“Ha ha, I hate to brag, but our little lady is already perfect at reading and is currently learning archaic language.”
“…Ha…aha, is that so? Indeed, the Lady Bluewell is exceptional.”
Alain struggled to force a smile.
Right in front of him, the proud Butler Sebastian from the House of Duke Bluewell was goading him with how intelligent and great the lady he serves truly is, and it annoyed him to no end.
‘Ah, while our lady is busy learning Imperial Dance and Imperial Etiquette, what is Young Lady Somerset busy studying?’
Alain was left breathless and couldn’t respond to Sebastian’s question.
– “Our lady spends her days playing in the territory’s forest. Just the other day, she took out a bunch of ruffians from the neighboring territory with a single punch.”
To speak honestly about Aida’s activities would only earn mockery; it sounded absurd.
Count Bradley, her father, and Rupert, her elder brother, simply thought it was fine as long as Aida was healthy, and Alain felt the same, so he had an ‘uh-oh’ moment.
Typically, it would be quite common for a noble lady to be learning etiquette or dance that she could use at social gatherings right now.
Alain inwardly criticized himself for being too lax regarding this, even though they were now quite financially stable compared to earlier times when they couldn’t.
While he was losing in the battle of wits against the butler, the situation with the children was different.
Whoosh!
“This isn’t a sound that comes from my mouth!”
“Wow! How is it your punches are so quick, sister?”
“Aida is Hansel vanquishing witches!”
It was hard to believe that such quick punches were thrown by a little girl, as Evelyn stared in admiration, while Aida proudly placed her hands on her hips in front of her.
“I read ‘Hansel and Gretel’ too!”
“My brother showed it to me first.”
Aida proudly pulled out a book from her bag that she always carried around.
It was a special limited edition fairytale book “Hansel and Gretel,” with Rupert depicted as Hansel and Aida as Gretel.
Although Rupert no longer made personalized fairy tale books, he still created one just for Aida, making it a precious item with only one in existence.
It was a valuable treasure for Aida, but now she decided to show it off specially for the sparkling-eyed Evelyn before her.
And so, Aida and Evelyn read the fairy tale book amicably.
Their meeting had been thanks to Amelia.
Rupert had sent a letter to Amelia to schedule a visit to thank Duke Bluewell.
‘Then, I’d like to meet the professor’s younger sister too. I have a younger sister of a similar age, so I hope they can become friends.’
Rupert and his younger sister visited the Duke’s mansion upon Amelia’s request to see Aida.
While Rupert met with the Duke to express his gratitude, Aida found herself spending time with Evelyn, treating her as she had learned while playing the role of head of the territory.
Snap!
“I’ll make sure to have Evelyn play Gretel!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ll be Hansel! My little sister Evelyn will be Gretel!”
Aida declared with a boast, resting her hand on Evelyn’s shoulder as if she was giving her an astounding role.
However, Evelyn, appointed as Gretel by Aida, had an expression of sheer delight.
And watching these two, Amelia recalled the first time she met Rupert.
Initially cold but now a bright-smiling man.
Rupert, who had covered for her mistakes, had already nestled deep in Amelia’s heart.
“Oh, Lady Amelia, there you are.”
“Did your conversation go well?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to convey my gratitude to the Duke.”
As they faced each other again after leaving the reception room and entering Amelia’s private quarters, she felt her heart race.
Having never truly understood the feeling of liking someone before, she was confused as to why her heart raced so quickly whenever she locked eyes with Rupert.
Moreover, her face turned red for reasons she couldn’t comprehend, leaving her frustrated.
Amelia, who usually exuded confidence when addressing others, felt particularly timid in Rupert’s presence.
She thought about how she hadn’t felt this way when they first met and tried to act nonchalant, but her heart kept racing, making her words fumble and her actions cautious.
“It seems I always owe Lady Amelia a great deal.”
“Owe me? It’s nothing much…”
“Oh, now that I think about it, I forgot to present you with the gift I prepared.”
“A gift?”
At Amelia’s question, Rupert hastily called for Alain, and soon received a long cylindrical package from him, pulling out two papers from it.
“This is…”
“I drew a portrait of you and your sister, as that’s the only skill I possess.”
What Rupert handed her was a portrait.
The finely drawn picture looked as if it had been taken by a camera, perfectly resembling Amelia herself.
“Wow! Evelyn is trapped in the paper!”
“Sebastian, frame this for me!”
Excited, Evelyn, who received the picture along with Amelia, jumped up and down with joy, insisting Sebastian fetch a frame for their picture.
Yet,
Amelia, despite the commotion, continued to stare intently at the drawing.
