018. That's what nobility is
When Emilia entered the salon, Countess Luen's lecture was almost over.
She moved as quietly as a mouse and sat down in the corner, trying not to look at Nathan Malvin, who was leaning listlessly on the sofa.
As the boring lecture drew to a close, the Countess told a story that made the young people's eyes light up.
“Unfortunately, my relationship with you will end this month. I have to return to Nowak. I have no way to appease my sorrow and disappointment, so I would like to invite you to the castle in Deluis...”
Exclamations came from all sides. The Countess's invitation was something anyone could brag about.
“I’m thinking of opening up the ballroom and having a ball. You can think of it as a rehearsal for my debut in high society.”
Wow, my goodness...
Screams of joy filled the salon.
For a brief moment, Emilia was lost in strange thoughts.
Could this be Hardius's doing?
Odilia Luen is known in Nowak's high society circles as a party animal, so this may be the case.
Was he worried that she would mess up at the prom? Or that she would embarrass herself by not dancing properly, so he planned this.
Emilia narrowed her eyes and glared at the Countess for a long time.
Of course, there was nothing she could find out by doing that. She was deep in thought, but soon her shoulders slumped.
I don't know, so what if he made it up? Let's just let it happen.
Since meeting him in Sitmer, she had been losing her will to fight Hardius. Come to think of it, none of the things he had done had really caused any harm.
The carriage, Beppy, and Brave were becoming indispensable, and it was true that thanks to them, the remote forest became much safer.
There's no need to be aggressive and count the days. Remember, what everyone wants is a peaceful breakup.
When all her work was over, she stopped by the study. As usual, she borrowed a book and was leaving the mansion when Nathan blocked her way once again.
“I heard from Haspel. You took the money, but you returned it?”
If it hadn't been for what happened in the morning, she would have been on high alert, like an antelope surrounded by a pride of lions.
But now she knows for sure. Nathan Malvin wasn't lying in a trap and waiting. His turquoise eyes, staring back at her, were filled with pure kindness, without any trickery or hostility.
“Yes, I returned it.”
“Why?”
“...At that time, I couldn’t believe the person in front of me now.”
Nathan burst into laughter as he understood the meaning of the words. The moment the boredom that had filled his face disappeared, Emilia felt somehow better.
“Well, to you, I’m no different from Sheila. Well, if you look at it frankly, there’s not much difference.”
Nathan smiled crookedly and shrugged.
“I swear on Malvin’s name that I have no intention of playing around with this money. Don’t refuse me the rewards of fair labor. Take it.”
To her surprise, he was holding an envelope in his hand. It was the envelope containing the money she had returned to Haspel.
In a short time, countless thoughts and emotions passed through her head. After much thought, she decided to take this one chance.
“...Since you say it like that, I will believe you and accept it.”
The moment her trembling hands took the envelope, Nathan's face changed again, as if it had actually been covered by several layers of masks.
“I had some expectations this time.”
The playful tone tickles her ears.
“What did you expect?”
“Thank you.”
“Ah! Thank you...”
“Of course, it would be better if it were something else. Like going to Madame Luen’s party together.”
Emilia's head shot up. Surprise and cold wariness filled her eyes as she faced the man.
“Of course I’m not forcing you. If you feel that way, I’ll be just like Sheila Cavendish.”
For a moment, Emilia felt a strange tingling sensation down her spine. The sincerity she had never expected from a nobleman shook her heart. However, Emilia was too rational to be swayed by emotions.
“...I might have accepted your partner application. If I had been a free person.”
“What does that mean?”
“As you know, I am the Meyer family’s fiancée.”
The smile that had been spreading across Nathan's face suddenly wavered.
“I don’t want to be misunderstood.”
She promised Hardius that she would fulfill her duties as his fiancée until the engagement was broken off. Emilia wanted to do her best.
“Then I will go first. Thank you very much for the money.”
For some reason, it was hard for Emilia to keep making eye contact with Nathan, so she turned around without looking back.
As she left the mansion and arrived at the warehouse, she saw Beppu's carriage in the distance. As expected, he was not alone.
"Mitch!"
Emilia ran to her sister in one stride. The child, wearing a ruffled shirt and a school uniform jacket, greeted her sister with a bright smile as usual.
“If my sister hadn’t told me in advance in the letter, I probably would have set fire to this place.”
A small hand tapped the carriage.
“I might have punched that old man, too. Of course, I would have been knocked out first.”
Mitch smiled crookedly at Beppy, and Beppy laughed too. Only then did Emilia feel relieved. She had explained everything in detail in advance, as Mitch had said, but she was worried because the child had such a fiery temper.
“...I’m hungry. Let’s go home quickly, Sister.”
As soon as the carriage started, Emilia leaned back and studied her little brother carefully.
