often made. Ella said.
“Of course, it is a problem. Think about it. When I received your letter, the first thing I heard from my butler was, ‘There is a letter from Kanik.’ What do you think I thought?”
“You must have thought I was from Kanik.”
“Of course, the only people I know in that company are you and that girl Anjali. Who knows? It could really be promotional material from Kanik. I could have just thrown that letter away. Such an important letter!”
“Yes, I really am trash.”
“Are you talking back to me now?”
“...”
Winter thought that he should be better than his wife from now on. She had him in the palm of her hand and could swing him around as she pleased, but she had never criticized him so harshly. Of course, it was because she had never criticized him so harshly that he was being broken up by his mother-in-law now.
After spewing out all the nagging that Violet should have done, Ella said with a stern face.
“Okay. Now, let’s talk about the contents of the letter.”
“Is it okay if I get to the point?”
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
“I understand that you have the power to influence the title of the Reckless River.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Let’s negotiate.”
“If I give away the two islands I have, my son will be left with nothing. Really nothing.”
“I understand how you feel because I am the less pretty one of the two.”
From the moment the negotiations began Winter, who had been his son-in-law, changed his attitude to that of a businessman. This was a change that was even more noticeable to Ella, who valued etiquette.
Winter continued, calmly touching Ella and Violet's wounds.
“But you value etiquette. If you value etiquette, don’t you also value the roots of Rockround?”
“Of course.”
“I know that Ash Lawrence was the one who would become King. But please look at them objectively. They are not son and daughter, but completely separate talents. If you could entrust an important matter to one of them, who would you choose? As you know, my wife is a good person.”
Ella paused at Winter's words. In the meantime, he continued.
“It was none other than Violet who accepted the marriage proposal of a foreigner like me to save this country from danger from the beginning. My purpose was the title. My wife’s purpose was to solve the economic crisis of Rockround. I know that Ash’s actions were also involved in that process. But who made the noblest choice at that moment? My wife was the only one who sacrificed herself for the sake of the nation’s survival, not for her own benefit.”
“Are you sure you can call your marriage a sacrifice?”
“At the beginning of our marriage, I didn’t want to admit it either. Now, I know what kind of person my wife is, and I know that she loves me, so it doesn’t matter. My wife was the Queen of this country. Even though she’s not like that now, she’s the one who should be the one who cares about Rockround more than anyone else. She’s the one who has to make that choice. My wife always corrects me when I say that she’s not a Princess, but she still, always, makes choices that are more Princess-like than anyone else.”
Ella had no further answer. Winter continued.
“I will pay you a fair price for the island. But... I know that this is not something that can be decided by price. Ultimately, it is up to you, Madam.”
With that, Winter also remained silent and continued eating.
***
Violet was so nervous that her hands and feet were cold, so she needed something to focus on. That's why she was going to cook, but since Winter was so worried, she turned her attention to preparing a dress to wear to the council.
She tailored her neat dark blue dress and black coat to fit her body line and chose buttons to put on the coat. Violet looked at the three kinds of silver buttons the buttonsmith had made, and also looked at the brooch for a long time since she would obviously have to change it on the day anyway. Among them, she chose a large leaf-shaped brooch made of five kinds of gemstones.
Contrary to expectations that Hayel would contact her soon, her telegram was delayed. Finally, Jen, unable to bear the tension, asked.
“The secretary hasn’t contacted me. Should I just call the doctor? I think he’s probably gone up north by now.”
“Yeah. I see.”
Violet nodded.
Her mind was divided between wanting to confirm the pregnancy and not wanting to confirm it. However, she couldn't keep putting it off because she was afraid.
After a while, the two doctors that Hayel had chosen as the best in the obstetrics and gynecology department came first to check whether or not she was pregnant.
And finally, the attending physician came in and said with a disappointed face.
“Young Madam, don’t you trust me? Why did you call two more doctors?”
“I’m sorry. I know what you’ve been through.”
“That’s... right. Understandably, you would be concerned after meeting such trash doctors.”
“But you’re the last one. If it’s not your opinion, it’s all useless.”
The attending physician finally showed a satisfied expression after Violet's soothing words. And after finishing the examination, he spoke with a happy face.
“When three doctors agree, it’s hard to be more certain than that.”
“Really... Really?”
“Yes, the baby is here. Congratulations, little lady.”
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