TAHR 06

Chapter 06

“Thank you sincerely for inviting me to such a meaningful occasion, Marchioness.”

Elissa placed the bouquet she had prepared in advance into Marchioness Brianna’s arms.

“My mother wanted to come herself, but because of some family matters… she had no choice but to send me in her place.”

“Don’t say that you are lacking. You mustn’t say such things.”

The noblewoman, who had tied up her brown hair high just like the Empress and decorated it with pearls, smiled elegantly.

“I did invite the Countess of Leslie, but honestly, Elissa, I was hoping that you would come.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You are about the same age as my daughter, Giselle. I thought it would be nice if you two became close, and I was even considering arranging a separate occasion for you to meet the Countess. So I’m glad you came like this.”

“I should be the one thanking you for welcoming me, Marchioness.”

Elissa smiled, thinking that coming here had indeed been a good decision.

“Elissa.”

Derrick Grenville, who had been watching them chat together from a short distance away, called his fiancée at the right moment.

Naturally, Marchioness Brianna turned toward him. When their eyes met, Derrick Grenville smiled politely.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Marchioness. My name is Derrick Grenville, Elissa Leslie’s fiancé.”

“Oh my. So you are the fiancé of Elissa I have heard so much about.”

The Marchioness playfully asked why he had not introduced himself sooner, and Elissa simply smiled without saying anything.

With his friendly appearance that anyone, regardless of age or gender, could easily feel fond of, along with his smooth way of speaking, Derrick Grenville immediately won the Marchioness’s favor.

“Oh my. If only my daughter had a fiancé like Sir Grenville, it would be wonderful…”

Since she went as far as to say that, it was obvious how much she liked him. She even said how envious she was of Elissa and that the Countess of Leslie must have nothing to worry about.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced my daughter yet.”

The Marchioness told a maid to bring Giselle.

“You called for me, Mother.”

A moment later, a woman with slightly reddish-brown hair and striking features appeared. She was Giselle Brianna, the main figure of the exhibition.

“Giselle, say hello. This is Elissa Leslie of House Leslie, and her fiancé, Sir Derrick Grenville.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Giselle Brianna.”

Usually, people began participating in high society after reaching adulthood, but because of the war, social gatherings had been implicitly prohibited for the past four years.

Because of that, today was the first time Elissa had ever seen Giselle Brianna, though she had heard about what kind of person she was from her mother.

She was certainly supposed to have a cheerful and lively personality.

The Countess of Leslie had even said that looking at Giselle was like looking at Elissa when she was young.

But the Giselle Brianna Elissa met in person was, contrary to what she had heard, a passive girl who could barely even make eye contact.

“Congratulations sincerely on holding this exhibition, Lady Brianna. Even someone as ignorant of art as I am cannot help but admire it. It is truly a wonderful exhibition.”

Even at Derrick Grenville’s compliment, Giselle only gave a faint smile and said thank you, without adding anything else.

“Oh my, thank you for thinking so highly of it. My daughter worked so hard to prepare for this exhibition…”

As if trying to fill the silence, the Marchioness began talking at length.

Unlike her daughter, who was quietly swallowing sighs, the Marchioness looked extremely excited. Seeing how she explained the arrangement of the exhibition and the artworks, it seemed that the person who had actually organized this exhibition was not Giselle Brianna, but the Marchioness.

Giselle seemed to have come out only because she could not resist her mother’s pressure.

Elissa immediately understood why the Marchioness had forced herself to hold an exhibition even though her daughter did not seem to want one.

She probably wanted to raise Giselle Brianna’s value before she entered the marriage market.

A young noblewoman who was deeply knowledgeable about art and had a warm heart that led her to hold charity exhibitions for unfortunate children was very popular.

The Countess of Leslie had also sometimes put Elissa’s name down when making donations or providing sponsorships for the same reason.

Thinking that Giselle Brianna might be in the same position she had once been in, Elissa found herself paying even more attention to her.

“Sir Grenville, if you happen to know someone who would suit my daughter, could you introduce him to her?”

Thanks to that, Elissa was able to see Giselle’s face distort for just a brief moment.

