Chapter 8
“Emma-chan, you shouldn’t have such a happy face outside of home, you know?”
With my mother’s exasperated voice suddenly saying that, I understand. The problem is not Rudy-sama, but rather that I am too excited.
Well, that makes sense. They probably supported my engagement with Rudy-sama with the expectation that the temple and the noble council would penalize me, but if they knew that I am actually this happy, it wouldn’t be amusing.
Realizing that, I awkwardly glanced around, but my mother just stared at me without saying a word. Resigned, I opened my mouth.
“I, I understand. I will compose myself outside. . .But, I don’t want to have a serious expression that might make Rudy-sama think I’m dissatisfied with this marriage. Um, what kind of expression should I have when I go there?!”
What kind of expression should I have when I leave this house in two and a half months?
Now that I think about it, I’m not sure.
My mother, who was begged by me, tilted her head and answered leisurely.
“Well, let’s see. When it comes to the stage of arriving at the Margrave’s house and greeting everyone there, it should be enough to show a smile for the first time. After all, there are plans to greet various places along the way, and the knights of the Santorina family should accompany you, right? We don’t know who will see and say what, so it’s better to go there calmly and modestly.”
“Calmly, you say. . .”
The Margrave territory is quite far. If it were just me, I feel like I could fly through the air, but I have a maid who plans to come with me, and I have to bring various things, so we are planning a one-week journey by carriage.
Will I be able to maintain such a solemn atmosphere for that long? Even though inside, I’m feeling so happy.
Seeing me lost in thought, my mother let out a heavy sigh.
“Hey, Emma-chan, if you keep smiling like that all the time outside, people will think, ‘What is that villainess plotting now?’ It’s also unfortunate for you, who is currently receiving sympathy, if it seems like you’re not satisfied with everything. It will ruin everything.”
“That would be troublesome. . .”
“If you’re not careful, you might get hit by rotten eggs thrown by the extremist faction of the beloved child of the presumed heroine at your wedding.”
“Ugh. . .I would really hate it if it hit Rudy-sama, who would be next to me. . .”
Finally calming down, or rather, reluctantly admitting it, my mother smiled as if to say, “If you understand, that’s fine.”
Although I want to say that I don’t care about my reputation, as the Margravine, it will greatly influence Rudy-sama, my husband.
In reality, it’s not really the case, but the actions and words that deviate from the image of ‘Duke’s daughter Emmanuella’, which the Duke family is trying hard to promote, such as ‘swallowing everything for the sake of the country’ or ‘determined to fulfill her role without being pessimistic about the harsh fate’, would be better not to do.
At least, in places and situations where I don’t know who is watching.
“Besides, you know, gentlemen tend to prefer the chase, right? It’s better to be a little reserved. I’m sure Margrave-sama will be more interested if you play hard to get.”
Changing the subject, my mother said that in a charming voice, and my ears and consciousness were immediately captivated.
“S-So, that’s. . .Is that Okaa-sama’s experience, who was once called the most glamorous beauty in society and caused duels to break out everywhere during her single days?”
As I cleared my throat and asked, my mother returned a smirk and a vulgar smile.
“Well, who knows? But usually, unless there are many rivals or it’s not completely in your grasp, don’t you think you wouldn’t feel the need to desperately obtain it or hurry up?”
Laughing softly, my mother was indeed the ‘Duchess of Dazzling Beauty’.
Th-this is it. Marrying into the superior Duke family from the Count family, using her beauty (hair) as a weapon, raising two sons and one daughter (I have an older brother and a younger brother), and yet her husband’s love not only shows no signs of fading but grows more passionate every day. . .!
W-Well, maybe I should try to be a bit more dramatic.
Look, with my hair inherited from Okaa-sama, I look like an incredibly beautiful girl in this world.
And after all, the engagement was proposed by them in the first place.
Seeing that my heart is leaning heavily towards ‘Rudy-sama’, my mother smiles mischievously and asks me.
“Why are you so in love with Margrave-sama? I’ve never seen you struggle so much to maintain ‘the behavior befitting a Duke’s daughter’.”
As a former modern person, precisely because I am a former modern person, I have put a lot of effort into behaving appropriately in this world, especially as a Duke’s daughter.
Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve made my mother listen to a lecture or persuasion.
“Well, even if you ask me why. . .”
Feeling resistance to talking about love with my mother, I muttered vaguely.
“What do you like about him? When did you start liking him? What was the trigger for falling in love? Can’t you at least tell Mama? Come on?”
However, my mother seems determined not to let up on the pursuit and rapidly asks me with sparkling eyes.
“Even if you ask me what I like about him. . .it’s just that I somehow fell in love, you know? It’s not something like, I like him because I like him. . .”
From my previous life’s perspective, he was extremely handsome, so it was mostly love at first sight. I couldn’t find a way to explain it. Or rather, if I were to say it, I would probably be doubted about my sanity.
Although I said it vaguely, my mother pouts dissatisfied.
“Once you fall in love, you can only see the good points in other aspects, and you just keep falling more and more in love with that person. I understand that. But what about the trigger? The moment you fell in love? There should be something like that, right?”
“Well, um. . .”
Hmm, that’s why it’s difficult to explain the trigger. If my mother, who seems to have a similar sensibility to mine, is fine, maybe. . .
While pondering, I try to resist by somehow using vague words or pretty words to deceive her.
“Well, I can’t explain it, but I think there’s something like falling in love just because. . .you know? Like that time when the king chose a queen based on ankles, maybe he fell in love with that person regardless of hair color, so he just made an excuse that her ankles were more beautiful than anyone else’s. . .right. . .?”
“When choosing a queen, that person made the candidates stand on a special platform, and only their ankles were visible. They couldn’t make the royal family crawl on the floor, and women have reservations about having their feet seen, so it was not good for the ankles to be visible above the ankles. There are official records of the struggles they went through to create the platform.”
King Ankles, you have a deep obsession.
I sighed, holding my head at the unexpected blunder of a great predecessor.
Well, I think it was fine to choose based on ankles since they probably selected from among the noble daughters who could become queen candidates. . .
“. . .Emma-chan, did you also fall for Margrave Santorina because of such a peculiar fetish?. . .What on earth, like the size of his eyes or the height of his nose. . .?”
Oh. Quite close.
As expected of my mother, who has been a mother for 18 years, she came up with quite an accurate answer. However, since she has been a human in this world for 40 years, she said with a look of disgust as if saying, ‘No way, that’s impossible. . .’”
Ugh, it seems hopeless. It seems that ‘once you fall in love, you can only see the good points in other aspects’ applies to my father’s face.
. . .Can’t be helped. I didn’t really want to talk about it, but now is not the time to be embarrassed.
“. . .Just about half a year ago, there was an incident where monsters flooded out from the mountains behind the academy, right?”
I gather my courage and start telling my mother about the day I had my first direct conversation with Rudy-sama.
Although it was mostly love at first sight, I am convinced that this will be enough to satisfy my mother, that day’s memory of Rudy-sama――
[insert page=’4633′ display=’content’]
[insert page=’4587′ display=’content’]
Translator’s Blog
Blog
- Did Uncle Steve RAID Your Snack Again?
- How to Know If You’re Cringing Your Classmate: A Guide to Social Survival
- Navigating the Digital Dojo: How to Deal with Your “That” Uncle and Auntie on Facebook
- The Ultimate Isekai Checklist: From Denial to Acceptance (and Maybe a Little Indigestion)
- Do Your Gym Bros Think You’re a Weirdo? (Secret Signs You’re the Gym Oddball)
Leave a Reply