Chapter 6 (2/2)

That day, Mielle stayed in her room without having lunch or dinner. Women that Aria had never seen before visited Mielle in her room, but they all left with a baffled/perplexed look.

They were all people with experience in embroidery, but could not meet Mielle's standards and did not become her teacher.

And while this was happening, the embroidery that Sarah had made was delivered to Mielle. She did not react to the beautiful lily embroidery that looked like it could attract b.u.t.terflies. She simply increased the number of people that came to see her.

Aria suppressed her laugh as she saw the visitors that came to see Mielle for several days.

'It's time you learn that there's nothing you can do.'

* * *

Aria had learned the way to walk elegantly, and she looked like a n.o.ble lady who would have no problems attending social events right away. If you took into consideration her age, she would be able to gather several compliments.

She would get compared because her sister was Mielle, but she had improved enough that she was better than the ladies of her age.

The person who took pride in this fact was Aria's mother, the countess. She took pride in the fact that her wild daughter had changed to become presentable.

She didn't care why. She only wished for her to learn more and get married to a better household than her. Perhaps the wife of a marquis or duke.

”What do you think?”

”If you mean Marquis Vincent, he already has his match.”

And it's my teacher. Aria and her mother talked as they had green tea after their meal out in the garden.

The Countess endlessly asked Aria about husband material, and Aria imagined the women they would marry in the future.

”What do you mean, match? It's all up to how hard someone works. Look at your mother.”

She was the product of hard work. Even with her beauty, it was not easy to melt the count's heart, which had been frozen after the loss of his first wife. It would not be a stretch to say that there was no one who had worked as hard as her.

Aria laughed quietly.

”I'm still young. I'm only fourteen.”

”Which means you're almost fifteen. A woman's young days go by quickly.”

The Countess was only thirty two, but she looked off into the sky as if she was reminiscing about her younger days.

She had been thrown out in the streets as a baby, and grew up doing all sorts of dirty jobs. She was taken into the wh.o.r.ehouse even before her period started, and had to serve countless customers.

There was only one way to get out of that h.e.l.l. It was to capture a male that was wealthy and power. There was no way to save herself other than that.

She was only fifteen when she realized this.

From then she used methods of coquetry to all the people with power, and met a man who said he would bring her out of the wh.o.r.ehouse when she was seventeen.

Although it was in the country, he was a baron who owned a small patch of land, and to her he was basically a G.o.d.

Unfortunately she was found to be pregnant before he could take her out, and she could not escape because no one could know who the father was. She had always said 'if only you didn't exist' to Aria as a habit.

”If I think about it now, having you might've been a blessing.”

”……in what way?”

”Isn't it better to be a countess with a lot of land and a business than a baroness in the country?”

There wasn't a single drop of lie in her expression. If she missed this time, Aria could also have become a prost.i.tute, but the thought didn't seem to cross her mind.

Aria made a small smile. Even if she acted this way she didn't complain because she raised her without throwing her out.

If she threw Aria out, she could've met a good man and gotten a better status earlier.

But her mother didn't throw her out. She gave birth to Aria, and even brought her to the Count's household. It probably wasn't easy to do.

She was different from Aria, who had been fooled and couldn't even prevent her own mother's death.

The Countess ordered for the cooled tea to be replaced with new ones, and looked around after thinking for a while.

After checking that there was no one nearby she secretly and quietly asked Aria.

”I heard that Mielle has taken an interest in the first son of Duke Frederick.”

”You mean Sir Oscar?”

”Yes. He's the same age as Kain. I saw Mielle begging Kain to bring Oscar over.”

A little after Aria's fifteenth birthday, Kain returns to the house with Oscar.

And Mielle ends up spilling tea on Oscar due to her nervousness, and he ends up needing a handkerchief.

And Mielle hands him a handkerchief with the household crest that she happened to have. She even lies that she made it, even though it wasn't.

'Yes, I'll be watching that scene.'

Aria could tell what the countess wanted to say. There was no way she would bring up the person Mielle had an interest in for no reason.

There was no official fiance for Duke Frederick's heir.

Mielle was the most advantageous, considering that they would be interested in combining the power and money the two families had, but Oscar did not have too much of an interest in females, which meant there was no frequent contact between Oscar and Mielle.

It might be different if they had conversations and met more often after growing a little, but they weren't in a relations.h.i.+p at the moment.

So although she was of low birth, as long as she was the daughter of the Roscente family, she also had a chance.

The maid who brought out the new tea bowed to show her manners and waited at a spot a little distanced from Aria and her mother. The countess took a sip of tea.

”I want you to be happy, Aria.”

”Don't worry, mother.”

I can't say I'll become successful, but I have enough determination to bring Mielle down. So don't worry. I'll become happy if others are miserable.

The two of them smiled happily as they felt the warm early fall wind.

END OF CHAPTER 6.

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