Chapter 16
Triana Morelli, Maria Morelli’s mother, was one of the first female politicians to gain voting rights in the House of Nobles.
“My mother personally went to their house and gave lectures,” Maria said. “She charged an extremely high fee, but they agreed without hesitation and attended very passionately. Mother was even invited to dinner several times, so she saw the atmosphere of the household herself. Surprisingly, she said it was quite decent. During lessons, both father and son would bow politely to Lady Horton.”
No way.
Seeing the shock on my face, Maria smiled as if she had expected it.
“And of course, money is an important reason too. As you know, Viscount Horton made a fortune from some large-scale businesses. My father, on the other hand, invested heavily in manual lamp businesses that no one even uses anymore and lost a lot of money.”
Maria uncrossed her legs and lifted the teacup that had gone lukewarm.
“And since no one knows how property and inheritance tax laws might change under the new Emperor, my family basically told me, ‘Go marry into that house and bring in their money.’ The Horton family naturally wants the prestige of the Morelli name. My mother doesn’t think badly of them either. And… neither do I.”
She took a sip of tea and finished her sentence with a slightly shy expression.
“Timothy is a decent person. It started like an arranged marriage… but we’re dating seriously.”
“…”
“Would you like to meet him sometime? When we meet, we talk about you a lot. Whenever your name comes up, Timothy laughs and says, “Lady Wildenbiston changed his life.”
The moment I heard that, I hurriedly moved the cushions off the long sofa I was sitting on. Maria’s eyes widened as she watched me.
“Oh my, what are you doing?”
“I feel like I’m going to faint, so I’m making space in advance.”
After answering, I climbed onto the sofa and lay down, putting my legs up on the stacked cushions and looking at her solemnly.
“All right. I’m ready to faint comfortably now. You can keep talking.”
“Oh goodness, fine! I won’t say any more, so get up!”
Maria cried out, trying to stop me.
***
On the way back home, I sat in the rattling freight wagon and complained loudly toward Dale’s back as he drove the horse.
Beside me were leafy fruit trees, several new watering cans, wooden boxes filled with flower saplings, and various vegetable seeds.
Normally, I wouldn’t dare say a word to Dale because he intimidated me. But today, I just couldn’t keep quiet.
The moment I got into the wagon, I shuffled forward and squatted near the front, gripping the railing tightly with both hands as I poured out everything that had happened.
“I mean, isn’t this ridiculous, Dale? How am I supposed to knock sense into Maria? How can that scoundrel fall in love with our Maria? You know what they say—judge a person by one thing and you know ten! The Horton family clearly isn’t on Maria’s level!”
“Is that really so?”
Dale’s rough, gravelly voice suddenly answered. I flinched. I hadn’t expected him to respond. I thought at most he would tell me to be quiet.
“What do you mean, ‘Is that really so’?”
I pouted as I asked. Dale glanced back at me briefly before replying.
“You’ve never seen Miss Morelli standing next to the Horton young master, have you?”
“But I can tell just by looking!”
“There’s no such thing as knowing everything at a glance, miss. People have many sides.”
Dale slowed the horse at the fourth intersection along the capital’s main road. A city traffic officer raised a red flag. It was time for right turns. The carriages beside us began moving.
Without taking his eyes off the signal, Dale continued.
“And you must remember that the people judging someone also have many sides. If you scold someone, some will call you arrogant, while others will call you righteous. Perhaps Miss Morelli saw a different side of that young master. A side you did not.”
“…”
My mouth shut instantly.
Was this really Dale? He had never spoken to me this long before.
And he wasn’t wrong.
I fiddled with my fingers on the railing.
“That’s… true. I guess that’s true. Hmph.”
Just then, our eyes met. The moment he looked at me, he quickly turned forward again. But I could have sworn his eyes curved slightly. His shoulders seemed to shake, like he was holding back laughter.
Laughing… at me?
I leaned out of the wagon to examine him, but he stared ahead expressionlessly.
“Miss! That’s dangerous!”
He even barked at me sternly.
I quickly sat back down, tilting my head. Did I imagine it?
“…But Dale, even if people have different sides, what side of Timothy did Maria see?”
“How can anyone explain that? No one can explain the special moment when two people fall in love.”
He urged the horse forward as the traffic officer raised a white flag. We moved straight ahead.
After crossing the intersection, Dale glanced back at me, his wrinkled dark brown eyes unexpectedly gentle.
“You know what it’s like to fall in love too, miss.”
“…That’s true.”
Even if it was one-sided.
“Can you explain why you fell in love back then?”
I fell silent.
Why had I fallen in love?
Because His Majesty Rubellus was handsome? Because he had been kind the first time we met? Because we shared a secret? Because he once joked about marrying me?
No… those were just fragments I clung to in order to remember him.
If another handsome man had been kind to me and shared a secret and joked about marriage, I don’t think I would have fallen for him instead.
“I can’t really explain it.”
At my honest answer, Dale glanced at me again.
“It would be the same for Miss Morelli. If even you loved someone alone like that, imagine how much more complicated it must be when two people love each other.”
The words “loved someone alone” stung a little, but I let it go. It wasn’t wrong.
It had already been three years. What was the point in getting defensive?
I had learned that one-sided love was something easily dismissed. The feelings were precious to me, but to the person receiving them, they were unwanted.
Then I suddenly wondered. What was that “special moment” Dale had mentioned?
What did it feel like to love each other? To express your feelings and have them returned?
Was it truly that wonderful? That sweet? Did the other person’s flaws completely disappear?
“What about you, Dale?”
“Pardon?”
“When you fell in love with Martha… how did it feel?”
Martha had been his wife. Dale was a gardener, and Martha had been a seamstress. They moved to the ducal estate in the capital when I was born and stayed with us for years.
Four years ago, she passed away from a chronic illness. Dale was stern and loud, but Martha had always been warm and gentle.
“…”
Dale fell silent.
My heart jumped. Had I said something wrong? I covered my mouth.
They had loved each other dearly. Maybe I had reopened a wound.
Should I apologize?
Just then, the horse slowed slightly, and Dale spoke.
“It just… feels good.”
“…!”
My eyes widened.
“It simply feels good,” he continued slowly. “You feel like that person would understand even the things you don’t say. You feel reassured, knowing this person is always on your side. Your heart flutters, yet at the same time you feel, ‘Ah, I’ve finally found my place.’ I wish there were better words to describe that stability.”
I stared at his back in silence.
His voice, remembering his wife, was gentle and somehow fragile. I had always thought of him as strong.
I felt sorry for him. And strangely envious.
He had experienced it. Love had already existed in his life.
Come to think of it, everyone around me had mutual love. My parents. Bianca and her husband. Dale and Martha. Maria too, it seemed.
For a long time, I had wished to share that kind of love with His Majesty Rubellus.
But what if my destined person was somewhere else?
What if a blind date was one possible path?
Like Maria, discovering a new side of someone she never expected, loving and being loved in an ordinary way…
Could I do that too?
Through a blind date?
Could I be loved?