It was also the moment she confirmed that her guess had been correct.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know if there is anyone among the people around me who would be suitable for such a noble young lady.”

It was a sudden request, enough that he might have been flustered, but Derrick answered with a smile without showing any sign of embarrassment.

Perhaps she liked his attitude even more because of that, as the Marchioness laughed out loud.

“What a disappointing thing to say. Someone like Sir Grenville would always be welcome, so don’t say things like that.”

“Oh my. Then I suppose I will have to search hard so that I don’t disappoint you, Marchioness.”

“We would certainly appreciate that. I’m not joking. I really mean it, so if you find someone, make sure to contact me.”

“Mother.”

Perhaps she could no longer simply listen, because Giselle called her mother in a small voice.

But the Marchioness paid no attention and continued talking about what kind of person they preferred and how much of an age difference would be ideal.

The longer the Marchioness talked, the more pitiful Giselle Brianna seemed to Elissa.

Having experienced how troublesome it was when parents acted like this, Elissa felt even more sorry for her.

“Come to think of it, when are the two of you getting married? I heard you have been engaged for over a year. Isn’t it about time you got married?”

Marchioness Brianna’s meddling did not stop with her daughter. It reached Elissa as well.

At the sudden mention of marriage, Elissa tightened her grip on the hand she was holding.

“We were actually discussing when would be a good time to get married.”

Derrick, on the other hand, answered with a relaxed smile.

“We decided to wait until the date of the royal wedding is set. The princess’s royal marriage comes before our wedding, after all.”

“That is true. The Queen has been so worried about the royal wedding…”

Fortunately, the subject of the conversation quickly shifted to the royal wedding.

Not long after, Marchioness Brianna said that she had to greet the other guests and left with Giselle after wishing them a pleasant time.

“Haa…”

Only then did Elissa feel as though she could breathe again, letting out a deep breath.

Derrick Grenville handed her some warm water and spoke worriedly.

“I think I spoke with the Marchioness for far too long without realizing how you felt. I’m sorry, Elissa.”

“No. I’m actually grateful that you dealt with the Marchioness for me, so you don’t need to apologize.”

She was not saying it just to be polite. She truly meant it.

Elissa did not think she could smile and put up with Marchioness Brianna’s meddling as easily as Derrick had.

“More importantly, may I go outside for a moment and get some fresh air? I feel a little suffocated…”

“Of course. There is a back garden over there, so you can…”

“I want to go alone.”

Her chest felt tight because of the marriage talk, and if Derrick Grenville went with her, there would be little point in going outside.

Derrick Grenville seemed startled and hesitated for a moment, but soon smiled and told her to go.

Elissa put her bonnet back on and headed toward the backyard Derrick had told her about. The ribbon she had not bothered to tie swayed lightly.

Unlike the crowded exhibition hall, the backyard was quiet.

There was no one else in sight.

Thanks to that, Elissa could finally relax.

But just as she sat down on the edge of the small fountain, a strong gust of wind blew hard enough to scatter the fountain’s stream of water.

“Ah!”

The wind blew her bonnet away, and Elissa let out a short scream.

The light hat floated through the air and became caught on the statue of a baby angel in the fountain.

“Oh, come on.”

What a nuisance.

Clicking her tongue, Elissa reached toward the hat.

But it was farther away than she had expected, and she could not reach it.

“What should I do?”

Elissa briefly wondered if she should bring someone over.

In the end, she took off her shoes.

It seemed there was no need to ask someone else for help.

By the time she went to find someone, the hat might blow away again, so it was better to do it herself.

She lifted her skirt so that the hem would not get wet and was about to step into the fountain when she sensed someone nearby.

Elissa flinched and turned around.

But before she could fully turn around, a black shadow covered her.

Immediately afterward, a long arm stretched out over her shoulder and easily grabbed Elissa’s hat from the statue.

Elissa blankly stared at the person who had retrieved her hat.

Because of the shadows, she could not clearly see his face.

But she could clearly see his gray eyes.

“You should call someone for something like this.”

After placing the bonnet directly on Elissa’s head, he even neatly tied the ribbon so that it would not fly away again.

“What were you thinking? What if your clothes got wet? You haven’t even fully recovered from your cold yet, Elissa.”