Chapter 29
After repeating it a few times, a decent pattern began to take shape. I pointed out things a beginner might easily mess up—like keeping track of the number of stitches and not missing any—then shrugged my shoulders and laughed.
“Once you both finish the scarves, I’ll add the stitches for you. So it’s fine if the knitting is plain.”
At first, I had wanted to teach them a more intricate pattern, like a cable twist, instead of just a simple row.
‘But I guess that’s too much.’
Maybe if we had more time, it could work—but on the carriage ride to the capital, it was absolutely impossible.
Rowan narrowed his eyes at my words.
“You’re treating both of us like underachievers, aren’t you?”
“No, no!”
Underachievers? Absolutely not!
‘…Well, I can’t exactly say that.’
It’s beyond them. It’s too difficult, but I can’t tell them that for fear of hurting their feelings!
Anyway, Dante and Rowan quietly finished knitting their scarves. Watching them, I absentmindedly fiddled with the yarn in my bag.
‘I want to give them a gift too.’
After giving the yarn I brought to Rowan and Dante, only a few skeins remained.
‘Not enough yarn… scarves are out of the question. Maybe I should try knitting socks instead?’
I imagined the two of them wearing knitted socks and let out a small chuckle.
‘That wouldn’t really suit them.’
Still, on a cold day, wearing warm knitted socks might make them remember the carriage journey spent knitting.
So I began moving my hands busily.
By the time I finished knitting the socks to give to Rowan and Dante, we had arrived at the capital.
Countess Cline read the letter from her son. Emil, who had been searching the estate with soldiers, had now gone far afield and was reporting via letter.
“I found traces of Yvonne.
There were sightings of a black carriage carrying a young lady with beautiful silver hair in the central region.
Judging from the direction, it seems she’s heading toward the capital.”
The letter ended with a note that Emil himself was heading to the capital. Count Cline sighed deeply and set the letter down on his desk.
“The capital?! How is this possible?”
The Countess, reading it alongside him, snapped irritably.
“Really, that maid talks too much!”
After discovering that Yvonne had left the estate entirely, the Count and Countess severely punished her maid. They interrogated her thoroughly about what Yvonne had said before leaving and whether there was anyone the couple didn’t know about.
What came out of it was this:
“I informed them there was a job posting looking for someone resembling the young lady. At… Dain Trading Company.”
They had been skeptical since no such young lady had shown up at the inn where the posting had been made. Desperately, they tracked down the Dain Trading Company carriages passing through the Cline estate and finally found someone who had seen a woman resembling Yvonne.
“Well, at least that’s a relief. We just need to lodge a complaint with the company and track the carriage.”
Count Cline buried his face in his hands. Easier said than done—it had not been a simple process. The company’s response had been:
“Verification is impossible, and even if the young lady did board the carriage, she responded to a formal job posting. What’s the problem?”
And they were right. Yvonne wasn’t even formally engaged yet, so the Cline family had no legitimate reason to bring her back.
‘At least we can follow her trail. Emil might waver if they meet.’
Count Cline wondered if the usually composed Yvonne would really falter so easily, but he forced himself to calm his racing heart. However, his resolve wavered again at the sharp shout of his wife.
“What kind of relief is that?!”
The Count frowned at his wife, who muttered angrily through clenched teeth.
“We should have married her off sooner. You insisted on delaying it…”
Her constant self-blame angered the Count.
“If you think that’s the problem, then the fact that you freely let Rozianne in the estate is to blame! If Emil was really meant to marry Yvonne, you should have disciplined him strictly!”
“Are you saying that’s my fault?”
Through questioning the maids, they had also uncovered the relationship between Rozianne and Emil. Some maids had secretly helped them cover it up.
Rozianne, in particular, didn’t care if she was caught, so she had even deliberately left behind her underwear or socks in Emil’s room or study.
‘If she suspected anything, she should have told me immediately!’
Emil… did he even have a conscience? How could he have been involved with Rozianne while keeping Yvonne close?
Wanting to protect her beloved son and avoid responsibility, the Countess jumped to a twisted conclusion:
‘Our son couldn’t have done this without reason. Rozianne seduced him. How could he resist a woman set on him?’
Even if she met Yvonne again, she would insist Rozianne was at fault, and their family bore no blame.
Count Cline, calming his irritation, sighed.
“It’s not bad news that Dain Trading Company is involved. They probably took her without knowing her identity.”
“Th-That may be true, but…”
Even if Yvonne was in the capital, it wasn’t a problem if she wasn’t discovered. According to the maids, she didn’t leave for a man.
Then they could simply meet again and rebuild their relationship.
“You were planning to go to the capital this season anyway. Just think of this as going early and prepare accordingly.”
“But if it’s revealed that Yvonne is the former crown princess…”
“We raised her.”
Many in the capital still remembered the former emperor and empress. Someone might see Yvonne, who resembles the fairy empress, and remember the poor princess who fled the collapsing palace.
So what?
The best outcome would be for her identity to be revealed after marrying Emil. Even if not, the Cline family had done their duty in raising the orphaned princess safely.
“She may feel grateful, but she won’t hold a grudge. Why worry?”
“That’s true, you’re right.”
Nodding to calm her anxiety, Countess Cline then erupted hysterically:
“Emil, that boy! He doesn’t understand a parent’s heart!”
Truly, for no reason at all, he intended to marry a girl practically no different from a commoner!
Seeing her agitation, Count Cline shielded his son in thought—what was done was done; there was no point blaming him.
“Well, he’s a man. He could be tempted by another woman. But it happened before the marriage, so it’s no real flaw.”
Still, turning Yvonne’s heart was far more important. The Count sternly instructed:
“But when facing Yvonne again, make sure it seems like Rozianne’s schemes and a misunderstanding. Understand?”
“Yes, of course.”
Countess Cline nodded. For now, she would pretend to overlook her husband’s leniency in managing Rozianne and Emil, but if matters worsened, she would surely scold him.
And she had not yet given up on making Yvonne her daughter-in-law.
‘Our son is so outstanding. Only someone of royal blood suits Emil.’
She did not expect Yvonne to suddenly reclaim the throne. But if her lineage were revealed, the current royal family couldn’t ignore it.
‘She could become a duchess… or even a grand duchess.’
The Countess strictly prevented Yvonne from learning economics or politics, so she would have to rely on Emil in that situation.
‘Everything’s ready; our son just has to act. But now it’s going wrong.’
She would never give up. If they met again, she vowed to somehow turn Yvonne’s heart, no matter what.
Hastily leaving the Count’s room, the Countess commanded the head maid lingering at the door:
“We must rush to the capital. Pack immediately.”
“M-Madam…”
The head maid hesitated, murmuring,
“Miss Bergamot has been insisting in the parlor that she must see you.”
The moment Rozianne’s name was mentioned, the Countess’ expression turned icy. Coldly, she said:
“Bring her here.”
