A Report, Is It?
“It would’ve been fine if you’d gone along too, Diana.”
But Young Lady Diana shook her head.
“Grandmother, I think Father and Mother needed to talk alone.”
“I suppose so,” Lady Caroline sighed. “Who would’ve thought Brian still loved Emilia? I wonder if she’ll make good use of this second chance.”
“Grandmother… honestly, I don’t know if I can forgive her,” Young Lady Diana said softly. “But if we part ways like this, I think I’ll regret it.”
Lady Caroline walked over and gently embraced her.
“Diana, that’s perfectly fine. It’s been more than ten years since you last saw each other. You can take your time—work together, get to know each other again, and then decide.”
There were still some issues left unresolved, but it seemed the worst of Southcourt’s turmoil had finally settled.
I couldn’t help but think once again that I was glad I hadn’t been directly involved in all that.
Releasing herself from her grandmother’s arms, Young Lady Diana looked slightly embarrassed.
“Thank you for putting up with all this troublesome business today,” she said politely to Brother Gerald and me.
“No, we only sat there and listened. I’m not sure if our presence was even necessary,” my brother replied.
“Yes, it was. If it had only been family, I don’t think I could’ve spoken honestly. So truly, thank you for being here,” Young Lady Diana said, locking eyes with my brother as she spoke.
“Oh-ho-ho, you two should have a proper talk of your own,” Lady Caroline said with a knowing smile. “Young Master Reinhardt, would you mind keeping us old folks company for a while?”
“Of course,” I answered, and we left the parlor, leaving Brother Gerald and Young Lady Diana alone together.
Lord Kevin muttered something about whether it was wise to leave them by themselves, but Lady Caroline shooed him along until he gave up and followed us out.
“Thank you so much,” Lady Caroline said once we’d moved to another room. “At long last, Southcourt can start moving forward again.”
“Oh, I didn’t do anything,” I replied. “It’s all thanks to Grandmother Sophia’s initiative.”
I had thought my presence was unnecessary, but now I realized she’d used this whole situation as an opportunity to push things forward between my brother and Young Lady Diana—so I decided to keep my response modest.
“I’ll send Sophia a proper thank-you letter,” Lady Caroline said with a smile. “But really, I believe things went well because you approved of the ice cream business.”
Lord Kevin nodded.
“Yes. The Westland family has been a great help to us. And Gerald seems to be an excellent young man, well suited as Diana’s husband. I’ve even received reports that he’s leading the navy admirably and is expected to succeed me.”
“Reports?” I repeated quickly, not missing that word.
Lord Kevin looked momentarily flustered.
“I wasn’t spying on you,” he said. “It’s just that while hearing reports on Diana’s activities, I happened to learn of Gerald’s success in the anti-pirate campaign.”
Ah, so it was the same informant we’d heard rumors about—the one who supposedly kept an eye on us during the Southcourt sightseeing trip—and probably the navy’s reports too.
Still, that “oops” face of his probably wasn’t just about official military reports.
Anyway, I should mention the sugar issue before I forget.
“Actually, I brought some souvenirs, but I didn’t have the right moment to present them earlier. Would now be a good time?”
Receiving permission, I signaled to Georges, who had been waiting discreetly near the door.
He took a Magic Bag and produced boxes of matcha cookies and a matcha roll cake.
“My, are these new confections? Let’s try them right away,” Lady Caroline said, instructing a maid standing by the entrance to slice the roll cake.
“These are lightly sweetened, but they have a wonderful flavor—this green ingredient has quite a pleasant aroma,” she said after tasting it.
I explained that the sweets were made using a new variety of tea developed by the Garuda family.
I also mentioned that orders for sugar from the Garuda estate were likely to increase, and that ice cream might soon spread across the entire country.
“So that means we’ll need to expand sugar cultivation,” Lord Kevin mused.
“Yes—and as the number of dairy cows increases, even the Northtrads has expressed interest in making ice cream.”
“Few regions have specialties suitable for making sweets like this,” he said thoughtfully. “But those known for fruit cultivation will certainly want to try. Thank you for warning us in advance.”
Just then, Brother Gerald and Young Lady Diana entered the room.
We offered Young Lady Diana some of the matcha confections, and before long we were all chatting pleasantly over tea.
After a while, we took our leave from the Southcourt residence.
In the carriage on the way back, my brother spoke up.
“I know you’ve worried about me, Hardt, but… I think I’ll propose to Young Lady Diana. Sorry for getting ahead of our older brother,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.
“Congratulations, Brother Gerald!” I said. “I’ll miss you if you go live with her, but it’s not like you’re moving to another country—and everyone at Southcourt are good people. I’m glad.”
He smiled, saying “Thanks.”
… Now, I just have to figure out when to start calling Young Lady Diana “sister-in-law.”
What do you think about this chapter?
