The countess standing next to him merely patted his arm with her hand as if to soothe her husband.
If Viscount Gunter had acted tactlessly, his wife should have at least tried to smooth things over.
“What are you doing! You should bring the gift I prepared for the countess!”
Far from noticing her husband’s rudeness and stopping him, she was calling out to her maid, making matters worse.
A moment later, Gunter’s servants brought an ornate wooden box from their lavish carriage, as splendid as the carriage itself.
“We have prepared a gift befitting the count’s dignity. These are the finest items distributed by my company.”
“My husband and I spent days carefully selecting these. Open the box at once!”
Viscountess Gunter boldly shouted orders as if she were in her own home, right in front of the count’s residence.
Even the count’s servants standing behind were unable to hide their embarrassment at her behavior, but the Gunter couple failed to notice their surroundings, focused only on showing off their gift.
The gifts that emerged when the box was opened were indeed high-quality items, worthy of the Gunter couple’s pride.
Even Kalon thought they must have put in quite some effort.
‘Still, it doesn’t compare to the items from our company that Nisha prepared and sent.’
When Kalon first heard the gift list Ael had requested from Nisha, he couldn’t shake off his worry about whether it would be enough.
So he had additional gifts prepared, just in case.
But Ino blabbed about it to Ael, who then came to him and said, “Were you that unsure of my gift?” implying she was disappointed he didn’t trust her.
How could he not be anxious? What Ael had prepared was far too modest as a gift for a count’s family.
Noticing that he was still uneasy, Ael said she understood and told him to prepare a gift suitable for the count based on his judgment.
She said with a very confident voice.
And now, looking at the count’s expression as he gazed at the Gunter couple’s prepared gift, Kalon was certain.
The count probably wouldn’t like the gift he had prepared either.
‘Though it seems the count is more displeased with the Gunter couple’s rudeness.’
The Gunter couple, who had been going on about what they had brought and how precious it was, finally realized something was wrong when the count remained silent.
Their voices gradually grew quieter before they hastily finished their explanation.
“P-please accept this.”
Viscount Gunter tried his best to maintain composure, but couldn’t hide his trembling voice.
As the Gunter couple stepped back, the count ordered the butler standing behind him.
“Clear it away.”
“Understood.”
Not even “take it away,” but “clear it away.” And in such a cold voice.
Even the Gunter couple, elated by their new title of viscount, couldn’t help but realize that the count was not favorably disposed towards them.
They took a step back, bowed, and averted their gaze to the side.
‘It’s not over yet.’
The other party was in a much more disadvantageous position than themselves.
As the count and countess approached, Ael curtsied and slightly lowered her head as she had practiced.
It was an old custom. The typical way for a woman to show respect to someone of higher status.
Next to Ael as she greeted them, Kalon also bowed his head as Ael had taught him.
After a moment, the count spoke.
“Please be at ease. The House of Hebrides welcomes you. I am Iain Hebrides, the 14th Count of Hebrides. And this is my wife, Helena Hebrides.”
At the count’s introduction, Ael and Kalon held hands and politely bowed their heads again towards the countess.
For the first time, a smile appeared on the count’s face at their greeting.
After the greetings, Kalon spoke.
“It is an honor to greet you like this. I am Kyle, and this is… my fiancée, Ael.”
Ael noticed the very brief pause in Kyle’s words before saying “fiancée.”
Realizing this, she swallowed a bitter smile. He had acted so brazenly towards her at the company, but even he seemed nervous in front of the count.
‘If it were real, he wouldn’t have hesitated.’
Thinking this, she felt a tightness in the corner of her chest. Now Ael knew where this pain originated from.
After receiving Kyle’s proposal to play the role of his fiancée and starting to practice, the emotion Ael felt before falling asleep wasn’t excitement.
She had asked Kyle casually once.
As if trained to answer such questions immediately, Kyle replied without the slightest hesitation.
He was so resolute that she couldn’t even ask why he thought that way.
In any case, one thing was certain. She wasn’t even a slight consideration for him.
‘Maybe he said that after noticing that I like him.’
Imagining this made her chest feel tight. The emotion she felt then was fear.
If they continued working together like this and then parted ways, he might at least remember her as a good colleague.
