Acting as Witnesses (1)
“Hey, Brother Gerald. Why do we have to sit in on the Southcourt family’s discussion, anyway?”
I asked from inside the carriage heading toward the Southcourt estate in the royal capital.
“Give it up—we’re already on our way. You said the same thing to Father yesterday, didn’t you?”
Well, sure, it makes sense for Brother Gerald, since he’ll eventually become part of the Southcourt family.
I haven’t heard whether he’s officially confessed to Young Lady Diana yet, but their relationship is already recognized by both families.
From what Father told me, the Bright Marquisate—Young Lady Diana’s mother Emilia’s family—hasn’t actually been supported by the Southcourts.
It’s the marquis’s mother’s family that’s been providing aid, yet Lady Emilia has been the one managing the marquisate.
Apparently, Lady Emilia has always denied that, but everyone around the marquis, as well as his maternal relatives—the count’s household—also denied it.
So everyone assumed Lady Emilia was lying.
Now that the marquis has formally inherited the title upon reaching adulthood, he wanted to discuss repayment of the funds loaned to them.
But when he brought it up, they panicked—and it was also discovered that they had dismissed the personnel sent by the Southcourt family without permission.
As a result, all support was terminated.
The royal family was also informed: the marriage between Lady Emilia and the former marquis had originally been arranged at the previous king’s and former marquis’s request, in order to obtain Southcourt’s aid.
They’ve now told the marquis that if he can’t repay the funds, he must sell the business rights that were founded with that money and refund the proceeds.
I suppose the people around the marquis were all from his mother’s family.
It’s hard to imagine that Young Lady Diana’s mother was treated well in her own household.
So why didn’t she just cut ties and return to Southcourt?
Today, Lady Emilia is to meet with four members of the Southcourt family, and Brother Gerald and I have been summoned to witness the discussion.
Grandmother would have been the proper person to serve as witness, but since she isn’t in the capital, they’re having us do it—which still feels strange.
“Come on, we’re here—get down,” Brother Gerald said as the carriage door opened, urging me to step out.
Waiting at the entrance was Young Lady Diana herself.
“I’m terribly sorry for imposing on you today,” she said politely. “But since you two were the ones who gave us the opportunity to face this, I thought having you present would help keep the discussion calm.”
She said it before we could even offer to decline.
At that point, there was no way to refuse.
“I understand. Truly, my grandmother would have been the proper witness, but as she’s not in the capital, we’ll fulfill the role in her stead,” Brother Gerald replied in a formal tone.
When we entered the drawing room, everyone was already there—including a woman with platinum-blond hair resembling Young Lady Diana: Lady Emilia.
“My apologies for our delay,” Brother Gerald said to the Southcourt family, and I bowed my head lightly.
“We only gathered early; it’s still before the appointed time,” said Young Lady Diana’s father, Lord Brian, inviting us to take seats on an open sofa.
“Let’s begin early, then,” said the former head, Lord Kevin, to which Lord Brian nodded and took over the proceedings.
He began summarizing what had already been decided in discussions between Marquis Bright and the Southcourt family, under royal supervision.
Up to this point, it was exactly what Father had already told me.
“Emilia, do you have any objections?”
“No, none at all,” Lady Emilia replied, bowing her head deeply while seated. “The problem lies with the Bright family, which failed to recover despite Southcourt’s support. I’m deeply sorry for the great losses my own inadequacy has caused.”
“Now, setting that aside, as family,” Lady Caroline said—the question she must have wanted to ask most, “why didn’t you ever reply to our letters? Even when we were here in the capital, you never came to see us. Did Diana mean so little to you?”
According to Lady Emilia, whenever she tried to travel to the capital, the marquis’s mother’s family—who feared her contact with the Southcourts—would intentionally create business or territorial problems, forcing her to stay and handle them.
They also intercepted all correspondence: letters from Southcourt, the ones Lady Emilia sent back, even gifts for Young Lady Diana—all were confiscated.
On Lady Emilia’s side, she continued sending letters to report and give thanks for the aid they received, but never got a reply.
Eventually, she came to believe that the money arriving every year without a single word back meant “don’t come home.”
“Is that truly all? Isn’t there something more?” Lady Caroline pressed further.
Lady Emilia closed her eyes, lowered her face… then lifted it again.
“Lady Sylvia and Lady Eliza told me that it was actually Lady Michelle who was supposed to marry Lord Brian—that if the Bright family hadn’t meddled, Lady Michelle wouldn’t have died. They said it was only natural that my letters went unanswered… that I should be grateful to receive aid at all.”
“What? My elder sisters said that nonsense?” Lord Kevin nearly leapt to his feet in shock before catching himself and sitting back down.
“That’s not all, is it?” Lady Caroline urged.
“… At Lady Michelle’s wedding,” Lady Emilia continued quietly, “she told me in the waiting room before the ceremony that I was the one who should have been standing there—that I had stolen her place.”
I have no idea what this is about.
What do you think about this chapter?
