Side Story 7

On the surface, Isabella and Laura bickered constantly, but they actually got along quite well.

It felt like they both enjoyed that kind of relationship.

“Come to think of it, I heard Laura even made wine this time. She’s really something else when it comes to diligence.”

“There are people who only do what they’re told, and then there are people who create work where none existed. Laura is absolutely the latter.”

“I agree. I’ve lived a pretty eventful life myself, but I’ve never seen anyone as hardworking as her.”

“Right. There may be many diligent people, but there’s no one diligent in the same way as Laura. She’s productive to the core.”

I nodded in agreement with Isabella.

Ruediger and Luca were both unmatched when it came to diligence, but Laura’s kind of diligence was on a completely different axis.

“Anyway, make yourself comfortable and rest. This place won’t scold you for not acting like a noble.”

“That’s the nicest thing I’ve heard all day.”

Isabella gave a wry smile.

The Burkenlais household welcomed Isabella, but that didn’t mean it was a warm and easy place for her.

I knew that better than anyone.

When I first entered the Winterwald household as Luca’s mother, my situation had been no different from Isabella’s now.

No matter how much the count cherished and welcomed her, there had to be subtle jealousy and envy toward Isabella, who had risen in status.

I had at least Ruediger and Luca shielding me back then.

Isabella didn’t really have anyone like that, which must’ve made things harder for her.

With a sigh, Isabella set her teacup down.

“Still, life in Burkenlais wasn’t particularly difficult. Thanks to you, my lady, no one dared harass me outright.”

“Me? I didn’t do anything.”

“I borrowed your name a bit. I spread the rumor that Davi becoming the heir of Burkenlais was entirely thanks to your blessing. I learned how to use rumors by watching the Brigadier General.”

Isabella shrugged lightly.

“With the future Duchess of Winterwald and a member of the royal family backing me, who would dare pick a fight? I lived quite comfortably thanks to you.”

“Well, technically that’s not wrong.”

At my flat response, Isabella smiled faintly.

Even if things had turned out well, it wasn’t exactly a cheerful topic. I gently changed the subject.

“This summer is going to be lively. Your family will be here, and the Hatter family is visiting too…”

“The Hatter family… you mean that Chloe Hatter?”

“Yeah.”

Isabella hadn’t met the Hatters personally, but she’d heard enough through others to have a general idea.

“Davi must be happy to have more kids his age around. I heard Chloe’s been sick though. Is she coming to recuperate?”

“More or less.”

“It’s always heartbreaking when a child is sick. I hope she recovers quickly.”

It seemed memories of Davi falling ill after going unfed for three days due to Franz’s neglect surfaced, because Isabella’s expression darkened.

As I wondered whether to comfort her or pretend not to notice, Laura appeared at just the right moment.

“My lady, dinner is ready.”

“Alright. Isabella, let’s go see Laura’s turkey dish.”

“Laura cooks too?”

“Well… it’s more accurate to say Laura’s turkey recipe.”

More precisely, it was her mother’s recipe.

Before I could add that, Isabella let out a relieved breath.

“That’s reassuring.”

“Wait a second, Isabella. That sounds like you’re doubting my cooking skills.”

“Oh my, don’t overinterpret.”

“It’s not overinterpreting. Objectively speaking, that’s exactly what you meant.”

Despite their age difference, the way they bickered made them look like close friends their age who couldn’t stand each other.

‘I used to be like that with Leah too…’

The gloom from earlier had completely vanished from Isabella’s face as she kept arguing with Laura.

Watching them with a satisfied smile, I felt genuinely pleased.

But things didn’t stay pleasant for long.

“If you’re that confident in your objective judgment, why don’t you ask the lady of the house how she feels?”

“Great idea. My lady, what do you think?”

H hold on. I was relieved, sure, but I didn’t want the arrow aimed at me.

Not wanting to get caught between the two of them, I bolted on the spot.

“The turkey’s going to get cold. Let’s go, hurry!”

“My lady!”

“Madam!”

* * *

A few days after Isabella and Davi arrived, the Hatter family also reached Lilanibel.

They arrived earlier than originally scheduled.

