Volume 2 Chapter 2 The Former Mean Villainess, Lovestruck
One day, just before my wedding day with Rolus.
A guest arrived.
"Welcome, Ms. Parsley."
I greeted her with a smile, and she returned it with one of her own.
However, that smile quickly faded.
"I'm sorry to bother you, Lady Elena."
"It's fine, don't worry about it. Come in, come in!"
I was indeed busy.
Busy, but I couldn't just leave a girl who seemed troubled alone, so I led her to the living room.
"I'll brew some tea."
"Lady, let me do it."
"I'm not a Lady──I'm your wife!"
"No, until the wedding day, you're still a Lady."
"──You two always argue about the silliest things."
As I bickered with Rolus, Ms. Parsley let out a smile that was almost a chuckle.
"You're still the same," she murmured.
Thinking back, it's been like this since we were little, so I wonder if it will always be this way.
"Now, shall we have some tea and chat leisurely?"
"...Thank you."
After all was said and done, I arranged the tea Rolus and I prepared along with the sweets Ms. Parsley brought on the table.
Ms. Parsley, watching this, looked puzzled and suddenly spoke up.
"Lady Elena, don't you have any servants?"
Indeed, there are no servants in this house right now.
That's why Rolus and I were preparing the tea and sweets ourselves.
"Oh, right."
"Is it because Lady Elena will no longer be the daughter of the Count...?"
While it's true that I technically won't be a Count's daughter anymore, that's not the whole story.
"No, that's not it. The servants from the Alfano family are supposed to come, but it seems they're competing for the position in this house."
"I-I see...?"
From Ms. Parsley's adorable lips came a response that didn't seem entirely convinced.
"I'll be here until they officially arrive."
"Ah, Rolus. But you're no longer going to be an Attendant, are you?"
"Even without servants, we'll manage," Rolus says, but just as I am no longer a lady, Rolus will no longer be an Attendant.
"I see! Mr. Rolus wants to live alone with Lady Elena, then!"
From Ms. Parsley's adorable lips, words of complete understanding flew out.
"Ah, no, um, I didn't mean it like that...!"
"Oh, come on, Rolus! If that's the case, you should have said it clearly! You should write a letter to Father right now saying you want to live alone together!"
"O-Oh my, Lady!"
Seeing flustered Rolus, both Ms. Parsley and I enjoyed a moment of laughter.
And for a while after, we chatted lightly, but then suddenly Ms. Parsley's expression darkened.
I wonder if we're finally getting to the main topic.
"Um, Lady Elena... I have something to discuss."
"Yes."
I encouraged her to speak without reservation, but Ms. Parsley glanced at Rolus and hesitated.
"Should I excuse myself?"
Rolus noticed her gaze and said that, but Ms. Parsley shook her head gently.
"If possible, please stay. However, I might say something rude to Mr. Rolus."
"I don't mind at all."
Hearing Rolus's words, Ms. Parsley closed her eyes for a moment and took a small deep breath before speaking.
"...In noble households, being born a woman is often seen as a blessing if you marry into a good family, isn't it?"
Ms. Parsley's eyes pierced deeply into mine.
Yet above them, her brows drooped sadly.
"Generally speaking, that's the case."
It is said that marrying someone of even slightly higher status is considered happiness, or riding the 'golden carriage,' as they say.
Generally speaking.
"I too once believed that it was the key to happiness."
To say I once believed means that perhaps I've started to feel otherwise.
Well, when it comes to a political marriage entangled with family matters, love isn't always guaranteed, and there are certainly marriages built solely on money and calculations.
Perhaps I've come to realize that.
"My parents surely believe that is what happiness looks like."
"Yes, I suppose so."
As a parent, one would want their daughter to marry into a place where she can live comfortably for the rest of her life.
I don't want to say that money is everything in this world, but it's clear that life becomes difficult without it.
"...Is going against that considered unfilial?"
"Hmm, I wonder about that."
To put it bluntly, I ended up marrying Rolus, who is not of noble birth, so I belong to the category that hasn't attained the so-called typical happiness, making it hard to say anything definitive.
"Lady Elena, are you happy now?"
"Of course."
I answered that question without hesitation.
After all, I was confident that I was happier than anyone else at that moment.
"However, I am aware that I have strayed from the typical path of happiness for a noble daughter. But I chose to be with the person I have loved for so long for the rest of my life. No matter how eccentric others may call it."
Even though as a daughter of the Alfano family, I could have married into a higher noble family, I know that such opportunities are out there.
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