Daisy had always been someone who was easily irritated, but this was the first time she was so angry she completely lost her temper.
She’d been screaming at the top of her lungs, and now began wailing loudly.
“Oh, baby. Calm down.”
Countess Carlton motioned for all the maids to leave and held the crying Daisy in her arms. She had a feeling she knew what the problem was.
“You’re upset that Lord Kingston asked her to dance first, aren’t you?”
She wasn’t completely wrong. Daisy huffed, releasing all her pent-up anger. The Countess took Daisy in her arms again, stroked her head, and continued her soothing.
“Listen carefully. A good character, motherly love, and modesty are the virtues of every wife. However, as the wife of a nobleman, there is one more virtue a wife must possess, and that’s a good family name.”
“Name…?”
“That’s right. Not all nobles are the same. A noble marriage is a union of families and clans. Have you ever seen a noble family take a fallen nobleman’s daughter or a commoner as their daughter-in-law? That just never happens.”
It was an obvious fact that marriages between different classes only existed in romance novels. Daisy blinked in surprise.
“Men may often see low-class women before marriage, but they’ll never make them their wife. Do you understand, Daisy? It’s just a temporary interest.”
Daisy’s sniffling had gradually stopped. In reality, men were constantly looking for new women and had mistresses on the side, even after marriage.
But there was no need to tell her little girl that just yet.
“And if a guy really wanted a girl, he’d ask her to dance at least one more time, even if he got rejected. He didn’t ask Hestia to dance again throughout the ball, right? On the other hand, when he danced and talked with you, his expression was very bright. In the end, the one who will take the position of wife is you, Daisy.”
The Countess, who did not know the content of the conversation between Adrian and Daisy, only saw and interpreted what she wanted to see, thinking only good things were whispered in Daisy’s ear.
‘Mom’s right. If he really liked Hestia, why didn’t he ask her to dance again? He was just playing a little prank on me when we danced. Most men like to be mischievous even when they grow up.’
“And the only two people who danced with Lord Kingston at that ball were Her Royal Highness and you, our daughter. What do you think that shows?”
Daisy, who came interpreted her mother’s words incorrectly, that she was on the same level as Her Royal Highness, suddenly gained confidence and spirit. After a lot of effort from the Countess, Daisy finally smiled again.
She decided to prove that she would make a much better wife than Hestia.
She also decided to work diligently to show Lord Kingston a more beautiful appearance when they met again.
* * *
Shortly after finally falling asleep following a night of tossing and turning, Hestia was startled awake by the sound of screaming coming from downstairs.
Her ankle was much more swollen than she’d expected it would become and she felt a sharp pain, but when she then heard loud wailing, she eventually went to the door, stopped a maid who was passing by, and asked her.
“What’s going on?”
“Well… When Lady Daisy goes shopping today, she really wants Lady Hestia to go with her…”
The young maid frowned. Hestia blinked her eyes in confusion, unable to comprehend what was happening. She soon saw Countess Carlton approaching to speak with her.
“Hestia, we’re going to a shop on Ripello Street. The Count said he would get you a tailored dress as well. Get ready quickly and come down.”
“Thank you for your kindness, but since I already received the brooch, it would be shameless of me to accept the dress as well. And my ankle isn’t fully healed yet.”
Hestia refused, both because she did not want to go with them and because she also had no intention of accepting the dress.
“We’ll soon be attending tea parties and luncheons. A girl who is sponsored by the Carlton family can’t wear the same dress every time, right? And don’t worry, we’ll take the carriage.”
“But…”
“Julie, please bring some medicine here for Hestia.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then I’ll see you downstairs in a bit.”
The Countess interrupted Hestia before she could say any more and gave her orders. She’d never acted like this before. Moreover, although she was smiling gracefully as usual, Hestia felt a strange sense of discomfort.
In the end, Hestia applied herbal medicine to her ankle to get some relief from the pain and then changed her clothes. As she took her gloves and headed out the door, the brooch she received yesterday caught her eye. She thought for a moment and put the brooch in her bag.
No matter how hopeless the situation was, she had to do what she had to do. The worst wasn’t over yet. Hestia consoled herself this way as she composed herself preparing to depart.
* * *
“You are the Lady Carlton from the rumor? It’s an honor for us that you’ve chosen to pay a visit our store.”
