Chapter 33: Excited Classie, Furious Merran
Classie smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“Yes.”
Angry Merran stomped her foot and went outside. Classie changed her clothes feeling a bit sorry but also refreshed.
‘Even if she doesn’t want to hear it, my advice is realistic.’
* * *
Back in her room, Merran changed clothes and told Karen everything Classie had said.
After getting comfortable, Merran felt relieved and lay on the sofa, asking,
“What do you think, nanny? Does auntie sound right?”
“Hmm. Well, it’s clear that Miss Classie put a lot of thought into it.”
“Auntie must be crazy about men. She only gets smart at times like this. Does she care more about men than her niece?”
Karen reluctantly smoothed Merran’s tangled, messy hair and agreed.
“Whatever her intentions, Miss Classie’s advice sounds right this time.”
Karen took a comb and ran it through Merran’s hair. Relaxed, Merran closed her eyes and muttered,
“I don’t know if I should keep blocking auntie from my love life, or if I should just let her be and focus on my own romance like she says. I didn’t like Lord Dernick because he’s the only son of the Grand Duke. It’s just that the standards are too high.”
“Miss has high standards. You’re different from other girls aiming to be the Grand Duchess. You liked Lord Dernick without knowing his status. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess should definitely know this.”
Karen looked fondly at Merran’s now thick, soft curly hair. Even sprawled out with hair everywhere, Merran looked like a cute doll.
“It makes me proud thinking you’ll be the future Marquess and Grand Duchess. If my lady were alive, she’d be proud of you.”
“She’d like me sincerely. Maybe she’d be worried. But she wouldn’t use my feelings like auntie does.”
“No matter how much she treats you like a daughter, Miss Classie can’t become lady Mary. Enough bad talk. Anyway, Miss, you’ll become the most lovely Grand Duchess in the world.”
Merran burst out laughing and gently pushed Karen.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself already.”
Karen sighed and gathered Merran’s hair strands from the carpet with her hand.
“If you become the Grand Duchess, it won’t matter whom Miss Classie marries. If Miss Classie can’t marry, the inheritance you receive instead is huge, but is it as big as the Grand Duke’s family fortune?”
Merran frowned angrily, scrunching her forehead.
“I’m not doing this because of the inheritance, Karen. Don’t say it like that. If someone hears, they’ll think I’m after Aunt and Sir Dernick’s fortune.”
“I’m sorry. Of course, our noble lady would never do such a thing. But I want you to live well, so I end up thinking about these things. I’m only saying this because I care about you, so please don’t be angry. Naturally, I only ever say such things in front of you.”
As soon as Karen apologized, Merran calmed down. However, the wrinkles on Merran’s forehead didn’t disappear so easily.
Watching Merran’s expression, Karen deliberately spoke cheerfully.
“Anyway, you’ll need a strategy if you want to become a Grand Duchess. I’ll dig up some rumors about Sir Dernick and the House of Siwill.”
“Look into Sir Kishin too. Just in case.”
“Of course. I’ll do that.”
Karen was pleased with her own decisive response and looked at Merran with pride, then remembered to offer a bit of advice.
“Anyway, my lady, please don’t lose your temper in front of Lady Classie for the time being. And don’t get angry just because things are going well between her and Sir Kishin.”
“I’m not even allowed to be mad when I can’t interfere?!”
“Even so. You shouldn’t ruin your promising future over a brief moment of anger. If things go well with Sir Dernick, just turn a blind eye to Lady Classie.”
* * *
Merran decided to take Karen’s advice.
For someone like Merran, who had always placed controlling her aunt as her top priority in life, this was a surprising decision.
That’s how deeply Merran cared about Dernick. If she could make him hers, she could even let go of her aunt, however upsetting that might be.
But emotions aren’t something you can just sever the moment you decide to. That night, Merran couldn’t sleep and tossed and turned under the blanket all night.
She still couldn’t fall asleep.
Eventually, at 3 a.m., Merran got out of bed and removed the necklace she always wore around her neck.
Merran’s necklace pendant was unusual. Unlike other nobles, it contained no expensive jewels or precious metals.
Instead of a fancy pendant, a tiny glass vial hung in the center of Merran’s necklace.
Inside the glass vial was a liquid that shimmered like a drop of moonlight.
Merran remembered the day she received the necklace.
Nine years ago, after her mother’s funeral, young Merran couldn’t leave the grave and sobbed there. She no longer wanted to live.