‘What’s wrong? Does she not like the picture?’
Seeing her expression, Rupert felt a pang of anxiety.
This portrait was chosen as a gift after consulting with Guild Leader Esteban before visiting to express gratitude to Duke Bluewell.
He’d judged it would be prudent to prepare a gift for daughters, given the Duke’s character of doting on his daughters.
Since they already had plenty of expensive accessories and clothes, he had chosen to give a heartfelt illustration only he could provide.
Though Evelyn seemed satisfied, Amelia’s expression remained rigid, worrying Rupert deeply.
‘Perhaps, since Amelia is older, she would have preferred something like jewelry instead of a drawing?’
While Rupert pondered, finally, Amelia spoke.
“…Thank you. This drawing is a gift I will cherish for a lifetime.”
“Thank you for feeling that way.”
Rupert felt an odd warmth in Amelia’s voice.
Fortunately, the reaction to the portrait didn’t seem negative, but her quivering voice left him feeling uneasy.
“Aida, would you mind staying with Evelyn?”
“Sure!”
Rupert asked Aida to stay with Evelyn so he could have a moment alone with Amelia.
“Lady, would you care for a stroll with me?”
*
“The garden of the House of Bluewell is truly beautiful.”
“Whenever I’m here, it makes me feel at peace, so I often take leisurely walks.”
The garden arranged at the mansion blended various trees harmoniously, giving the feeling of being in a forest in nature.
Particularly, if you followed the path surrounded by trees, there was a small lake at the center, where little creatures like squirrels and small birds chirped, making one feel as if they had stepped into a fairytale world.
“Lady, do you perhaps have any worries?”
“Huh?”
“I was concerned about your expression earlier, so I thought I’d ask.”
Finally alone with Amelia, Rupert directly questioned her.
Under normal circumstances, he might not have paid much attention, but he felt uneasy owing to the numerous favors he had received, and since she was the original story’s female protagonist, his mind was occupied.
“Professor, or may I call you Rupert now?”
“Yes, since we’re not at the Academy, feel free to speak comfortably.”
“Do you have a woman you like, Rupert?”
Amelia’s question made Rupert feel a sense of déjà vu.
He recalled being asked by the Duke Bluewell earlier if he had a woman he liked.
“Why do you ask?”
“I do.”
Rupert was slightly surprised by Amelia’s answer.
‘Has she already started something with someone I didn’t notice in the club?’
Assuming it was someone Amelia would like meant it must be the third prince, the male protagonist of the original story.
He remembered that in the original, their relationship began to shift from rivals to something more around the end of the first semester.
Since Rupert had been spending significantly more time with her due to the comic club, it didn’t seem strange in hindsight to him.
“Aren’t you curious who it is?”
“I already had an inkling.”
In truth, he was completely oblivious, but certain it was the third prince, so he replied as if he had known all along, widening Amelia’s eyes in surprise.
“You knew…? But how?”
“I thought it might be better to pretended not to know.”
Rupert was wary of getting too involved in someone else’s love life, fearing complications.
“How can you pretend not to know? I find it so difficult.”
“I’m just trying not to show it, but it’s just as hard for me, my lady.”
Didn’t they say there are three things one can’t hide: a cough, poverty, and love?
Rupert understood Amelia’s feelings.
“Then please share your thoughts.”
At Amelia’s follow-up, Rupert paused for a moment before answering.
“Lady Amelia, are you prepared to give up everything to attain your desires?”
*
“Aida has a little sister now!”
“Oh really? Our Aida is now a big sister?”
“Yep! I even named her! Evelyn Gretel!”
Inside the carriage returning to Somerset Manor, Aida explained in detail how well she treated her new little sister, and Rupert watched with a warm expression, recalling earlier events.
He had given advice to Amelia, who was troubled about love.
‘The path you must walk in the future may require you to sacrifice a lot, difficult journey ahead.’
– “So, gather your resolve.”
In the original story, Amelia had confirmed feelings with the third prince but had found it tough to reach a happy conclusion.
Due to the third prince’s position in the imperial family, the Emperor opposed the union with the Duke Bluewell, which had not changed.
Even now, if the third prince were to propose marrying Amelia, there would undoubtedly be numerous hurdles.
To succeed in their marriage, Rupert knew there would be many challenges ahead, hence, he encouraged her to prepare mentally for those.
Having listened to Rupert’s advice, Amelia showed a determined expression as if she had resolved something.
“By the way, I never expected something like this from you.”
Finished with his thoughts, Rupert took out a pen Amelia had given him before parting and fiddled with it.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
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My bro is seriously cooked.