‘This is going to delay things.’
How long will it take to go to the capital, send a letter again and receive a reply? From the time Hestia arrived at the Carlton Manor, she had worked diligently to find out about Windsor.
However, more than a year later, she had not achieved any results. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but never thought it would be this difficult. Still, she would never give up. As Hestia made up her mind and held onto the letter box, the youngest maid opened the door and ran into her room without even bothering to knock.
“Miss Welter, you need to pack your things quickly! They are leaving for the capital very soon!”
Her eyes then widened when she saw Hestia sitting on the bed with her luggage already packed.
“Oh, you’re already done?”
“Yes. I’m sure you’re busy, don’t worry about me and do what you must.”
Hestia nodded and closed the zipper on her old bag as she watched the young maid run back down the hall. She didn’t even have time to get lost in her thoughts. Though, that might be fortunate for her. She stood up and smiled bitterly, grabbing her shabby suitcase. Without any regrets, she left the room she had stayed for over a year, closing the door behind her.
Hestia witnessed chaos as she slowly walked down the stairs. The reason it was chaos wasn’t just because of the objects that were scattered all over and the servants running around.
“What the hell! My dress hasn’t arrived yet!”
Daisy was crying and getting all kinds of annoyed at Countess Carlton. She missed attending her first ball wearing the dress she loved, that she had painstakingly designed.
Daisy, who rarely had things not go her way, was irritated at the situation.
Hestia quietly went downstairs, pretending not to see Daisy’s lack of sophistication while listening to the Countess trying to comfort her.
“Daisy, calm down. I’ll buy you a new one in the latest trend when we get to the capital.”
The Countess comforted Daisy and led her into the hall on the first floor. Daisy tried to shout at her for making her wear something that wasn’t custom tailored for her but the Countess had already moved far away and was now urging her son, Ted, to move faster.
“Hey, Ted. Hurry up and get dressed. We have to leave for the capital today.”
Ted was also quite annoyed now. After that day, he had tried to ‘hunt’ three times, but each time had been in vain and his plans were ruined.
This was the reason why, as the workers were running around packing luggage, not wasting a minute, he was sitting on the sofa smoking a cigar.
“You don’t have to tell me. I already know.”
He snapped back at his mother who had followed him to his room. Let alone manners, he seemed to have no sense of responsibility either. Ted, who had planned to teach Hestia who her master was and how to behave in society before heading to the capital, felt his stomach churn in frustration.
“Gosh, you’re really out of your mind. Please, help your mother out.”
Make sure you pack your luggage properly, comfort your upset son and immature daughter and fill out Hestia’s moving address report. The Countess felt like she was at the point where, even five of herself wouldn’t be enough. She was now urging the maids and servants to move faster with the luggage.
“Hurry, hurry! If this continues, we’ll have to leave in the middle of the night!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where is my diamond necklace? Did you pack it properly?”
As expected, Daisy, who was all talk and no action, scolded a maid for no reason. Still, her anger remained, so she stomped her feet as she walked down the stairs. Her lady like manners would be reserved for the capital.
Ted still couldn’t shake off his frustrations either, but when he heard his sister screaming, he scrunched up his face and disappeared into the next room.
“Master, you have to come out quickly!”
At that time, a maid came running, out of breath, and knocked on his door. From the sound of the horses neighing, it seemed the carriage was ready to leave.
“I’m coming so shut your mouth!”
Ted then grabbed a cravat as he headed off toward the carriage.
***
The first ball of the capital’s society was very important. It marked the beginning of the social season.
This was the first opportunity to see who from which families were participating in this social season. In rare cases, there were people who joined in the middle of the season, but that was only possible if they were great nobles or royal families from other countries.
It wouldn’t have mattered to the nobles living in the capital, but for those in estates far away from the capital, like the Carlton family, it was a slap in the face.
Moreover, this first ball was held at the imperial court under the supervision of the first princess. It was also the first ball held by the imperial family in several years.
As It was a rare opportunity to show one’s face to a member of the imperial family, one had to attend no matter what.
Therefore, the Carlton family was now rushing to the capital city of Delona by train.