We sent a carriage to the nearby station to pick them up, and Chloe’s face was flushed with excitement from her first ever train ride.

“Welcome, Chloe!”

“Thank you for inviting us, my lady. But… I don’t see the Brigadier General?”

Lady Hatter looked around curiously as she asked. I wondered if it was really that strange that Ruediger wasn’t by my side.

“Everyone looks for Ruediger first as soon as they arrive. Isabella did too.”

“He really was glued to you.”

“I don’t think he was that attached.”

“He really was that attached.”

There was a peculiar weight at the end of Luca’s voice.

Lady Hatter looked between Luca and me anxiously. She must’ve thought we were arguing, because she spoke carefully.

“I only said that because every time I saw you, the Brigadier General was always with you. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I know. It’s always like this with Luca. This brat’s got a twisted personality.”

“Hmph.”

I lightly pinched Luca’s cheek, and Luca snorted and turned his head away without further protest.

After that small incident passed, I returned to the estate with Lady Hatter and introduced her to Isabella.

Because the schedule had changed unexpectedly, I hadn’t told Lady Hatter that Isabella was already here. I worried a bit that the timid Lady Hatter might feel flustered.

But that worry was unfounded.

The two of them shared an unexpected common ground.

“You lived at 27 Krabet Street?”

“Yes… is there a problem?”

“I lived at 12 Strasse Street.”

“Strasse? That’s the alley right next to Krabet!”

That’s right. Unlike me, who came from rural Emden, both of them were from the slums of Blueyen.

Reminiscing about the past, the two burst into conversation like a dam breaking. They were so animated I almost felt left out.

But I welcomed the situation.

Both of them were outsiders within their current status, and both were women without husbands.

It was good for them to have someone to share old memories with, even like this. Especially since they could now look back on those slum days as memories only because their lives had become far more comfortable.

Their piled up stories wouldn’t be resolved in a day or two. I stood up, leaving them to chat freely.

“I’ll go check on what the little ones are up to. You two keep talking comfortably.”

“Oh my, we must’ve gotten too excited. Talking like this when you invited us…”

“It’s fine. The kids being this quiet feels suspicious. I’ll go keep an eye on them, so relax.”

The two of them half stood as if to see me off, but I waved my hand lightly and left the room.

Maybe I was flattering myself, but it felt like I’d contributed at least a little to the happiness of that moment.

That thought filled my chest with quiet pride, and my steps down the hallway felt light.

* * *

When I reached Luca’s room on the second floor, I planted my hands on my hips and let out a long sigh.

They weren’t causing trouble.

It was just an unbelievable sight for healthy children spending a bright afternoon.

“I’m glad I came to check… the weather’s great, so why are you all cooped up in here!”

I raised my voice.

Inside the room, all the kids, who should’ve been running around, were each holding a book.

If they were genuinely enjoying the books, I might’ve thought they were just intellectually curious, but judging by the expressions of the two kids other than Luca, that clearly wasn’t the case.

That made sense.

There wasn’t a single book in this house suitable for kids Luca’s age. Not one.

No matter how much we treated Luca like a child, he was a regressor who knew everything. It wasn’t like we could hand him picture books and tell him to read fairy tales.

Of course, I’d slipped a few fairy tale books onto the shelf, hoping they might revive some forgotten innocence.

But apparently being told to read fairy tales back when I didn’t know anything had irritated him so much that every time he spotted one, Luca would sneer.

‘Honestly, the witch probably tried to kill Snow White not because of beauty, but because of bloodline and political legitimacy. Reducing it to looks feels like a mindset that women only care about appearances, doesn’t it?’

‘…’

‘Cinderella… I can’t believe noble inheritance laws could be this sloppy. How could there be no lawyer or appointed guardian? And cutting off a heel to fit a shoe? Isn’t that way too brutal for kids?’

‘…’

‘And Sleeping Beauty… why is he kissing her while she’s asleep? He doesn’t even know her. Isn’t this prince a pervert? Necrophilia?’

The problem was that none of it was wrong.

And so, one fairy tale after another was utterly dismantled by Luca’s mouth.