Are there any cuts on your face? Is your uniform torn?
"Don't worry."
Mitch raised both arms as if he were watching.
“I don’t go to a noble school, so why are you so worried? People look down on me because I’m from Erndorf, but that’s okay. I don’t get bullied or anything.”
She feels a little relieved by the brave answer.
“How’s my sister? Hmm... your face is so bright? It looks like you’ve been bullied enough by those trash guys.”
Mitch glanced out the window at Cavendish Manor. Emilia shook her head and glared at her brother.
“Anyway, I can’t stop it.”
“It means that you should not hide what is bothering you, but tell everything. Sister, you hold it in too long. Eventually, you can’t hold it in any longer and you burst out in tears...”
Emilia's eyes narrowed even further.
“Remember, Mitch. Be careful what you say when you get home. Don’t tell Charlotte about what happened here. Do you understand?”
"...Yes."
She finds it very unappealing that her younger brother nods reluctantly.
“Because you slipped the tongue in front of Charlotte, she can’t sleep every time I come here, you squeaky-mouthed brat.”
When Emilia tugged at his ear, Mitch pretended to swish it away, saying, “Yes, yes.”
“But there’s something you must never forget, Sister. The truth is like an awl, and it will eventually come out.”
“Oh my, you only have the mouth..!”
Although she grumbled, a smile bloomed on Emilia's face.
That evening, the red brick house was unusually bustling and lively.
Mrs. Bern cooked a roast for her son, who had not been home for three months, and the warmth from the oven filled the house. The family of five chatted around a dish of goose stuffed with vegetables.
“Is it true?”
The most excited was Charlotte. She was completely absorbed in the news from outside that her younger brother, who was the same age, was telling her.
“Is there really a new road all the way to Erndorf? There’s even a bus stop and a stagecoach?”
He nodded, blowing on the hot potato.
“Of course, the bill would have to be passed before that. If the royalists hadn’t opposed it, it would have been done long ago.”
“...Why are you... opposing it?”
“There’s something I don’t like about coming here. It’s called the Rondeo slums.”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
He put down his fork, took a sip of water, and began to explain in earnest, saying, “Now, listen, Charlotte.”
“Let’s say you’re a very wealthy noblewoman. You take your whole family on a trip to a beautiful resort. But there are beggars everywhere on the streets. Do you like that?”
The atmosphere strangely froze over with the loud noise.
“Also, I looked out the window, expecting to see green forests and the open sea. But there was only trash, shit, and sewage in the slums. Would that be good?”
Charlotte still looks like she doesn't know, because she doesn't even know what a slum is.
“That’s what nobility is. They talk about philosophy and ideology, and say that everyone is equal, but they build an enormous wall behind their backs that no one dares look down on.”
Mitch then picked up the potato again with his fork. The soft potatoes crumbled on the plate.
Damn it, he made an annoyed face as he groaned. The smiles gradually disappeared from Emilia and her stepmother's faces.
Liberty Boarding School was founded by revolutionary lawmakers, and she was worried that Mitch might be influenced by its radicalism.
“Remember, everyone. Don’t rush to the crumbs they throw at you.”
Mitch frowned, as if something unpleasant had come to mind at Emilia's mention of 'crumbs.'
“But Sister, that guy is graduating soon, right? Hardius Meyer.”
Mitch has been calling his sister's fiancé 'that guy' for a long time. At first, his stepmother was horrified, but at some point, she started to let it go.
“He’s out of the house now and living alone. There’s a really fancy townhouse on the street with a view of the River Riviera, and that’s Hardy Meyer’s new home. It’s going to be the center of the social scene from now on. There’s going to be a big party there soon.”
"Really?"
“Where did you hear such a story?”
Charlotte and her stepmother asked at the same time. Five years ago, they were chased here, to a cabin, to escape the harsh gaze of the people.
Unlike Emilia, who visits Cavendish Manor in the city every week, her stepmother and Charlotte have lived completely cut off from the outside world. That's why the story Mitch just told her was so surprising.
“At school. Especially when my classmates are around. The Hardy Meyer story.”
Although he answered as if it were nothing, it was obvious how those 'kids' would talk. Emilia quietly stood up from her seat, holding the ladle and bowl, afraid that her blushing face would be noticed. The warm atmosphere had cooled down.
“That kid is officially taking over the family business. He’ll finally become the ‘Duke of Meyer.’ And then...”
“...Who wants some more stew?”
Emilia tried to intervene, but it was a futile effort.
“That kid will probably break off the engagement with my older sister first. And then...”
"Mitch..."
“He's going to marry that mining tycoon’s daughter.”
There was silence.
She confessed to him about the broken engagement, but she didn't tell anyone about Bianca. The faces of Emilia's family members hardened.
