Translator: Nox

Chapter 21

<21> Picnic (3)

Mr. Fairfax, who was nearby, interjected.

"Oh? Miss Pendleton, when Miss Hyde and I competed, you said the ladies should side with the ladies?"

Miss Pendleton chuckled.

"I know Mr. Dalton's athletic abilities well. I'm just a snob who can't help but side with the advantageous one."

"Ah, so Miss Pendleton was underestimating my skills too! You thought Miss Hyde would defeat me! Hey, Ian. Go! Go and restore my honor!"

"Ridiculous."

Mr. Dalton muttered, picking up a stone from the ground. He tossed it up and down like Miss Hyde and asked, "Shall we?"

"After you."

Mr. Dalton leaned to one side, thinking it had been quite a while. He swung his arm and threw the stone towards the river.

Plink, plink, plink, plink, plink.

The sound of the stone skipping across the water's surface continued for a while. Miss Pendleton, who had the best eyesight among them, narrowed her eyes and counted.

"...Thirty-seven, thirty-eight... Wow, thirty-eight!"

Miss Pendleton clapped and shouted at him.

"Amazing! Thirty-eight skips is a record! You're not just a regional representative, Mr. Dalton, you're a national representative!"

Mr. Dalton, childishly, felt quite pleased with Miss Pendleton's applause.

Meanwhile, Miss Hyde stood with her hands on her hips, watching the water's surface. Thirty-eight. That was three more than her official record of thirty-five.

She had occasionally exceeded forty skips when practicing alone, but that was just occasionally. She had never experienced such a miracle when skipping stones in front of people.

But with such a formidable challenger appearing, the competitive spirit within her began to burn fiercely. How dare a Yorkshire Countryside Gentleman challenge her record? She couldn't possibly lose. Not even with the honor of a self-proclaimed national representative at stake.

With a determined expression, she rotated her right shoulder and loosened her wrist. And unlike before, she carefully selected a stone. Choosing the flattest stone among them, Miss Hyde looked at Miss Pendleton.

"Miss Pendleton. Even though you placed your bets on Mr. Dalton instead of me, the glory of my victory will always be yours."

Miss Pendleton was taken aback.

"Miss Hyde, there's no need to be so serious..."

Before Miss Pendleton could finish speaking, Miss Hyde swiftly swung her arm and threw the stone. Miss Pendleton couldn't help but be amazed by her spirit.

Soon, plink, plink, plink the stone skipped across the water's surface.

For a moment, they were all silent, and only the sound of Miss Pendleton counting echoed.

Mr. Dalton, who had been watching the water's surface with his arms crossed, began to feel uneasy. Miss Hyde's stone was racing across the water's surface as if it were a living grasshopper, refusing to stop.

"Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight! Wow! Thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two..."

Miss Pendleton suppressed her exclamations and continued to count. Her voice continued for some time after that. And it stopped precisely at fifty-two. Not because the stone stopped, but because it disappeared beyond the horizon at some point.

A moment of silence fell between them. And soon, the two dumbfounded gentlemen and one lady quietly applauded. Towards Miss Hyde, the stone skipping national representative, who was basking in the glow of victory as she looked at the horizon.

After the applause ended, Mr. Dalton readily admitted his defeat and stepped back. Mr. Fairfax, captivated by the great victory, began to pester Miss Hyde to teach him her skills.

Miss Hyde, who was very proud of herself, readily picked up a stone and began to teach him her technique. Their enthusiasm was so great that they didn't seem to notice the two people beside them.

Mr. Dalton leaned towards Miss Pendleton and whispered.

"It seems those two are busy, shall we take a walk nearby?"

Miss Pendleton nodded.

"That would be nice, Mr. Dalton."

* * *

Miss Pendleton followed Mr. Dalton. Mr. Dalton walked slowly to match Miss Pendleton's pace, guiding her along the forest path he had just walked.

"By the way, are there perhaps two Miss Hydes who have entered society now?"

"No."

"Then, that lady is the one who rejected William's proposal."

"That's right."

"And the two of them are skipping stones together?"

Miss Pendleton smiled understandingly.

"I was taking a walk with Miss Hyde when we happened to run into Mr. Fairfax and ended up walking along the riverside together. During the walk, Miss Hyde secretly whispered to me. She said she would rather jump into the river than be there. It was fortunate that Mr. Fairfax suggested skipping stones. Otherwise, Miss Hyde might have actually jumped into the water."

"I would have jumped in too. To have to take a walk with someone whose proposal you rejected. But it's amazing how they can become so unreserved with each other again after a few games."

"The two of them were close friends. Their relationship suits friendship much better than romance. Mr. Fairfax may have been trying to maintain this friendship for life, which is why he courted Miss Hyde."

"Unable to distinguish between friendship and love. I don't think William is that foolish, no matter how naive he is."

