Another day…
After morning exercises and basic tasks as usual, Amanda sat down at her desk in her office. A wave of emotion swept over this once lost familiarity, but she was able to adjust to it quickly. She still didn’t know if she was able to go to Fiona’s wedding, and there were many documents that had piled up the past several days. She could have dealt with it all at once, but for the moment it was important to build up stamina, so she pushed herself a little bit every day. It was when Amanda was mechanically examining the documents and stamping the Windsor’s seal of approval that an invitation that caught her eye.
“This…when did this come?”
An red eagle stamped in the center of the white envelope was a seal from a household Amanda knew well. Marchioness Holland. The emperor had posthumously bestowed the title of Marquis to a man who died in one of his wars. In some ways it was meaningless to have a marchioness without a marquis, but in this case it was not so.
Vivian Holland, the wife of the man who died in the war, was enjoying her position a powerful figure in southern high society. She sent invitations and personally held tea parties, and used the money collected to help the underprivileged. They were gatherings anyone would have to attend, even if they were less active in society.
It had already been a week since Oliver promised to visit her in ten days. That would be three days from now, and the tea party was the day before. She wanted to train as much as possible before meeting Oliver again, and it was frustrating to think that she should spend her time in unexpected social events.
‘What did I do in my past life? Did I attend this tea party?’
She remembered the important events, but her two-decade old memories were sparse on the smaller details. She wondered if she had anything suitable for the tea party. She didn’t like to spend money on luxury items such as dresses and jewelry, and often mended old dresses to wear. Amanda like to live as simply as possible, but she was aware she was still part of the aristocracy. If she looked like a pushover it would only be natural for the Windsor’s to be ignored. She had no desire to catch anyone’s eye at these gathering, but she didn’t want to appear sloppy either.
“…I wish I didn’t have to do this.”
Despite her complaints about unnecessary work, Amanda pushed her chair aside and walked towards her dressing room. It had been a while since she made an appearance in high society, but she hadn’t forgotten what she was taught as a child. It was full of gossip and criticism. If she wore a dress that was behind in fashion trends, she could only imagine what the other ladies would say.
‘There’s no need to be too flashy. I just need enough to attend.’
Just as Amanda expected. all of her clothes in her wardrobe were too old-fashioned. Not long ago when she was trying on clothes for when she would meet her father, she realized she was in a miserable situation.
“…Haa.”
She couldn’t stop a sigh from escaping from her lips. There was a squeak as the door to the room opened and Amelia poked her head in.
“What are you doing, sister?”
Amelia was usually careful not to disturb her sister when she was doing household work, but she became curious when she chanced upon her sister going to the dressing room. When Amanda saw the image of cute little Amelia, Amanda answered her with a small smile.
“I received an invitation to a tea party, so I was looking for a dress to wear.”
“A tea party?”
“The invitation must have come in a while ago and I found out too late.”
“Well if it’s that important then I don’t think you have a dress to wear to something like that.”
Amelia knew Amanda’s simple life better than anyone, so she didn’t have to check the dressing room to know the state of her wardrobe. Amelia wanted to nag her sister further but she kept her mouth shut at Amanda’s furrowed expression. Amanda looked at her dressing room and mumbled to herself.
“How long will it take to have one altered?”
Her dresses were out of style, but a couple of them seemed to be worth wearing if a tailor could add some extra lace in the sleeves or waistline. Amelia answered, shaking her head.
“There are probably so many orders for the crown prince’s debut ball that it won’t be possible if the tea party is soon.”
“Really?”
“Remember the last time we ordered gowns to attend a ball? We kept hearing that excuse why it was so slow to finish.”
Amelia’s words sounded similar to some other memory that happened long of ago. Amelia was eagerly looking forward to Prince Oliver’s appearance and they felt like they had won a prize when their gowns were finally completely. Amanda didn’t answer this of course, and Amelia looked at her strangely. Amanda smiled awkwardly and quickly responded.
“Oh right. You did.”
Amelia stared at Amanda for a moment, then looked around the dressing room that was too small to belong to a noblewoman.
“…Anyway, this is important.”
Although Amanda wasn’t bitter, she couldn’t create from something they didn’t have. Although the Windsor’s were not extravagantly wealthy, she had never been short of money because of Amanda’s simple lifestyle. However, she could still be caught up in bad gossip if she did something wrong. Amanda took out the neatest-looking dress.
“Well, I can’t help it. It’s my responsibility for not being prepared.”
“No! I have a dress that was recently tailored. You can take the lace off the dress and attach it to yours.”
“Please, no. That will ruin your dress.”
“Oh come on, we can reattach it again later.”
“But–”
“I don’t like it when people whisper about you. But in return there’s something I want.”
“What is it?”
Amelia may look young on the outside, but she was a smart child for her age. She hardly asked for anything which made Amanda wonder what she wanted.
“I’m coming to this tea party with you!”
“What?”
Amanda was surprised by Amelia’s unexpected declaration. Amelia was too frail and weak to go out. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to make appearances in society, but rarely did so. Of course it wasn’t by her choice choice, but somehow it seemed a little odd that Amelia, who didn’t have much experience at parties, suddenly said she wanted to attend.
“Why do you want to attend a tea party like this all of a sudden? If it’s just to get some fresh air, I’ll take you to a more fancy party, not a small gathering like this.”
“Is Lady Brown going to be there too?”
“The party is hosted by Marchioness Holland, so she will be there unless something unusual happens.”
“That’s enough for me,”
Amelia said resolutely, further sparking Amanda’s curiosity. Did Amelia not get along with Lady Brown? How could she have a grudge against someone when she had been absent at social gatherings? Amelia had received no attention in society at present. It wasn’t just her. Amanda and the Windsor’s were never in the center of attention. She wondered what memory she had forgotten.
“What about Lady Brown?”
“Did you forget it already?”
Amelia didn’t elaborate any further. Amanda tried to remember, casting her eyes upwards for a moment. When she couldn’t recall anything, she responded carefully again.
“…I don’t remember.”
“It’s okay. You don’t understand.”
“…?”
“But even if you forget, Amelia never forgets a grudge. Oh, yes.”
“…A grudge?”
This time Amanda really looked curious, listening to her sister’s words that were inappropriate for her.
Tsh–
Amelia pulled the dress from Amanda’s hands.
“Anyway, I’ll take your dress and fix it. You get permission from Father so I can go with you.”
With that, Amelia took her dress and left. Amanda had some dim memories of Lady Brown, but she couldn’t think of anything else.
Layla Brown.
She was the only daughter of Marquis Shelby and lacked nothing in her life. She was admired for her beautiful appearance, slim figure, and a good pedigree. In Amanda’s previous life, many of the noblemen had proposed to Lady Brown.
‘…What happened?’
Her memories were dim on Lady Brown as Amanda had immediately fled to another country beyond Keith’s borders after her family’s deaths. Lady Brown might have married a man worthy of her. Only after Amanda became a knight did she learn about the other nobles of Keith Empire so she could take her revenge on Luke. However, a Marchioness Brown was not among the names she remembered. Was it because Lady Brown hadn’t been a noble within the capital city?
There was no way for her to know now. However, when she pondered on the name Layla Brown, she remembered a strange scene. When she went to a large party with many people, there was someone giving her a particular look. She couldn’t figure out why, but the feeling was ominous. She thought it was the beautiful Layla staring at her with cold eyes.