CH 49.2

“Hmmm,” she mumbled thoughtfully, “where shall we go today?”

Every morning after breakfast, Lady Evelyn looked through the envelopes with a cup of tea, searching for something fun. If there was an exhibition, a performance, or a tempting banquet she liked, she prepared herself and went out with diligence. And when she went out, she never forgot to bring Emma with her.

When they came out of the castle, Wert City was like a kingdom at the peak of Van Wert Castle. The nobles’ social activities were like a mini-royal court. The count and countess reigned like a king and queen, and they gradually sprinkled their power onto the servants below them.

‘Well, it’s just like Summerville,’ Emma noted.

The only difference was that the bureaucratic aristocracy, which was appointed under the direct control of the kingdom, took the peak of the social world, but the hierarchy of small cities seemed to be similar everywhere.

In a land with no lion, a fox would be king. Instead of a far-off royal family, the highest-ranking aristocrat in the region was the king, and the aristocrats under his wing established themselves in their own order.

After Evelyn got all dressed up, Emma naturally accompanied her.

“Oh, my… Look at that.”

“Is that the commoner woman from the rumor?”

“How in the hell did that lady get in here?”

“Hush. She is with Lady Gabrielle.”

Perhaps because the other ladies didn’t like Emma the commoner hanging out with Evelyn, they whispered amongst each other, covering their mouths with their fans, but Evelyn didn’t care at all. Since Emma unwaveringly took Emma out with her, Emma had already become an infamous celebrity in Wert City.

As she was a commoner, she was the subject of much gossip and people’s natural curiosity.  Emma had deliberately dressed casually, but then, mindful of the public evaluation, she borrowed an elegant evening dress from Evelyn. It wasn’t only good for the aristocracy because of its luxurious and colorful appearance, but it was also to avoid the frequent rumors.

However, Evelyn, who was dissatisfied with this, gathered the maids to dress up Emma, saying that friends should be similar to each other. In the end, when she was dressed up in the clothes Irvan had bought for her, she shined like Evelyn.

“Welcome.”

“It is an honor to meet you.”

Although she had been introduced to other young women who were Evelyn’s friends at various gatherings and parties, Emma was careful with her words and actions. After encountering the glitzy, superficial society of the aristocracy, she keenly realized her humble position. Even though she had inherited a considerable amount of wealth, she was still a commoner. It didn’t take long for her to realize that this was play money to the aristocrats who possessed huge wealth. And compared to Irvan’s property, it was like a pebble in a stream.

Emma recalled when she had laughed at the story Irvan told her in Van Wert Castle after he’d returned from Lojak.

‘Borrow money?’

‘Yes. I will pay you back no matter what. Basically, I cannot live without money. As I am a female, I need many things. There are lots of places for me to spend money. Please let me borrow some.’

‘Now I see you’re strapped for cash. Then I may just give it to you instead of lending it.’

‘I don’t want that. I have my own money, too.’

‘Ohh, you were an heiress.’

‘It’s tied up in Polarville so I can’t touch it right now, but I am not penniless. So, please let me borrow some. I am going to pay you back later.’

‘Alright, I will.’

The money Irvan had let her borrow was a substantial amount. With that money, Emma had paid back Laute for the medicine, and she was able to spend her time at the Bernes’ home worry-free.

And the more she got to know Irvan objectively from the outside world, the farther from him she felt.

Irvan, the next Count Van Wert in Reshire, was to be at the height of power with the assets left by Countess Charline. Like the king who represented these aristocrats. By comparison, Emma was nothing more than a middle-class commoner. She was also a trivial existence whose life had been saved by Irvan.

Meeting Emma while he was quarantined in a cabin and saving her life was just the result of fate. Even Laute, who had been assisting the usually cold-hearted Irvan for many years, was a surprising man. Every time she thought how he had saved her life by a stroke of luck, she felt a chill in her aching heart. She wanted to be special to him, but that would be too presumptuous.

‘Greed inevitably leads to anger.’ This famous teaching that her former tutor had engraved in her head was particularly painful. And as she encountered Wert City’s social circle, Emma couldn’t help but accept the grim reality of her circumstances. As her tutor had said, ‘know your place and behave appropriately,’ sums up her situation right now.

The aristocrats that had some degree of rank in their social activities didn’t even stare at commoners like her, nor talk to her by mistake. At the banquet, she leaned on the wall like a wallflower, drink in hand as a crowd of young aristocrats was busy pointing at her, making a fuss enough for her to hear.

“How’s Miss Herman?”

“She looks pretty in a way. If I had been older, I would obviously mess with her, but now I can’t. You have to take responsibility if you mess with a virg*n. I don’t like getting into trouble.”

“Ohh, a poison apple. You’ll suffer a tragic fate if you take a bite of it.”