“My lady! Please tell our parents quickly that it would be better to cancel the engagement. If you speak to them, they’ll listen!”
As if I have that kind of power?
“But Rose is so prim, she’ll say she dislikes it even if she likes it.”
“Pardon?”
For example, take me. How much did Rose dislike me at first? Actually, there’s no need to worry about this engagement. Rose had a habit of dishonestly sulking and saying she disliked things she would eventually come to like.
Of course, if she truly disliked something, she’d dislike it to the end.
“How could even you, the lady I trusted, say such things! It’s too much! I believed in you!”
All adults are dirty traitors, child.
“Now, now, calm down. You haven’t even seen your fiancé’s face yet, have you? If you cry like this, your fiancé might run away first, calling you a crybaby lady.”
“That’s…!”
Rose didn’t say, “That would be even better.” This young lady needed to be the one to reject others, not be rejected herself.
“Hmph, I’m sure he’ll be desperate to take me to the East as soon as he sees me!”
“I see, so that’s why Rose has been wailing as if her departure to the East is already set in stone.”
This sky-high confidence that anyone with eyes couldn’t help but fall for her. Even Evangeline couldn’t match this; Rose truly was a formidable opponent.
“Rose, who shall we invite to tonight’s pajama party?”
Rose answered my question, sniffling her still-wet nose.
“Apple. I like Apple’s stories; they’re fun. And I want to wear different pajamas from last time.”
To think her attention would shift so quickly to a pajama party just from changing the subject once. She’s still young, very young indeed. But is it really okay to engage someone as young as Rose?
I can only hope that the Temery family has chosen an engagement partner who truly suits Rose.
* * *
Mrs. Gillette was the leader who led the ladies’ association. The Inkhart Ladies’ Association. A gathering of ladies whose husbands held considerable power in Inkhart Castle.
The ladies’ association, which was originally just a social gathering, suddenly grew larger following the death of the previous Grand Duchess.
Tasks that should have been handled by the Grand Duchess were passed on to the ladies’ association, and Egritte, upon taking charge of internal affairs, did not reclaim that authority.
If anything, she strengthened her friendships with the influential members of the ladies’ association.
Looking back, those were the good times. The times when Lady Egritte and the ladies’ association got along well.
The ladies’ association, which seemed like it would roll on smoothly for eternity, recently faced a crisis. It became public knowledge that Inkhart’s new mistress, Lady Anette, did not favor the ladies’ association.
To think they should tend to patients when they were neither maids nor servants!
‘And to tend to slave patients, no less?’
There truly couldn’t be a more disrespectful way to refuse a gathering.
Mrs. Gillette’s dignity, overshadowed by mere slave patients, was in tatters. As the ladies’ association, wouldn’t the gathering’s authority be maintained only if the highest-ranking lady in Inkhart participated?
‘We’ve donated enough funds to the hospital to save face, so she should come this time. What excuse could she possibly have now?’
Mrs. Gillette smiled as she looked around at the ladies who had arrived on time for the appointment.
“Lady Temery, it’s been a while.”
“I’ve been remiss. Mrs. Gillette, Mrs. Maude.”
“You must have been very busy lately? You should come out more often like this. It’s so delightful to see you after so long.”
Lady Temery, who rightfully belonged to the class of noble ladies who should attend the ladies’ association as a prominent figure of the castle, was one of those who avoided the association.
‘She must think she has a solid backing from the Grand Duke’s family. Hmph.’
Mrs. Maude was married to an important man, but she lived as if she had no mouth, so there was no need to worry about her.
In the midst of this, Lady Temery, who usually kept her distance from the ladies’ association, had attended, which was quite welcome news.
“A maid from the castle is coming. It seems the lady is about to arrive.”
The maid bowed her head slightly.
“Lady Anette has sent word that she will not be attending today’s ladies’ association meeting.”
Mrs. Gillette’s smile, which had risen high, crumpled.
“What did you say?”
“‘Again’?”
“Why? I heard she’s not even doing the hospital volunteering she was so passionate about for a while.”
“She’s not coming late, is she?”
“The reason for her absence is due to the lady’s personal matters. She said she regrets not being able to attend today’s meeting and asks for the ladies’ understanding.”
“Personal matters?”
“Ah, come to think of it, I heard that Miss Temery has been crying and clinging to the lady for the past few days? Could it be because of that?”
“Miss Temery?”
“Because of that famous engagement decision.”
“She’s so sad about going to the East.”
“I heard she’s begging the lady to cancel it.”
“She should just cancel it for her.”
The maid did not deny it.
The ladies sharpened their voices, filled with malice.
