5. Nobility
"...I have no other business here. Once I deliver the gift my brother asked me to bring, I'll head straight back."
Evril's voice drifted through the slightly ajar door of the drawing room. Emily turned at the doorway, glancing down the corridor. The footsteps of Lady Olivier, who had said she would follow shortly, had yet to appear.
"What kind of gift is it? For Lord Loren to wrap it himself."
The woman in the sky-blue dress accompanying her prompted, and Evril's face twisted slightly in distaste.
"Last summer, to keep Ilroy and me apart, they assigned Lady Belpharos as a watchdog in the guise of a liaison. This is a sort of payment for that favor. I saw what was inside. A new scarf from Paralroma Workshop and some trite book. After wrapping it, my brother pulled a card embossed with our family crest from his drawer and scribbled a careless line on it."
"Hm."
The woman in the sky-blue dress let out a nasal hum, flashing Evril an ambiguous smile.
"Lord Ilroy asked me to pass on his regards. Said he hasn't seen you since last summer. He approached me at the Bradford count's party with such a gloomy face."
"Well, in Leisha, there are more eyes than you can count."
Evril shrugged.
"So you came to the western continent to escape those prying eyes?"
"You're no different, are you? You're fleeing your suitors, and I'm escaping all those gazes. Just taking a short break. Thank you for accompanying me again, Shaylin. Without you, my brother never would have let me come to the western continent—no matter how much I begged and cried about missing my grandparents."
"You stole away the empire's finest catch of a groom, leaving me surrounded by these lanky fools and giving me headaches. My endless round of social engagements was getting so tedious anyway. I was sick of people, you know? I thought a few quiet weeks in a peaceful place would be just the healing I needed, so I tagged along."
As their conversation continued through the door crack, Emily spotted Lady Olivier approaching, her face taut with tension. Though meticulously dressed since morning and looking beautiful, her rigid posture made her seem utterly awkward.
Wait inside, Emily mouthed silently to Olivier, who nodded. Clenching her fist lightly, Emily knocked softly on the slightly open drawing room door to announce herself. The knock silenced their chatter momentarily, and Olivier stepped up to the door. As Emily swung it wide, Olivier entered with an awkward smile.
"It's been a while, Lady Belpharos."
Evril smiled warmly, greeting Olivier as she stepped inside. Emily followed quietly, standing a polite distance away by the window. When Olivier noticed the woman in sky-blue beside Evril—Shaylin, grinning with upturned lips—flit of panic crossed her face, but Evril smoothly introduced her.
"This is my friend, Shaylin. Lady of the Pratt count family. We've decided to travel together. I originally planned to visit alone, but Shaylin took an interest in you, Lady Belpharos, and insisted on coming along. Please forgive the intrusion."
"Shaylin B. Pratt. I apologize for the imposition and greet you this way. Though it's our first meeting, you don't feel like a stranger. Lady Loren must have praised you so much during her stay here that it's worn my ears out."
Shaylin smiled as she spoke, and Evril beside her grinned too. Olivier bowed demurely in response.
"I'm delighted to meet you. Please, both ladies, just call me Olivier."
Facing two countess ladies, Olivier slipped into the maid mode she had once described to Emily.
"Oh, is that all right? On our first meeting?"
Shaylin exclaimed dramatically, while Evril replied with refined grace.
"Thank you for allowing us your name, Lady Olivier. Please, call me Evril instead of Lady Loren."
"And just Shaylin for me. This kind of intimacy, so unlike Leisha, is quite delightful."
The three women's easy chatter flowed on until a servant set steaming hot tea and simple refreshments on the table. As if suddenly remembering, Evril retrieved two gift boxes from the side table beside the sofa.
"Truth be told, I requested this meeting to deliver these."
Two gift boxes of different sizes, wrapped in luxurious purple paper, were placed on the table. Evril handed the larger one to Olivier.
"My brother insisted on this as thanks for last summer, so we picked it out together. It's Paralroma's latest fall scarf. The rose pattern is all the rage in Leisha—we chose it carefully, so I hope it suits you."
Olivier, her tension eased into a bright expression, accepted the box. At Evril's nod, she unwrapped it to reveal a rose-patterned red scarf and a crisp white card. Inside the card, in neat script: "With my gratitude, Loren."
Olivier set the card aside carefully and opened the scarf box. The lush silk scarf slipped silkily through her fingers; she draped it around her neck, and Evril and Shaylin praised how well it suited her with composed admiration. Compliments on their taste in gifts continued until the ladies sipped their tea and quieted, their eyes turning to the remaining small box on the table.
"And this one..."
Olivier asked curiously, and Evril lifted the corner of her mouth elegantly.
"Lord Killian is known as an exemplary master for his thoughtful care toward the staff. He hasn't forgotten the maid who looked after me alongside you, Lady Olivier."
Evril glanced at Olivier, who nodded and called Emily over.
"Emily, come here."
At Olivier's summons, Emily approached the three ladies and bowed halfway at the waist. Evril nudged the wrapped box on the table toward her with a glance.
"...Thank you."
Emily picked up the box and cradled it to her chest. Under the ladies' subtle urging, she unwrapped the purple paper to find a paper box containing a single book. The large, printed title The Wizard's Seasons and its pink, vibrant cover marked it unmistakably as a romance novel.
As Emily examined it with a puzzled look, Olivier smiled brightly.
"In our earlier talk about the staff, I mentioned my maid's hobby is reading romance novels. Lord Loren took an interest, and when I said she especially likes stories with wizards, he remembered so thoughtfully."
Emily pulled the book from the box and inspected front and back. Unlike Olivier's, there was no message card. Under the three women's pleased gazes, she bowed politely in thanks and retreated to her spot by the window.
"By the way, Lord Killian couldn't join us this time."
Evril said after another sip of tea, and Shaylin nodded, continuing.
"Winter is hunting season in Leisha. With the imperial hunt in full swing, all the promising young noblemen have to attend the royal hunting tournament. As you know, Lord Loren is one of the empire's top talents."
"The season-long event is at the imperial hunting grounds near the Alpine Mountains, so he'll be stuck in Ashton all winter. My brother graduates from Academia soon and is swamped with duties," Evril added with a smile.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Olivier's face, but soon the table buzzed with light chatter—current fashions, gossip, and other easy topics young women could bond over.
Amid the murmuring voices, Emily turned from the window and examined the book in her hands. It was clearly the latest edition, pristine and untouched. The neat, crisp feel of a new book, unmarred by any hands, lifted her spirits. She held it in one hand and lightly riffled the pages—flutter, flutter.
As the pages flew by, something yellow caught her eye, tucked deep inside. Emily slowly turned from the beginning until she found it: a yellow petal, carefully dried to preserve its color, slipped inside as a bookmark.
Emily narrowed her eyes, trying to envision its original shape. Identifying a pressed flower was simple enough. The round, flattened yellow bloom was unmistakably a moonflower.
What was a moonflower's language? It didn't come to mind right away. Emily furrowed her brow, lost in thought for a long moment. She vaguely recalled reading it in some romance novel. Teasing at the edge of memory, it wouldn't surface—until suddenly, it flashed through her mind.
Waiting.
Recalling the wistful meaning, Emily drew a deep breath. She gazed at the dried yellow petal for a while longer, then closed the book.