Chapter 6: Book I: Chapter 6
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“It’s a beautiful day today, so I thought I’d take the lessons if you have time.”
“Of course I have time. But I don’t think I can right now. Not too long ago, I made a small mistake and caused a small commotion. So Father has banned me from going out.”
“Oh, I heard you broke the window while testing that new bow.….”
Hugo murmured as he pointed out. It seemed he was really disappointed. Seeing his sullen face, Harrieta patted him on the shoulder.
“It’s okay, it’s not as if we won’t have any more time. I’ll teach you everything you want as soon as the ban is lifted. Ah! I’ll sure teach you how to catch a rabbit with the bow you mentioned.”
“Really?”
Hugo’s complexion brightened up. He smiled broadly as if he didn’t just have a sullen look.
“You promised me. Don’t forget about it.”
“Ok, I got it. Don’t you trust me? Don’t worry.”
Seeing Hugo’s cute appearance requesting her like this, Harrieta couldn’t help but giggle. Once he got her answer, Hugo jumped with excitement and dashed out of the room.
He left the room with light steps, but stopped at the door and then looked back with an expression of contemplating something. As he stared at her fixedly, he suddenly called her.
“Sister.”
“Huh?”
“It’s great to be able to hang out with you again.”
Hugo grinned.
“It feels like we’re back to the old times.”
After adding her last words, he gave Harrieta a knowing glance and then left her room.
Thud! Thud! She heard his footsteps moving away. Harrieta dazedly looked at the door for a while and leaned against the back of the chair. Then she tilted her head back and looked at the white ceiling.
‘Time will fix everything, Harrieta. No matter how sad and hard it is now, nothing lasts forever in this world..’
Lillian was both right and wrong.
Just as she said, time definitely helped her heal her broken heart. She thought she would never get out of the pit of despair, but as time went by, she found her way out little by little.
Now, she could smile again and find joy in her life. It had been a long time since she had left behind her past of confining and isolating herself in her room.
But if one were to ask if everything went back perfectly to the same way it used to be, the truth was it didn’t.
Now, she was definitely less talkative than before and her activities had significantly reduced. Also, she spent most of her time blankly looking out of the window just like today or enjoyed her time alone by reading books. If her past self had seen her like this, she sure would have been shocked and thought of it all as some nonsense.
Had she become more mature because of the pain of a broken heart? As the saying goes ‘ failure is a stepping stone to success’, maybe she was slowly becoming an adult.
But one thing that was certain was that Edwin’s presence left a small but clear mark on her. And that mark probably won’t be erased for a long, long time.
Harrieta closed her eyes. A small sigh escaped out of her lips.
* * *
It was a normal day, no different from any other day. The Mackenzie family was having an early lunch together.
Because they lived far from wealth, the food on the table was quite simple. Nevertheless, no one complained. ~Clitter-clatter! Along with the sounds of the tableware moving, one could hear a small conversation taking place on the table.
“Harrieta, do you have any plans for this summer?”
Asked Rose, while buttering the bread using a butter knife. Harrieta, who was sitting across from her, looked up and glanced at her.
“I don’t have any plans yet. I think I’ll just stay in Philioche and spend the summer here.”
“Your aunt wrote that she was feeling very lonely. She was curious about when you would visit Lavant again.”
“Lavant?”
“Yes, Lillian must have liked you very much.”
Rose hinted. Hugo, who was sitting next to her, also looked up. Lillian always wrote in her letters that she would come to Philioche, but her prediction that Lillian would never come to such a rural village indeed turned out to be right.
“You know, it’s the end of the month. It’s the time when social life in Lavant comes alive. How about going to Lavant to attend a social gathering and accompany your lonely aunt?”
“But it’s only been a year since I’ve come back from Lavant.”
Harrieta replied reluctantly.
“If possible, I would like to spend this summer in Philioche.”
“I’m not asking you to stay there for a long time. If you really don’t like it, just stay for a month or so. That should be enough.”
Rose didn’t give up and kept persuading her to go to Lavant. Harrieta put the bread down on the plate.
Lavant.
She indeed did miss Lillian, but she didn’t want to go there if possible. Rose noticed her hesitation and said again.
