Chapter 124 Outing
The news of last night’s accident at a nursery school building in the south of the country has not yet reached the capital.
The news that Lady Nia, who ran into the burning building to save the child, was seriously injured, and that she bore a striking resemblance to Princess Veronia, who was said to have died five years ago.
Unaware that his mother was unconscious and confined to her bed, Jediel was excited about a night out on the town with his godmother.
“What are you going to get Grandma and Grandpa, Jediel, have you got anything in mind?”
“Yes, I want to get them a warm sweater because it’s going to get chilly! Grandma Luisa looks good in red, and Grandpa Hugo looks good in green.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea! I love that you’ve already thought of the colour of the sweaters! Now, before we start shopping, why don’t we do a sugar charge first?”
“A sugar charge?”
Jediel asked, scratching his head, familiar with the word ‘charge’ but not the word ‘sugar’, as his godmother smirked and added an explanation.
“Eating sweet foods when one’s energy has dropped dramatically, or when one needs to stock up on energy in advance, is called a sugar charge.”
“Ah, so you’re talking about your craving for a sweet treat, Grandma?”
“Something like that.”
The godmother laughed happily, ho ho ho, at the child’s shrewd answer. The servant behind her couldn’t help but smile as she led the way.
“That’s a recently opened restaurant, and it has quite a reputation. The entire menu looks like it would suit your taste as well, Madam and Master.”
“I see, then let’s go there.”
Entering the first dessert shop in sight, Jediel and his godmother took a seat by a sunny window, and soon a servant arrived with their orders, placing them on the table one by one.
There was strawberry milk and black tea, lemon scones and peanut butter cookies, melon tart and apple pie.
“Wow, this is delicious!”
Jediel exclaimed happily as he sipped his strawberry milk with strawberry jam. The godmother’s mouth curved into a satisfied smile as she took a slice of melon tart.
“I see, I can see why the restaurant have a good reputation.”
“It’s even better when you come with me, Grandma. I hope you’ll come more often, Grandma!”
“Yes, we will.”
“Next time, I’ll buy you some cotton candy!”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
The grandmother and grandson were enjoying their sweet treats and friendly conversation. The godmother could feel the odd glance from the other table, but she tried to ignore it.
“Oh, my, that must be the child.”
“He’s a pretty little thing, and her mum must be beautiful.”
The stares directed at Jediel and the godmother grew more and more explicit. A group of aristocratic young ladies who appeared to be in their early twenties kept glancing this way and whispering amongst themselves.
“So it must have been the subject of commoners that captivated His Excellency.”
“Still, I don’t think he’s the kind of man who would do that just because of his face, but I’m still disappointed.”
At first he was cautious, but then her voice began to grow louder and louder. She was so focused on her excited gossip that she was oblivious to the ears of others.
“What’s the point of having a pretty face if you’re naturally beautiful? I heard she has a lot of burn scars on her face.”
“Is that true… and not just a rumor?”
The chatter of the insensitive youngsters could now be heard clearly all the way to the table where Jedediah and his godfather sat.
Jediel’s soft, cute face instantly stiffened as he realized they were talking about Veronia and Killion, but it was too much for his godmother to watch as he tried to keep a straight face.
“I have heard so, Countess Varnell has seen it with her own eyes!”
“Shh! You’re talking too loudly, I can hear you!”
The godmother could no longer stand it. She leapt to her feet and headed straight for the table of youngsters. The giggling youngsters were taken aback by the Godmother’s sudden appearance, and their shoulders twitched.
“… May I present to you the Godmother of the Duke of Drea.”
“Ah, hello, Godmother.”
The youngsters looked up at the godmother with contemplative faces. The Godmother slowly opened her mouth, a leisurely smile tugging at the corners. The Young Lady realized that the extreme elegance of a great noble could sometimes seem very intimidating.
“I think you heard me, and you responded, but what else is there to be so nervous about?”
“No, nothing like that…”
Pale-skinned blonde Young Lady tried to come up with an excuse, but the godmother wasn’t about to give her that chance. The godmother interrupted her and asked.
