4. Misunderstanding
The ten days until I would meet Young Master Riverton again were far too short.
I had planned, as I resolved when first meeting him, to prepare warm clothes for him.
Unfortunately, there were no gentlemen’s clothes (among those made by designers Mrs. Wellers approved) that I could afford with my dignity maintenance allowance in this Empire.
So the alternative I chose was to give him clothes I made myself.
My initial ambition was grand.
But the result was this pitiful.
In my hands dangled what could only be described as shabby rags. I should have just given him the original fabric I’d purchased.
The emerald eyes of Young Master Riverton, filled with fear of causing me even the slightest harm, kept appearing in my mind.
I wanted to make him happy when we met again.
Recklessly attempting to make clothes based solely on my casual sewing skills had clearly been a foolish endeavor.
My hands wouldn’t move as my mind envisioned, and the fabric wouldn’t cooperate as intended. Making clothes according to a pattern proved much harder than expected. The fabrics often took completely different shapes than intended, shrank, and sometimes the grain became completely twisted and ruined.
Professional tailors existed for good reason.
“Miss, the carriage has arrived.”
I heard Annie, my dedicated maid, calling from behind me.
I decided it would be best not to give these ruined clothes to the young master.
Resigned, I carelessly tossed the disastrous garment onto the table and sat at the dressing table for one final look in the mirror.
I had already applied simple makeup.
Looking in the mirror wasn’t because I wanted to appear pretty to Young Master Riverton. I was worried something strange might be on my face. My first impression had been that of a drowned rat, so this time I wanted to present a properly neat appearance.
“Miss, should I put what you asked me to prepare in this bag?”
Annie asked, pointing to the bag on the table.
“Yes, that’s right.”
I had already placed an order with the kitchen this morning through her for simple snacks, focusing on things the young master might like. The snacks were scheduled to be prepared just in time for my departure to see the young master, and Annie had brought them from the kitchen as instructed.
“I’ve put everything in. I’ll close the bag for you.”
“Oh, would you? Thank you.”
Unfortunately, I decided that these snacks would have to suffice as my gift to Young Master Riverton this time.
For clothes, I would have to save my dignity maintenance allowance frugally until next time.
The amounts I had glimpsed while looking at designers’ catalogs a few days ago flashed through my mind. Even small accessories like gloves or a cane would require saving half a year of my budget. The world of prices was truly harsh.
When I lived at home, I had no idea clothes were so expensive.
I had exactly three dresses for going out. When necessary, I shared them with my younger sister Elaine, and occasionally for important occasions, I borrowed my mother’s hat and gloves. Moreover, I had little interest in dressing up, so I had rarely bought clothes.
Though I came from a ruined family, I began to reflect that I had been too ignorant of worldly matters.
To shorten the saving period for the young master’s gift, I would probably need to find a part-time job for the next ten days.
“Miss, your makeup is a bit smudged here.”
Annie, who had somehow returned to my side, picked up a powder puff.
“Pardon……?”
“Excuse me.”
While I was flustered, Annie fixed my makeup. The occasional assertiveness she subtly displayed like this somehow made my heart flutter.
“Th-thank you.”
I greeted her reflection in the mirror.
Annie made an expression suggesting I should purse my lips.
When I did so, she opened a box from the corner of the dressing table and used a brush to take some pearl powder from it. Then she gently dabbed the iridescent powder onto my lips.
“Wow……”
The ivory-colored pearls lightly dusted over my pinkish lips gave a somewhat mystical impression.
“Amazing……”
My inner admiration escaped out loud. Annie in the mirror slightly bowed her head to me.
“Um…… the carriage must be waiting. I, I should go now.”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I grabbed the handbag she had closed on the table and quickly fled the room.
Having someone attend to my face and clothes still felt very embarrassing. Even after nearly a month here, I hadn’t adjusted.
The letter I received from Mother yesterday was full of concern for me.
The phrase ‘If it’s difficult, come home anytime’ seemed to have been repeated at least three times.
If only Mother could see me now, surrounded by all this service and luxury. If she did, that worried letter would remain locked in her drawer, never to show its face to the world again.
I could see the carriage downstairs. I boarded with the help of an attendant.
The carriage traveled along the now-familiar road.
In a very short time, we arrived at the outer castle where Young Master Riverton lived. By my estimation, the carriage ride took about 20 minutes. But considering my usual habit of daydreaming, it might have been a bit longer.