“Aren’t you 17 years old now? Of course, it’s not very urgent, but still, you should start planning for the future.”
“Future?”
“Yes, I’m talking about your marriage partner.”
Rose said as if it was something obvious.
“As someone who has once been in your shoes, I would advise you to meet more people. The more people you interact with, the better it will be for you. That way, you’ll know what kind of person fits you and what doesn’t.”
Harrieta was speechless. She felt as if her throat was being choked. She turned her gaze to the bread on the plate.
“But I have no intention of getting married yet.”
“I’m not asking you to marry someone right now. But shouldn’t we at least try to find a possible partner?”
Rose coaxed Harrieta.
“Philioche is definitely a beautiful place, but it’s not a place where a woman of your age should be right now. Our Mackenzie family is the only noble family here. If you keep wasting time here, you will surely become an old maiden in the blink of an eye.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Harrieta mumbled while cutting the bread into small pieces.
“Anyway, there won’t be a man who would want to take me as his wife.”
“Oh, Harrieta. What could be wrong about you? It’s because you don’t like to dress up or do much makeup. But it’s okay since your real appearance resembles me. Hasn’t sister Lillian told you this?”
Rose spoke with full confidence. Hugo snickered and laughed, but stopped immediately when he saw Rose’s sharp look. Humph! He wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.
“Anyway, we’ll talk about this later. Even if you want to go, it’s not possible right now. Your father may come back soon, so he may need to use the carriage as soon as possible…….”
Rose glanced at the window, leaving her sentence vague.
It had been 20 days since Viscount Baodor Mackenzie had left the house for his work. It was quite unusual of him to be away from his house for so long.
A long time ago, because of an urgent call from the Marquess– with whom he had built up a little acquaintance–Baodor had to go without even knowing the purpose of the call. He reassured his wife not to worry because he thought that it wouldn’t be a big deal. But as time passed, there was no news from him, making Rose feel very anxious.
“Don’t worry. There’s a saying that no news is good news.”
Figuring Rose’s feelings, Harrieta silently comforted her.
“How about we try playing the piano after the meal? As always, Hugo will play the violin, and I’ll sing next to him.”
The Mackenzies loved music. They hadn’t taken any formal lessons, so this might seem ridiculous in the eyes of an expert, but they didn’t care. Each of them enjoyed playing their favourite instruments and especially liked to perform songs that they liked.
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Rose nodded and agreed. Just then, Hugo’s eyes widened into big circles. He looked as if he was trying to seriously guess something. Blinking his eyes, he turned his head towards the window.
“I think Father has come!”
He jumped up from his seat and shouted.
Father? It was then that Rose and Harrieta also listened. Along with the clatter of horse’s hoofs, they could hear the sound of wheels rolling on a bumpy road. Whoa! There were also voices of the coachman stopping the carriage and calming the horse.
The faces of the three people sitting at the table brightened. They all rushed out of the mansion without any further ado.
“Father!”
“Honey!”
Baodor, who was getting off the carriage, looked up and saw them. A warm smile spread around his eyes.
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“It’s a beautiful day today, so I thought I’d take the lessons if you have time.”
“Of course I have time. But I don’t think I can right now. Not too long ago, I made a small mistake and caused a small commotion. So Father has banned me from going out.”
“Oh, I heard you broke the window while testing that new bow.….”
Hugo murmured as he pointed out. It seemed he was really disappointed. Seeing his sullen face, Harrieta patted him on the shoulder.
“It’s okay, it’s not as if we won’t have any more time. I’ll teach you everything you want as soon as the ban is lifted. Ah! I’ll sure teach you how to catch a rabbit with the bow you mentioned.”
“Really?”
Hugo’s complexion brightened up. He smiled broadly as if he didn’t just have a sullen look.
“You promised me. Don’t forget about it.”
“Ok, I got it. Don’t you trust me? Don’t worry.”
Seeing Hugo’s cute appearance requesting her like this, Harrieta couldn’t help but giggle. Once he got her answer, Hugo jumped with excitement and dashed out of the room.
He left the room with light steps, but stopped at the door and then looked back with an expression of contemplating something. As he stared at her fixedly, he suddenly called her.
“Sister.”
“Huh?”
“It’s great to be able to hang out with you again.”
Hugo grinned.
