I was pushed away, and my parents did not hold me back.
I guess I inherited my parents tendency to put off problems.
They must have forgotten that I would be related to the Duke’s family if the matter was allowed to proceed unimpeded.
Feeling like a calf being sold, I look out the window.
(I wonder when I will be able to go home.)
I can’t expect Father and Mother to pick me up, so I have to make it on my own.
I have to support Lord Solomon’s love and at the same time make him understand that I am not fit to be a duke’s wife.
Maybe you don’t have to work too hard in that area.
A countess with no presence and no flavor is not a match for Master Solomon by anyone’s standards.
(Come to think of it, I wonder if the Duke and Duchess of Beardsley have given their approval?)
It is impossible to propose an engagement without the permission of the head of the family, so in case you are wondering, you probably know.
But I don’t know what means Lord Solomon used, but he probably proceeded very forcefully.
(I don’t want to be unwelcome, of course, but it would be troubling if I wouldn’t even be able to meet with him. I’m going to have to make a statement that I’m not interested in marrying Lord Solomon, and somehow get him to be on my side.)
I will keep the engagement and my stay confidential, and when Lord Solomon finds someone he loved, I will quietly pretend it never happened.
If possible, I would like to be introduced to someone with better conditions for me, but I guess I’m being too brazen.
The first dukes will not be physically bully me, and the first step is to take the ignore and respond with a smile.
Then observe and find a way out through.
Come on, take it from wherever you are! My expectations, which I challenged with such feelings, were betrayed in an unexpected way.
“Welcome, Miss Chelsea. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“Just as I heard from Solomon, you are a lovely lady. Come inside quickly. From now on, you are free to make yourself at home here and spend your time here as you please.”
(Not what I imagined ……!)
I am usually welcomed with a smile and I get confused.
Or maybe it was just a subtle insult that I just didn’t notice.
The gentle yet dignified master of the house and his wife, whose so beautiful even I, as a person of the same sex, could not help but admire her.
Both of them smiled kindly and did not look as if they were alienating me.
“Lady Chelsea looks a lot like Count Reed. They have the same kind eyes.”
“Oh, my! She looks more like Lady Paula. You have the same small, pretty nose and lips. Her hair and eye color are also like her mother’s.”
Paula is my mother’s name.
My family, in a way, is on the edge of nobility.
It is not surprising that they know our names, but there is something different about them.
The friendly look in her eyes was as if she were looking at the child of her best friend’s child.
(Were my father and mother close to the Duke and Duchess of Beardsley? That can’t be true. We didn’t even want to be related to them because we were afraid of them.)
“Father, Mother. Please don’t cause Chelsea too much trouble.”
It is more correct to say that I am confused because I don’t know what it means, rather than that me in trouble.
Seeing me sheltered by Lord Solomon’s back, the Duke of Beardsley chuckled, “Sorry.”
“I knew your father a long time ago. When my brother, the crown prince, he invited me to the castle as a schoolmate, and among them invited was Count Reed. He was not a very pushy person, so I was not impressed at first, but after talking to him a few times, I realized that he was a wonderful man who was casually considerate of those around him.”
I wonder if the Duke of Beardsley is really talking about my father.
“I think His Majesty would have liked to have had him by his aide, but unfortunately it was not be happen. I am afraid it was not to be. Count Reed, who is so care of his people, would not have liked me forcing him to stay by Majesty side.”
(His Majesty the King’s aide! That’s the first I’ve heard of it. I don’t think my father, that coward and opportunist, would be capable of such a big role.)
It is told as if it were a beautiful story, but I think Father simply didn’t want to be forced into the duties, so he ran back to his territory.
“I don’t have any direct contact with lady Paula, but I know her very well because she is rumored in social circles that she was a modest and elegant young lady who is like a flowering plant.”
When I heard the words modest and elegant, the image of your mother running as fast as she could down the hallway the other day came to mind.
(I wonder who she was talking about?)
“I had a friend’s brother who was in love with her, but he gave up when he heard that Lady Paula’s partner was Lord Reed. They were a good match, in my opinion.”
No, really, who story are we talking about.
For the umpteenth time, I repeated the question in my mind.
I almost skipped over it, but if he was the brother of the lady’s friend, he was most likely a high-ranking nobleman.
Was your mother, with an ordinary face like mine, in a position to play the leading role in a romantic drama?
I can agree with all my might that Father and Mother are a good match, but I can’t really feel any of the rest.
(Am I, perhaps, being deceived? I’m happy to believe it, and then I’m like, ‘Did you really mean it?’ and feel ridiculed?)
I wish it were the case.
“I hear Chelsea is very popular, just like her parents. My nephew is also ……”
“Mother! Please don’t say anything unnecessary!”
(I think I heard something disturbing …… No, just a social call.)
Never think too deeply about it.
I must never, for my peace of mind, find out who her nephew is.
“Oh, dear. I’m scared.”
Duchess, not a shred of fear in her voice, laughs in a bell-like voice.
“Chelsea, let’s go. I’ll show you to your room.”
At Lord Solomon’s urging, I nodded.
I am crammed full of incomprehensible information and my mind is confused.
I want to get away from this place as soon as possible.
I can’t help but smile back at her as she smiles at me when she says, “We’ll have dinner together, won’t we? I hope you will forgive me for being a little twitchy.”
As I walked down the hallway, I finally calmed down.
I hope and pray that nothing more will happen.
“Here we are.”
Lord Solomon opens the door.
I was overwhelmed by the large room, more than twice the size of my own room.
The sunny room was bright and smelled good.
The sofa and bedspread are a soothing purple, and the bed gauze and curtains are cream colored.
The embroidery of gold and silver threads is delicate, luxurious but not vulgar.
It’s a lovely room, with a feminine softness and calmness.
“Lovely.”
When I murmured my true feelings, Solomon-sama’s eyes narrowed happily.
“Did you like it?”
I nodded my head.
Although I am hesitant about whether I am allowed to live in such a nice room, I cannot hide my excitement as a girl of my marriageable age.
(Oh? What is that door?)
As I scurried around and watched with interest, I noticed another door besides the doorway.
As I wondered if it was a bathroom or washroom, Solomon-sama sent me some outrageous additional information.
“It’s my room next door, so give me a holler if you need anything.”
“?!!“
She peels her eyes and stares at Lord Solomon.
Then he looked a little flustered and said quickly, “I won’t use that door without your approval.”
I’m not worried about that.
(If the room next door is Lord Solomon’s room, and it is connected by a door, then …… this could be the future Duchess’s room, even if it is not!)
That’s not good.
It is not a good room for me to live in, assuming I refuse.
Even your future wife would not feel good about it.
“Um, …… I’m terribly sorry, can’t we have another room?”
“Was there anything you did not like? The décor, the furniture, just tell me and I’ll replace it.”
“I’m not sure I deserve it. Someone more deserving of this room is ……”
“I’ve reserved this room for you, and no one deserves it more than you do.”
“Aah…” a pitiful voice spills out.
I made the wrong choice.
Should I have made up a suitable excuse, such as bad direction or unlucky number of windows?
“I’m so happy to have Chelsea next to me starting today. It’s like a dream.”
His boyish, unclouded smile makes me hard to say anything.
Apparently, I have a weakness for his childlike face.
I am swept away, and I wonder how far I will go.
My shoulders slumped as I worried about where I was headed my future.
Like / comment and donation or ko-fi please …
Leave a Reply