Chapter 192 The Noble Lady Of My Dreams - Side Elizabeth -
Elizabeth retreated to her room, locking herself in. She didn't care if her dress got wrinkled as she jumped onto the bed, bursting into loud sobs. Although Elizabeth was the type to cry in front of people if it would be effective, when she really wanted to cry, she would shut herself in her room and be alone.
'Why did Chloe have to say such cruel things to me? I've always worked hard. I've been trying my best to fulfill Madam Eleonora's role, and yet...'
Madam Eleonora, the wife of Marquis Grandchester, was the ideal noble lady Elizabeth had admired since she was a child. In Elizabeth's eyes, Eleonora was always elegantly dressed, refined in her mannerisms, and reigning supreme in social circles.
Although Eleonora's weak constitution kept her from attending many social events, whenever she did participate, she instantly became the center of attention. Just by attending, she would bring honor to the host, and Eleonora was a woman with immense influence in social circles.
The 3 Grandchester sons, who often accompanied Eleonora, were also the objects of envy among the noble ladies of the time.
There was Edward, with a dignified face similar to his father, the Marquis of Grandchester; Robert, who inherited Eleonora's soft, beautiful features; and Arthur, with a refined beauty that seemed to combine the good qualities of both his parents. Each of them had their own distinct characteristics.
Before making her official debut, Elizabeth had frequently attended tea parties with the children of her generation, where she would often run into the 3 princes. However, Elizabeth wasn't in a position to easily get close to them back then. As the granddaughter of Count Roche, her father was only a second son and a knight, after all.
One day, Elizabeth was called out by a marquis's lady who wore a similar dress design, and after being spoken to in a harsh tone, she had tea spilled all over her dress. Elizabeth, with her beautiful golden-brown hair and fresh green eyes, was a stunning young girl, and many of the noble daughters of her generation would often get jealous of her.
Elizabeth only had 3 dresses suitable for tea parties, and this particular dress was a new one she had finally gotten her grandfather to buy for her after begging him multiple times. With the big stain on her dress, she couldn't go back to the tea party, and since she had come with her mother, she couldn't leave by herself either. Elizabeth was waiting for the tea party to end, crying alone in the empty garden.
Just then, a familiar boy appeared, swinging a wooden sword and jumping into the scene.
"Ah, princess! So you're here. Princess, please don't cry. I'll take care of the bad guys!"
"Mr. Arthur, what are you saying?"
"No way, you're a princess, so you have to call me Sir Arthur! Not 'Mr'!"
It seemed Arthur was playing knight, and he knelt down right in front of Elizabeth. She thought it was only natural to play along.
"Yes, Sir Arthur. Please take care of me."
Elizabeth was so surprised by Arthur that her tears stopped, and she handed him the handkerchief she was using to wipe away her tears.
"Hey, where's Arthur?"
A slightly distant voice echoed, followed by another boy's voice.
"Hey, it seems the bad guys have caught up to us!"
Elizabeth thought to herself, 'Is that Sir Arthur's older brother's voice or...?'
But since Arthur was in high spirits, she didn't dare to speak out loud and pour cold water on his enthusiasm.
However, just a few minutes later, Elizabeth would deeply regret her decision.
The sound of rustling leaves and footsteps approached, and before she knew it, Arthur had charged forward, wooden sword in hand.
"You scoundrel! I, Arthur Grandchester, will take you down!"
"Ugh..."
The one who got hit on the head with Arthur's wooden sword was Edward. He stumbled, his eyes rolling back, and collapsed to the ground.
"Oh no, this is bad!"
"Aaaah! Sir Edward! What do we do?!"
Elizabeth rushed to Edward's side, panicking. It seemed he was bleeding from the top of his head, and blood was flowing onto the ground. She took out a different handkerchief from the one she had given to Arthur earlier and hastily pressed it against the wound.
"Sir Arthur, please hurry and call for an adult!"
"Roger that."
Even in this emergency, Arthur still maintained his knightly composure, but Elizabeth didn't have the luxury to be amused.
"Sir Edward, are you okay?"
When Elizabeth called out to him, Edward let out a groan. His consciousness seemed to be returning, albeit slowly.
"Ugh... what happened to me?"
"You got hit on the head with Sir Arthur's wooden sword."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Elizabeth Roche."
"Ah, I'm so sorry. I'm embarrassed to meet you for the first time in such a state."
"My apologies, I've known of Sir Edward's dignified appearance for a while now. It's no big deal."
"That's a blessing in disguise, I suppose."
Edward tried to get up, but Elizabeth hastily stopped him.
"No, no, no. If you've received a blow to the head, you shouldn't move suddenly. I've heard that from a doctor before, when my brother fell from a tree."
"I see. Then I'll just wait for now."
After a while, Arthur returned with Eleonora, Robert, and many servants and attendants.
"Ed!"
Eleonora rushed to Edward's side.
"Mother, I'm fine. My head hurts like it's going to crack open."
"Sir Edward, you've been bleeding profusely since earlier. It's definitely a serious injury."
"Are you... from the Roche family?"