“It feels like we’re back to the old times.”
After adding her last words, he gave Harrieta a knowing glance and then left her room.
Thud! Thud! She heard his footsteps moving away. Harrieta dazedly looked at the door for a while and leaned against the back of the chair. Then she tilted her head back and looked at the white ceiling.
‘Time will fix everything, Harrieta. No matter how sad and hard it is now, nothing lasts forever in this world..’
Lillian was both right and wrong.
Just as she said, time definitely helped her heal her broken heart. She thought she would never get out of the pit of despair, but as time went by, she found her way out little by little.
Now, she could smile again and find joy in her life. It had been a long time since she had left behind her past of confining and isolating herself in her room.
But if one were to ask if everything went back perfectly to the same way it used to be, the truth was it didn’t.
Now, she was definitely less talkative than before and her activities had significantly reduced. Also, she spent most of her time blankly looking out of the window just like today or enjoyed her time alone by reading books. If her past self had seen her like this, she sure would have been shocked and thought of it all as some nonsense.
Had she become more mature because of the pain of a broken heart? As the saying goes ‘ failure is a stepping stone to success’, maybe she was slowly becoming an adult.
But one thing that was certain was that Edwin’s presence left a small but clear mark on her. And that mark probably won’t be erased for a long, long time.
Harrieta closed her eyes. A small sigh escaped out of her lips.
* * *
It was a normal day, no different from any other day. The Mackenzie family was having an early lunch together.
Because they lived far from wealth, the food on the table was quite simple. Nevertheless, no one complained. ~Clitter-clatter! Along with the sounds of the tableware moving, one could hear a small conversation taking place on the table.
“Harrieta, do you have any plans for this summer?”
Asked Rose, while buttering the bread using a butter knife. Harrieta, who was sitting across from her, looked up and glanced at her.
“I don’t have any plans yet. I think I’ll just stay in Philioche and spend the summer here.”
“Your aunt wrote that she was feeling very lonely. She was curious about when you would visit Lavant again.”
“Lavant?”
“Yes, Lillian must have liked you very much.”
Rose hinted. Hugo, who was sitting next to her, also looked up. Lillian always wrote in her letters that she would come to Philioche, but her prediction that Lillian would never come to such a rural village indeed turned out to be right.
“You know, it’s the end of the month. It’s the time when social life in Lavant comes alive. How about going to Lavant to attend a social gathering and accompany your lonely aunt?”
“But it’s only been a year since I’ve come back from Lavant.”
Harrieta replied reluctantly.
“If possible, I would like to spend this summer in Philioche.”
“I’m not asking you to stay there for a long time. If you really don’t like it, just stay for a month or so. That should be enough.”
Rose didn’t give up and kept persuading her to go to Lavant. Harrieta put the bread down on the plate.
Lavant.
She indeed did miss Lillian, but she didn’t want to go there if possible. Rose noticed her hesitation and said again.
“Aren’t you 17 years old now? Of course, it’s not very urgent, but still, you should start planning for the future.”
“Future?”
“Yes, I’m talking about your marriage partner.”
Rose said as if it was something obvious.
“As someone who has once been in your shoes, I would advise you to meet more people. The more people you interact with, the better it will be for you. That way, you’ll know what kind of person fits you and what doesn’t.”
Harrieta was speechless. She felt as if her throat was being choked. She turned her gaze to the bread on the plate.
“But I have no intention of getting married yet.”
“I’m not asking you to marry someone right now. But shouldn’t we at least try to find a possible partner?”
Rose coaxed Harrieta.
“Philioche is definitely a beautiful place, but it’s not a place where a woman of your age should be right now. Our Mackenzie family is the only noble family here. If you keep wasting time here, you will surely become an old maiden in the blink of an eye.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Harrieta mumbled while cutting the bread into small pieces.
“Anyway, there won’t be a man who would want to take me as his wife.”
“Oh, Harrieta. What could be wrong about you? It’s because you don’t like to dress up or do much makeup. But it’s okay since your real appearance resembles me. Hasn’t sister Lillian told you this?”
Rose spoke with full confidence. Hugo snickered and laughed, but stopped immediately when he saw Rose’s sharp look. Humph! He wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.
