Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: A Maid's Recovery and Eve Party Changes
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"Hweh..."
The maid I'd shared thick and thin with for about eight years was broken.
It was because I'd spoken too harshly.
That said, it wasn't like I'd said anything against my true feelings.
Deep down, I'd hoped for a slight misunderstanding, but there's a line you don't cross, and I ended up tap-dancing right on it, swept up in the mood.
It was about as ugly as a 0.5-drunk confession.
No regrets about dropping those loaded words, but it had left things a bit awkward.
"......"
Emily's mind hadn't come back from its trip far away since that morning.
"Emily."
"......"
No response even when I called her name, and she'd completely stopped doing any of her maid duties.
She'd react if I touched her, but the instant our eyes met, she'd freeze up like a buffering video.
Truly a troubling situation.
I didn't think doing anything would snap her out of it, so I just sat her in my room and left her be.
Calling it "leaving her be" sounds a bit off.
Right—giving her time to sort out her thoughts on her own.
"You've been wandering off alone more lately. Did something happen with Emily?"
"Just a minor hiccup. She'll be back to normal soon."
"I see..."
We'd always been stuck together like glue, so people took our sudden separation pretty seriously, but I figured it'd normalize quickly and didn't worry.
"Everything feels so unsettled. Are the eve party preparations finished?"
"Yes, almost all done."
"Tell me the details."
"I've coordinated the schedule with Princess Elizabeth, checked all the outfits and routes, and even prepared party attire for Emily."
"Emily too?"
Mother, who'd been listening casually, widened her eyes in surprise and set down the teacup she'd been about to pick up.
"You did it yourself?"
"Yes. It's my first time really showing off, so Emily can't look shabby. She needs to shine alongside me."
"Well..."
I nodded with a confident smile, and Mother stared at me blankly for a moment, mouth agape.
"...You did well. I was planning to handle it for her, but since you took care of it, you're really growing up."
"Haha."
I wondered if taking care of Emily a little after all these years really counted as "growing up," but Mother looked happy, so I just laughed it off.
"Looks like you've prepared well. That's reassuring."
"I can handle at least this much."
"Then why haven't you done it until now? Here I was, worrying myself sick without knowing you could."
"......"
The mood had been good, but suddenly the nagging kicked in.
Was this the real reason she'd summoned me during the busy lead-up to Founding Day?
How little faith did she have in me to drag me here for forced tea time in the middle of it all?
It stung a little.
I'd been genuinely preparing this time...
"Did you call me here today... just to nag?"
"Of course not. I just checked while you were here."
"Then what was the original purpose?"
"Our family's schedule for the eve party has changed a bit. That's what I wanted to tell you."
"Suddenly?"
Two days before?
I tucked in my pouty lower lip from the hurt feelings and focused on Mother's words.
"For this eve party, it'll just be you and Hayes attending."
"Brother was supposed to come too."
"He was, but circumstances changed. Edward had to back out of the eve party."
"Hmm..."
It wasn't the main Founding Day event itself, just the eve party, so skipping it was fine.
The eve party was a social gathering for the young crowd anyway.
All nobles attended the actual Founding Day ceremony, but cramming everyone into one venue afterward for banquets was impossible.
Even a mighty empire like ours couldn't host a party for that many.
With titled nobles, their spouses, children, and staff, the numbers hit ten thousand easy.
You could pack 'em in like sardines, but eating, drinking, and dancing? No way.
A banquet hall isn't a concert venue.
So the unwed or untitled youth started their own second round of parties—that's how the eve party began.
It conveniently doubled as a marriage market too.
So for my brother, a wedded earl in title, it was optional unlike for me.
Of course, that didn't make it okay to announce attendance weeks ago and bail two days before.
There had to be a good reason.
"Is sister-in-law unwell?"
Nothing else came to mind for why my straight-laced brother would flake.
"Not that, so don't worry."
"Hmm...?"
But Mother shook her head, denying it was about sister-in-law, so I tilted my head and furrowed my brow.
"Word is the Former Duke of Devonshire and his second and third sons—the current Duke's brothers—are attending this eve party."
"Because of them?"
"Yes."
"Oh..."
None of them belonged in the kiddie pool.
