Episode 84
“Ugh… I’m really sorry. I don’t even know why I’m acting like this these days.”
“Um… usually, the person themselves is the one who knows best because of their actions. You probably have an idea of what’s going on, don’t you?”
Upon hearing those words, Linnea closed her lips and simply looked down at the ground.
If it had been someone else in her place, they would have sighed and left after seeing Linnea avoid looking at her, but Idel didn't miss the redness of the tips of her ears.
"Is he a man?"
When she said that, Linnea suddenly raised her head in shock.
“Why isn’t that right? It isn’t!”
Although her answer clearly indicated the opposite, Linnea appeared extremely disturbed.
Idel smiled calmly.
Given that Linnea, who until recently had seemed completely uninterested in these matters, had suddenly encountered an emotional problem, it was not difficult to guess who it was.
"Is he a son of the Talon family? Is he the second or third son?"
"How do you know all this, Edel? Can you read my mind?"
Linnea's eyes were wide with surprise, and she asked as if she were truly astonished. Idil found her cute and laughed softly.
"What is his name?"
“Y-, Ian Tallon. He’s the second son. But I don’t like him or anything like that. I first met him that day, and I only danced a little bit with him… Besides, he’s the second son, so my brother will hate it. Probably, it’s better for the Crisis family if I marry the eldest son of a powerful family. Of course, the Tallons are also very prestigious, but if he’s not the eldest, he won’t have anything to inherit…”
Linnea added the explanation on her own, as if she were preparing for the disappointment in advance.
"Did the Count tell you this himself?"
“No. But my brother hardly ever speaks to me.”
“From what I have seen of the Count so far, I do not believe he will decide to marry you off solely for the good of the family.”
“Perhaps that was the case in the past, but isn’t the situation different now? Even you said so, Edel, that the Crisis family’s status will change completely.”
Idel found Linnea's words sweet but also somewhat jealous.
While Idel’s father never hesitated to exploit his daughter, always thinking about how to “sell” her for the highest price, Linnea’s brother, although determined to become one of the central nobles in the Emperor’s faction, saw his sister’s happiness as a more important goal.
“Lenia’s marriage partner? Why should I choose him? Lenia should choose for herself.”
"Do you never think about using marital relationships?"
"What is the point of power gained at the expense of selling out the only family I have?"
Although Idell already knew the answer, hearing it said so definitively made her extremely jealous of Linnea.
“The Count is a wise man who knows very well what is truly important. For him, your marriage and the revival of the family are two separate things.”
"truly?"
Linnea's cheeks became even redder.
But she soon let out a faint laugh mixed with a sigh.
“But it’s funny. Mr. Talon doesn’t care about me at all, so why should I worry about marriage?”
Edel had no words of comfort to offer for that remark.
Because at this stage, there was nothing Linnea could do.
'She said they met for the first time that day, so it's clear that Ian Tallon was just following his father's orders. Waiting for someone like that to come forward first is not guaranteed, and making a move on her part would compromise her dignity…'
Idel, with a smile reflecting feelings of consolation, gently held Linnea's hand.
“There is no need for you to make your decision now. As I said before, many will ask to dance with you later, and that will be of their own volition as well.”
Linnea responded enthusiastically.
“Exactly! What I’m feeling right now is just excitement because I accepted my first dance invitation. But with time, when I get used to the community, I might forget about it completely.”
"maybe."
As usual, thanks to her cheerful personality, Linnea quickly gave up any feeling of gloom, then looked at Idil with a playful look and winked lightly in the side.
“Edel, do you remember the first person you danced with? I mean someone other than your father or brother.”
Idil gave an embarrassed smile at a question she hadn't expected. In fact, she had never danced with her father or brothers, not even at weddings.
'Why did they treat me like a stranger? It's true we weren't very close, but I'm their daughter and sister after all…'
She quickly recalled those bitter memories, but pushed them aside and reminisced about her first dance in society. However, that memory was not a happy one.
“I remember. I was fourteen, on my first day in society… My father insisted that I dance. My partner was the eldest son of a family that had a good reputation at the time, but later lost its standing.”
At that time, that family was considered a rising star, but it collapsed due to its wrong association with the Lancaster family, which lost its influence in the events of “betrayal”.
Linnea was unaware of those details, so she asked with obvious curiosity:
"Did you feel excited? Did you feel like you were about to fall in love?"
“No, actually. It may sound harsh, but he wasn’t as handsome as Talon, and he was twelve years older than me.”
"Twelve years old? Well, although he was only twenty-six, which is a young man's age, for a fourteen-year-old girl he must have looked like a big man."
“Absolutely. It felt like I was dancing with my uncle.”
Unfortunately, her dance partner did not see it the same way.
The man she danced with back then was always joking, referring to himself as her “first” dance partner. Although Idell was mature enough to understand all those jokes, she was deeply offended, especially since the adults around her were laughing at his inappropriate comments.
Why do I have so few happy memories?
Edel decided not to share those details with Linnea. She didn't want to scare her or spoil her excitement.
The following morning, as Edel was sorting the mail sent to Linnea and Laszlo onto silver trays, her hand suddenly stopped.
“Ian Tallon?”
0
The sender written on one of the letters addressed to Linnea was “Ian Tallon”!
Without realizing it, Edel took the letter and hurried to Linnea's room. She seemed so rushed that the other servants looked at her in surprise.
"Ms!"
Linnea was confused and jumped up in a panic.
“Edel? What’s wrong? Did something happen to my brother?”
When Idell noticed her overreaction, she felt embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. I thought this was the speech you were waiting for… and maybe it isn’t anymore.”
Then, when she realized that she hadn't even put the letter on the tray, Linya handed the letter to her with trembling hands.
Linnea, who had been watching her with surprise, opened her eyes in astonishment when she read the sender's name.
“E-… Ian… Talon? Did you read the name correctly?”
“Yes, that’s right. There is a seal bearing the swan emblem of the Count Talon family.”
Linnea turned the envelope over in her hands several times, trying to calm herself with deep breaths, before finally opening it. Her fingertips were trembling slightly.
“It must be something normal. Maybe he just wants to thank me for dancing that day. Or it could be a letter asking for something in return for me accepting the dance invitation.”
Linnea tried to anticipate the worst so as not to be disappointed, and took out the letter and began to open it.
"I don't think so."
“If that’s not the case, why bother sending me a letter?! Oh!”
Suddenly, Linnea let out a small scream while reading the letter quickly, which made Idel approach her anxiously.
"Miss! What's the matter?"
Linnea was frantically shaking the letter in front of Idil's face, unable to control herself.
"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"
“Calm down, miss! When we calm down, we can handle anything calmly…”
"He wants to come for tea! Not with my brother, but with me!"
Linnea's hand was shaking even more than when she opened the envelope. Idell took the letter from her and carefully read the main text.
“…It was an honor to meet you that day, and I am very grateful that you accepted my invitation to dance, however simple it was. I couldn't forget your angelic smile throughout the dance.”
I recently received some Elpinia Mountain tea leaves as a gift from a relative who returned from a trip abroad, and I would like to share them with you, if that is not intrusive.
If that's convenient, could you invite me at a time that suits you?”
This was followed by a lengthy explanation emphasizing that he did not want to be a burden, that he would not misunderstand any rejection, and that he would accept it with respect. It was clear that the letter was written in the spirit of a young man who had fallen in love for the first time and mustered the courage to write these words.
"What... what should I do now?"
Linnea looked at Idil as if the latter were her only refuge, holding her hand tightly.
Edel smiled, feeling an innocent excitement pulsating in Linnea's heart as she experienced the feelings of love for the first time.