Chapter 26
#26
“Bianca! My lovely daughter.”
My father greeted me with a face full of smiles.
“Father!”
I was the same. I rarely ran, but I did now.
He rose from his seat when he saw me, and I ran from the door of the study to give him a light kiss on the cheek. My father wore an utterly satisfied smile.
I was his only daughter, whom he had finally obtained late in life after not seeing children for a long time.
Since the child he had so much difficulty obtaining was pretty and smart, my father naturally adored me.
He tried to do everything I wanted, and for Marquis Crofort, a prestigious and wealthy family well-known in the empire, almost everything was possible.
“You look even more beautiful today, Lady?”
“Oh, Marquis Crofort, you look even more handsome today? Is there something good happening?”
“Of course, there is.”
My father was always happy to see me, but he seemed especially happy today.
That's why I asked, and my father picked up a letter that was placed on one side of the study as if he had been waiting for it.
A familiar pattern was visible on the red seal that was clearly stamped in the center of the letter envelope.
It was the seal engraved with the sword and eagle symbolizing the Wincaiser family.
My father looked happy.
The letter from the Wincaiser family in my father's hand.
And Ricardo, who had declared a few days ago that he would start preparing for the wedding.
Combining those three things, I could guess what the letter was about without even reading it.
“Is it about starting the wedding preparations from the Wincaiser family?”
“You knew too. Well, you must have decided it after discussing it with Ricardo.”
Not knowing what I was thinking, my father said that with a bright smile on his face.
It was natural for my father to say that.
Because he knew that I had been eagerly waiting for the wedding with Ricardo.
But my father didn't know that wasn't the case now.
“When would be good? Would you like to be a bride in May? It's the season when your favorite roses bloom brightly, isn't it?”
“Isn't May too early?”
“Really? I don't think it's that early?”
“There's a lot to prepare.”
Praying to look as natural as possible, I tried to postpone the date.
“It's the Wincaiser Duke's family and the Crofort Marquess' family. There will be many eyes watching, so we have to prepare perfectly.”
“That's true. It's your once-in-a-lifetime wedding, so we have to prepare perfectly.”
Fortunately, my father nodded without any suspicion.
“It's not just because you're my daughter, but you'll be the most beautiful bride in Splendor.”
Yes, Father. That's right.
If I don't die, that is.
“I'll discuss the date with Ricardo again. Would that be okay?”
“Of course.”
As always, my father respected my opinion.
“But Bianca, it's the wedding news you've been waiting for, but you don't seem very happy.”
And as always, my father read my expression well.
“Is there anything you're worried about?”
“Yes, a little.”
Lies wouldn't work on my father, who could read my expression like a ghost. Rather, if I lied and said I was okay, it would worry him even more, so I told him honestly.
“But I'll take care of it, so it's okay.”
I smiled, putting my heart into reassuring him.
“Bianca.”
A quiet, soft voice called my name.
“Since you were young, you never said it was hard.”
And a hand as soft as that voice took my hand.
“Even when you stayed up all night to catch up with the Latin class that you found particularly difficult, even when your feet were covered in blisters to perfectly perform social dances, even when you got tendinitis from practicing the violin too much, you never complained.”
It was a very old story.
Thanks to that, I could speak perfect Latin, dance to any music at a ball, and become a pretty good violinist.
“So your mother and I were a little worried.”
“Why?”
“Because you weren't like a child. A normal child would whine and cry when it's hard, but you didn't.”
“Is that so?”
“Do you know what was the first thing you ever whined about?”
At my father's question, I paused for a moment.
Had I ever whined? No, more than that, I don't think I've ever been told that something wasn't allowed before I whined?
“It was about marrying Ricardo.”
“Ah……”
That's right.
I said I wouldn't become the Crown Princess, I wouldn't become Asel's bride.
And I insisted on marrying Ricardo.
“Seeing you whine for the first time, I wanted to grant your wish. I can finally grant your wish.”
My father smiled at me again.
And seeing that smile, my heart ached a little.
I was worried that if I broke off the engagement, my father would think that he had failed to grant my wish.
Should I tell him now? That I don't want to marry him.
If I said that, my father could break off the engagement by any means.
Even if it meant turning against the Wincaiser family.
“Yes, Father.”
I just smiled and nodded.
I couldn't reach out to my father for help.
The moment Marquis Crofort took the lead and declared that he could not send his daughter to the Wincaiser Duke's family, it was obvious that this would become a fight between families.
Judging from Ricardo's attitude last time, it didn't seem like he, the Wincaiser Duke's family, would back down easily.