"I think so too. Mr. Fairfax probably knows how to distinguish between friendship and love. But even if Mr. Fairfax proposed with a heart closer to friendship, it's not a foolish choice. There are many couples who live as husband and wife out of friendship."

"Do you think a couple can be happy if they are bound by friendship? Seeing their partner as just a friend they live with?"

"Yes. Mr. Dalton."

Mr. Dalton shook his head.

"I don't understand. Such a couple. A couple in a friendship. What's the difference between that and same-sex marriage? A couple is a cooperative relationship based on affection. Not friendship, but affection."

"But affection sometimes causes too many fights. I've often seen couples who are close friends, and their lives didn't seem unhappy. Rather, they understood each other instead of being disappointed, and they took care of each other instead of demanding."

"..."

"Couples have to live together for a long time, and if they want to stay together even when each other's charm fades, mutual trust is more important than desire. Friendship may be more important than passion for a couple to live as soulmates for life."

"Do you think affection hinders mutual trust?"

"A little. Affection creates desire, and when that is not fulfilled, it easily turns into hatred and disappointment. Friendship is an emotion that seeks harmony rather than extremes, so it's much safer for couples."

"I thought Miss Pendleton would value love more than anyone else. You've tried to connect so many friends with good matches."

"Oh dear. You haven't noticed that I'm not a very romantic person. I've ended up playing matchmaker in society, but the reason I started doing this in the first place was to prevent my friends from experiencing unhappy situations. I even had a friend who was madly in love and tried to elope with a man. I told her. Love is important in marriage, but love doesn't solve everything."

"Ah, like saying that love runs out the back door when poverty comes in?"

"Yes. Love cannot survive in a house where poverty is invited. Love is too noble an emotion to be in a home full of long battles and deprivation. Not only poverty, but also environmental or personality differences that are difficult to overcome, and differences in knowledge are unwelcome guests that drive out love. The saying that love overcomes everything is beautiful, but beauty easily fades in reality."

"Miss Pendleton's words are wise. But I still can't agree. I think love is an emotion worth enduring fights for. Even unhappiness. Making someone who can share friendship with you the standard for a spouse is no different from having a wedding with a dormitory roommate. If a couple who lives in the same house, eats at the same table, and even shares the same bed has no passion for each other, then no matter how harmonious and comfortable their life is, it will only be a lukewarm and insensitive life."

Miss Pendleton gently looked at Mr. Dalton, who was speaking with fervent passion.

"I disagree with Mr. Dalton, but I don't want to persuade you. Your thoughts are idealistic, but on the other hand, they are very right. Love is an indispensable element for a man and woman who will live together for life. Perhaps I am being too calculating. But Mr. Dalton, even if you believe in the value of love, you will admit that love as passion has an expiration date. When you have to continue living with someone you can no longer feel passion for, the only options left for the two of you are to become cold or to become friends. In the end, marriage starts with love but ends with friendship, doesn't it?"

"Even if it fades and dulls over time, the fact that there was love at one time is enough to continue the bond of marriage. And I don't agree with the assumption that the feeling of love has an expiration date. I'm not claiming that there is eternal love. There is nothing eternal in the world. But some love has an expiration date that is so long that it may not end before death."

Miss Pendleton no longer raised any objections to Mr. Dalton's words. His view of love was pure. She stepped back with the desire not to ruin the imagination of a child who believes in fairies.

"I hope that such a connection will appear for Mr. Dalton. You will definitely meet. Such love."

They walked quietly along the dirt path in silence for a while.

Mr. Dalton was silent. The lingering tremors in his heart turned into a fierce pounding as he walked with her.

He was constantly aware of her presence throughout his time with Miss Pendleton. She listened patiently to his story, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing, weaving the warp and weft of conversation. She walked silently beside him, sharing a peaceful silence.

These were the considerate and sincere aspects that he always saw in her.

If it were his usual self, he would have been satisfied just being with her and enjoyed this walk. But his heart had changed from before.

In his heart, the imagination he had drawn in his head when he was walking alone earlier was unfolding.

Imagining hugging her, making eye contact, and kissing her as he looked at her sad face. The imagination was gradually flowing in a strange direction, flowing to the point of kissing her cheeks and neck.

He turned his gaze and looked at her profile. As always, her hair was firmly fixed in a hairnet, except for a strand of hair that fell on her cheek, and she was dressed in summer outing clothes that revealed her collarbone.

The only thing on her neck was the pearl pendant she always wore. Before his eyes was her white nape. Soft and gentle. Something he wanted to touch... something he wanted to kiss...

He turned his head. Suddenly, a heavy pressure began to build up in his stomach. He thought to himself. Are you crazy, Ian Dalton? Get a grip. Why are you doing this to Miss Pendleton, who isn't doing anything?

But the body tends to play separately from the mind, and a man's body is especially like that. He was fully stimulated even by the sound of Miss Pendleton's footsteps and the rustling sound of her dress brushing against her.