Chapter 180 The Turbulent Dinner Party Ii
"I'm not neglecting my parental duties or anything. I have a home tutor and a governess, and I buy them whatever they want."
Sara covered her face.
"Don't you remember why I was forced to come to Grandchester from the royal capital?"
"Yes, I remember. Adam and the others pushed you into the pond, didn't they? I'm really sorry about that."
Elizabeth answered weakly. She glanced at the children, and saw that Adam was looking down, Chloe was glaring at Sara, and Christopher's eyes were darting around.
"Aunt, please look at Adam and the others. Can you tell what they're thinking right now?"
"They're all sorry, I'm sure."
"No, Aunt. They're not apologizing to me, even though they heard that you'd take the punishment for them."
Adam opened his mouth.
"If you hadn't tied us up like this, we would've apologized properly. And that was an accident, you know that too!"
"Yes, I think it was an accident. But why didn't you call for help right away?"
"That's..."
Then, Chloe, who was glaring at Sara, shouted.
"We were scared of getting scolded! If our parents found out, we'd be in big trouble, and we didn't know what to do!"
"So, you're saying you were scared of being found out for bullying me?"
"That's obvious, isn't it? If we're not good kids, we'll be hated."
"Then, why not just be good kids and not bully me?"
"You're being too full of yourself because of your pride! You don't even thank me for the hand-me-down dress, and you don't show respect to me, a Marquis's daughter, even though you're from a lower social class. You should at least try to be more considerate!"
"Huh... Did Chloe want me to do something?"
"That's exactly what I mean by you being full of yourself! Have you gotten worse since you came to the capital?"
'Well, I did get my memories back from my past life, after all...'
"I'm definitely enjoying myself here, that's for sure."
"Ugh, this is so annoying. When you came, I thought you were going to be my little sister and I was looking forward to it, but you just read books all the time and ignore me."
"Oh, so you did want me to pay attention to you?"
"That's not what I meant!! My mother is always busy with social events, and Adam and Chris are guys, so they don't care about dresses."
'Hmm, is Chloe a tsundere?'
"I'll ask Christopher, but did you really intend to apologize to me?"
"Uh, yeah. Adam and Chloe said I had to apologize, so I thought I should too..."
"That's a weird way of putting it. Did Christopher bully me because Christopher didn't like me?"
"That's what Adam and Chloe said, so I guess that's true..."
"What do you think about me right now?"
"You're really scary..."
"Well, I guess that's true."
Sara released Christopher from her grip.
"You won't harm me, right? So tell me, what do you think about me?"
"Full of yourself because you're from a lower social class?"
"Do you really think that about me?"
"I don't really get it. Everyone says that, so I guess that's how it is. But I do know that Sara is really beautiful, though..."
"Oh, thank you..."
As Sara smiled brightly, Christopher also turned a forced smile towards Sara.
"You don't understand, do you? There's no kid who apologizes sincerely from the heart. They only apologize because they're told to by adults. It's annoying when they apologize without meaning it."
"I'm sorry. It's because my education was bad."
Sara turned to face Elizabeth.
"Yes, it's definitely the adults' fault, starting with you, for bullying. Because uncle and aunt kept calling me 'commoner', they don't feel guilty about hurting me. They might think, 'It's okay to do whatever to commoners because they're inferior to nobles.' This is what happens when nobility supremacy goes too far."
"That's..."
Edward seemed like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't continue, intimidated.
"Do you understand? They have problems with the basic education of being human, like considering others' feelings, putting themselves in others' shoes, and valuing life. These are things people learn from interacting with many people, but the first ones to teach them are their family members who live with them. Is socializing so important that you have to sacrifice precious time with your family?"
Then, Marquis, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"I'm sorry, Sara. If you're going to say that, then I, as your grandfather, also have a responsibility."
"Of course, Grandfather also has a responsibility. Lately, you've been holding me frequently, but do you remember the last time you held me?"
"...Maybe it was when you were a baby?"
"Uncle and aunt are the same, don't you think? Do you remember when you last hugged them? When did you last hear about their interesting stories, their regrets, and their sorrows? At the very least, I've never seen you two have that kind of time while living in the royal capital's mansion."
The Young Marquis couple is always busy with social events and frequently goes out. Even at home, they don't have time to take care of the children, and they only exchange a few words during dinner on days without evening parties. Even those conversations seem to be just for the sake of the children. Basically, the children are left in the care of their wet nurse, attendants, lady-in-waiting, tutors, and governesses.