The old man went without saying, and his grandsons—the current Duke's sons—were titled nobles too.
The Duke's third son was ten years older than me, I knew that much.
Nine-year-old kid was extra.
Fine, second and third sons I could understand leniently.
But the grandpa? At his age, showing up to the eve party himself?
There's a limit to making a fool of oneself.
"Shocking, sure, but is that why Brother's skipping?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
If that's the reason, shouldn't Brother stick with me?
Leave me to handle those three and their entourages alone?
Mother pointed upward with her finger.
"The higher-ups want a more dramatic scene. Seems they want to use the old man's bold move for some weeding out."
"Tch..."
I smacked my lips and fidgeted with my eyes.
Weeding out? My role felt way too heavy for that.
Wasn't punishing my recent cockiness by leaving me to fend alone, was it?
With Princess Elizabeth there, probably not...
"Eh, whatever. I'll give it a shot."
"Sorry."
"No need for you to apologize, Mother. I brought most of this on myself."
"What parent wants to watch their child jump into a viper's nest?"
"Guess I need to ease your worries. Time to show some backbone this time."
"Talk is cheap..."
I squared my shoulders, smirked on one side, and projected baseless confidence. Mother eyed me sharply but smiled.
With unavoidable trouble ahead, confidence looked better than moping.
"You're a smart boy, so I trust you'll handle it, but don't get heated there. Never act first."
"Yes."
"Look after Hayes too, manage your expressions while in the hall. A soft smile is best, but if it's a dumb grin, stay stone-faced. Oh, and don't forget Emily."
"Yes."
Of course, looking good and worrying were separate; Mother said she trusted me but rattled off precautions anyway.
Most were the same lectures I'd heard ad nauseam since childhood, so I already knew them, but I listened quietly without complaint.
One peep and it'd double; pretending to listen seriously ended it faster.
"Always mind your attire, and don't hole up in corners."
"Yes."
When would this end...?
"No more than two drinks, and..."
"Yesss..."
Felt like fifty warnings already, but Mother kept pulling new ones like a bottomless spring.
"Are you even listening?"
"Of course!"
As my eyes glazed over, Mother shot me a sharp look to check focus. I grinned and nodded vigorously.
Haa...
This had to wrap in an hour or two...?
_
"Ugh..."
Mother's lecture wasn't an hour or two—it dragged on like a marathon until just before dinner.
It nearly skipped dinner too, but Brother barged in with, "We still need to eat, right?" and saved me.
Felt the weight of high nobility for real.
"Ah, um, Young Master, have you eaten?"
"I have. You?"
"M-me too."
At least Emily had recovered a lot during the boring noble etiquette crash course I'd endured with Mother.
"......"
Silence fell right after our brief chat, but it was huge progress from her doing nothing that morning.
And it'd improve naturally with time.
So I flashed a light smile at the fidgeting Emily and headed to my desk.
"Young Master."
The moment I tried to pass her, Emily gently grabbed my sleeve and called timidly in a soft voice.
"What?"
"Thank you."
A sudden thank-you from Emily's lips.
I hadn't done much, so it threw me.
"Uh... um... for what?"
"I didn't properly thank you this morning, so I wanted to now..."
I thought I had...
Maybe because the outfit and necklace were separate?
"Sheesh, that was nothing. Don't overthink it."
"No one could find a ruby that big unburdening, I think."
"Hmm..."
Gifting jewelry or clothes to personal servants wasn't rare.
Mother did it often for her maids.
But Emily's reaction showed I'd neglected mine.
Explained Mother's shock.
"If it bothers you that much, spend your life by my side repaying it."
Vowing to pamper her more from now on, I tossed a light joke to ease her burden with a smile.
Close friends kid like that sometimes, right?
So I threw it out casually.
"......"
But Emily took it dead seriously.
Her face flushed crimson in seconds, shoulders trembling—it was clear she'd read way too much into it.
She'd just fixed, what if she broke again?
"Young Master."
As I worriedly watched her, Emily met my eyes with a reproachful glare and spoke.
"Yeah."
"N-no more... statements like that from now on..."
"Got it."
Luckily, instead of breaking, she just added a new taboo alongside "no staying up late."
I'd need to think deeply before speaking for a while.