Persuading Ricardo was the priority.
“Then, I should go and meet Ricardo.”
“Okay. Discuss the wedding well.”
“Yes, Father.”
In fact, I was going to discuss breaking off the engagement, not the wedding, but I had no choice but to answer that way.
“Princess!”
A welcome voice was heard from afar.
“Lara!”
Lara was running, waving her cute arms and legs diligently. With her arms wide open.
I hesitated for a moment. What is it? Is she going to hug me now? No, I'm not ready for that yet…….
Ah, no. Maybe I can.
But what if I fall because it doesn't work out properly?
While I was worrying, Lara had already run right in front of me.
I hesitated and tried to open my arms, but when I thought about it again, it didn't seem like I would reach that little child even if I opened my arms.
Then should I squat down? That would look a little strange.
“Princessssss!”
Lara's clear voice and bright smile made my arms open naturally and made my knees bend naturally.
Maybe that child… has the qualities of a wizard…….
“Princess! Why did you come after so long? Didn't you miss Lara?”
Lara, who was suddenly in my arms, tilted her head and looked up at me and asked.
“I missed you.”
“Then why did you come after so long? Can't you come every day?”
“I'm too busy to come every day.”
“Ugh, adults are always busy!”
Lara frowned, wrinkling her small forehead. As if she was having a hard time because of the troublesome adults.
“What are you always so busy with?”
Lara asked with a very dissatisfied expression.
“Lara, look at me.”
I smoothed out the wrinkles on the frowning child's forehead and looked straight at Lara.
“Pretty, not pretty?”
“Pretty!”
Without thinking for even a second, the word 'pretty' came out of Lara's mouth.
It was the answer I expected, but I was so satisfied that a smile naturally came out.
“There are a lot of things to do to maintain something this pretty.”
“What kind of things?”
“Skin care, hair care, makeup, exercise, shopping, etc. Being pretty doesn't just happen.”
No matter how white and smooth your skin was, if you didn't take care of it and it became rough, if you were exposed to too much sunlight and became covered in freckles, it was useless.
Even if you had a pretty face, if you wore clothes and jewelry that didn't suit you, your beauty would be difficult to shine.
No matter how great your figure was, it would only look ugly if you had a crooked posture.
“Beauty doesn't just happen. It takes a lot of effort.”
“So that's why there aren't many people as pretty as the Princess? Because it takes a lot of effort?”
“That's right.”
As expected, Lara was smart. Her understanding was very good.
“And it's not 'a lot', it's 'very'.”
“A lot?”
“Very.”
“Very?”
“Very much.”
“Very much.”
After pronouncing it a few more times, Lara soon followed along. With just a little learning, this child was sure to be a great success.
“I heard Ricardo is here, do you know where he is?”
The reason I came here today was not really because of Lara or the orphanage, but because of Ricardo.
I sent someone to the Duke's residence and they said he was here, so I came straight here.
“Ricardo is playing sword fighting with the other brothers in the backyard.”
It seemed that sword training was seen as a game to Lara.
“Shall Lara guide you?”
“Then I would be very grateful.”
“Come this way, Princess!”
Lara's small hand took my hand. The child smiled brightly and pulled my hand.
While holding hands with Lara and going to the backyard, the loud shouts of the boys grew louder and louder.
As we turned the corner of the building, the shouts and yells that had felt a little far away suddenly poured out all at once.
Six or seven fairly large boys were standing in two rows with wooden swords, and Ricardo was standing in front of them.
“One, two, three, four!”
The command came from Ricardo's mouth, holding a wooden sword in one hand.
It didn't seem like he was shouting that loudly, but his firm voice was clearly heard in my ears.
At the same time, Ricardo was moving gracefully.
The wooden sword pierced and cut through the air, his solid forearms blocked the air, and through the gap, he stabbed the sword again.
I stopped and watched the scene as if it were a beautiful dance.
A small breeze brushed past my hair, and that breeze brushed past Ricardo's hair.
A thick drop of sweat flowed down Ricardo's sharp jawline and fell to the floor.
“Bianca?”
The arm that had been blocking something in the air slowly came down, and the wooden sword in his other hand was lowered.
The sharp, hard black eyes blinked once and then softened.
And he looked at me.
This time the wind blew in the opposite direction.
The wind that brushed Ricardo's hair blew towards me.
A slightly sour smell of sweat brushed past the tip of my nose. Strangely, the smell of sweat was not unpleasant at all.
It was really strange.
