Chapter 18

As time passed, the cold steadily subsided. The painfully sharp wind slowly reached its end, and Irene’s attire gradually became thinner.

She, of course, only escaped the cute baby bear look. The fact that it was still uncomfortably thick remained unchanged.

It was fortunate I never caught a cold since then.

As the number of days leaving the residence alone increased, Irene’s world naturally widened.

Recently, my mother said, ‘Count Webber’s young lady is very smart.’ She was quite proud of me.

However, Irene was wary of rumors spreading. She was worried Roger Blake might find out who she was.

Besides, he didn’t like Benjamin, so the day Roger would realize that the girl he met at the library was his sister, he may step up his deficient gossip.

However, Roger unexpectedly hadn’t done anything particularly unpleasant since then.

There has been no bad rumor about Benjamin or Irene.

Maybe he didn’t know about Irene yet. I hope so.

If possible, I’d appreciate it if he could forget about the incident. It wouldn’t be a promising relationship as they were on completely different sides of each other.

One peaceful day.

“Speaking of which, Irene.”

Countess Webber handed Irene a white envelope.

“This…”

“I was invited to a tea party not too long ago. However, I wrote a letter and politely declined as the time was not right. I hope you can pass it on for me.”

In addition to the letter, the countess also prepared a small cookie box to send in advance.

“Me?”

Irene asked carefully.

Of course, Irene had carried out her parents’ errands several times so far. However, it was only to do simple things such as buy or find things.

The important task of delivering letters to other families was either for the butler or Benjamin.

If I made one mistake in the process, rumors would spread rapidly throughout the capital.

“Do you mind if I carry out this task? It’s important.”

“It’s important, so I leave it to my lovely daughter.”

“What if I make a mistake?”

“It’s alright to make mistakes.”

“…It will be in the name of the family. “

“Irene.”

The countess alternated looks between Irene and the magnolia symbolizing their family.

“Your father and I decided not to care about the name of our family.”

“What?”

“So it’s okay for my child to make mistakes. Do as you please!”

Mother smiled broadly, showing her white teeth.

But why? Beyond such a sweet smile, I felt a strange pain.

Maybe, it’s…

‘Isn’t this what mother wished to hear?’

When I was very young, I heard that my mother grew up in a very strict family.

She may have been overwhelmed by an atmosphere that did not tolerate mistakes.

So mother must have decided to do this in order not to pass on the pain to her child.

‘It’s not easy to do that.’

As the company’s tradition of catching up with its juniors was hard to break.

“Thank you.”

Irene raised her toes and kissed her mother on the cheek.

“But I don’t want to make mistakes, so I’ll try my best.”

“Take your time, so make yourself comfortable.”

After nodding, Irene immediately changed into a neat dress and combed her hair straight.

Following that, she packed the letter, gift and made her way to the baron’s mansion.

“Hello, Baroness. I’m Irene Webber. I came here to deliver a letter on behalf of my mother.”

After a courteous greeting, Irene politely handed over the letter and gift.

The baroness’s eyes twinkled, and she offered Irene a warm glass of milk.

“Thank you for the drink.”

“It’s okay to drink more. Do you want some cookies? How about a pie? I baked one just now.”

The baroness quickly fell for the cute Irene.

Irene’s errand was successful.

The countess had sent Irene on errand letters since then.

It didn’t take long before Irene could hear a bit of praise from society.

A few more days later.

“Irene, if you don’t mind, could I ask you to deliver a letter today? There are surprisingly many invitations at the moment.”

“Of course. Where?”

Irene’s mother answered with a gracious smile.

“The Duke of Blake.”

“The Duke of Blake… there?”

Irene questioned her ears and asked dazedly. Of course, that didn’t change her mother’s answer.

“Yes, the Duke of Blake.”

“I’m… going there alone?”

“Yes, with a letter and gift apologizing that I couldn’t attend the tea party.”

