Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Mother's Warning
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Mother didn't arrive at the townhouse until sunset.
"Mother, you're back."
"You must be tired from the long journey. Shall I escort you straight to your room?"
"......"
Mother entered with a face mixed with fatigue and annoyance. Seeing my brother and me smiling as we approached from both sides and gestured her inside, she chuckled softly and waved her hand dismissively.
"Hehe~ Who are you calling an old lady? Even if I've aged a bit, I'm not at that point yet."
"You stopped by the palace before coming here, didn't you? Now that I know how exhausting that place is, how can I not worry?"
"Fortunately, I only met with Grand Duchess today, and our conversation went smoothly."
"That's a relief."
Brother gave a genuine smile of relief.
He didn't particularly want either of them by his side, but the Grand Duchess seemed a bit more reasonable than His Majesty the Emperor.
Mother looked at her endearing son and spoke as she removed her wide-brimmed hat.
"It's been a while since we've seen each other. Let's have dinner first—it's just about evening time anyway."
"That sounds good. Francis, is it alright to head to the dining room now?"
"Yes, we can serve the food immediately."
"Then make it so. Mother, let's go to the dining room right away."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It had been so long since a meal passed my lips—or maybe my nose—that I couldn't tell.
It was because of the blunder I'd committed without thinking, and I feared what Mother might say.
"Lately, Wilhelmina has..."
"I see."
"Haha..."
Contrary to my worries, the conversation throughout dinner was just harmless updates. But not knowing when the arrows might turn to me, I fidgeted awkwardly, forcing smiles the whole time.
Fortunately, my name never came up until the meal ended.
It was probably their consideration not to scold me in front of others.
The only mistake was realizing it too late.
"Ugh..."
Back in my room after dinner, I rubbed my bloated stomach and leaned back in my chair.
I'd deliberately eaten less expecting this, but my chest still felt stuffy like indigestion.
"Shall I bring some digestive medicine?"
Emily, who was tidying the bedding, glanced at me as I gently massaged my upper belly with a deadpan face.
"Mm... No, I'm fine."
I hesitated for a moment but quickly smiled and shook my head.
It wasn't severe pain, nor did I feel like vomiting, so there was no real need.
"If you need it at all, just let me know."
"Yeah."
Emily didn't seem to think my condition was serious either, so she didn't press further and moved to the window.
Standing slightly on tiptoe, she grasped the curtain and gently pulled it to cover the window.
Why go on tiptoe?
The window wasn't that high, and she wasn't short.
A habit, maybe?
It was cute, so I didn't mention it.
She'd try to fix it if I pointed it out.
*Knock knock*
I was watching Emily rise on tiptoe with every curtain pull when a knock broke the silence.
"Who is it?"
"It's me. Are you free by any chance?"
"Ah..."
A faint sigh escaped at Mother's voice from beyond the door.
I should've just said yes to the digestive.
"Sigh... Yes! Come in, Mother."
Taking a deep breath, I stood and called out loudly toward the door.
The doorknob turned with a click, and Mother appeared, still in the dress she'd worn since arriving, with just a shawl draped over.
"What brings you here?"
"I talked with Edward during dinner and couldn't chat with you, so I came to have a little talk."
As I guided her to the tea table by the window and asked why she'd come, Mother glanced at Emily with a subtle smile.
"Emily, you can head back for today. I'll call if I need you."
"Yes. Good night to you both."
"Yeah."
"Alright."
Seeming like she wanted to talk privately, I sent Emily out right away.
Emily lowered the curtain, bowed her head, and trotted out of the room.
The room, now just Mother and me.
We sat at the tea table in silence, gazing at each other's faces for a moment.
"Your face has gotten much slimmer."
Mother broke the silence first.
I'd been hearing comments about looking sharper lately, so I wondered if I'd really lost weight and touched my cheek.
Have I lost weight?
I wasn't sure.
"Probably because I've been moving around a lot lately."
"You're not skipping meals, are you? You were just picking at your food earlier."
"That was... because I was a bit tense."