“Miss Welter? Miss Welter!”
Hestia, who had been looking out the window blankly, was suddenly brought back to reality by Daisy’s sharp voice.
Daisy, who had been in a bad mood for a while, seemed to feel relieved after reading the gossip magazine that her exclusive maid had hastily retrieved.
She held up the cover of a gossip magazine that was popular in the capital these days so that Hestia could clearly see it.
“This person is from the academy.”
Seeing Daisy’s eyes sparkle, it seemed like she was urging Hestia, who had graduated from the same academy, to speak quickly.
At the very center of the gossip magazine, was an illustration of a person. He was the talk of the town as the first ball of this year’s social season approached.
Adrian Luke Kingston.
He had always shown brightly, the center of attention wherever he went, even in the gossip magazines. The magazines were always full of all kinds of praise from the reporters. Hestia was startled by his unexpected illustration, but answered calmly without showing any signs of it.
“…That’s right.”
Hestia’s answer was followed by the gaze of Daisy’s personal maid who rode in the same area as them to serve Daisy. He was now such a hot topic, not only in the capital’s social circles, but also in the countryside territories.
“So cool! He must have been famous at the academy too, right?”
“Yes, he was famous.”
Although the direction of his fame was different now, he was still famous. Daisy, who was getting even more excited, was slightly annoyed by Hestia’s lukewarm answer, as if the topic did not interest her. Any other girl of her age would have been just as excited and chatted for hours! She was just so gloomy!
However, Hestia was the only one who could curb her curiosity, so Daisy asked again, persistently.
“What kind of person was Lord Kingston? What was he like?”
“I’m sorry, but what happens in the academy is prohibited from being discussed in the outside world.”
“Chee. You can tell me the unofficial stuff.”
“It’s hard to say. Because of my… limited skills… I had no ties to the greater nobility.”
It didn’t seem like she was lying. If Hestia’s magic skills had been outstanding, she would not have become a ward at the Carlton house.
But, Daisy still did not give up and continued to ask questions.
“Even if it’s just something small, it’s okay, so please tell me something. Is he really as handsome in person as they say?”
“Yes, aristocratic and handsome.”
Hestia nodded as she absentmindedly accepted the gossip paper that Daisy handed to her.
She didn’t know who had drawn the illustration, but he must be very talented as it looked very similar to the real-life counterpart. Daisy’s white cheeks flushed at her answer.
“What should I do! He’s just so perfect!”
Hestia had to recite his widely known information in order to calm Daisy’s persistent fussing.
The only younger brother of the Grand Duke of Kingston, a graduate of the Academy’s Advanced Special Class and a powerful figure belonging to the upper class among the central nobility.
The thoughts of being able to meet such a great man when she arrived in the capital made Daisy infinitely happy. Maybe she would even be able to dance with him at the ball!
As Daisy, lost in her own luxurious delusions, muttered to herself, a large article title caught her attention.
[Hero of the century, Sir Adrian Kingston]
[The hero’s splendid return, turning the empire upside down!]
[Sir Adrian Kingston sweeps away the impure elements who have been threatening the empire for decades]
[The first princess plans to hold a victory banquet in recognition of his achievements]
It was full of all kinds of compliments. Adrian, who had always shined as bright as the sun, did not change. He would be like that for the rest of his life. He lived in a completely different world than her own.
“Tell me more, even if it’s something trivial. If you went to the same academy, shouldn’t you know more?”
Daisy gave Hestia a pleading look as she fumed. The information she recited was already familiar to her. No, it was information that anyone her age would already know! She wanted something that the other girls her age didn’t know, something that would set her apart from them.
What set her apart from the other ladies right now? It was that she had a mage as a chaperone.
But when she spoke to the other girls in the capital, she wanted to be able to brag about how much she knew about Adrian. She nudged Hestia.
“The academy is very strict and has different classes for men and women.”
So, they had never even had a class together!
“Then did you eat separately?”
“Yes, we also ate separately.”
“Then you must have at least seen each other in passing.”
At Daisy’s prodding, Hestia stumbled over a vague memory.
