Chapter 178 The Arrival Of The Young Marquis Couple
The Young Marquis family finally arrived, later than scheduled, around noon. Apparently, Adam had bought a new carriage on the way, but one of its wheels broke off, and they had to spend some time repairing it.
"Are you here?"
"Yes, Father."
The Marquis spoke to Edward. Behind him, Elizabeth and the children looked a bit tired, and it seemed like their journey wasn't very comfortable.
Sara and Rebecca were also present to welcome them, but they didn't have the energy to come forward and greet them enthusiastically, and instead stood silently behind the Marquis.
"Ed, Liz, you must be tired from the long trip."
Robert was the only one who greeted them with a bright smile, welcoming his brother and sister-in-law, as well as his nephews and nieces.
"Ah, Rob seems to be doing well too."
"Long time no see."
The Young Marquis couple also returned Robert's greeting. The children lightly bowed behind them, but their expressions seemed a bit tense.
'By the way, Father is known to be a strict uncle who pushes Adam and the others to study hard. But is it really okay to make Father say that? Can Adam really get into the Academy?'
It's not okay. If things continue like this, Adam's grades are so bad that he'll definitely fail. Moreover, if a child from a powerful noble family fails to get into the Academy, it would be embarrassing, so they usually send them to study abroad to save face.
It seems like Adam might also be sent to study abroad, but his foreign language skills are also lacking, so what would he even study there? The same goes for Christopher.
"The rooms are prepared as usual in the east wing. You must be hungry, so let's get changed and then have lunch together on the terrace, okay?"
Robert invited the Young Marquis couple to lunch, but Edward declined.
"Sorry about this. I'm really exhausted from the horse carriage breaking down halfway. I'm sorry, but could we have lunch brought to our room instead?"
"That can't be helped. Ah, you can take a bath soon too, so you'll feel refreshed."
"I'm causing trouble for you."
"It's no big deal. Let's meet up for dinner instead. Take your time and rest your body."
With that, the Young Marquis family headed to their prepared rooms in the east wing.
Adam's new horse carriage had no problems on the paved roads around the capital, but it wasn't durable enough for long rides on unpaved roads. Moreover, this time they had loaded some of the clothing and accessories that didn't fit in the luggage carriage, so the carriage was carrying a heavier load than usual.
It's not that the horse carriage was bad. It was just designed with the assumption of running on short, paved distances. There's a right tool for every job. This horse carriage was a high-quality item, prioritizing its appearance so it wouldn't look out of place at balls or tea parties, and it had excellent shock-absorbing performance to prevent discomfort on stone roads. The interior was also meticulously designed.
Before departing, the steward of the royal palace's estate had expressed concerns about using the new horse carriage and recommended using the old one, but Adam didn't listen at all.
So, the brand-new horse carriage, which was 700 Dallas, got stuck in the muddy road and broke down, and the original wheels were destroyed and couldn't be used. In a hurry, they had to replace them with new wheels, but these new wheels didn't fit perfectly and came off several times during the journey.
The Young Marquis family, who had a terrible experience on the carriage ride, cancelled all their plans for the day and decided to spend their time cooped up in their room until dinner.
But for the servants, this was a disaster. The exhausted and irritable Young Marquis family would complain about the lunch menu, demand massages after their baths, and criticize the tea and snacks, saying they were "too countryside."
The one who felt the most miserable was Chloe's lady-in-waiting. Chloe's hair was cursed by Sara, so it was brittle and prone to breakage. Originally, her hair was a lustrous golden brown, but now it looked like a mess of red hair with many split ends.
After her bath, she would carefully brush her hair with rose oil to maintain a barely decent appearance, but she had to be extremely cautious not to cause any more damage. If she accidentally pulled too hard and caused Chloe pain, she might even get hit with the brush.
Chloe was a beautiful young lady, just like the daughter of the Grandchester family. She understood her own beauty and was eager to learn noble etiquette and conversation skills. In fact, Chloe was the most diligent and intelligent among the Young Marquis couple's children.
When Sara was still living in the royal capital, Chloe would get annoyed thinking that Sara was more beautiful than her. However, Sara's manners, having been raised as a commoner, were unrefined, and although she wasn't stupid, her way of speaking wasn't exactly praiseworthy either. Chloe thought Sara was beautiful but not worth paying attention to.