What to do.

To be honest, I didn’t want to go to the Duke of Blake’s residence.

It was all because of Roger Blake. That smug little boy planted a bad perception of the duke.

“Don’t worry, Irene. You’re just doing what you always do. Just because he’s a Duke, doesn’t mean you have to change anything.”

“But.”

Irene pondered for the proper words to describe the Duke. Then she had something in mind.

「Because the Duke of Blake’s intelligence is the best in this country.」

「Even if they are of nobility, aristocrats have different levels of dignity and elegance.」

“I’ve heard they are a family full of dignity and elegance. The Duke has great intelligence.”

“Oh, where did you hear that?”

Irene couldn’t say ‘the Duke’s son,’ so she placed it around properly.

“Just somewhere.”

“Irene, you know.”

The countess grasped Irene’s shoulders and stared straight into her eyes.

“If we were a family that cared about dignity and elegance, we must have wished for you to start your social life early. Don’t you think so?”

Is that so?

“Every adult has an obligation to watch and wait until the child does it themselves, isn’t it?”

“Mother’s words are right.”

I hope Blake feels the same way.

“Can you carry out this errand for me? Irene Webber.”

Irene pondered for a moment. She leaned her mind towards going.

I was worried about what I’d do if I ran into Roger Blake.

‘Alright, okay.’

It is the Duchess whom Irene would meet, not her son.

Besides, I have been to other noble families several times, and I haven’t met many of their children.

Even if we met, they would only pass by and exchange greetings lightly.

So I didn’t have to worry about Roger Blake on this errand.

“I’ll go. Let me go.”

Irene quickly picked up the letter that the countess had placed on the table.

“Thank you.”

Irene felt even better when her mother kissed her cheek and smiled.

Mother’s kiss is a lucky one, so many fortunate things will happen today.

“Can I drop by the candy store on my way back?”

“Of course, but you must not forget the rules of our family.”

“I know! Brush your teeth immediately after eating three candies a day!”

“Right.”

Irene returned to her room and asked Beth to prepare for leaving.

After Beth turned Irene into an impeccable lady, she applied a pretty hairpin to her hair.

It was strange to see Beth looking in the mirror several times, paying attention to her hairstyle.

“Beth, is there something in the Duke’s residence?”

“Oh, my lady’s so quick-witted.”

Looking at Beth’s face, which blushed as she said so, there seemed to be something good.

I didn’t know what it was, but I was looking forward.

Irene and Beth entered the fancy wagon. As she passed the grand duke’s gate, Irene realized why Beth cared so much about her appearance.

Beyond the garden, there was a large vacant lot, and from afar, sturdy young men were running in a row.

“Beth.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The scenery was magnificent.

I wanted to say this, but I quit because it seemed too much for a child to utter.

“What are those uncles doing?”

I’m sorry, handsome and fit brothers.

But I couldn’t help it. All of them would look like old men to kids of this age.

“Oh, what do you mean, uncles!”

Beth didn’t forget to point that out.

“Aren’t they uncles?”

“They’re going to be knights! The duke sponsors all those who are talented in swordsmanship.”

And if they were good enough to be sponsored by a Duke, it wouldn’t be a problem to pass the knight’s exam, she said.

“Ha… I knew one day my lady would be running errands to the duke’s residence.”

Beth held her face close to the carriage window and breathed a sigh of joy. His face was slightly flushed.

“So Beth dressed up today because there were so many knights here?”

A man with a good body had a preference.

“No way.”

Beth shook her head at once. But it wasn’t convincing. Even now, she was gazing out the window, holding the power to break through the carriage window if she could.

“There’s a legendary senior here.”

“Senior?”

“Yes, he started as a servant and is now at the apex of the rest. There’s nothing he can’t do.”

Irene became interested a bit as Beth talked excitedly.

The carriage stopped.

The servants who had been waiting for Irene bowed deeply to greet her.