Viscount Evgenia left for the capital again on business, and only Eli and Shioana remained at Regbell's old mansion.
"I wonder what a thoughtful man Count Noah is."
As he examined the letters one by one, Eli muttered.
The marriage between Shioana and Count Noah proceeded rapidly, as if gaining momentum.
It was common to hold the ceremony at a temple near the bride's home, but considering the convenience of the guests and various other reasons, it was concluded that Highbell was more suitable.
Count Noah also agreed to cover the entire cost of the wedding.
"You will be the luckiest bride in the world."
A smile bloomed on Eli's face as he flipped through the thick slips in his hand one by one.
"...Ha."
Shioana, sitting across from the office desk and organizing the ledgers, let out a sigh barely audible. It was her marriage, yet for some reason, it didn't feel real at all.
"Why does the kid who's getting married soon have such a terrible face?"
Eli slammed the letter down on the table with a clatter, and his eyes widened. It was a situation where humming naturally came to mind, and even feeling full without eating anything wasn't enough.
"You, of all people, are going to marry Count Noah of Highbell! You’re about to get that magnificent mansion and vast estate, so why are you making such a death face?"
"That's not it..."
Shioana stammered as she trembled in the hand holding the pen. Ever since childhood, her body would freeze whenever Eli got angry. She was nervous about being hit, and worried that she might be locked up in the annex.
"Don't you realize that all of this is for your sake?"
"No, that's not it."
"Where else could you go to marry a gentleman like that? Don't just keep your mouth shut; tell me what you think. I'm really curious."
Eli pushed her to the edge of the cliff, as she still hadn't said a word.
'You don't even listen to what I say...'
She knew that marriage is an important matter and that the other person is a wonderful person, but she felt miserable every time she heard such words.
'I'm not that bad of a person, either.'
Just because she isn't Eli's proud younger sister doesn't mean she deserves to be treated like this.
'Why does brother always just hate me?'
They are the only siblings in the world. She had a lot she wanted to tell her brother, but she asked about the most important thing first.
"How about postponing the wedding a little?"
Come to think of it, everyone believed she would marry Count Noah, but she hadn't even received a proposal yet. She trembled uncontrollably, tensing up just to say these few words.
"...What? Posponing?"
As Eli sprang to his feet, the chair he had been sitting on crashed onto the floor. Looking at the chair scattered on the floor, she spoke.
"I... I feel like I still lack training as a bride."
She started speaking confidently just moments ago, but began stammering in front of Eli.
"Right, it's a relief to know you're lacking."
Eli slowly approached the slender hawk that was on the desk, holding it in his hand.
"By the way, you speak quite well, Shioana."
He spoke in a smiling tone, but his eyes showed nothing of it. As she pressed her fist firmly against her thigh while sitting in the chair, Shioana shook her head slightly.
"Are you rebelling against your older brother just because you've grown up a bit?"
"No. I've never done that."
"Have you already forgotten who raised you all this time?"
Of course, what Eli said just now was not true.
Because it was Martha and Regbell's field that had looked after Shioana all this time.
"How pathetic you are. Even with Mrs. Hooper's lessons, you still haven't grasped the important truth. A woman's virtue lies entirely in obedience. If you do not understand this properly, your future life will be far from happy, Shioana."
Eli, who had come right up to her nose, touched her chin with a cane.
A hard, rough sensation dug deep into her jaw, then pricked her neck. Recalling that she hadn't been hit or locked up recently, Shioana prayed that this time would pass quickly.
"...Ugh."
"What punishment should I give you for babbling useless things?"
Eli was worried that his younger sister might act disrespectfully toward Count Noah. He had gone to great lengths to arrange the marriage, so it would be troublesome if she behaved like this now.
"You are different from the lowly ones. Noble blood flows in our veins."
Eli, gazing at the portrait of his ancestor hanging in the room, swung his hawk in the air.
