For My Beloved Daughter - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

It would have been nice to have tea time after dining with her husband, but both the Duke and Duchess were busy.

Especially today, as the guest they were expecting was particularly important to Elicity. This was because the visitor was related to her daughter’s education.

“Duchess, it has been a long time.”

“Yes, it has been a while, Baroness Fertel.”

Elicity gazed at Baroness Fertel before her.

Fertel was the legal wife of a baron, but after her husband passed away and her family fell into ruin, she had been raising her four daughters with relentless determination despite their impoverished circumstances.

In desperate need of money, she took on any job despite being a noblewoman, which made her highly knowledgeable about the social scene. Sometimes, noblewomen who did not want to fall behind in social affairs would invite her over to gather gossip.

Because of this, Elicity thought that befriending Fertel was not a bad choice.

“Why have you summoned me to the ducal residence…?”

Baroness Fertel smoothed the frayed sleeves of her old, nearly threadbare dress as she looked at Elicity.

Seeing the anxiety in her eyes, which reminded her of her past self, Elicity pressed her lips together for a moment.

“Baroness, I hear that your eldest daughter is working as a governess instead of getting married.”

“No! She will marry!!”

Fertel quickly denied it.

“Who said such a thing? There have been many suitors, but none were suitable, so we turned them down. If a decent one appears, she will marry at once.”

Elicity thought Baroness Fertel was simply being stubborn. After all, no nobleman would propose to a family drowning in debt.

“Baroness Fertel.”

“…Yes.”

“There happens to be a vacancy for a governess for my daughter. Would you consider sending your daughter to our ducal residence?”

For a moment, the baroness’s face filled with bewilderment.

“Pardon? No, Duchess, what did you just say…?”

“I have led an unfortunate life. Even though I am a duchess, I come from a fallen noble family, so no one is willing to become my daughter’s governess. You must have heard that I dismissed Miss Felberson not long ago. There were circumstances behind that. She insulted both me and my daughter. I could no longer endure it.”

“Oh dear, Duchess…”

Elicity took out a handkerchief and pretended to wipe away nonexistent tears.

“Baroness, please, have pity on me and my daughter. Would you consider sending your daughter?”

“Oh my…! Have pity? That is not the issue! I hesitated because the idea of my daughter teaching a duke’s daughter is utterly absurd.”

“Why would your eldest daughter be unqualified? She graduated at the top of her class from the Royal Academy.”

“T-That is the problem.”

Baroness Fertel’s face turned red.

“A noble family is supposed to hire a private tutor for each subject to provide a high-level education. But we were unable to do so.”

“The professors at the Royal Academy are some of the most exceptional scholars. For your daughter to have been the top student under their tutelage makes her all the more remarkable.”

“The Academy is a vulgar place where status does not matter. I tried to stop her, but she insisted on attending. The students who graduate from there are mostly children of upstarts.”

Baroness Fertel’s voice gradually weakened. It was not that she was ashamed of her eldest daughter for attending the Royal Academy.

She never wanted to feel ashamed of her beloved daughters. She was only ashamed of her own incompetence.

And Elicity understood her completely. After all, she had not been so different from her in the past, back in the rural village of Reten.

‘I used to be like that too.’

Elicity had married and immediately became pregnant with Bella.

When she held Bella in her arms, Alex had still been a low-ranking knight.

While other noblewomen gave their children expensive toys, Elicity had nothing to offer Bella.

She had even thought she would live a life of poverty, unable to provide Bella with anything for the rest of her life.

It was only due to fortunate circumstances that she had become a duchess. If things had gone differently, she would have been no different from Baroness Fertel.

Elicity smiled and took the baroness’s hand.

“Baroness, the Academy is a royal educational institution overseen by the former queen. How could the word ‘vulgar’ ever be associated with a place of learning? And your eldest daughter—what an excellent educator she must be.”

“Pardon? Duchess, have you ever met my daughter?”

When Baroness Fertel looked puzzled, Elicity pursed her lips.

She had never met her. The real reason she had chosen the eldest daughter of the Fertel family was because of her past life—because of the connection between her and the prince.

In her previous life, Elicity had heard from Alex that Baroness Fertel’s eldest daughter, Lorraine Fertel, had been a friend of the second prince, Helios, who would later become king.

