Chapter 2
“Now that all our guests have arrived, shall we turn on the lights?”
As Rosalyn raised her voice, all eyes turned toward her. The servants carrying drinks retreated toward the walls, and the guests, each holding a glass, stared in her direction.
The hall was filled with over two hundred guests. Scanning the room, Rosalyn shared a brief, polite nod with Mayor Grant and his wife.
“To tell you the truth, I haven’t seen the electric lights yet either. I’ve been holding back so I could see them for the first time with all of you. A wonderful moment is only made more meaningful when shared with good people, after all.”
The sound of someone clapping with exaggerated enthusiasm rang out. Rosalyn sent a grateful smile in that direction and, after a short pause, gave a subtle nod to the head butler.
As he closed the central valve, the gas lamps in the hall extinguished simultaneously. The room fell silent as darkness descended in an instant. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the light to return.
“Ah!”
The light filled the space all at once, like an explosion.
Rosalyn’s mouth fell open instinctively. The guests’ gasps of admiration, laughter, and applause felt distant. She was utterly captivated by a kind of light she had never seen before. She stood entranced by the clusters of white, sparkling radiance that filled the massive chandeliers.
Without realizing it, she lightly gripped her husband’s arm. Even as she felt his large, warm palm cover the back of her hand, Rosalyn couldn’t tear her eyes away from the glow. The light created by electricity was startlingly bright, casting a pure white radiance unlike the yellowish hue of gas lamps. Indeed, the interior was as bright as midday despite it being the middle of the night.
“Stop staring.”
It was only after Jared spoke that Rosalyn turned her head. Under the new light, his eyes were a transparent green, clear as high noon. That pale green she loved—loved so very much.
“What if you go blind?”
He spoke in a low voice, laughing pleasantly. Facing that unusually radiant smile, Rosalyn felt her heart swell once more. She was overwhelmed with a deep sense of gratitude for everything. Her healthy, affectionate family. The laughter of the guests. These peaceful, comfortable days that occasionally met with such special moments.
And, her man.
“Jared.”
She called his name before she could help herself, then fell silent. She simply looked up at his face. The man, meeting her gaze without a word, surely knew what words were held in her mouth.
Rosalyn knew that, and so she felt no need to voice them.
“The world is changing too fast. It’s enough to make one dizzy. An evening banquet is best enjoyed in soft light, yet I cannot for the life of me understand why that is better than gas lamps.”
Jared responded to Arthur Glan’s grumbling with a faint smile. The eighty-six-year-old man looked entirely displeased with the new lighting illuminating Maxville, but Jared knew he wasn’t just complaining about the brightness of electric light. The elders of the family still looked askance at the Duke’s progressive strides.
“You are right, Great-Uncle. To be honest, I feel a bit uneasy myself. Everything has suddenly become so bright that I feel quite dazed.”
As Rosalyn interjected with a soft voice, the group’s attention shifted to her. Here she goes. Jared shifted his weight to his other foot, looking forward to his wife’s performance.
“But they say electric lights are good for one’s health because the air doesn’t grow foul even if they are left on for a long time. There’s no worry of gas leaks, either. We’ll have to wait and see if they truly are safer, but I don’t think it hurts to try.”
“I suppose so. It never hurts to try anything once.”
“More importantly, I’ve discovered a grave problem with electric lights.”
“And what would that be?”
“Now that the rooms are this bright even at night, our ladies will have to put much more effort into their makeup.”
The elderly gentlemen laughed at the Duchess’s remark. Their wives nodded in agreement. While the changing world was uncomfortable, a lady’s grumbling was charming. Rosalyn had a talent for sensing what others feared and soothing them.
“Speaking of makeup, my dear, did you know that before cameras came along, ladies could even deceive people with their looks?”
“Deceive people with their looks?”
“Because illustrations were published in newspapers and magazines. Noblewomen would slip the illustrators some money, asking to be drawn looking better than they did in person.”
“Ah, I suppose that was possible. Just as people used to cheat with portraits in the past.”
“Karina certainly benefited from that. I believe the illustrator drew her waist about five inches smaller. I heard she even sent a deceptive engagement portrait. Kyle told me so himself.”