Lately, since Adam and Chloe have been able to participate in tea parties, there have been more opportunities for them to go out together or receive visits from merchants at home, but once they're done with their business, they retreat to their own rooms. There's no such thing as a slow and relaxed family gathering.
In reality, many noble families raise their children in this way, but Sara, who wasn't raised as a noble, didn't understand it at all.
"If there's any hope, it's that they're afraid of being scolded by adults. At the very least, they have a sense of self-awareness that they're doing bad things. And they're afraid of being hated, right? They're afraid of being disliked by Uncle and Aunt, aren't they?"
"That's right. We're loved by these children, aren't we?"
Indeed, at first glance, the children seem to love their parents and family. But Sara thought that maybe it's just an instinctual feeling or action towards the people who protect them, but she didn't dare to say it out loud.
"But, are you kidding me? You think you can just buy them whatever you want? That's ridiculous!"
"There's no parent who wants to spoil their child, right?"
"There's a limit to everything. They're becoming a child who can't control themselves. Human desires have no bounds. Once one wish is granted, another one comes along. How long do you plan on spoiling them? If you're buying them things to make up for being busy with social life, you should stop. For people with social skills, patience is essential. Not teaching that is a form of child neglect. You know that child neglect is a form of abuse, right?"
Then, Chloe shouted at Sara.
"Hey! Don't talk bad about my mother! My mother is a kind person who buys me dresses and jewels. Even if I fail a little in my studies, she's okay with it and pats me on the back!"
Sara let out a deep sigh.
"As a result, you can't control yourself and become spoiled, and you haven't even learned the things you're supposed to learn at this age. You don't know the value of working hard to get what you want, so you don't have a sense of accomplishment."
Then, Sara took a breath and looked at Adam with a smirk.
"Ah, sorry about that. Adam worked hard to get what he wanted, didn't he? The underwear collection was impressive."
"What! You...! You're the one who took the box from the back of the closet and put it under the bed!"
"It's impressive that you have the determination to work hard for what you want and see it through. You must have felt a sense of accomplishment each time your collection grew... even if it's weird."
A heavy silence fell upon the dining room. Adam's face turned bright red as he hung his head, while Young Marquis and his wife wore expressions that said they couldn't bear to look at him.
"Well, regardless of Adam's thieving habits and sexual deviancy, if things continue like this, Chloe will surely suffer at her husband's house. After all, she's not hesitant to spend money lavishly. And Adam, if he continues like this, won't be able to study hard enough to enter the Academy. It's all because of you, auntie, who's bringing misfortune to my cousins."
"H-how do you know all this?!"
But it was Marquis who was shocked to hear this.
"What?! Edward, Elizabeth, are you aware that you're supposed to become the future Marquis Grandchester?! What's the meaning of this?!"
"That's, um... I'm not very good at math and other subjects..."
"That's not the problem! Hire more tutors if you have to! Do something about it!"
Sara smiled sweetly.
"Aunt, don't you think so? For now, it seems like Grandfather has no intention of disinheriting Edward, and he's not giving up on Adam either. Lately, he's been staying at the Grandchester territory a lot, and it seems like he's worried about me. But Grandfather loves all his grandchildren equally."
"Sara, you're stating the obvious. Of course, grandparents love their grandkids!"
"But if they don't understand, it's pointless, don't you think?"
"...You're absolutely right. I'm being taught by my grandchild at my age. Sara, you're just like Nora."
Marquis let out a sigh, mixed with self-deprecation.
"Hey, did Grandmother also use magic to threaten her opponents?"
"That's not it. You're just like Nora when ypu scold someone."
Suddenly, Elizabeth started crying again, tears flowing profusely.
"I've always been scared. I knew my Father-in-law didn't like me. When my Mother-in-law... Madam Eleonora said I was going to be Ed's bride, I thought maybe Ed would be hated by my them because of me..."
"No, it's not that...I don't hate you, Elizabeth."
The Marquis, seeing Elizabeth cry, started to panic. Robert, witnessing this, interjected with a witty remark.
"Father, I think it's pointless to try to correct Liz's misunderstanding."
"What do you mean?"
"Liz, it's not she that Father dislikes, but Ed. To be precise, Ed's a stuck-up aristocrat who looks down on others, so..."
"Hey, Rob! Are you picking a fight with me?!"
"Of course. You've insulted my wife, daughter, brother, and his wife all at once."
"I just told the truth."
"If you're so proud of being an aristocrat, then fulfill your duties as the next lord!"
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