TSID 5

Chapter 5

The next morning, the Grit Marquessate was unusually bustling.

“Come on, let’s go!”

Excited, Emily didn’t even give Eli enough time to have a cup of tea after finishing breakfast.

“Aren’t you getting ready to have your dress fitted?”

“I’m just going to take one lap around the grounds with my brother.”

Before Marie could say anything more, Emily glanced at Eli, silently asking him for help.

“We’ll be back in time.”

“Just one lap.”

“Yes!”

Emily answered on his behalf and ran outside first. Eli followed after her with an indulgent smile, shaking his head as though he had no choice.

Marie watched the two of them with a pleased expression.

“I’ll go upstairs and get ready.”

Eve went up the stairs with light, eager steps, clearly excited about choosing her dress.

“Then why don’t you and I have a little chat in the drawing room?”

Now that she and Ruby were alone, Marie made the suggestion first and headed toward the drawing room.

Ruby quietly followed.

Before long, tea was placed on the table.

It was pineapple tea.

Marie usually enjoyed this particular tea when she was alone with Ruby.

Pineapple was a fruit known for its wonderfully fragrant aroma.

Ruby had only begun drinking it as tea after coming to the Grit Marquessate. She had enjoyed it for quite some time because of its appealing combination of sweetness and tartness.

“Oh, right. I think we need to write one more invitation.”

Marie pushed a blank invitation toward Ruby.

For parties held at the Grit Marquessate, Ruby, as the current lady of the house, personally wrote the invitations.

The invitations for the intended guests had already been sent several days ago.

Even so, Marie occasionally asked for additional invitations at the last minute. Usually, it was because there was a noble who had unexpectedly visited or happened to be passing through the territory whom Marie did not want to miss.

Naturally, such nobles were usually people who were likely to be of benefit to the Grit Marquessate.

“Who should I send it to?”

“The Duke of Mile’s daughter is stopping by.”

“…The Duke of Mile’s daughter?”

Ruby’s hand, which had been holding the pen, froze.

“How fortunate that Eli happens to be visiting the territory at the same time.”

Marie nodded with a satisfied smile, apparently thinking of the Duke’s daughter.

“…Indeed.”

Ruby forced herself to smile.

But the corners of her mouth had stiffened, making it difficult.

“There’s no one quite like that girl. She’s so intelligent, graceful, and mature. She may be Eli’s friend, but sometimes I feel as though she’s more my friend than his.”

As always, the conversation followed the same familiar pattern.

“As you know, Eli suddenly inherited his title. And yet, despite being so young, he’s serving at the Emperor’s side as one of his closest aides. It makes me so proud of him. The Duke’s daughter helped him so much back then, too. The two of them really were a perfect match.”

Marie looked directly at Ruby.

The meaning behind her gaze was unmistakable.

If the Duke of Mile’s daughter had become the Marchioness, she would have been a wonderful support to Eli.

Pretending not to notice the gaze that was clearly belittling her, Ruby wrote the Duke’s daughter’s name on the invitation.

“I’ll deliver the invitation myself, so finish writing it and bring it to my room. And while the dresses are being fitted, help with the party preparations as well. You can handle that much on your own now, can’t you?”

“…Of course.”

Marie gave Ruby a cold look as she wrote the invitation, then turned away.

Only after the sound of her footsteps had faded did Ruby let out a sigh and set down her pen.

Through the window, she could see Eli and Emily returning on horseback.

Eli was helping Emily down from her horse, and she was giggling brightly.

Judging by the wide smiles on their faces as they looked at each other, they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

Ruby watched until the two of them disappeared into the mansion.

“Oh my! Lord Grit!”

“Long time no see.”

The designer who had long been responsible for making the Grit Marquessate’s clothes recognized Eli and greeted him warmly.

“Are you joining the party this time, My Lord?”

“Looks like it.”

“This will be an interesting party, then. But what about the Marchioness?”

The designer glanced at the three women who had already begun looking through the dresses.

“She said she won’t be having one made this time.”

Eli remembered Ruby as she had seen him off at the carriage—a strange look of melancholy on her face.

Meanwhile, Marie exchanged a glance with the designer.

“Ah… So she’s doing that again.”

The designer immediately understood the meaning behind Marie’s look and quickly adopted a sorrowful expression.

“Again?”

“She doesn’t like you because she thinks you aren’t as skilled as the designers in the capital. In fact, she hardly ever has her dresses made here. Even though she’s been living here for three years.”

“Oh dear. I had no idea she felt that way. Please allow me to apologize on her behalf.”

Before Eli could ask anything more, Marie soothed the designer.

“She only becomes so particular whenever she comes here because she’s accustomed to the balls in the capital.”

“Ah… Of course. How could my skills possibly compare with those of a capital designer?”

Her words said otherwise, but her eyebrows drooped sadly.