"My name is Elizabeth. I just happened to be here and am pressing on Sir Edward's wound. Would anyone like to take over for me?"
"Oh dear, this is terrible!"
Before long, a person who could use healing magic was called, and Edward's wound was quickly cured. However, Elizabeth's dress had become stained with blood, far worse than the tea stain from earlier.
"I'm so sorry to have gotten your dress stained like this because of my sons. I'll compensate you for the dress."
"No, it was already stained beforehand, so please don't worry about it."
"That's not acceptable. It's a girl's armor, after all!"
A few days later, Eleonora sent 3 new dresses to replace the damaged one, along with some accessories to match. Additionally, Edward sent 20 new white handkerchiefs, so Elizabeth carefully embroidered the Grandchester family crest and Edward's name on half of them and sent them back.
Arthur sent a letter that looked like a love letter, complete with a red ribbon tied neatly around it. Of course, 10-year-old Elizabeth didn't get fluttery over 6-year-old Arthur, but she felt like she had gained a cute little brother.
This way, Elizabeth became acquainted with Eleonora and her son, the third prince, and would be greeted by them whenever they met at tea parties. However, at that time, Elizabeth was just a knight's daughter, and the young ladies who adored the third prince would often bully her out of jealousy.
But Elizabeth wasn't the type of girl who would silently endure bullying. She would find out her bully's weakness and shut them up. When she felt like she was going to be bullied and couldn't avoid it, she would secretly call the third prince and his friends over. By the way, Arthur would take the lead in guiding them, so Elizabeth made good use of him.
The guided young lords would notice the commotion nearby and approach to find the young ladies bullying Elizabeth. The sight of the usually dignified young ladies ganging up on and bullying a single, weak (?) young lady was enough to stir the chivalrous spirit of the male knights. "I never knew you were that kind of woman!" even the young lord who was on the verge of engagement would exclaim in dismay. It was a real mess.
Such actions by Elizabeth were also expected by Eleonora. However, Eleonora didn't scold Elizabeth, but just laughed and said, "How delightful!" Of course, Arthur, who was always by her side, was completely infatuated with Elizabeth.
As a result of Elizabeth's clever maneuvers, by the time she turned 13, all the ladies who bullied her had disappeared. And when she was 14, a plague broke out in the capital, and her uncle passed away. Her grandfather, who was in the Roche territory, was safe, but when he learned of the early demise of his successor, he became so disheartened that he handed over the family headship and Count title to Elizabeth's father. In other words, the daughter of a knight had risen to the rank of Count's daughter.
Thus, Elizabeth made her debut in high society as a proud Count's daughter. There was no one left to mock her as a "fake noble" anymore, and the Viscount's daughter and Baron's daughter who had spoken ill of her had to bow their heads to her.
However, when Eleonora saw Elizabeth's behavior, she gave her some stern advice.
"Liz, you must conduct yourself with the dignity of a Count's daughter. Don't forget who you used to be. You're a clever girl, so I know you understand, right?"
"Yes. Mrs. Marquis Grandchester. I will take your advice to heart."
From then on, Elizabeth helped Eleonora with her charity work and devoted herself to ladylike education as a Count's daughter. She came to realize that the level of expectations was different between being a knight's daughter and a Count's daughter, and it was a lot to take in.
Moreover, as Edward's graduation from the Academy approached, he began to frequently attend the charity events hosted by Eleonora. As a result, he had more opportunities to converse with Elizabeth, who was helping Eleonora, but Edward didn't talk to her as casually as he did when they were kids, and somehow, he kept his distance.
'It's difficult to get too close to the young ladies of other families as a Young Marquis, isn't it? It's a bit lonely.'
Elizabeth felt a pang in her chest. She was aware of her feelings for Edward, but at the same time, she knew it was impossible. Eleonora was the daughter of the Marquis Amesbury family, and her mother was a princess who had married into the royal family from the Grandchester Marquis family. As the daughter of the Roches, a Count family with limited territory, it was impossible for her to marry into the prestigious Grandchester Marquis family.
However, Eleonora went against Elizabeth's expectations and requested to her parents that Elizabeth be married to Edward. Eleonora, whom Elizabeth had always admired, directly visited the Roche family and expressed her wish for Elizabeth to be Edward's wife, whom she had loved since childhood.
'I may not be a perfect wife, but since Madam Grandchester, my mother-in-law, has chosen me, I will do my best to support Sir Edward.'
Elizabeth made a firm resolution.
The two of them got married simultaneously with Edward's graduation from the Academy, and Elizabeth became the Young Marquis Lady of Grandchester.
However, Eleonora, who had been frail since before, passed away soon after witnessing the marriage of the two. Just before she died, Eleonora called out to Elizabeth and said.
'Liz, cherish the dignity of a noblewoman and live a beautiful life. Take care of Edward for me.'
Then, 15 years went by. Elizabeth continued to support her husband and exert great influence in high society, just like Eleonora, while living a beautiful and elegant life. Of course, as the Young Marquis's wife, she also gave birth to and raised an heir, just as Eleonora had wished.
However, Elizabeth never once reconsidered the true meaning behind those words....
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)