Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: An Irresistible Invitation
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William's proposal is...
By any common sense or standard, it makes perfect sense to refuse.
The harsh weather could block the roads at any moment, making it impossible to return to the palace.
Tomorrow is the Holy Night mass, so there can't be any disruptions to the schedule.
An overnight stay, rather than just an outing, could cause a stir in the imperial family.
Even accounting for all that, the offer William made was just too sweet to pass up.
"Hmm... Have a seat over there for now."
"Okay..."
When I came to my senses, I was already in William's room, seated at the tea table.
Not the parlor for receiving guests, but the room he uses in his daily life.
A room with the bed he normally sleeps in at the center and his usual desk pushed to the edge.
This was too advanced from the very start.
My first private meeting with a man.
The first time I'd been invited to his home.
And now, stepping into his bedroom for the first time.
Starting all these "firsts" right in his bedroom, no less.
My heart was pounding, my brain overloaded, unable to process thoughts properly.
Yet my senses were working overtime, flooding my mind with new information.
The faint scent of white sandalwood lingering in the room.
The simple interior.
The desk piled with fabrics and books.
The chair shifted to the left to make more space on the right.
The clock positioned where it would be easily visible when sitting at the desk...
Austere.
True to William's personality, there were hardly any ornate crafts; everything was practical and concise.
A sight rarely seen among other nobles.
That's why it hit me so starkly that this was William's room.
"Thank you for inviting me like this, Howard Young Lord."
"No, thank you for so graciously accepting my sudden invitation. The maid is preparing the tea, so please wait just a moment."
"Hehe... It's fine."
If Emily and Sera hadn't been here, and it was just the two of us, my head would have overheated, my heart would have gone wild, and I'd have fainted on the spot.
Truly fortunate.
But my condition wasn't perfect by any means, so I needed to calm my head and heart quickly.
If we started talking like this, I'd end up stammering like Elin for sure.
So I turned my head slightly and looked at Sera, who was sitting to my left.
"Your Highness, what's the matter? Is something bothering you?"
Polite words, but her expression told a different story.
She seemed to have guessed why I was staring at her and why I was sitting there silently with my lips pursed, but whether to tease me or not, Sera was putting on an exaggerated act of ignorance.
"......"
Her lips slightly parted, revealing pearly white teeth as she made no effort to hide her amusement—an expression so infuriating I wanted to smack her.
A surge of annoyance made the nape of my neck stiffen for a moment.
"Haa..."
I let out a sigh and averted my gaze from Sera.
I was annoyed, but ironically, it eased my tension completely.
With a slightly sulky expression, I lifted my head a bit and looked at William sitting across from me.
"Thank you for the invitation, but could I ask why you invited me?"
"If we weren't going to meet at all, that'd be one thing, but since we did, isn't it better to do something before parting? I thought we could chat until the snow stops and maybe share a meal."
"Hmm... So you were looking forward to today a bit?"
"Looking forward... Well, you could say that. It's the first time I've made plans with a girl other than Hayes on Holy Night's eve."
"Oh my..."
It was unexpected.
I'd thought he'd find it a hassle, but he was taking it more seriously than I'd imagined.
A ticklish feeling stirred in one corner of my chest.
"So... Is there anything you're curious about? I'm not used to small talk, so I don't know what to say."
"In that case... I'm curious what you do here on weekends."
"Hm... Nothing special... I design new clothes or read in the study."
"The study?"
"Yeah, unlike at the estate manor, I have this study all to myself, so it's mostly books I've chosen."
"Hmm..."
Books.
Nobles read to build culture, but tastes create biases.
If someone loves novels, they'll dominate the shelves; if science, technical books.
Looking at William's picks would reveal his interests in detail.
"Then, after tea, could you show me the study?"
"It might be boring, you sure?"
"Yes, I'm curious what books you read."
"Well... I can show you around then."
"Great, the study it is."
"Got it."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After tea to warm our slightly chilled bodies from going out and back, we headed straight to William's study behind him.
"Portrait...?"
As soon as we entered the study, we were greeted by what appeared to be a family portrait of the Hume Earldom members.
"Looks quite old."
"Ah—that? It's from before my eldest sister left for the Holy Kingdom. That was about eight... no, nine years ago, so I was nine."
"Hmm... Even after all this time, everyone's faces are almost the same."
They had distinctly youthful faces and small builds at a glance.