—King Helios attended the Academy in disguise under the former queen’s orders. But he was shocked when Miss Fertel outperformed him in every subject, so he followed her around, and they became close.

Later, when Helios became king, Lorraine was chosen as his aide. In other words, her intelligence and character had been acknowledged by the prince himself.

Elicity had even seen her a few times as an aide in her previous life and could tell at a glance that she was an exceptional person.

But that was before her regression, and now she had no connection to Lorraine.

Elicity quickly denied it.

“I heard about her through rumors.”

“Rumors are always exaggerated, Duchess. Please do not have too high expectations.”

“It is not an expectation. It is sincerity. I beg you, Baroness.”

As Elicity earnestly pleaded, Baroness Fertel deliberated for a long time before hesitantly responding.

“In that case… I will at least ask my daughter’s opinion.”

***

Elicity sat on the garden terrace, watching as the Fertel family’s carriage disappeared beyond the rose-covered walls.

As Elicity watched the shadow of the carriage grow smaller and smaller, she saw Bella running toward her from afar.

“Mom!”

“Bella, don’t run.”

“Hehe. I heard that a new teacher is coming. Is it true?”

Bella’s eyes sparkled as she caught her breath from running. Smiling gently, Elicity stood up and straightened her daughter’s disheveled ribbon.

“It’s not certain yet, but she will probably come.”

At Elicity’s words, Bella beamed. She immediately climbed onto a child’s chair that a maid had brought over and started bombarding her mother with questions.

“Mom, which noble family is the governess from? What subjects will she teach? And will she teach the subject I wanted to learn last time?”

“Bella, calm down. Didn’t I always tell you to ask one question at a time?”

Elicity popped a cookie into Bella’s mouth as she spoke.

“She is Lady Lorraine Fertel, the eldest daughter of the Baron Fertel family. She graduated at the top of her class from the Royal Academy and studied pedagogy. She has been working as a governess for several years.”

“Huh? The Royal Academy?”

Bella tilted her head in confusion.

Elicity found her daughter’s reaction understandable. As Baroness Fertel had said, high society looked down on the academy.

However, as someone who had returned to the past, Elicity knew that public perception would change once it was revealed that the prince had attended the academy. Therefore, she could not view it negatively.

Gently stroking Bella’s soft cheek, Elicity began to persuade her.

“Bella, although high society sees the academy in a negative light, that’s just prejudice. The professors there are truly outstanding.”

It was only natural that commoners, who had to study desperately to avoid starvation, would have a higher level of intellectual ability than noble ladies who spent their days having tea parties.

The first country to recognize and capitalize on this simple yet often overlooked fact was the great nation of Salita.

However, Bella seemed to have trouble understanding Elicity’s words, tilting her head again. Elicity ruffled Bella’s round little head.

“In conclusion, Miss Lorraine Fertel is the best teacher for you. You trust Mom, right?”

Still tilting her head, Bella soon smiled brightly at Elicity’s final words.

“Of course! Mom is amazing!”

“I’m only amazing because I’m Isabella Zeroden’s mother.”

With that, Elicity pressed a kiss to Bella’s cheek.

Bella let out a delighted squeal.

However, as always, she did not return the kiss, instead rolling her ruby-like eyes.

It was a habit of hers whenever she was holding back something she wanted to say.

Elicity gently pinched her daughter’s cheek, careful not to hurt her.

“You little cutie, what are you trying to say?”

“I still feel bad about what happened last time.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Grandma and Aunt came to visit. I feel like I was too rude. I don’t think my behavior was appropriate for a lady of my status.”

Elicity felt both pity and guilt for her downcast daughter. Isabella was only ten years old. At an age where she should have been throwing tantrums and crying, she was instead worrying about behaving properly as a noble lady.

Elicity stroked Bella’s hair, feeling a deep sadness.

“It was something that was bound to happen, my love.”

“Something that was bound to happen?”

“Yes, and in fact, I’m grateful to you. You recognized how hard things have been for me. No one understands me like my daughter does.”

Elicity hugged Bella tightly and showered her with kisses on the cheek. Bella whimpered slightly but soon giggled.

But her laughter was short-lived. A shadow once again fell over Bella’s face.

“My dear Bella, don’t worry too much.”

“No, it’s not about Grandma…”

Elicity tilted her head in confusion.

“Then, what is it?”

“What about Grandma and Grandpa on your side?”

“……!!”