The news of Rose Temery’s engagement to the heir of an Eastern Count!
Everyone was dying of envy.
The heir of an Eastern Count. And a fiancé the same age as their daughter.
Despite being a clearly political marriage with the obvious purpose of uniting the Temery family, a vassal house of Inkhart, with the Eastern Count’s family, there was no age difference.
In a few decades, Rose Temery would become the Countess of the East, and the Temery family would have a Count as their son-in-law. How envious this was!
“If you’re curious, you could just ask me who’s right in front of you. It seems you’ve all forgotten about me.”
Lady Temery looked at the ladies’ association with a smiling face.
“My, I wondered why you graced us with your precious presence. Now that I think about it, there was a joyous occasion in the Temery household.”
Mrs. Gillette sneered.
“Thank you for your congratulations. Ah, it is alright to take it as congratulations, isn’t it? Surely you wouldn’t speak ill of such a good thing.”
“Ah, to be honest, we’re worried too. To speak frankly, we’ve all watched Rose grow up. She’s like a daughter to us.”
Mrs. Gillette threw a coquettish smile.
“Really, we’re all saying this out of concern, but won’t such a heavy duty of pursuing harmony with the East be too burdensome for Miss Rose?”
“You seem to have a lot of thoughts about children who haven’t even met yet.”
“How can the young master of the Eastern Count’s family be just a child?”
“From the children’s perspective, it’s just a marriage, but we adults all know. The Temery family is the most trusted loyal servant of the Grand Duke’s family. Sending their daughter to the East is naturally a significant matter.”
“But isn’t Rose… a bit uncertain to accomplish such a great task?”
“Rose dislikes it so much, it might be good to change the person. I know a good young lady.”
“Oh my, madam. Why are you looking at me while saying that? Of course, it’s true that I have an unmarried daughter at home, but. Hoho.”
At this point, Lady Temery could no longer remain silent.
“It’s clear that you ladies have indeed watched our Rose since she was young. Rose has grown up now, but you only speak of her childhood image. All the ladies here were once young girls too.”
“But even now…”
“As someone who came from the far South to marry, you must have a lot to say about this matter, right?”
Lady Temery continued.
“I’m always grateful that you look upon Rose so fondly. The lady’s graceful demeanor is always an example for Rose.”
The women of Mrs. Gillette’s faction laughed.
“We expected that at first too, Lady Temery.”
“These days, it seems to be the opposite. Instead of Miss Temery’s conduct becoming unruly by following Lady Anette, it seems that Lady Anette is being influenced by Miss Temery…”
“Mrs. Gillette.”
As the thorns that were aimed at Rose now turned towards Anette, Lady Temery tried to stop them, but they didn’t cease their pretentious gossip.
“Oh my, I meant she’s become more cheerful! The lady is still in her prime, so there’s no need for her to go about boringly like us.”
“But acting too young is a bit…”
“If she wants to play like a child of that age, we could arrange that for her. We can take care of the lady’s duties instead.”
“Oh my, shall we do that then?”
“You’re all especially talkative with useless words today.”
Everyone in attendance doubted their ears. It wasn’t Mrs. Gillette’s voice, nor Lady Temery’s, nor was it the voice of those siding with Mrs. Gillette.
“Since when has the mistress of Inkhart been a subject of suspicion?”
“M-Mrs. Maude?”
“It seems you want to push the narrative that Miss Rose obtained an engagement above her station due to the Grand Duchess’s favoritism. It’s not even worth discussing further.”
When Mrs. Maude, who had always been as still as a statue, opened her mouth, everyone else became mute as if they had swallowed honey.
“Mrs. Gillette. The ladies’ association is merely a social gathering, and whether or not the lady attends is her freedom. If she comes, it’s our honor, and if she doesn’t, it can’t be helped.”
Mrs. Maude? Lady Temery might have different intentions from the others present, but she could sympathize with this one thing. Had Mrs. Maude always been someone who spoke at such length?
“What is your sudden intention in slandering me?”
“Sudden? You’ve been displeased with the lady for a long time. The position of Grand Duchess is not one to receive your teachings. You have nothing to teach her. So if you feel discomfort at the lady’s actions, that’s your own arrogance.”
Mrs. Gillette’s face turned red, then blue. Lady Temery wondered if she could have delivered such a satisfying blow to Mrs. Gillette even if she had intervened directly.
Good heavens. They say the quiet ones are truly the scariest. That was exactly Mrs. Maude.
__________
He Said He’s Pregnant, and It’s My Child (Female-dominant)
Intro 1
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro 2
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
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