“Oh my.”
“Solaria!”
Illasia grabbed the shoulder of Solaria, who was about to pounce.
“Be careful! If you do this, you’ll knock down Her Highness again.”
“I was trying to be careful this time.”
Lily laughed at her sister’s unchanging attitude. Solaria, who was pouting her lips, cautiously approached and hugged her.
“Sister.”
Solaria’s short head rested on Lilian’s chest.
Lilian patted her head generously.
“Solaria.”
“Why again!”
Illasia sighed and advised.
“You have to call her Her Highness.”
Solaria was crying but Lily couldn’t help either. If her basic titles were not upheld in her official position, Lilian and Solaria’s reputation could suffer.
Solaria also corrected her mouth since she knew.
“Your Highness.”
“You did well.”
Lilian quickly congratulated her.
She didn’t forget to give carrots to the cute little sheep.
“But in private, it’s okay to keep calling me Big sister.”
Lilian deliberately looked at Illasia and the other girls as she said so.
A cautious smile appeared on Illasia’s face as well.
“You must be busy. Thank you for coming to see me.”
“Your Highness, please have a seat.”
Sophia cautiously recommended. She was very cautious, fearing that she might catch the busy Lilian.
“Everyone, can you excuse me for a moment so that I won’t delay your departure preparations?”
Lilian sat down without hesitation.
The ladies didn’t bother to bring up Lilian’s marriage as a topic from the beginning. It was a consideration, knowing that it could be too private or uncomfortable topic.
The 11 girls who spent their childhood together were able to keep the conversation going without talking about it. After talking about each other’s debuts in order and chatting, the topic came to Sophia’s marriage proposal.
“I didn’t think about it that seriously, it was so sudden…”
“But Lady Sophia’s mother seems to think positively.”
Sophia’s face turned red at the mischievous tone. Everyone was laughing out loud, but someone suddenly said this.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t know that Her Highness would marry first before she even made her debut.”
It was about time. It was strange that Lilian’s marriage wasn’t talked about at all.
“Everyone knew who you would get married to someday.”
“The wedding was really nice. It was more daunting than the perfect wedding in popular novels these days.”
“Lord Gutenberg didn’t invent movable metal type to read popular novels, but it’s contributing to our affluent lives anyway. As the biggest beneficiacy, I’m saying that all the heroines of the new book will have their weddings next month in heavy rain. I bet you.”
When Russle, who had the most outspoken personality, spoke humorously, everyone couldn’t hold back their laughter.
“Even though it was a sudden wedding, it was a great source of strength for all of you, who were fellow members of the Sorority, to attend without hesitation.”
“Oh my, it’s what we should do.”
People’s psychology made them shy when they were openly praised for something they thought they did well.
“I prepared a few gifts to show my gratitude to those who visited.”
Rita opened the parlor door.
Servants stood at the door with identically wrapped boxes.
“A gift?”
“Oh my, you must have been busy.”
There was no custom of giving wedding gifts in the Empire.
Well, there was only one thing that was not present at this wedding, which was already good. The ladies received the presents with joy.
“Everyone had the same gift. It would have been nice if I can give each one something special and memorable but it wasn’t possible. Still, I wanted to give it directly.”
“Oh dear, what are you saying?”
“This alone must have taken a toll on you.”
While the Sorority members parted ways, promising to meet again in the Imperial capital at the time of Grand Reconciliation, gifts arrived one after another for the other guests.
“Oh my, what’s this?”
“This is a gift from Her Highness the Grand Duchess and the Elector of Turin.”
“A gift?”
As expected, people were a little perplexed by what they had never experienced. But when they unwrapped the gift, their embarrassment turned into admiration.
High quality specialties such as high quality silk fabrics, fine wine, and tea leaves, which were said to be difficult to buy even with the Grand Duchy’s gemstone mine, were neatly packed in neat boxes.
The gentlemen responded first.
“Islar’s lily dew! This is a really good drink. It’d be perfect for entertaining guests.”
Serving good wine to guests was a way to build up the face of the Lord. It was a gift that would be useful during the Grand Reconciliation, when there’s still a lot to do to entertain guests.
The satisfaction of the madams was not inferior to those noble gentlemen outside.
“It’s good quality pigeon silk. I can have new gloves and hats from this!”