The mood turned awkward for a moment at the great-aunt’s sudden intrusion. I went to all the trouble of making things pleasant, and she had to do that. Swallowing a sigh, Jared signaled a passing servant and took a glass of champagne. This drew everyone’s attention to him, and as they each chose their drinks, the atmosphere refreshed slightly.
Kylyus Glan still did not set foot in Maxville. He never failed to send a formal reply whenever Jared sent a letter of inquiry, but he declined any further interaction. It seemed he intended to atone for his eldest son’s sins by choosing a life of exile.
Since it was appropriate conduct, Jared did not push further. He offered no more than the respect and minimum duty befitting his father’s brother and the second in the line of succession.
Once Rosalyn had also chosen a glass of champagne, a sudden wave of exclamations rose from the guests near the entrance of the hall. Right on time. Jared naturally exchanged a look with his wife and changed the mood with a smile.
“It seems the young master has arrived.”
“Did you have the child brought out?”
“I thought you might want to see him. It was the Duchess’s idea.”
In fact, it had been Rosalyn’s idea. While bringing a young child into a ballroom was against etiquette, Jared had agreed that it would be good to reveal the heir at least once. It was an opportunity to show that despite the unfortunate incidents, the Glan family remained strong and ‘family-oriented.’
Following that calculation, the 14th Duke of Windburg made his surprise appearance, carried into the Great Hall in his nanny’s arms.
Jared walked into the circle of people surrounding the child. The six-month-old heir of Maxville had eyes wide at the unfamiliar faces and voices, but upon spotting him, the boy broke into a broad grin as if recognizing him. Recognizing his father at once. Jared responded to his clever son with a smile.
“Ardeon.”
It was his wife who had chosen the name for their eldest son. It was the name of a king revered as a wise ruler during the ancient Glan Dynasty, a choice very much in line with Rosaline Eleanor’s tastes.
Jared had wondered if the name was a bit too archaic for a child who would live through the 1900s, but the family elders were all deeply satisfied, calling it a magnificent naming. It seemed his wife possessed a mysterious ability to win the support of the elderly.
Approaching the nanny, Jared handed his champagne glass to a servant and took the 14th Duke into his arms. He could feel the people already being moved by his practiced movements.
He feels a bit heavier than yesterday. Gauging his son’s weight, he began walking toward his wife. The sweet, distinct scent of a nursing infant drifted past his nose.
Just as he grew heavier by the day, Ardeon’s curiosity grew as well. He tried to reach out and touch every object he saw. Thus, Jared wasn’t very surprised when the child tugged on his bowtie. He only laughed because the strength in that shaking grip was stronger than expected.
Though he was only just over half a year old, Jared thought the child resembled Rosalyn more as he grew. Seeing him carry himself like this during his first social debut only solidified that thought.
From the way he kept beaming at people to the skill with which he tightly gripped his great-great-uncle’s finger and moved him to tears—the ability to win over the hearts of the elderly was definitely inherited from his mother.
Well done. Jared offered a silent praise to the son in his arms.
“Ari. Aren’t you sleepy?”
Rosalyn smiled softly and adjusted the child’s clothes. She seemed to be checking if the outfit made specifically for today was uncomfortable. It was the father’s attire that was actually disheveled, but Jared had no choice but to wait patiently for his wife’s attention to return to him.
It was only after a little more time had passed that Rosalyn looked at his bowtie. Jared watched, still holding their son, as she reached out with a smile to straighten the crooked tie. Her slender, beautiful fingers and the brilliance of the engagement ring on her left hand caught his eye.
Under the electric lights, the diamond shone more radiantly than ever. Was it always this dazzling? Jared felt a fresh sense of wonder at the stone that hadn’t lost its luster in over three hundred years.
Amidst feelings both familiar and new, he looked around.
The brilliant lighting made everything appear even more vivid. Outlines, colors, and even flaws were revealed in detail. It felt, somehow, as if he had entered a new world. The bright light. The laughter of the people. The weight and warmth of the child in his arms.
And the woman who remained by his side today, as always.
The banquet for the lighting ceremony had only just begun. To attend to the guests filling the hall, they would have to remain here until deep into the night. Yet, Jared didn’t feel tired or bored. On the contrary, he wished this moment would last for a very long time.
Perhaps today would be the most enjoyable time of all the banquets he had ever attended in his life.