Her mother was gone, and her father brought home a strange woman to take her place.
That woman smiled at Merran, but her eyes were full of annoyance, as if looking at a burden.
Not wanting to return to the house where her father and that woman were, Merran stayed at the grave even at night.
That was when the boy appeared. He took the necklace from his own neck and placed it gently around Merran’s.
— I’ll give you this. Use it if you ever want to turn back time.
As she recalled the past, Merran’s eyelids grew heavy.
She put the necklace back around her neck and slipped under the covers.
* * *
The next day.
The dining room was quieter than usual.
Merran, who normally would have chatted cheerfully, ate in silence, and Classie didn’t go out of her way to speak to her.
Anna, flustered between the two, let out a sigh and went quiet as well.
Into this awkward atmosphere, the butler entered.
“Lady Classie, Sir Kishin has sent flowers.”
In the butler’s arms was a lush bouquet, with a large envelope tucked among the blooms.
“Sir Kishin!”
Classie ran over, eagerly grabbed the bouquet, sniffed its fragrance, and asked,
“Did a guard deliver it?”
Merran bit her lip and clenched her fork.
Anna’s throat tickled, so she poured herself some water.
The butler, unaware of the tension in the room, spoke in an equally cheerful tone as Classie.
“Yes. A guard came and handed it over, saying Sir Kishin sent it for Lady Classie.”
“What kind of expression did he have?”
“The guards always wear the same expression, don’t they? But he did seem curious. His eyes were moving back and forth over my shoulder.”
Classie almost showered the bouquet with kisses.
If it hadn’t been for the sound of a fork scraping a plate behind her, she probably would have.
After that, Classie barely ate her dinner, then left the dining hall with the bouquet and letter in hand.
Perhaps because of the advice she had given, Merren didn’t follow her today.
Once in her room, Classie sat on the bed, carefully placing the bouquet on her lap before unfolding the letter from Kishin.
‘Why would he suddenly send a letter?’
The letter described Kishin’s day.
— The busiest times of my day are the morning and afternoon. In the morning, I catch up on everything that happened while I was away, and in the afternoon, I carry out the day’s duties.
— But it’s better to be busy with small matters. When there’s nothing to do, it feels like the calm before a storm, which makes me tense. The same goes for my subordinates. When I’m tense, training gets harsher, so everyone prefers to stay busy.
— This morning, when I entered my office, the sofa where you waited for me caught my eye. If there’s a particular pattern you like, let me know. I’ll have a cushion made just for you.
— At least once a day, I think of you, Miss Classie. Do you think of me too?
Though Kishin’s letter maintained a dry tone and mostly talked about work, Classie kept smiling as she read the simple, sincere lines.
“Oh my lady. You look so silly. Please don’t act like this in public.”
Anna had come in to bring her warm coffee and exclaimed in shock.
Classie hugged the letter to her chest and proudly held up the bouquet to Anna.
“Look! Kishin gave this to me, Anna!”
“I know. I saw it in the dining room.”
“Anna, Kishin said he thought of me once today!”
“Only once? Isn’t that too little?”
When Classie inhaled deeply, as if trying to absorb the entire scent of the bouquet, Anna shook her head.
“You being so happy like that is exactly why Miss Merren’s sulking.”
“Merren’s sulking?”
“She stayed in the dining room even after you left. She was eating ice cream while crying.”
“……”
“Miss Merren sees you as half a mother figure. She’s probably worried that if you fall in love and get married, she’ll be pushed aside.”
Anna spoke with a tone of sympathy toward Merren.
Classie pouted slightly as she stroked the flower petals.
“I know what that feels like. When my eldest sister got married, and when Merren was born, I felt like I was losing my sister. It made me sad too.”
“Then please treat Miss Merren more kindly. She’s an adult now, right? You two won’t be living together forever.”
“I do treat her kindly—as long as she doesn’t act out. And when my sister got married, even though I was upset, I didn’t show it. I was just a kid, but I didn’t act like Merren does now. You know that, Anna.”
“That’s true.”
Anna agreed and left, but Classie’s mind grew more tangled. She pushed the bouquet aside.
A sigh escaped her lips.
Anna didn’t know it, but the relationship between Classie and Merren wasn’t as simple as the one she had with her older sister.
Classie took only the letter from Kishin into her secret room and placed it beside the bundle of letters she had exchanged with her first love.
* * *