The Truth
“Miss Diana, what is the meaning of this? We—no, Westland as a whole—know nothing about this. This is the first I’ve heard of it, isn’t that right, Brother Gerald?”
Regaining his composure, Brother Gerald said,
“My apologies. I’ve never heard anything of the sort from my parents, so is this really true?”
Hearing Brother Gerald’s words, Miss Diana’s face turned pale.
“You truly didn’t know? I thought… maybe you hated the idea of being engaged to me…”
“No, really, this is the first we’re hearing of it.”
“There’s no point standing around here going in circles. Let’s go ask Grandmother directly,” I said, urging the two of them along.
Grandmother and the others were chatting happily in a cozy room meant for family gatherings, rather than the formal reception room.
“Oh my, Diana, what’s the matter? And Gerald and Reinhardt too?” Lady Caroline asked, amused rather than surprised by our flustered appearance.
“Grandmother…” Diana started, then fell silent, so I stepped forward.
“Grandmother, are Brother Gerald and Miss Diana engaged? We both just heard about it for the first time—what is going on?”
“Huh? Caroline, what’s this about?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’s this about’? Don’t you remember? We talked about marrying off our children or grandchildren in the future, didn’t we? Our sons were both boys, but my family’s heir is Diana, so it’s natural that Gerald could be a son-in-law. Besides, I heard that every engagement proposal involving Gerald has been declined. I assumed it was because he was destined to join our family.”
“Caroline, that was a conversation from our school days. I never said I wanted to marry Gerald and Miss Diana together, did I?”
“We didn’t talk about it recently, but Gerald’s engagement proposals have always been declined, haven’t they? So I just thought that’s what you and Westland intended. I’ve always told Diana, ‘Gerald is your future husband.’ But since you weren’t arranging a formal meeting, I figured it was time to finally get them to meet.”
“Caroline…”
“Sophia, you have a wonderful marriage and such a close-knit family. I’ve always admired that. Unfortunately, my son and I weren’t so lucky with our partners. But I want Diana to be happy. Gerald may be a second son, but he isn’t resentful about being a ‘spare,’ and it’s well-known how close the three brothers are. He respects his older brother, cherishes his younger brother, is hardworking, and understands the warmth of family. I truly believe he would make Diana happy—not just as a husband, but as a partner for life.”
I was too stunned to say anything. I could understand wanting happiness for one’s grandchild, but at least she should have checked with Grandmother first.
Miss Diana, too, must have felt the disconnect between our families—her face was completely pale.
To think the person you believed to be your fiancé wasn’t actually engaged to you…
“I apologize for yesterday. On behalf of my grandmother as well, I sincerely apologize,” Miss Diana said, her expression stiff as she bowed to us.
“It’s not your fault, Miss Diana. I’m sure Lady Caroline wanted to confirm things with Grandmother, but since she’d been away in the Empire for so long, she didn’t have the chance,” Brother Gerald said, kindly trying to ease Miss Diana’s distress.
I decided to help him out.
“Miss Diana, could you show us around your favorite places? It’s our first time in Southcourt, and we’d love to see the sea as well. Right, Brother Gerald?”
“Yes, that sounds good.”
“I’d love to show you around!”
The next day, Miss Diana, Brother Gerald, Atre, Ripka, the White Dragon, and I started off at the market selling freshly caught fish.
“Wow, there are such brightly colored fish—red, blue, and more.”
“Oh, first time seeing them, young man?”
“Yes, it’s my first time in Southcourt.”
“Then you should check out the shops further in. They cook the freshly caught fish, and it’s perfect for a food stroll.”
“That sounds fun!”
I had told the White Dragon not to speak in public today.
Atre and Ripka could pass as a dog and a bird, but no one would believe a talking dragon.
We were getting some curious looks, but with our guards around, no one approached us.
Further in, there were grilled skewered fish with salt, carpaccio-style dishes, ajillo, acqua pazza, white wine stews—genuinely high-quality cuisine.
Miss Diana said we could eat there or bring containers and take it home, which was popular among locals.
If you ate there, the plate fee was included, but you could get a refund by returning the plate.
If the locals were lining up, it must be delicious.
With so many of us, let’s just buy everything and sample it all.
What do you think about this chapter?