“Make her the best dress possible. She has a lot of important events scheduled.”
Countess Carlton looked at her daughter with loving eyes and spoke in a refined tone.
Madame Lorna, who ran the most luxurious clothing store on Ripello Street, took pride in her clothing store and her profession.
Lorna’s clothing store was always overflowing with customers, even though the dresses were several times more expensive than those at other stores. She was a well-known individual who even supplied dresses to the imperial family.
She wasn’t just known for being the best at making clothes either, she also had the reputation of ‘no ball in the capital can be held without Madame Lorna’s dress’, along with a keen eye for trends and was well-versed in the art of conversing with guests.
Madame Lorna also had a special ability, which became well-known by word of mouth, that was to guess which station a lady would marry into, just by looking at the customer’s appearance, behavior, and tone of voice. She was well known for being able to judge someone with her gaze.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place. Please come this way.”
Lorna led them to the VIP room and then got to work like a professional. She first took her customer’s measurements, looked at a catalog to choose a design, and then carefully selected the fabric and decorations.
“What do you think of this design?”
“It’s great. This one, and this dress too. Ah! I’d like this too.”
“Yes, miss.”
Lorna lined up the finest fabrics so that they could be seen clearly and inspected them closely, while the clerk wrote down Daisy and the Countess’s orders.
Within a few minutes, Madame Lorna had come to the conclusion that Daisy could never marry into a family higher than the Count of Carlton. If she did really well, a Baroness was the most she’d be able to achieve.
The reason for that conclusion was simple. The position of a hostess required the ability to lead a household, patience, tolerance, and elegance, but Daisy’s ability in these areas was below par.
Her immature attitude, frivolous way of speaking, and even her rude behavior was clearly revealed. She was so different from her cultured mother that it was surprising.
If she were a beauty, she might be lucky enough to join a better family, but her appearance was also ordinary.
“Miss Welter, bring me that decoration.”
“No, not that, the one next to it. Can’t you understand me the first time?”
“You’re choosing this color? It’s so tacky. Try gaining a bit of insight.”
Lady Carlton was intentionally treating Lady Welter, who was staying at the Carlton family as a ward, like a maid. Lady Welter even appeared uncomfortable walking because she injured her ankle.
Lady Carlton was a typical noble who had to order around others in order to boost her own pride. She was a girl without the slightest ounce of pity.
Madam Lorna was excited because the most talked-about person in the social world had come to visit her, but in the end, she was very disappointed.
“Miss Carlton, I know you’re not in a good mood today, but there are a lot of eyes on us here. Isn’t Miss Carlton’s honor more important than your momentary satisfaction?”
In the end, Hestia, who had been silently taking care of Daisy’s requests, as if she were taking care of an immature younger sibling, gave her a warning. Daisy trembled at Hestia’s words.
“What did you just say to me?”
“Hestia, once you’ve had all your measurements taken, you can go to the carriage first.”
Countess Carlton stepped forward and tried to get Hestia out of the store as soon as possible. She couldn’t bear to watch her daughter not only sully her own reputation, but also the reputation of the entire Carlton family.
“Then can I go home on my own after taking care of some personal business?”
“Sure. Thank you for your hard work, I’ll see you at the mansion.”
Countess Carlton accepted Hestia’s request and quickly resolved the situation. Hestia bowed politely to her and quietly walked out of the store.
Madame Lorna looked closely at Hestia’s back as she walked away. She was nothing like Daisy, from the moment she entered her shop to the moment she left.
She was not the kind of person who would entrust herself to the Carlton family. Lorna was sure that in a few years she would be in a very noble position.
* * *
After leaving the store, Hestia slowly closed and reopened her eyes to calm down her emotions. It was Daisy’s usual annoying attitude, but she found it hard to endure today.
Ripello Street was busy, with many shops, restaurants, banks, and government offices.
Horse-drawn carriages passed by on the wide, well-maintained roads that were befitting of the imperial capital. A huge marble statue of the goddess Lillian stood tall in the central square.
Near the beautiful fountain, children wearing clothes made of fine fabric were playing happily, and the nannies who accompanied the children gathered in groups of twos and threes to chat.
In addition, a lively street was seen with many people passing by, a street musician playing the violin in front of a crowd, gentlemen drinking at a restaurant, and ladies browsing a jewelry store.