But if she showed even a little of her feelings, she would become a pitiful woman who liked someone one-sidedly when the other party had no interest.
She didn’t want to end up in such a situation.
“Ael?”
Ael came to her senses at Kyle’s voice. It had been her turn to greet, but she had briefly been lost in thought. Ael hurriedly opened her mouth.
“It is an honor to greet you like this. May God’s blessing always be with the House of Hebrides. May I show you a small token of gratitude from a visitor?”
“I permit it.”
At the count’s words, Ael and Kalon turned together.
Kalon brought a pot with a walnut tree sapling planted in it from the back of the carriage, while Ael presented a bouquet of flowers in five colors along with a basket containing five embroidery threads in the same colors as the flowers to the count and countess.
The Gunter couple standing nearby snorted as soon as they saw the gifts from the two.
‘Those Ash Company fellows. Are they crazy?’
How could those be gifts? A walnut tree sapling, a bouquet of flowers, and colored threads.
One wouldn’t bring such gifts even when visiting a commoner’s house.
And yet they brought such gifts to a count’s house. Moreover, what they brought as gifts was strange.
‘No, is this some imperial etiquette? How bizarre.’
Viscount Gunter expectantly observed the count’s expression. Surely the count would look as dumbfounded as he thought it was strange.
But the moment he saw the expressions of the count and countess, Viscount Gunter’s jaw dropped.
Contrary to what he thought, a big smile was on the count’s face. He spoke in a loud voice, not hiding his joy.
“Today, our House of Hebrides has truly welcomed delightful guests!”
Hearing the count’s laughter, Ael clenched her fist under her sleeve.
‘Thank goodness. It went as planned.’
All the gifts brought this time had their meanings. The walnut tree symbolized abundance and knowledge, which is why it was included in the emblem of Denertum Academy.
That’s why the academy held an annual event to distribute walnut tree saplings.
People would receive them, grow them to get walnuts, and then raise new young trees from those walnuts.
Giving such a sapling to another person meant that knowledge was spreading to new people.
And now, a very sturdy walnut tree sapling had come to the count.
‘Looking at his last record, he seemed to have a strong pride in being the dean of the academy.’
That’s why Ael brought the walnut tree sapling.
As proof that the knowledge he spread had reached even the imperial company through many people.
It was a gift meaning that someone with that knowledge had come to meet him again.
As Ael expected, the count looked at the walnut tree sapling with a moved gaze, as if a disciple had returned.
The count wasn’t the only one sending such a gaze.
The countess also rejoiced with the bouquet and basket of threads.
‘The count has five children.’
So he wants to sell the estate hoping all five children will live comfortably. That’s how much the count and countess cherish all five children.
So Ael chose the five most used colors from the House of Hebrides’ emblem and decided to gift flowers and threads in those colors.
The flowers symbolized respect for the mother of a family that bore five children, and the threads were items traditionally used when a mother personally embroidered the family emblem for a child leaving home.
It seemed that if they sold the estate to Ash Company this time, the children would disperse after this winter passes.
As long as Denertum’s summers are, its winters are equally long. It was an old tradition for noble ladies to embroider for their children or retainers during the long winter.
This winter, the countess would carefully embroider emblems for her beloved children.
“These are very fine threads. Thank you.”
The countess was pleased as she touched the especially shiny and strong threads. Of course, being a count’s family, the threads she had prepared were good, but what Ael had given were more vibrant in color and sturdier than any threads she had handled before.
“If it’s not enough, I should place an order with Ash Company.”
“We always welcome orders from the countess. We will prepare the finest products to your satisfaction.”
Ael’s response further pleased the countess.
They may live quietly in the countryside, but they are still a count’s family. As such, many people came seeking profit.
They acted like the Gunter couple just now, as if they would give anything as long as they said something.
The countess didn’t like such attitudes.
Excessive gifts for a shallow relationship. That is bound to return as a huge debt someday.
So the countess felt trust in Ael’s response, not saying she would just give it, but that she would prepare good ones.
“Butler, move the guests’ gifts to the living room. So that the whole family can see them.”
“Understood.”
The count, speaking in a much softer voice than when he had said to clear things away earlier, smiled and guided them.
“Well then, let’s go inside together.”
__________
Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up! (Female-dominant)
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
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