“Anyway, we’ll talk about this later. Even if you want to go, it’s not possible right now. Your father may come back soon, so he may need to use the carriage as soon as possible…….”
Rose glanced at the window, leaving her sentence vague.
It had been 20 days since Viscount Baodor Mackenzie had left the house for his work. It was quite unusual of him to be away from his house for so long.
A long time ago, because of an urgent call from the Marquess– with whom he had built up a little acquaintance–Baodor had to go without even knowing the purpose of the call. He reassured his wife not to worry because he thought that it wouldn’t be a big deal. But as time passed, there was no news from him, making Rose feel very anxious.
“Don’t worry. There’s a saying that no news is good news.”
Figuring Rose’s feelings, Harrieta silently comforted her.
“How about we try playing the piano after the meal? As always, Hugo will play the violin, and I’ll sing next to him.”
The Mackenzies loved music. They hadn’t taken any formal lessons, so this might seem ridiculous in the eyes of an expert, but they didn’t care. Each of them enjoyed playing their favourite instruments and especially liked to perform songs that they liked.
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Rose nodded and agreed. Just then, Hugo’s eyes widened into big circles. He looked as if he was trying to seriously guess something. Blinking his eyes, he turned his head towards the window.
“I think Father has come!”
He jumped up from his seat and shouted.
Father? It was then that Rose and Harrieta also listened. Along with the clatter of horse’s hoofs, they could hear the sound of wheels rolling on a bumpy road. Whoa! There were also voices of the coachman stopping the carriage and calming the horse.
The faces of the three people sitting at the table brightened. They all rushed out of the mansion without any further ado.
“Father!”
“Honey!”
Baodor, who was getting off the carriage, looked up and saw them. A warm smile spread around his eyes.
It's a beautiful day today, so I thought I'd take the lessons if you have time.Of course I have time. But I don't think I can right now. Not too long ago, I made a small mistake and caused a small commotion. So Father has banned me from going out.Oh, I heard you broke the window while testing that new bow..Hugo murmured as he pointed out. It seemed he was really disappointed. Seeing his sullen face, Harrieta patted him on the shoulder.It's okay, it's not as if we won't have any more time. I'll teach you everything you want as soon as the ban is lifted. Ah! I'll sure teach you how to catch a rabbit with the bow you mentioned.Really?Hugo's complexion brightened up. He smiled broadly as if he didn't just have a sullen look.You promised me. Don't forget about it.Ok, I got it. Don't you trust me? Don't worry.Seeing Hugo's cute appearance requesting her like this, Harrieta couldn't help but giggle. Once he got her answer, Hugo jumped with excitement and dashed out of the room.He left the room with light steps, but stopped at the door and then looked back with an expression of contemplating something. As he stared at her fixedly, he suddenly called her.Sister.Huh?It's great to be able to hang out with you again.Hugo grinned.It feels like we're back to the old times.After adding her last words, he gave Harrieta a knowing glance and then left her room.Thud! Thud!She heard his footsteps moving away. Harrieta dazedly looked at the door for a while and leaned against the back of the chair. Then she tilted her head back and looked at the white ceiling.Time will fix everything, Harrieta. No matter how sad and hard it is now, nothing lasts forever in this world..'Lillian was both right and wrong.Just as she said, time definitely helped her heal her broken heart. She thought she would never get out of the pit of despair, but as time went by, she found her way out little by little.Now, she could smile again and find joy in her life. It had been a long time since she had left behind her past of confining and isolating herself in her room.But if one were to ask if everything went back perfectly to the same way it used to be, the truth was it didn't.Now, she was definitely less talkative than before and her activities had significantly reduced. Also, she spent most of her time blankly looking out of the window just like today or enjoyed her time alone by reading books. If her past self had seen her like this, she sure would have been shocked and thought of it all as some nonsense.Had she become more mature because of the pain of a broken heart? As the saying goes failure is a stepping stone to success', maybe she was slowly becoming an adult.But one thing that was certain was that Edwin's presence left a small but clear mark on her. And that mark probably won't be erased for a long, long time.Harrieta closed her eyes. A small sigh escaped out of her lips.* * *It was a normal day, no different from any other day. The Mackenzie family was having an early lunch together.Because they lived far from wealth, the food on the table was quite simple. Nevertheless, no one complained.