Ryan had to spend his days just as busy as Eloise.

A wedding isn’t something done by one person alone. So just as much as Eloise was preparing, or even more so, Ryan was running around making preparations for the upcoming wedding.

Usually, such tasks are delegated to a proxy like a butler, with the employer making only the final decisions. But Ryan didn’t want to prepare his wedding so carelessly. Marriage was something he had thought would absolutely never happen in his life. Yet despite that “absolute” statement, it had finally happened just months ago. So Ryan intended to put as much care and attention into this wedding as possible. Because such a happy memory would not come twice in his lifetime. Well, it shouldn’t come twice, at this point.

From mansion repairs to decorations, preparation of new staff for guest hospitality, to food—in truth, preparing for a typical wedding wasn’t particularly difficult. A neighborhood celebration could be easily managed by borrowing the hands of neighbors.

But this was a festival not just for Feltham but for the entire region. Moreover, a wedding at Blissbury! This was an even greater celebration than Blissbury’s summer festival.

“And so many guests are coming!”

The Surberton couple had extensive connections despite living in the countryside. Consequently, there were many guests attending. Naturally, they wanted to accommodate as many guests as possible at Blissbury.

To do that, they needed to prepare not only a splendid wedding but also high-quality facilities. From butlers to kitchen helpers, it was a large group exceeding twenty people.

“Properly, that is.”

Was it because he had done something similar before, or because it was his own wedding preparation, or perhaps because he could discuss and create it together with Eloise?

Ryan pondered these thoughts as he rode his horse. Though it was already dark, he wasn’t tired at all and occasionally made his horse jump. Shortly after, Ryan headed to Blissbury with another person in his two-person carriage. Seated beside him was Mr. Surberton.

Mr. Surberton had gone to the capital two weeks ago to personally deliver wedding invitations to his acquaintances there. Normally such communications would be done by mail, but many of the gentlemen who had been friends with Mr. Surberton in the past had difficulty receiving mail for various reasons. Besides, even if letters were sent, they might take a long time to reach the intended recipient or might not arrive at all.

There was also a more noble reason why Mr. Surberton had personally gone to the capital.

“My daughter is getting married. Yes, our Eloise who was often sick. Of course, she’s very healthy now. She even received a medal from the Queen.”

When Mr. Surberton had fled to the countryside as a young man, his colleagues had worried that he wouldn’t last long in the rural area and simultaneously wondered if his sickly daughter would even survive to adulthood.

He wanted to properly convey to those friends that his daughter had not only become healthy but had also accomplished great deeds, met a respectable young man, and was now starting a new family. Mr. Surberton spoke with an apologetic expression.

“There was no need for you to come all the way to pick me up… I should have just sent a letter.”

In response to his increasingly kind tone, Ryan answered gently.

“I wanted to come personally. Was your journey difficult? Did you meet your friends well?”

“Of course. They all said they would attend and were happy about it.”

In truth, there was another reason why his friends were determined to attend. It was because Mr. Surberton had been boasting about his daughter.

“Eloise has met a very kind and solid young man. Not just because she’s my daughter, but hasn’t our Eloise always had an excellent eye for people since childhood! In today’s world, he’s a very upright young man, and above all, recognized by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Kent as outstanding…”

“I get it. I get it. Do you realize you’ve been saying the same thing for an hour now?”

Mr. Surberton’s friends were, naturally, people who did the same work as Ryan Wilgrave. People who appeared ordinary to the casual observer but secretly performed dangerous tasks for Albion and the royal family.

They all remembered Eloise from childhood. A small child who would cough so harshly it seemed her lungs might tear, with cloudy eyes and a pale complexion. Despite everyone saying “get well soon,” honestly, no one expected the child to live long.

Yet she had not only grown up well but had also become a lady and found someone to share her life with.

“Of course we investigated who that man is! And we found out he’s the famous Ryan Wilgrave. I actually thought you were exaggerating, but to think he’s becoming Eloise’s husband!”

“Then we must attend and see for ourselves!”

Being a good soldier didn’t necessarily make one a good husband. Often, it was the opposite. Moreover, hadn’t Ryan Wilgrave been the subject of many unfavorable rumors? Yet surprisingly, those who had actually worked with him all missed him and praised his reputation differently. Yes, just like Mr. Surberton standing before them.

Even so, they weren’t completely convinced, so Mr. Surberton’s friends all agreed to attend the wedding.

“This Ryan fellow! We’ll judge him with our own eyes!”

Mr. Surberton recalled all his friends who were obviously thinking this way. Then he looked at Ryan seated beside him.

‘My daughter really chose well.’

This was the same Mr. Surberton who had disliked Ryan, thinking he was responsible for Eloise’s hardships in the capital, and had treated him coldly until recently. After returning to Blissbury, he had gradually softened, but Ryan was still the man who had made his daughter suffer in his eyes.

His heart completely melted after the visit to Bringport. The illness that had tormented Eloise for so long had finally disappeared, and now winter was no longer a season of harsh fear for his daughter but one of comfort and satisfaction.

How could he continue to dislike someone who had brought about such a change?

So Mr. Surberton decided to let past resentments flow away like water. And once he did, he began to see all the merits of his future son-in-law. His appearance, his character. Even his wealth!

At first, he had thought it would be difficult to find such a groom in Feltham or the county, but now he felt that even if they searched all of Albion, no, the entire continent, they wouldn’t find someone as suitable for Eloise.

It was the same now. He could have hired a coachman from town to go to Blissbury, yet Ryan had personally driven the carriage. And he had even come all the way to Rampton. This made Mr. Surberton feel even more reassured.

‘I thought I’d be getting a proper son-in-law who would take special care of my precious daughter, but to think I’d be welcoming a son-like son-in-law.’

When Mr. Surberton and Ryan arrived at Blissbury, Garner, who had been waiting, greeted them. He handed a letter to Mr. Surberton.

“The postman delivered this a little while ago and said it needed urgent attention.”

However, Mr. Surberton looked at Ryan and said:

“You check it first.”

Both Ryan and Garner were surprised at Mr. Surberton’s words.

Though Eloise and Ryan were the owners of Blissbury, everyone treated Mr. Surberton as the senior figure here. Therefore, communications to Blissbury were first reported to Mr. Surberton. But now, Mr. Surberton had completely transferred that authority to Ryan.

Ryan slightly bowed his head in gratitude, then opened the letter. After a moment, he muttered in a puzzled voice:

“Baroness Fairfax?”

***

“Do I really have to come to this rural backwater?”

In response to her daughter’s discontented voice, Baroness Fairfax raised her eyebrows and spoke in a stern tone:

“Beatrice.”

Though it was a warning, Beatrice continued with an even more twisted attitude as if to say “what’s the problem?”

“I really hate this. It’s full of people I don’t know, and what conversation could I possibly have with these country bumpkins?”

“Beatrice, mind your language!”

When the Baroness raised her voice, Beatrice closed her mouth as if she couldn’t help it. But she couldn’t hide her protruding lips.

Right now, Beatrice felt truly wronged and upset. She couldn’t understand why she had to come to this rural village. And for the reason of attending Eloise’s wedding, that country bumpkin’s wedding, no less.

“It’s not as if you weren’t invited to the wedding because you didn’t get along with Eloise!”

At her mother’s words, Beatrice finally couldn’t hold back and jumped to her feet. Then she shouted loudly:

“Then let’s go back! Why are we trying to attend a wedding we weren’t even invited to?!”

This is what beggars do, loitering around mansions where feasts are held. Beatrice was in tears at her current situation.