“The jewelry is also a good quality item. I always wanted a brooch with a big gem.”
“This is the tea I drank before the wedding. I was wondering if I could still get some! It looks good without anything said.”
It wasn’t something you couldn’t find if you were determined to find it. However, it was fun to collect small items, carefully wrap them, and unwrap them.
The guests stuck out their tongues.
“It’s a fun gift from the recipient’s point of view, but it would have cost a lot of money to give each of these to so many guests.”
“Indeed. There’s a message card by the way. Let’s see, it looks like it’s from the new bride.”
The bride sent this message in a neat but somewhat weak flowing handwriting, as if expressing her temperament.
[Thank you for responding generously with blessings in a place where nothing was perfect.
Please remember my strange and wonderful wedding for a long time by taking these souvenirs, even if it’s a small item.]
“Oh my goodness…”
It was simple and humble, and that’s why it’s cute as well.
“For the wealthy Islar, the bride’s dress was a bit disappointing, so they must have spent all her wedding expenses on treating guests.”
Come to think of it, not only the presents, but also the food were great. At lousy parties, lemonade would be half-filled in small glasses, or the quality of the food and drink would deteriorate over time.
But Turin was rich and it was splendid from beginning to end.
“At this rate, it must have cost more than a wedding in the Imperial Palace.”
“Not bad. I mean, that dress actually looked good on her, didn’t it?”
After getting enough good food and alcohol, and including the gifts, their words naturally had no choice but to come out beautifully.
The keen ladies who had gone through all prenatal battles as hostesses of a family also nodded.
“Indeed, the skills of the new Grand Duchess are not ordinary.”
“How many voices were heard from her Sorority throughout the banquet.”
“Usually, if the Grand Duchess wasn’t popular, they wouldn’t have stepped out this much, right?”
“It’s harder not to be popular with such large hands.”
“You said that the deceased Grand Feudal Lord had chosen her as the consort of His Highness the Grand Duke and loved her. If she was liked by such a picky person, it’s not an ordinary bet.”
“It will be worth seeing when the Grand Reconciliation begins in earnest. Isn’t that woman in the imperial palace?”
The ladies exchanged secret glances. Still, it was said that the superiority of the official mistress, which was firmly established in the capital, is likely to have the upper hand rather than the new Grand Duchess.
After the guests have finished paying their greetings and left, the moment came that Cedric and Turin had hoped would not come, and Damian waited.
It was the moment of farewell as the bride left the house where she had grown up.
“Miss…”
Mrs. Hayworth was already in tears.
For her, as a mother, it seemed as though she was letting both of her daughters go at once, since Rita had decided to follow Lilian as her lady-in-waiting.
It’s not wrong to say that after following the Grand Duchess for several years, Rita would naturally find a husband among the Grand Duke’s vassals.
Of course, as Lilian and Rita left their beloved hometown together, she was going to take care of Rita’s marriage.
“Look at my mind, I shouldn’t be crying like this.”
In fact, Cedric would have wanted to cry more than anyone here.
“Poor Patriarch, he only has one sister left as a blood relative.”
“Since the brother and sister had no other place to rely on than each other, it seemed like they had to say goodbye to their close bond.”
At the hostile gaze, Ivan didn’t know what to do.
“It’s still scary, seriously. To learn what the loyalties of the people of Turin are really like on this opportunity, ugh!”
Cedric stepped forward while Damian stomped on the grumbling underling’s foot.
“Lily.”
“Brother.”
They were siblings who didn’t look alike at all in appearance, but instead, they resembled each other in their cool and neat atmosphere like pure white porcelain. No one would have doubted that they were related by blood.
“I’ll see you soon at the Grand Reconciliation, so let’s not say goodbye out loud. Go lightly.”
Cedric pretended to be as calm as possible. It’s because his sister’s long journey was already heavy, so he couldn’t also weigh her heart.
Lilian looked at her brother’s fluctuating blue eyes for quite some time before opening her mouth.
“I was lucky to live as my older brother’s little sister for these past years. Thanks to your protection, I don’t know the harsh world and any hardships. That’s why…”
She stopped talking and hugged him.
Cedric was surprised and the servants were also surprised. It wasn’t often that Lily was overcome by her feelings like that.
“Lily.”
“I will miss my days as my older brother’s immature little sister.”
Leave a Reply