From the morning, snow fell like rain. Even the clock tower in the village, which usually looked fine, was buried in the traces of snow.

The maids were busy pulling out the wooden barrels left outside the mansion and closing the well lids. The young maids giggled as they left their footprints on the clean snowy ground.

In the middle of the garden, Deymick also stared blankly at the sky. The first snowfall of the year was a fascinating sight.

Wrapped in layers of clothing, melting by the fireplace, I descended to the lower floor. The morning brought a familiar smell from the kitchen—a warm stew.

“Damn it!”

The front door opened roughly.

Father, who I thought had gone to work, brushed off the snow on his hat and scowled with his face covered in snow. He seemed unhappy with the snow that fell after a long time, as he stepped on the fallen snow on the ground.

“Hello?”

Stiana, who came out of the room, spotted Father and approached.

“It was so hard to come down the hill because of the heavy snow! It could have been a big accident!”

“Oh no. Are you not hurt?”

“Except for almost rolling down, I’m fine!”

“Thank goodness you’re okay. Since the meal is ready, melt your body with the stew first.”

The news that it snowed so much that I couldn’t go to work was a welcome message to me.

Today was the promised day with Teus, and it was also the day to meet the young Marquis Raoul that he introduced.

However, it doesn’t mean I can be completely relieved. Except for one day when it snowed, snowy days have always brought me unfortunate events.

But today, it was not just snowing, it seemed to be pouring. Naturally, my heart was uneasy.

“Hello, Father.”

“You’re welcome before the meal. You know the taste of potato stew is not good when it’s cold. Sit down.”

As we entered the dining room, Father glanced at me briefly. Once Deymick also sat down, the meal of the Marquis of Marsen’s family began.

“Did you decide to meet Raoul Marquis today?”

“Yes.”

“Why is your answer like that?”

“With this much snow, can Marquis come to the Hoesha village?”

“I heard that Marquis Raoul is near Hoesha Village. Nevertheless, we should wait for a letter just in case.”

Father, blowing on the hot stew, put a spoonful into his mouth.

I thought he would pry more about this appointment or give me unnecessary advice, but it was unexpected. Actually, Father’s behavior had noticeably changed since before.

The portrait that he used to bring suddenly disappeared, and the suspicious look in Father’s eyes, wondering if I was secretly meeting a man, also disappeared.

It was a good change, but knowing that Teus was involved made it feel uncomfortable.

‘What is he really?’

I still didn’t know what kind of man Teus was and what kind of relationship he had with Father.

According to what I heard from Duke Penton, Teus operates a large guild and is the founder and leader of that guild.

Although several commercial guilds are currently dominating the economy, the fact that Father wields enough power to handle Teus is…

“If you’re going to meet the Marquis, you should wear the prettiest dress, Reize.”

Now that Father is quiet, it’s Stiana’s turn to chime in.

“Well, I’ll wear a nice dress.”

“Can I choose the dress for you to wear when you go?”

Stiana said, setting down her spoon.

“No, it’s okay.”

“It’s an important occasion.”

“I know a dress that suits me well. Besides, Mother and I have very different tastes.”

“Are you still upset about the entrance? Reize, I’ve already conceded the entrance. Now, if you tear down the wallpaper, it will be as you wish.”

The conversation with Stiana felt stifling and uncomfortable. I got up without eating much stew, feeling like I might choke on a potato.

“I’ll get up first.”

“Why? You haven’t finished eating.”

Father looked at me.

“I need to lose some weight to look good in front of the Marquis.”

It’s a bit late realization, but it’s a word to the wise.
“If you want to impress the Marquis, some weight loss is necessary, too.”

It’s a bit late realization, but that’s what it is.

I tried to go out roughly in anything, but there were almost no dresses in the closet.

No matter how much I searched, there were only the beige dress Eurek bought for me recently and four plain dresses.

“I’m sorry, miss. It seems the dress that the laundry girl was drying hasn’t dried yet. Also, it’s not easy to dry in this cold weather. If I knew you were going to meet the Marquis today, I would have chosen and taken care of the dress in advance.”

Julia fidgeted as she looked at me on a sensitive day.

“So it’s my fault?”

“Oh, no! I didn’t mean it that way. If it’s okay with you, I’ll quickly bring a dress from the shop.”

“The snow has already piled up to ankle height. I won’t be able to ride the carriage and will have to walk, and how can I bring that heavy dress?”

“…”

“I don’t want to, but I have to wear one of those dresses.”

Although I said one of those, in fact, the only dress I could wear was the beige dress that Eurek gave me.