But the Sara who came to greet her at the entrance of the mansion was displaying refined manners that were incomparable to when she was in the royal capital. She had heard that her Governess, Lady Orson, was childhood friends with her parents and uncles, but she never thought Sara would change this much in such a short time.
The dress she was wearing, which was a rare design in the royal capital, wasn't bad either. Sara, who disliked being constricted, was wearing a dress with a soft, fluffy line. The dress was cinched at the waist, accentuating her whole body, and her beautiful silver hair was styled in a half-updo.
'I wonder if it's made with layered muslin. It's not exactly formal, but the design isn't bad either. I'm sure it's comfortable to wear... I should ask where it was made.'
Chloe called over one of the maids working at Grandchester Castle and asked where Sara usually got her dresses made.
"Milady Sara's dress was arranged by Sir Robert for Lady Orson. There are several dressmakers in the capital, would you like a list?"
"I want to get some dresses made here too. Please tell me."
"Understood."
"And please tell me which shop made the muslin dress Sara wore today."
"That was a gift from the Sophia Merchant Guild. Since the Sophia Merchant Guild doesn't have a fashion department, I think it was likely made elsewhere and gifted to her."
"Hmm, that's probably it."
"The Sophia Merchant Guild is a newly established merchant guild, so they're giving various gifts to the Grandchester family and others..."
"That's probably it. I understand now."
'Ah, I see. So that's a gift for the Grandchester family, huh? In that case, it might just reach me too.'
Chloe nodded in satisfaction and flopped onto her bed with a thud. As a lady, it wasn't exactly dignified behavior, but she was genuinely exhausted.
'That stupid Adam wore me out for no reason. That carriage was really something, wasn't it?'
Chloe had long since realized that her older brother was an idiot. And her younger brother had given up thinking for himself to the point of being ridiculously foolish. Neither of them was actually stupid, but they'd been spoiled and never got scolded for slacking off.
The same could be said for Chloe, but she had a goal to become a "refined noble lady," so she was always striving to improve herself. As a result, she was the most educated among the 3 siblings, but it was undeniable that all of them had issues with their emotional education.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth (young marquis' wife), who was supposed to guide the children, was consumed by intense jealousy towards Rebecca, who remained unchanged from 10 years ago. No matter how much she adorned herself with famous designer dresses and high-end jewelry, she couldn't hide the decline of her skin, which had surpassed its 30s.
Furthermore, she felt annoyed with Sara, who stood beside Rebecca. Although Sara had been a commoner, she had inherited Adelia's stunning beauty, which had captivated many noble sons. Even at the age of 8, it was impossible to hide her charm. However, what gave her a more majestic impression than Adelia was the Grandchester family's bloodline, which she had inherited from Arthur.
The etiquette polished by Rebecca was indeed that of a refined lady, and Sara's demeanor was no exception. Until now, Elizabeth had been giving the social circle the image of "the beautiful mother and daughter of the Grandchester household." However, with Sara's appearance, it was clear that the attention would shift to Sara.
'Why not make Sara our adopted daughter? If we take that girl under our wing, our reputation will surely soar. It wouldn't be bad to take in a commoner's niece and marry her off to a noble family. If she's that beautiful, we can even catch a Viscount. Moreover, we'll be able to leave a good impression on Father-in-law.'
Elizabeth had started to feel that the Marquis was looking at their family with a stricter gaze. She suspected that the bullying of Sara by the children had been discovered, and so she had scolded the children in front of the Marquis, her husband, even going so far as to threaten to divorce and enter a convent.
However, the Marquis's attitude remained unchanged. If anything, it seemed to be worsening. The fact that he couldn't leave the territory due to the hunting tournament only added fuel to the fire.
'Father-in-law has reduced our allowance, Ed said. It wasn't reduced even when the embezzlement incident occurred a few years ago, so why now? But I know that we need to spend money to show our dignity in high society. Is it possible that he wants to exile us from high society and make Rob the Young Marquis?'
The fact that the Grandchester territory's financial situation was not as good as it seemed had only recently come to light due to the organized account books. However, Elizabeth was overthinking this situation unnecessarily. Looking at Elizabeth now, it was clear that a strategist needed accurate information to make a good judgment.
And at this point where Rick is observing the situation of the Young Marquis family without missing a single detail, it's clear at a glance who the winner of the information war is.
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