When Emilia entered the salon, Countess Luen's lecture was almost over.
She moved as quietly as a mouse and sat down in the corner, trying not to look at Nathan Malvin, who was leaning listlessly on the sofa.
As the boring lecture drew to a close, the Countess told a story that made the young people's eyes light up.
“Unfortunately, my relationship with you will end this month. I have to return to Nowak. I have no way to appease my sorrow and disappointment, so I would like to invite you to the castle in Deluis...”
Exclamations came from all sides. The Countess's invitation was something anyone could brag about.
“I’m thinking of opening up the ballroom and having a ball. You can think of it as a rehearsal for my debut in high society.”
Wow, my goodness...
Screams of joy filled the salon.
For a brief moment, Emilia was lost in strange thoughts.
Could this be Hardius's doing?
Odilia Luen is known in Nowak's high society circles as a party animal, so this may be the case.
Was he worried that she would mess up at the prom? Or that she would embarrass herself by not dancing properly, so he planned this.
Emilia narrowed her eyes and glared at the Countess for a long time.
Of course, there was nothing she could find out by doing that. She was deep in thought, but soon her shoulders slumped.
I don't know, so what if he made it up? Let's just let it happen.
Since meeting him in Sitmer, she had been losing her will to fight Hardius. Come to think of it, none of the things he had done had really caused any harm.
The carriage, Beppy, and Brave were becoming indispensable, and it was true that thanks to them, the remote forest became much safer.
There's no need to be aggressive and count the days. Remember, what everyone wants is a peaceful breakup.
When all her work was over, she stopped by the study. As usual, she borrowed a book and was leaving the mansion when Nathan blocked her way once again.
“I heard from Haspel. You took the money, but you returned it?”
If it hadn't been for what happened in the morning, she would have been on high alert, like an antelope surrounded by a pride of lions.
But now she knows for sure. Nathan Malvin wasn't lying in a trap and waiting. His turquoise eyes, staring back at her, were filled with pure kindness, without any trickery or hostility.
“Yes, I returned it.”
“Why?”
“...At that time, I couldn’t believe the person in front of me now.”
Nathan burst into laughter as he understood the meaning of the words. The moment the boredom that had filled his face disappeared, Emilia felt somehow better.
“Well, to you, I’m no different from Sheila. Well, if you look at it frankly, there’s not much difference.”
Nathan smiled crookedly and shrugged.
“I swear on Malvin’s name that I have no intention of playing around with this money. Don’t refuse me the rewards of fair labor. Take it.”
To her surprise, he was holding an envelope in his hand. It was the envelope containing the money she had returned to Haspel.
In a short time, countless thoughts and emotions passed through her head. After much thought, she decided to take this one chance.
“...Since you say it like that, I will believe you and accept it.”
The moment her trembling hands took the envelope, Nathan's face changed again, as if it had actually been covered by several layers of masks.
“I had some expectations this time.”
The playful tone tickles her ears.
“What did you expect?”
“Thank you.”
“Ah! Thank you...”
“Of course, it would be better if it were something else. Like going to Madame Luen’s party together.”
Emilia's head shot up. Surprise and cold wariness filled her eyes as she faced the man.
“Of course I’m not forcing you. If you feel that way, I’ll be just like Sheila Cavendish.”
For a moment, Emilia felt a strange tingling sensation down her spine. The sincerity she had never expected from a nobleman shook her heart. However, Emilia was too rational to be swayed by emotions.
“...I might have accepted your partner application. If I had been a free person.”
“What does that mean?”
“As you know, I am the Meyer family’s fiancée.”
The smile that had been spreading across Nathan's face suddenly wavered.
“I don’t want to be misunderstood.”
She promised Hardius that she would fulfill her duties as his fiancée until the engagement was broken off. Emilia wanted to do her best.
“Then I will go first. Thank you very much for the money.”
For some reason, it was hard for Emilia to keep making eye contact with Nathan, so she turned around without looking back.
As she left the mansion and arrived at the warehouse, she saw Beppu's carriage in the distance. As expected, he was not alone.
"Mitch!"
Emilia ran to her sister in one stride. The child, wearing a ruffled shirt and a school uniform jacket, greeted her sister with a bright smile as usual.
“If my sister hadn’t told me in advance in the letter, I probably would have set fire to this place.”
A small hand tapped the carriage.
“I might have punched that old man, too. Of course, I would have been knocked out first.”
Mitch smiled crookedly at Beppy, and Beppy laughed too. Only then did Emilia feel relieved. She had explained everything in detail in advance, as Mitch had said, but she was worried because the child had such a fiery temper.
“...I’m hungry. Let’s go home quickly, Sister.”
As soon as the carriage started, Emilia leaned back and studied her little brother carefully.
