Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Etiquette Teacher
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House Goldenwood is poor.
The family name "Golden Forest"
simply shows how thirsty her house is for gold,
but it doesn't guarantee their wealth.
Her family is a renowned central noble house that enjoys the emperor's favor,
but precisely because of that, they couldn't accumulate wealth through "dishonorable" means like other houses.
They had to hold parties to maintain prestige and spend lavishly without sparing on political allies to uphold honor.
Being a noble is extravagant.
Being a high-status, honorable noble is extravagantly so.
"...Our daughter received the Forest's Blessing?"
"Congratulations, Your Excellency."
The Forest's Blessing.
The effect of that blessing bestowed upon a pitiful girl by the forest is simple.
Etiquette.
She can instinctively grasp the "proper" way to behave in others' eyes.
Butterflies flock when she waves her hand.
Adults smile warmly when she bows.
Disarming wariness and winning favor—that was her talent.
"...A fine blessing, but it's a shame she's a girl. If it had been a boy, he would have been my heir, inheriting all my political assets."
If used in politics, it was talent enough to lead a faction.
But for a woman, it was talent that would land her on everyone's lips and cost her face.
A woman dominating high society might be the envy of young girls,
but to older nobles, she was nothing but a target of suspicion.
The Goldenwood patriarch agonized.
A child born with a blessing had finally appeared in the house after so long,
yet considering the family's face and prestige, it was hard to use it carelessly.
"Being a girl, she'll be fully occupied just pouring effort into avoiding needless misunderstandings."
House Goldenwood was a house sustained by the emperor's favor.
Easily gaining others' favor meant easily gaining the imperial family's favor too.
In other words, if the blessing's nature became known, it would draw the imperial family's wariness.
No powerholder would leave someone who could manipulate them at will unchecked.
If not reined in beforehand,
the emperor would cast out Goldenwood first.
"...There was a boy born with the Winter's Blessing in House Riddle. If we can make the engagement happen..."
In the end, there was only one best option.
Engagement.
Sell off his daughter before she drew the wariness of the powers that be.
Ideally to a noble distant from central politics,
a "merchant house" that could supplement the house's chronic budget shortages.
And so, the young girl was sold dearly to a merchant house.
Since it was only at the engagement stage, they couldn't demand a huge sum,
but even the scraps from the merchant house overflowed enough
to cover the parties and luxuries needed to maintain noble face.
"Your fiancé has a blessing that lets him read people's pasts. Do you understand what that means?"
"..."
"It means your past, when shown to your fiancé, must be free of even the slightest blemish."
And so, her fate was sealed the moment she was born.
Like a caged bird dreaming of soaring in the vast sky,
Lady Goldenwood spent much time gazing out the window.
People often say fate is decreed by heaven,
but she knew.
Only heaven expects nothing from a person.
It demands no grand etiquette.
That was why she often looked up at the sky outside the window.
She nearly fell once doing so,
and upon snapping out of it, nearly cried from the sheer pathos,
but still, gazing at the sky was hard to resist.
It was the same on the day her fiancé visited.
She was staring up at the sky as usual.
"Miss. Count Riddle Your Excellency has arrived."
"Yes..."
The fiancé who visited after so long seemed like a different person.
The fiancé she had seen a few times in the past had been someone who expected nothing but "things that make money,"
but the one now before her eyes looked like an innocent young man.
What he expected from her was the sort an inexperienced youth might imagine.
She would gently lead the conversation first,
laugh often at whatever he said,
retain a touch of girlish shyness yet not shy away,
and instead approach a bit boldly—
he was expecting such a woman.
"May I... hold your hand?"
"Hehe. Isn't saying it aloud a bit uncool? I'm your fiancée, so just hold it."
"..."
"It's embarrassing because my hand is so small."
That was certainly how it seemed at first glance.
"..."
Their eyes met, and that "expectation" gradually dispersed,
beginning to transform into something entirely different.
No.
Was it even right to call it a "change"?
His expectation simply grew purer and clearer,
and before she knew it,
he wanted her to show her "unhidden self."
It was different from expecting nothing.
Different from expecting blatant, naked desire.
He simply
wanted her to open her heart.
He wanted to lend her his.
"..."
"D-did I do something wrong?"
She was a master of etiquette.
The Forest's Blessing bestowed upon her,
and her innate temperament of "never betraying others' expectations,"
made her attuned to propriety.
She could package herself perfectly.
But her fiancé wanted her "unpackaged self."
Without fretting over etiquette or social graces,
without minding others' expectations,
simply showing her true self as is—
that was the etiquette befitting him.
Her innate blessing whispered as much.
"You must have... had it hard."
"I'm fine now. The broken bones have all healed... and no scars left."
And that was an etiquette she didn't know.
Her innate blessing enabled her to perform any etiquette flawlessly.
But becoming honest?
That, her blessing couldn't do for her.
"..."
How could she meet his expectations?
What etiquette or savvy was needed to be honest?
She didn't know.
Even as she blankly gazed at the sky that expected nothing every day,
she had never once pondered such things.
And then,
as if she needn't agonize at all,
the peculiar fiancé spoke.
"I want to buy your blessing at a high price. I urgently need your blessing. Marriage can come after, right?"
If the blessing wasn't helpful,
sell it to him.
"I'm hiring you, is what I mean."
It was truly the words of a merchant house lord.
And.
Since she was created to be sold to a merchant house,
she didn't even need to think about her answer.
"Yes..."
"I'd like you to take charge of the slaves' education."
"Educate the slaves...? You mean training them?"
"No. Literal education. Teach them etiquette, supplement any deficiencies, oversee the overall process—something like that. I'd like Lady Goldenwood to handle it."
"..."
To instill autonomy in slaves, one thing was essential.
Etiquette education.
People need etiquette.
Etiquette, rooted in long customs and traditions,
was one vital element for a person to define their identity as a "civilized being."
Without etiquette, one was merely a beast.
Once learned,
and able to express their thoughts in "non-rude manners,"
one could take pride in their dignified personhood.
"...Why me?"
"Because only you can maintain dignity when dealing with slaves."
"Pardon?"
"Many see treating slaves kindly as losing face."
To teach someone etiquette,
you must first show respect toward them.
How could one learn etiquette from the rude?
Even if they did,
it would merely be like teaching tricks to a horse.
"Those who don't see slaves as people—how could they teach slaves etiquette?"
The blessing draws no distinction between freefolk and slaves.
Only she could do it.
Only she, born with the blessing, could uphold dignity and etiquette with slaves.
"This is necessary to raise the slaves' value. So, Lady Goldenwood—"
"Diana."
"Pardon?"
Lady Goldenwood, who had been blankly listening to my explanation,
spoke up for the first time, interrupting me.
"My name. Diana Pino Goldenwood."
"...Ah."
"Not Lady Goldenwood. Call me Diana."
"...Alright. Diana."
"Hehe."