"Afraid I'd scold you?"
"...Yes."
"Pfft~ You're still a child at heart."
Embarrassed, I lifted the corners of my mouth and lowered my head slightly. Mother covered her lips, laughing, and leaned back in her chair.
"So, what do you think this mother came to talk about?"
"Mm... To tell me not to be too arrogant?"
Mother gave a fox-like smile and shook her head at my answer.
"That was my initial thought."
"And now?"
"If you're not going to do nothing, then make it big. As big as His Majesty can clean up."
"Pardon?"
I let out a dumb sound and stared blankly at Mother.
"At first, I thought you were just acting arrogantly after I met His Majesty. But seeing the palace subtly encouraging your actions, I realized it was over."
"Ah..."
"The moment you catch that Emperor's eye, you have no choices left. He won't leave you alone until you get what you want. You know how he roped in the Grand Duchess, don't you?"
"Yes..."
The story of how His Majesty the Emperor married the Grand Duchess was the pinnacle of madness among his antics.
Back then, when she was a 'duchess,' he made her his 'maid.'
Not a slip of the tongue—he truly made her a lady's maid.
The reason was absurd: he wanted her always by his side.
Even funnier, the Grand Duchess accepted it.
She served as a maid for a full half-year, then married him half a year after that.
It was an unreasonable demand that no normal person would accept. If it were me, I'd think the Emperor was mad and seriously consider rebellion.
Mother and Father said there was some backstory not easily revealed, but I couldn't imagine what reason would make anyone accept that.
"So don't resist needlessly and go with the flow. Whatever His Majesty wants, once he achieves his goal, he'll let you go cleanly. Probably..."
Mother's voice trailed off uncertainly at the end.
"Sigh..."
Mother let out a shallow sigh and turned her head toward the half-drawn curtains at the window.
Gazing at the moon peeking through the gap with melancholic eyes, she suddenly raised her eyebrows as if remembering something, furrowed her brow, and asked.
"Oh, William, there's a girl working with you named Lize Regina Elizabeth, right? With golden hair and eyes."
"Uh, yes. How did you know?"
"Tsk..."
Mother clicked her tongue in disgust and gave me a pitying look, speaking in a grave, serious tone.
"The one you really need to be careful of is no one else but that girl."
"Pardon?"
"I can't tell you much right now, but the moment you get deeply involved, your leisurely, ordinary life is over. Just remember that. Got it?"
"Pardon? Yes, I'll keep it in mind."
I didn't fully understand, but Mother's desperate expression and voice as she gripped my hand tightly made me nod quickly and say I understood.
"That's all this mother has to say. I'll be staying in the capital for the next few days, so ask whatever you want."
"Yes."
Smiling, Mother patted my shoulder as she stood and left the room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No, it's nothing."
After Mother's warning, my gaze toward Lady Elizabeth grew a bit uneasy, but aside from that, nothing had changed much yet.
You can't just fire someone who's doing good work on a whim, and if Mother reacted like that, firing her wouldn't solve anything anyway.
As Mother said, keeping my distance was the best approach.
I wasn't sure if I could pull it off.
I couldn't even hide my current gaze properly—how could I subtly keep distance without notice...
"Don't space out. Tell us what to do today—we're busy, you know?"
"Right... Got it."
Lady Elizabeth's urging snapped me out of my deepening thoughts.
My head was a mess, but work was piling up right now.
I lightly slapped my cheeks a couple times, widened my eyes, looked at the staff, and opened my mouth.
"Alright, starting today, we're getting into full sewing mode. You all remember the assignments from when we started on Monday, right?"
""Yes.""
"Then, embroidery team, hands up."
Lady Fanny, along with Katarina and Adelaide, raised their hands.
"Good. What did I tell Herbert and Elizabeth to do?"
"Find a dress that suits Katarina."
"Right. The rest of you don't have fixed tasks, but help everyone else focus by doing your best. Use the others hard too, got it?"
""Yes.""
"Good. We need to finish by Friday, so everyone hustle. Let's start working."