A slap struck Shioana's back mercilessly. The slender blade dug deep into her skin beneath her dress. She lurched forward from the impact, and her back burned.
"...Ugh."
"You know very well that an arrogant woman can only be disciplined with a rod, right?"
Shioana, gritting her teeth to endure the pain, nodded at her brother's words. Because if she cried or screamed, Eli would hit her even harder.
"You're all grown up now, so you should know. Right, Shioana?"
Eli gently stroked his hawk and urged her to answer.
"...Yes, brother."
Shioana, who had strained her eyes not to cry, straightened her collapsing back.
***
Misfortune never came alone. On the afternoon of the day she was beaten by Eli, Pierre Noah came looking for her. Appearing with an armful of red roses, he asked to take a walk in the garden.
"You look even more beautiful today."
"Thank you."
After walking for quite a while, the two entered a place overgrown with grass on all sides. Just then, Count Noah knelt down and handed her a bouquet of flowers.
"Shioana, please accept this burning heart of mine."
Unable to find the right words to reply, she accepted the flowers for now. Since her body was not in good condition for a walk, cold sweat trickled down her forehead just from standing there holding the flowers.
"Please forgive me for proposing only now, as I should have done so earlier and was too nervous."
He traced the fingers of Shioana, who was holding a flower, and slipped a slender ring onto her ring finger. Small gemstones densely encircled the rim of the gold ring, emitting a faint light. As Shioana stared blankly down at her finger, he whispered softly.
"I will give you something better at the wedding."
"...Ah."
Shioana hugged the flower tightly, unable to believe she had been proposed to. Count Noah, having gotten up before she knew it, stood right in front of her.
"If you allow it, I would like to kiss you."
Although the tone was extremely polite, Shioana was engulfed in an inexplicable fear.
His eyes gleamed sharply beneath the pale platinum blonde hair. As she swallowed hard and lit the light, the Count bowed his head and kissed the back of Shioana's hand for a long time.
As her heart pounded violently, Shioana's body, still held by the hand, froze like ice. A moment later, Count Noah raised his head and smiled.
"Wouldn't it be troublesome if you fainted in the garden?"
"I, I'm sorry. I'm not used to it, so..."
"I'm just as unaccustomed to this as you are. You can see my ears have turned red."
Thanks to the Count's lighthearted joke, she relaxed a little. He was a very decent man, and she could feel that he still cared for her greatly.
***
That afternoon, as Eli watched the carriage carrying Count Noah drive away, he lightly patted Shioana on the shoulder.
"I think you should go home early and rest too, since you must have been tired today."
It was a gentle voice, completely different from when he had swung the stick earlier. At his touch, the back she had kept stiff all day, trying not to show any emotion, swayed.
“Go in first.”
Going out at night was something a lady should not do, but there was absolutely nothing in Regbell that could harm the Evgenia family. Eli glanced around and answered lightly.
"Yes."
Satisfied with the successful hospitality, Eli disappeared, humming a tune, and Shioana began walking toward the garden. She arrived at the spot where the stone statue of Etienne had stood yesterday.
Leaning against the cold stone statue, she looked up at the floor where the bedroom was. It didn't seem that far, but looking at it from here, it felt incredibly far.
"You probably couldn't even see my face properly."
So it was clear that he hadn't heard a single word she had said. A faint pain spread down the spine she was leaning against.
"... It hurts."
Inside the mansion, there were so many eyes and ears watching and listening that one could not even cry freely. If something like this were to reach Eli’s ears, she wouldn’t be able to spend a quiet night.
The tears she had held back all day began to flow.
Shioana trembled, covering her face with her hands. The beating, which she hadn't received in a long time, hurt terribly.
Putting aside the physical pain, her mind was in agony. She couldn't understand at all what she had done wrong.
"I don't know what to do anymore."
She did everything her brother told her to do, so she doesn't know why she can't get acknowledged even once.
Huk-huk, a strange sound came from Shioana's mouth as she sobbed silently.
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