There might be some idealization since it's a portrait, but given the handsome and beautiful family, it wasn't so exaggerated that I couldn't tell them apart.
"...?"
As I slowly scanned with my eyes, matching the people in the portrait to images in my mind one by one, I noticed something odd.
"But in this painting, it looks like the Countess Hume is drawn twice?"
"What?"
Instead of the Hume Earldom's eldest daughter who went to the Holy Kingdom, the Countess Hume appeared to be painted twice.
One in the center of the picture, the other beside Earl Hume.
"This woman here and this one—they look exactly alike."
"Ah~"
At my pointing out what should never be a mistake in a portrait—confusing people—William chuckled lightly, glanced at me, and pointed precisely at the woman beside Earl Hume.
"This one is my mother, but this is my sister Evelyn."
"...?"
That person is Lady Evelyn?
Her?
I frowned and examined the painting.
Upon closer inspection, I could see subtle differences; the woman in the center of the painting had a much more youthful face than the current Countess Hume.
Come to think of it, Lady Evelyn took after Countess Hume more than any other child.
The two women in the portrait looked no different from the current Countess Hume, so I'd gotten confused for a moment.
"Ah...?"
I stared at William, my eyes trembling as if I'd seen a ghost.
"W-William, why does Countess Hume look exactly the same now as she did back then?"
"It's our family's biggest mystery. Everyone else changes, but Mother never does. It's gotten to the point where people from families we rarely interact with sometimes can't tell her apart from my sisters."
"Indeed, if Lady Hayes grows just a few more years, she'd be hard to distinguish..."
This is a woman who's forty-four years old.
I'm glad she's not around my age.
I'm gradually losing my beauty, but seeing Countess Hume, around the same age, maintaining her prime allure to the end would have blinded me with jealousy.
Or I might have suspected some nefarious method to stay young.
But if so, my mother would have dealt with Countess Hume first, so the odds of that are practically zero.
I should ask her later if she has any special beauty regimen.
It's most likely her constitution, but she must have put in some effort herself to achieve that timeless beauty.
"Hmm..."
I tore my gaze from Countess Hume's image in the portrait and shifted slightly to the corner.
Eyes and face brimming with far more vitality than now.
Yet still a bit more childish—the nine-year-old William.
My first impression upon seeing that William was...
"Back then... you were quite cute."
Extremely cute.
His eyes sparkled innocently, and his smile brimmed with pure innocence.
A refreshing clarity compared to his current sly, murky grin.
A face that must have made the hearts of girls his age—or slightly older—flutter quite a bit.
Hard to believe he'd never met a single woman until now.
There must have been at least one girl who eyed him eagerly, hoping to build a good relationship.
"You must have been popular with girls your age, right?"
"No, not that much..."
"Really?"
"You were quite popular, Young Master."
William denied it at first, but Emily—who had watched his every move since childhood—quickly revealed the truth.
"How popular?"
"They all pretended to be demure in front of you, but behind your back, they desperately tried to get involved. Requests to pass letters were common, and they often asked to be led a certain way for 'accidental' encounters."
"Hmm~"
Even amid women's shadowy advances, he'd never given anyone but Emily a glance...
Impressive, for better or worse.
"Popular even as a kid. Felt good, huh?"
"Not really fond memories."
I teased him playfully, but William sincerely frowned and shook his head.
Most men would enjoy female attention, degrees aside...
What happened to elicit that reaction?
I was intrigued.
"Why?"
"Well, catfights right in front of me was standard, they kept tripping in front of me, constant nitpicking at Emily, and as puberty hit, one by one they started wearing corsets—looking like walking corpses about to collapse—and approaching me... It was nightmare fuel all around."
"Ah..."
Plenty of reason to hate it.
For someone who despises crowds and corsets, utter torment.
Truly grateful to those girls.
They did exactly what William hates, creating this opportunity for me.
"Hehe..."
I let a satisfied smile slip as I turned from the portrait and scanned the study.
"Any other portraits?"
"Sadly no, the rest are at the estate manor. This one was left because Evelyn stays mostly in the capital after returning from the Holy Kingdom."
"Hmm~ I see. The manor..."
I hadn't thought much before, but after seeing nine-year-old William, a desire stirred.
To see William at other ages.
"Someday, show me the ones at the manor too."
"Sure."
Childhood William must have been adorable.
I don't know when, but the prospect of seeing William's past filled me with delight.