Chapter 62. Testing and Trial, Part III
Translator: Khan
Editor Group: Liber Reverie
"... It's lovely for us too."
"Lady Aria takes all our hearts again."
Her appearance itself caught their attention, and she was the youngest member of the group. The other young ladies were at a loss after hearing Aria's flattering words. None of them knew what to do. Aria changed the subject by giggling at their words of love.
"How was your coming-of-age ceremony? I'm so curious because mine is still far away."
"There are so many things to talk about, in fact! A great thing has happened!" a young lady, who had joined with Sarah at the coming-of-age party, replied with glistening eyes.
Needless to say, she was talking about Sarah. It was natural, but it was reassuring to hear that events had flowed as before.
"What happened? I'm so curious."
"I'm not the person directly involved in the incident, so it's hard to tell you. I hope Lady Sarah will come soon."
"Is this about Lady Sarah?"
"Yes, a wonderful thing happened, but I'm not sure if I can tell you."
She looked hazy, as if she were dreaming. She seemed to have witnessed the moment that Marquis Vincent and Sarah met. In her life as a lower-class aristocrat, she had few chances to meet and connect with a man as great as Marquis Vincent, so it was natural to react like that.
The young ladies gathered there waited for Sarah to arrive with their hearts in their hands. Sarah had always been on time, but she was very late today. Aria simply waited for her to come, wanting to know what else had happened following the ceremony.
Sarah appeared around an hour after the meeting had begun. In the meantime, the young ladies, who had been bored of waiting, talked about useless stories, and Aria introduced Annie to them, saying that she had brought her new maid.
"What a beautiful maid she is!"
Annie blushed even though she knew it was an empty compliment.
"I'm sorry I'm late. Did you wait long?"
"Lady Sarah! Did something happen to you?"
Sarah had never been late for a meeting, so they had no doubt that something had happened to her. Sarah blushed softly.
"Yes, something happened..."
Something had happened to her. Aria knew the future, but her eyes shone with anticipation just like those of the other young ladies in attendance. 'What the hell happened?'
"Wouldn't it have something to do with the coming-of-age ceremony?"
The young ladies who had waited for a long time were unrestrained. They were so curious because Sarah didn't explain it in detail. Sarah sincerely answered their questions about whether she seemed not to hide anything.
"You can say that."
"What the hell happened to the coming-of-age party?"
"The Marquis of Vincent... picked up the handkerchief I dropped."
"Oh, my God..."
"Really?"
The young ladies expressed surprise in their own way that something unimaginable had happened. Aria, who knew the future, also joined in by wrapping her cheeks in her palms. As if she was shy, Sarah dyed her face red.
"So what? So what happened? Did he take it?"
"I'm ashamed, but he did. He said the embroidery on my handkerchief is beautiful and asked for it."
"And then what? That's not the end, is it?"
"He asked for a dance, and we danced together. He was soft and caring unlike what they say in the rumors that he was blunt."
He had become a family head at a young age in his late teens, so he had devoted himself to his work and hadn't had a woman around him. He had not also attended any of the parties except for the coming-of-age ceremonies. Because of the celebration of the aristocracy who would be an adult, the participation of the noblemen representing each family was essential.
The only place to see the Marquis of Vincent had been the coming-of-age party, but he had always been busy with his work, so he was likely to leave after showing his face in a brief time. He was about to go back to do so again this time, but he had run into Sarah.
"Oh my God!"
"How did this happen...!"
"If the Marquis of Vincent asked you to dance...! He must have been in love with you at first sight!"
He was young, capable, and handsome, so he was always the target of unmarried young ladies. The fact that he had a blunt personality, and they could not see him often was playing a part.
'Who can win the heart of that iron-clad man? Perhaps I can be the one.' That was their psychology of expectation.
"So why is his servant here today?"
Although it was obvious that it would be a return or a request for a date since they danced together, the young ladies who wanted to confirm it with Sarah's mouth glistened their eyes and waited for her answer.
"He sent me a bouquet of flowers and a necklace as a gift. And..."
"And then?"
"And... there was a letter asking me to take a walk with him to the lake before the snow melts."
"Ahhh...!"
"How could he be so romantic...!"
It was only as much as others did, but because of the widely spread rumors that the Marquis of Vincent was blunt, they quickly lowered their standard of evaluation. Sarah glanced at Aria with a troubled smile amongst the young ladies, saying that it would be good to buy a dress to go for a walk by the lake."
"Do you like the Marquis of Vincent, Lady Sarah?"
At a sudden question from Aria, everyone stopped talking and doing and looked back at her.
'What are you talking about right now? He is the Marquis of Vincent! Do you have anything to argue about?'
They were sure Sarah liked him because she had been given his attention.
And Sarah also looked back at Aria.
"That's..."
But Sarah certainly didn't say yes. It was because before she liked him, she thought about the fact that the Marquis of Vincent had paid attention to her. She was just so happy that such a great man had talked to her that she couldn't fathom what she had really felt.
Aria followed on behalf of Sarah who could not answer. "I want Lady Sarah to hang out with a happy person."
Of course, the opponent must be the Marquis of Vincent. Aria had heard rumors that Sarah was very happy with her marriage. Aria recalled the expression of the Marquis of Vincent, whom she had occasionally encountered at the coming-of-age ceremony. Contrary to the current widespread rumors, he had been gentle, and she guessed that it must have been due to Sarah's influence.
Nevertheless, asking her opinion was to give such occasional advice in this way. Sarah blushed at what Aria was trying to say. She was an easy woman that could be moved easily, perhaps because of her good feelings toward her.
"Thank you, Lady Aria. I didn't really think of it that way."
"I'm sure the Marquis of Vincent is a good man, but... I hope Lady Sarah will take the path of being truly happy."
"I'll keep that in mind. It's all thanks to Lady Aria."
'Of course, you have to thank me.'
The very large stem that would be responsible for Aria's future moved smoothly. Aria felt like she could get a good night's sleep today.
* * *
Annie's condition was unusual for several days after the meeting.
She looked as if she were dreaming. The countess was assumed to have raised her status thanks to her excellent looks but Sarah was not. It must have been a shock to her as Sarah's appearance had attracted the attention of the most powerful man in the Empire.
"Annie, didn't you clean that place earlier?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss."
Annie was already cleaning the window frame for the third time. Jessie had wiped it out in the morning, and it was so clean.
"My room is clean, so you don't have to clean it anymore. Come here and sit down."
At Aria's beckoning, Annie came running and sat in front of her.
"How was the first meeting?"
"It was really great. It was too much for me."
"Really?"
"Yes! The ladies were all pretty, but I was very surprised because you were the prettiest of them all. I didn't know that because I saw you every day, but I thought you were really pretty."
Aria didn't ask her to do that, but she buttered her up. Annie, who gained confidence when she saw Aria smiling a little, raised her voice.
"How come you're so pretty when you do not decorate yourself so fancy? Is that because you were born pretty, isn't it? The countess is so beautiful, and you must have inherited it."