~Clitter-clatter!Along with the sounds of the tableware moving, one could hear a small conversation taking place on the table.Harrieta, do you have any plans for this summer?Asked Rose, while buttering the bread using a butter knife. Harrieta, who was sitting across from her, looked up and glanced at her.I don't have any plans yet. I think I'll just stay in Philioche and spend the summer here.Your aunt wrote that she was feeling very lonely. She was curious about when you would visit Lavant again.Lavant?Yes, Lillian must have liked you very much.Rose hinted. Hugo, who was sitting next to her, also looked up. Lillian always wrote in her letters that she would come to Philioche, but her prediction that Lillian would never come to such a rural village indeed turned out to be right.You know, it's the end of the month. It's the time when social life in Lavant comes alive. How about going to Lavant to attend a social gathering and accompany your lonely aunt?But it's only been a year since I've come back from Lavant.Harrieta replied reluctantly.If possible, I would like to spend this summer in Philioche.I'm not asking you to stay there for a long time. If you really don't like it, just stay for a month or so. That should be enough.Rose didn't give up and kept persuading her to go to Lavant. Harrieta put the bread down on the plate.Lavant.She indeed did miss Lillian, but she didn't want to go there if possible. Rose noticed her hesitation and said again.Aren't you 17 years old now? Of course, it's not very urgent, but still, you should start planning for the future.Future?Yes, I'm talking about your marriage partner.Rose said as if it was something obvious.As someone who has once been in your shoes, I would advise you to meet more people. The more people you interact with, the better it will be for you. That way, you'll know what kind of person fits you and what doesn't.Harrieta was speechless. She felt as if her throat was being choked. She turned her gaze to the bread on the plate.But I have no intention of getting married yet.I'm not asking you to marry someone right now. But shouldn't we at least try to find a possible partner?Rose coaxed Harrieta.Philioche is definitely a beautiful place, but it's not a place where a woman of your age should be right now. Our Mackenzie family is the only noble family here. If you keep wasting time here, you will surely become an old maiden in the blink of an eye.That's not a bad idea.Harrieta mumbled while cutting the bread into small pieces.Anyway, there won't be a man who would want to take me as his wife.Oh, Harrieta. What could be wrong about you? It's because you don't like to dress up or do much makeup. But it's okay since your real appearance resembles me. Hasn't sister Lillian told you this?Rose spoke with full confidence. Hugo snickered and laughed, but stopped immediately when he saw Rose's sharp look.Humph!He wiped his mouth with a napkin and cleared his throat.Anyway, we'll talk about this later. Even if you want to go, it's not possible right now. Your father may come back soon, so he may need to use the carriage as soon as possible.Rose glanced at the window, leaving her sentence vague.It had been 20 days since Viscount Baodor Mackenzie had left the house for his work. It was quite unusual of him to be away from his house for so long.A long time ago, because of an urgent call from the Marquess with whom he had built up a little acquaintanceBaodor had to go without even knowing the purpose of the call. He reassured his wife not to worry because he thought that it wouldn't be a big deal. But as time passed, there was no news from him, making Rose feel very anxious.Don't worry. There's a saying that no news is good news.Figuring Rose's feelings, Harrieta silently comforted her.How about we try playing the piano after the meal? As always, Hugo will play the violin, and I'll sing next to him.The Mackenzies loved music. They hadn't taken any formal lessons, so this might seem ridiculous in the eyes of an expert, but they didn't care. Each of them enjoyed playing their favourite instruments and especially liked to perform songs that they liked.Yes, that's a good idea.Rose nodded and agreed. Just then, Hugo's eyes widened into big circles. He looked as if he was trying to seriously guess something. Blinking his eyes, he turned his head towards the window.I think Father has come!He jumped up from his seat and shouted.Father? It was then that Rose and Harrieta also listened. Along with the clatter of horse's hoofs, they could hear the sound of wheels rolling on a bumpy road.Whoa!There were also voices of the coachman stopping the carriage and calming the horse.The faces of the three people sitting at the table brightened. They all rushed out of the mansion without any further ado.Father!Honey!Baodor, who was getting off the carriage, looked up and saw them. A warm smile spread around his eyes.