“I’ll speak to her.”

Marie pretended to comfort the designer while stealing a glance at Eli.

He was deep in thought.

“Now that Eli is here as well, you’ll show off your skills and make something truly impressive, won’t you?”

“Of course. I live with the pride of being the Grit Marquessate’s exclusive designer.”

As though she had never been downcast at all, the designer laughed with Marie, and the two of them moved on.

Then, making sure Eli couldn’t see, the designer gave Marie a small, approving nod.

It was common knowledge that Ruby had been the Marchioness for three years, yet still had not earned Marie’s approval.

Moreover, in Shuburn, where the Grit territory was located, Marie—the senior lady of the Grit Marquessate—still held the real power.

Naturally, the vassal nobles of the Grit Marquessate followed Marie’s opinions.

The designer, who was heavily influenced by those nobles, was no different.

Even though she knew better than anyone why the Marchioness didn’t want to have her dresses made here.

“This is a new pattern we’ve just released. Would you like to take a look?”

The designer smiled at Marie.

“This is a letter.”

Ruby had just finished checking everything needed for the party and returned to her room when the butler brought her a letter.

It was from her friend Rin, who had since become the Countess of Blora.

About a year after Ruby had gotten married and hurried to Shuburn to live, Rin had written to tell her that she was getting married.

Ruby had desperately wanted to attend her dear friend’s wedding, but Marie had opposed the idea.

Ruby had wanted to at least send her a splendid gift, but even that had been difficult because Marie was responsible for managing the family’s finances.

To make matters worse, Ruby had to scrutinize every purchase she made, leaving her with almost no money she could spend freely.

In the end, Ruby poured all her apologies and congratulations into a long letter and sent it along with a modest gift.

It had been the best she could do with the money she had, but as a wedding present from the Marchioness of Grit to her precious friend, the gift was painfully humble.

Rin would have been justified in feeling disappointed in her.

But Rin had continued writing to her afterward, telling her that she treasured the gift.

Their correspondence had continued ever since.

Rin’s letters mostly contained little details from her everyday life.

Even though they seemed filled with cute complaints and grievances about her husband, Ruby saw them as proof of how happy Rin’s married life was.

<Nothing’s wrong, is it?>

As always, the letter ended with Rin expressing concern for Ruby.

Come to think of it, Ruby hadn’t written to Rin recently.

Thinking that she should write to her after such a long time, Ruby picked up her pen.

Just like Rin, she wanted to write about the little things in her daily life and send them along.

<I’m sorry I haven’t written to you often, even though I know you must have been waiting for my letters just as much as I’ve been waiting for yours.

There’s a party coming up in a few days. As you know, it’s not easy to cater to the senior Marchioness’s tastes. Of course, even if my tastes happened to be the same as hers, she’d probably still find something to criticize.>

Ruby wrote that and gave a small laugh.

Ruby paused.

But then why are you writing this letter right now? What about your dress?

Rin would probably ask her something like that.

Whenever Ruby chose a dress herself, Marie always went through everything she disliked about it, point by point.

The conclusion was always that Ruby’s taste was old-fashioned and unattractive.

Ruby would try on as many as ten dresses, only to be criticized every single time.

And it wasn’t just the dresses.

Marie also passed judgment on Ruby herself.

Why wasn’t her waist slimmer? Couldn’t she hold her neck a little more proudly?

Eventually, Marie even criticized her posture, saying it was strange because no one had corrected her properly when she was young.

When all was said and done, the message was that there was something wrong with everything about Ruby.

Only after all the criticism had been delivered would a dress that suited Marie’s tastes finally be chosen.

“This… sounds like I’m doing nothing but complaining.”

The more she wrote, the more Ruby realized that this was nothing like the small, charming stories Rin shared about her everyday life.

Ruby pushed the unfinished letter aside and took out a fresh sheet of stationery.

It was a lie.

But once Ruby began writing it as though it were true, she couldn’t stop.

After writing her final greeting, Ruby placed the period at the end of the letter and lowered her pen.

Before sending it, she read through what she had written once more.

The corners of her lips had curved into a smile while she wrote, but by the time she reached the end of the letter, they had stiffened into a straight line.

The letter was filled with nothing but fabricated details of her life.

There was no husband who came home and stayed by her side all day.

There was no one who truly thought about her.

There was no one who believed they had made the right choice by marrying her.

The reality of her life came into sharp focus—the fact that she had to imagine a happiness woven entirely from lies just to feel any joy at all.

Ruby sat there absentmindedly, still holding the letter.

Then she heard the sound of a carriage entering the mansion.

Ruby abruptly came to her senses and hurriedly stuffed the sheets of stationery into a drawer.

“I think my dress is the prettiest.”

“Mine will get more attention.”

The moment Ruby closed her bedroom door and stepped outside, she heard their conversation.

Their voices were brimming with happiness.