The pretty blue flowers I had seen during my previous visit were still blooming modestly along the roadside.
I descended with the help of an attendant.
The moment my feet touched the ground completely, the attendant handed me the bag that had been in the carriage.
“Oh, I almost forgot, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good visit, Miss.”
The attendant greeted me kindly.
“Yes!”
Since I now knew the trap-free path, there was no worry about getting my clothes wet.
No, wait a moment.
Which direction was the entrance to that safe path?
I knew the path well when leaving, but trying to find the entrance was a bit confusing.
Though it was a remote, unmaintained castle, its size was quite enormous. It rivaled the Lucerne Cathedral in the capital where the Pope resided—the largest building I had ever seen.
Moreover, this castle had more than one or two entrances.
This was bad.
I hoped I wouldn’t have to meet the young master in a disheveled state today, falling into traps like on the first day.
As I was struggling to take a step, I felt someone’s gaze from above.
I looked up, but there were so many windows in the castle that I couldn’t tell where the gaze was coming from.
Just then, a wind blew from somewhere.
The wind blew my hat away. At the same time, my hair, which had been neatly fixed inside the hat, fell down and immediately scattered in the wind.
If only it could flutter prettily, but instead my hair stuck to my face, blocking my vision and causing a commotion.
When the strong wind finally stopped and all my hair settled down, I saw someone’s legs in front of me.
Those legs, clad in light-colored pants, extended up to a very tall height.
“You came again.”
A cracked, gentle voice confirmed the person’s identity.
Why wasn’t this sick person lying down instead of coming all the way out here? My heart ached. I would have felt better if I had just wandered around and fallen into a trap.
With an apologetic heart, I quickly raised my head to look at him.
“Ah, hello……”
He was looking at me with a deeply moved expression, as if he had been certain I would never return here.
Whenever I saw the young master’s face, my heart would inexplicably tighten.
“Come, let’s go inside quickly.”
After hesitating briefly, the young master added a very small phrase at the end.
“……Rosaline.”
Those three syllables were very quiet but flew clearly and lodged in my ear. I was so surprised by his words that I dropped the bag I was holding.
He called me by my name.
He definitely called me Rosaline, right?
It felt completely different from when my father or younger brother Theo called my name. No, it was entirely different.
“……Do you dislike it?”
When I stood still without saying anything, he asked with a half-tearful face.
“I suppose someone you’ve just met calling you by your name would be unpleasant. Especially someone like me.”
“N-no! Absolutely not!”
I shook my head frantically, having been lost in thought.
I wanted to demand what nonsense he was talking about, but as he said, our acquaintance was still very shallow.
“Actually, I’m very happy. I’d be fine even if you called me Rosie instead of Rosaline, like my family does.”
At my words, the young master showed a very flustered expression.
It seemed I had gotten carried away in my excessive eagerness to reassure him and had overreacted.
His tearful eyes slowly hardened into an expressionless state.
“Um…… that was just an example. I didn’t really mean for you to do that.”
I quickly made excuses for my words.
His eyes had now frozen as coldly as if they were actual emerald gemstones.
I must have become too comfortable after seeing his crying face so often.
Even though he was currently battling illness, he was still a high noble, the heir to the Riverton ducal family.
It was natural that etiquette would be as ingrained in him as breathing.
Having been too casual in front of him, I began to deeply regret my thoughtless words and actions.
“Rosie.”
He called me with a completely unfamiliar voice.
At that call, I raised my head.
Unlike before, that voice wasn’t cracked at all, nor was it a thin, delicate tone.
His eyes, looking at me, were trembling very slightly as if intoxicated with some kind of unknown ecstasy.
His mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all, and his appearance somehow felt a little frightening.
“Yes……”
I answered in a very small voice, flustered.
“If you’re comfortable with it, young master, you may call me that.”
“Really…… would that be all right?”
His face, asking me again, had returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
The tear-moistened, slightly reddened eyes and the trembling emerald pupils were undoubtedly the original Young Master Riverton I knew.
I must have seen wrong just now.
The shadow cast by a cloud passing over us must have made his appearance look a little darker for a moment.
“Oh, Rosie. You dropped your bag on the ground. May I pick it up for you?”
Someone so pure couldn’t possibly make such an expression.
