Chapter 47 - Handkerchief (1/2)
Chapter 47 – Handkerchief
***
Two days later.
After I finished lunch and caught up on a little reading, Florinda helped me get dressed for my visit to Trakos mansion.
“There, I think this should be enough. How do you like it, My Lady?” she asked.
I didn’t need to be dressed as formally as my visit to the Imperial Palace, so it took me less time to put on some clothes. I looked at myself in the mirror and gave a smile of approval.
“This is good.”
“Then would you like to go down now?”
“Well…just a moment,” I said, hesitating. “Florinda, can I see the handkerchief I finished yesterday?”
“Yes. I will go and get it now.” As soon as she finished speaking, she scurried away to retrieve the handkerchief I made for Odeletta. The handkerchief looked fine the last time I saw it yesterday, but I wanted to make sure there were no blemishes that I missed.
Florinda returned, and I carefully took out the handkerchief from its paper box and carefully turned it over in my hands. Fortunately, it did not seem any different from when I last saw it yesterday. I returned the handkerchief to its box with a satisfied expression. I hoped that Odeletta would like it.
“Is it alright?” Florinda inquired.
“Yes, I don’t think there’s anything more I need to fix at the moment. Should I go down now?”
“Yes. It would be best to leave early to give yourself enough time.”
“Alright.”
I decided to leave an hour before the appointed time and descended the stairs to the front door. The Bellafleur and Trakos mansions were quite a distance apart, so I had to leave early.
After about forty to fifty minutes of travel, the carriage finally stopped in front of Trakos mansion.
“We have arrived, My Lady,” the carriage driver announced.
“Thank you,” I replied.
Before I could even open the door of the stopped wagon, it opened by itself from the outside. I looked out with a slightly surprised face, only to see a white-haired elderly butler. He greeted me with a smile on his face, as if he were expecting my visit.
“Welcome, Lady Maristella. Were there any inconveniences on your way here?”
At his formal greeting, I responded with a dazed look on my face. “I am well. I’m sorry, but you are…?”
“I am Robert Joyce, the assistant butler of the Trakos mansion. Please feel free to call me at your convenience.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Joyce,” I replied with a smile, and I took his proffered hand and stepped down from the carriage. I was slightly moved by the fact that the assistant butler had come to meet me.
“My Lady has been waiting for you,” he said, and my mood lifted. I entered the mansion with Robert with a bashful smile.
The exterior of the Trakos residence had a more vintage architectural style than I expected, and the same went for the interior. It was an old house that looked hundreds of years old, but it felt historic and elegant in its age rather than rundown. It felt newer to me because the Trakos mansion had never been described in the book.
Robert guided me to one part of the mansion. “Here is the parlor room,” he said. The parlor room door was made of thick mahogany wood, and he leaned in and spoke quietly through it. “My Lady, Lady Bellafleur is here.”
“Ah.”
From inside came Odeletta’s elegant voice, and my heart throbbed with anticipation.
“Bring her inside, Robert.”
The butler opened the door, and as soon as I stepped inside, the smell of something sweet and unusual tickled my nose. Odeletta, who was sitting by a table, rose with a welcoming expression as soon as she saw me.
“Maristella,” she said in a warm greeting.
I was about to call her ‘Lady Odeletta’, when I remembered that last time she asked me to forgo the honorifics.
“Odeletta,” I said instead, feeling awkward. ‘Is it because this is the first time?’
I grinned hesitantly, and Odeletta offered a small smile in return, as if she had the same thought as I did. She took a step towards me.
“Welcome, Maristella.”
That was even more awkward, but as Odeletta said last time, we would get used to it.
I smiled casually back. “Did I keep you waiting for too long? I tried to come quickly.”
“A while. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you since this morning. Please, sit down.”
Odeletta took me to the table where she was sitting, and as soon as I settled down, several maids came from outside bearing refreshments. There was Assam tea along with macadamia nut cookies, and steam was rising mouth-wateringly from the teacups and the fresh-baked cookies on the plate.
Odeletta looked at the spread and spoke carefully. “Is it too hot? The patissier in our mansion makes excellent cookies. I told him to bake it a little later so it comes out as fresh as possible…”
“Not at all, Odeletta. It looks delicious. Thank you.” I selected a cookie from the plate. Despite its seemingly hot appearance, they were not too hot to touch. Just warm?
“Mmm…” I took a bite of the cookie and chewed slowly. The taste was incredible, the same level of deliciousness at the Thurman Palace. My face brightened as my mouth was filled with flavor.
“Wow, it’s delicious!”
“Really?” Odeletta said, looking at my visibly joyful reaction. “Thank goodness! I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s really good,” I enthused, and took another bite. It was a delicious cookie, and had the perfect balance of sweetness and savoriness.
“If you like it that much, I’ll have some packed up for you when you go home,” Odeletta said with a pleased expression.
“Ah, really? Thank you,” I said, grinning broadly. Odeletta’s gaze then suddenly turned towards my lap, where a small box was perched.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Hm?”
“The small box in your lap.”
“Ah.” My pinks turned pink and I placed the box on the table. Odeletta looked at it with interested eyes.
“Oh…is it a gift?”
“You’re quick,” I said with a small smile, then handed her the boxed handkerchief. “Thank you for your invitation, Odeletta. This is a small gift, but I made it myself.”
“Something like this…” Her eyes and mouth were wide in surprise, and she took the box from me with a puzzled expression on her face. “You really made this?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure if it’s something you like.”
“Of course I like it!”
“You didn’t even open the box yet.”
Odeletta shook her head, a little embarrassed. “You made it for me yourself. Me. That alone makes me happy enough. Thank you, Maristella.”
Ah, that was a really satisfying reaction to my present. Pride rose like a wellspring in my heart. At the same time, I was a little embarrassed because I felt she was being overly grateful for such a small gift.
“So…open it,” I said shyly, and Odeletta opened the box with glee.
“Is this a handkerchief?” she said in surprise as the gift was revealed.
“Yes.”
“Are these violets embroidered on it?” she asked, the smile widening on her face as she carefully unfolded the handkerchief. I was delighted by the response.
“I heard that you liked violets,” I said bashfully.
“That’s right! I really didn’t expect this kind of thing,” Odeletta responded, looking at me eye-to-eye with a big smile on her face. “Thank you very much, Maristella. I love it.”
“That’s a relief. It’s such a small gift, and I was a little worried.”
“Not at all. I first came to like you because of a handkerchief… And now when I invited you over for the first time, you gave me a handkerchief as a gift. It’s a symbolic gift for me. I’ll cherish it, Maristella.”
The sincerity of her voice rang in my heart like bells. I smiled so hard that I squinted, and Odeletta folded the handkerchief with an excited expression and placed it back in the box.
“Thank you very much, Maristella. So, what have you been up to?”
Well. A lot had happened. I gave a low chuckle, and she looked at me curiously.
“What? Is it something interesting?”
“Rather than interesting,” I said with an enigmatic smile.
Odeletta’s eyes shone with anticipation. “What is it?”
“Well…to tell you in chronological order, Dorothea came to see me after you visited.”
“…Lady Cornohen?” Odeletta said with a frown creasing her forehead, and I smiled and nodded. “Why? She came to visit you?”
“Yes.” On the surface. “Her mother came too,” I added in a dry voice.
“Countess Cornohen? Why? No, wait, didn’t you and Lady Dorothea have a fight before?”