Are there any cuts on your face? Is your uniform torn?
"Don't worry."
Mitch raised both arms as if he were watching.
“I don’t go to a noble school, so why are you so worried? People look down on me because I’m from Erndorf, but that’s okay. I don’t get bullied or anything.”
She feels a little relieved by the brave answer.
“How’s my sister? Hmm... your face is so bright? It looks like you’ve been bullied enough by those trash guys.”
Mitch glanced out the window at Cavendish Manor. Emilia shook her head and glared at her brother.
“Anyway, I can’t stop it.”
“It means that you should not hide what is bothering you, but tell everything. Sister, you hold it in too long. Eventually, you can’t hold it in any longer and you burst out in tears...”
Emilia's eyes narrowed even further.
“Remember, Mitch. Be careful what you say when you get home. Don’t tell Charlotte about what happened here. Do you understand?”
"...Yes."
She finds it very unappealing that her younger brother nods reluctantly.
“Because you slipped the tongue in front of Charlotte, she can’t sleep every time I come here, you squeaky-mouthed brat.”
When Emilia tugged at his ear, Mitch pretended to swish it away, saying, “Yes, yes.”
“But there’s something you must never forget, Sister. The truth is like an awl, and it will eventually come out.”
“Oh my, you only have the mouth..!”
Although she grumbled, a smile bloomed on Emilia's face.
That evening, the red brick house was unusually bustling and lively.
Mrs. Bern cooked a roast for her son, who had not been home for three months, and the warmth from the oven filled the house. The family of five chatted around a dish of goose stuffed with vegetables.
“Is it true?”
The most excited was Charlotte. She was completely absorbed in the news from outside that her younger brother, who was the same age, was telling her.
“Is there really a new road all the way to Erndorf? There’s even a bus stop and a stagecoach?”
He nodded, blowing on the hot potato.
“Of course, the bill would have to be passed before that. If the royalists hadn’t opposed it, it would have been done long ago.”
“...Why are you... opposing it?”
“There’s something I don’t like about coming here. It’s called the Rondeo slums.”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
He put down his fork, took a sip of water, and began to explain in earnest, saying, “Now, listen, Charlotte.”
“Let’s say you’re a very wealthy noblewoman. You take your whole family on a trip to a beautiful resort. But there are beggars everywhere on the streets. Do you like that?”
The atmosphere strangely froze over with the loud noise.
“Also, I looked out the window, expecting to see green forests and the open sea. But there was only trash, shit, and sewage in the slums. Would that be good?”
Charlotte still looks like she doesn't know, because she doesn't even know what a slum is.
“That’s what nobility is. They talk about philosophy and ideology, and say that everyone is equal, but they build an enormous wall behind their backs that no one dares look down on.”
Mitch then picked up the potato again with his fork. The soft potatoes crumbled on the plate.
Damn it, he made an annoyed face as he groaned. The smiles gradually disappeared from Emilia and her stepmother's faces.
Liberty Boarding School was founded by revolutionary lawmakers, and she was worried that Mitch might be influenced by its radicalism.
“Remember, everyone. Don’t rush to the crumbs they throw at you.”
Mitch frowned, as if something unpleasant had come to mind at Emilia's mention of 'crumbs.'
“But Sister, that guy is graduating soon, right? Hardius Meyer.”
Mitch has been calling his sister's fiancé 'that guy' for a long time. At first, his stepmother was horrified, but at some point, she started to let it go.
“He’s out of the house now and living alone. There’s a really fancy townhouse on the street with a view of the River Riviera, and that’s Hardy Meyer’s new home. It’s going to be the center of the social scene from now on. There’s going to be a big party there soon.”
"Really?"
“Where did you hear such a story?”
Charlotte and her stepmother asked at the same time. Five years ago, they were chased here, to a cabin, to escape the harsh gaze of the people.
Unlike Emilia, who visits Cavendish Manor in the city every week, her stepmother and Charlotte have lived completely cut off from the outside world. That's why the story Mitch just told her was so surprising.
“At school. Especially when my classmates are around. The Hardy Meyer story.”
Although he answered as if it were nothing, it was obvious how those 'kids' would talk. Emilia quietly stood up from her seat, holding the ladle and bowl, afraid that her blushing face would be noticed. The warm atmosphere had cooled down.
“That kid is officially taking over the family business. He’ll finally become the ‘Duke of Meyer.’ And then...”
“...Who wants some more stew?”
Emilia tried to intervene, but it was a futile effort.
“That kid will probably break off the engagement with my older sister first. And then...”
"Mitch..."
“He's going to marry that mining tycoon’s daughter.”
There was silence.
She confessed to him about the broken engagement, but she didn't tell anyone about Bianca. The faces of Emilia's family members hardened.
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