“What are your names?”
“What? Why, why?”
The youngsters were stunned by this sudden request for their names.
They were worried that their godmother had caught them gossiping about the Duke of Drea, and that it would bring dishonour to the family. The Duke of Drea was the most powerful family in the land.
“Why, since you seem to be so interested in the marriage of my son and my daughter-in-law, I would like to invite you to the wedding. Shouldn’t you come and see with your own eyes how well they make a match?”
“…”
“Maybe then you’ll stop talking about them behind their backs like this.”
“What do you mean, backstabbing? We’re just…”
“Stop nagging and just tell me your name.”
This time, Young Lady, who had her red hair in a fine braid, opened her mouth to make an excuse, but the godmother cut her off at the knees.
Replacing the red-haired Young-ae with her shoulder-length hair, a cute young woman with pink bobbed hair adorned with ribbon pins spoke in a hushed tone.
“No, it’s okay, how dare we be invited to His Excellency’s wedding, we don’t have a worthy topic…”
“Can’t it be a worthy topic?”
“…”
The lilting voice was cut off by the sharp tone of the godmother. The youngsters fell silent and bowed their heads deeply.
No rebuttal or excuse would work against this great noblewoman. The godmother glared at the young ladies and spoke sternly.
“You think that a topic that is not even worthy of an invitation to a wedding is worthy of gossiping about, do you dare?”
“That, that…”
The young ladies rolled their moistened eyes and glanced at each other, and in the next instant they all bowed their heads respectfully and spoke in a trembling voice.
“We are so sorry, Grand Duchess Godmother.”
“I apologize if our foolish chatter has disturbed your nerves.”
“I’ll be sure to keep my mouth shut next time so it doesn’t happen again.”
“So please… forgive us with a big heart.”
The brown-haired Young Lady, who was asking for forgiveness for the last time, spoke in an almost sobbing voice. The godmother looked at the cold sweat hanging on her pale forehead and felt helpless.
The fierce young ladies who had been gossiping behind her back had disappeared, leaving only the terrified and trembling young ladies.
‘I wonder if I’m wasting my energy on these immature people…’
She felt weak, but that didn’t stop her from thinking about backing down. She was determined to show them a lesson, so she had to press on.
The godmother was well-connected in the capital’s social circles, so there was no name or face she didn’t know. The Godmother scanned the faces of her young charges as she ran down the list of socialites.
“Come to think of it… pink, short hair isn’t a common style… Let’s see, you must be Viscount Withers’ second daughter, aren’t you?”
“…”
How did she know that? She always had a problem with this hair color anyway! The pink-haired young lady bit her lower lip and looked away.
“I thought I heard that there were only three young ladies that she would look good with. Baroness Garen, Countess Marsden, and Viscountess McCarthy. Right?”
She must have guessed correctly. Judging by the way their faces turned as white as a sheet at the mention of their family names. Young lady was so stunned that her mouth fell open, and she stared up at her godmother.
“I’ll send an invitation to your home soon. Wait for me.”
The Godmother let out a relaxed laugh and returned to the table where Jediel was waiting. As soon as she left, the youngsters scurried out of the shop. Jedielh’s eyes lit up and he exclaimed.
“Wow, Grandma, you’re so cool!”
“Are you not scary?”
“I think it looked scary to them, but to Jediel, it’s cool.”
Jediel’s smiling face was adorable. The godmother wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth with a napkin and said.
“It’s good to see that you’re feeling so good about our little Jedíel, so why don’t we go out? I think we should hurry so we can pick out some pretty sweaters for Grandma Luisa and Grandpa Hugo.”
“Yes!”
***
Sandra and Tate were having tea in the glass conservatory. Every two or three days, Tate sent news of the Duke of Drea by letter, and sometimes in person, like this one.
“This weekend,” he said, “Drea’s little boy is leaving the manor, and he’s spending the night at his old home in the village of Rosler.”
“Oh, really?”
Sandra’s eyes twinkled as she listened, intrigued.
