The dinner was a lively affair. Emily was also at the table today.
In fact, for a servant to dine at the same table as her masters was completely unacceptable according to Albion etiquette.
But the Severton family, when there were no guests, often ate with Emily.
When visitors arrived, Emily would excuse herself—not because the Severton family cared about others' opinions, but because they worried people would gossip about Emily when they returned home.
But having received an offer from Mrs. Parker to take charge of the household at Blissbury, Emily could now sit with dignity at the table with any guests in Feltham.
"Honestly, there has never been such chaos! Trees that were hundreds of years old floated on the water—pigs and cows from the upper village, too..." Emily shuddered as she recounted the Great Flood.
And not only Emily. Mrs. Severton, too—as if not wanting to remember—closed her eyes tightly.
Mr. Severton listened to the account of that time with a heavy sigh.
"And I was not there at such a moment... I truly am deeply sorry."
Mr. Severton squeezed his wife's hand tightly and began weeping again.
Though he had wiped away tears several times during dinner, his regret about his family did not seem to have passed yet.
"But how is your godmother? I received a letter saying she passed peacefully, but..."
Mr. Severton's godmother had lived for a few months after his arrival—and then died.
It had been a peaceful death. Surrounded by all her children and relatives, she had bid farewell to everyone, recalled those who had gone before, and closed her eyes.
The priest who had been leading the prayer removed his hand from her face. She who had briefly glimpsed this earth and departed to another world no longer breathed.
A faint smile remained frozen on her closed lips.
"The funeral also went well. It began raining just then, and those who received the news late and lived in the south couldn't attend—but there was nothing to be done about that."
Having finished speaking, Mr. Severton paused to catch his breath.
"After that, the godmother's will was read. And... I was planning to tell you when I returned home, so I didn't write it in a letter, but... some complications arose."
"Darling, what sort of complications?"
Mrs. Severton's face tightened. Troubles following the reading of a will rarely ended peacefully.
"Ah, it's... not bad. More like good. Just a little confusing."
Eloise and Ryan exchanged glances at Mr. Severton's words.
*What could make Mr. Severton so hesitant?*
"It's... my godmother mentioned me in her will and left me part of her fortune."
"Ah."
At these words, Mrs. Severton, Eloise, Ryan, and even Emily sighed simultaneously.
They roughly understood what the complication was.
"The godmother's family must have been surprised."
"I was surprised as well. And at first, the atmosphere wasn't very pleasant."
Even without his explanation, one could easily imagine the atmosphere.
A man who hadn't been seen in years receiving an inheritance—no doubt many people had whispered about it.
"It wasn't good at first—so it changed afterward?"
Mr. Severton smiled at Eloise's question.
"Perceptive. You're right. What I inherited from my godmother is a house in the capital."
His words caused everyone at the table to widen their eyes.
*A house?* Even in a village, that was a significant inheritance. And here—a house in the capital?
"D-darling, what are you saying?"
"Exactly what you heard. A three-story house on Real Street. Sergeant Thornton, do you happen to know Real Street?"
"Of course. It's not far from army headquarters."
"Then perhaps you could tell me what sort of place it is? If I'd had time, I would have stopped in the capital and looked around—but I was in a hurry to reach Feltham, so I only know the address and haven't even met the manager."
"It's a fairly quiet area. Not luxurious, but a respectable residential district. The advantage is that it's on a hill, with a view over the capital."
The more Ryan spoke, the brighter Mrs. Severton's face became.
Though it was improper to discuss the value of an inheritance, the fact that it held high value could hardly be considered unfortunate.
"Oh. I didn't even know my godmother owned such a mansion... But for you to inherit it without anyone raising objections?"
"It appears there are some issues with the house. They didn't give me details—they told me to go to the capital and inspect it myself—but it seems it requires major repairs."
At these words, everyone nodded in understanding.
"In any case, a house in the capital is wonderful. I was just thinking of going to the city... with Eloise."
Mrs. Severton's words made Eloise's eyes widen even further.
"Why go to the capital all of a sudden?"
"What do you mean, why? So you can see Dr. Hayes again—the one who treated you as a child. He told me to return for a checkup every five years, after all."
"Ah."
Eloise nodded, as if just remembering. *Just think—next year we'll have to go.*
"He's so renowned that even with an appointment, you have to wait several weeks. Staying with relatives for that entire time is, frankly, not very convenient—so it's fortunate we now have a house in the capital."
Mrs. Severton—as if she had already fallen in love with the invisible house—began enthusiastically describing how she would furnish it.
Even Emily, declaring she absolutely must be taken along the first time, joined the conversation. The atmosphere at the table grew lively once more.
---
After dinner, the Severton family and Ryan moved into the sitting room.
Eloise said she would help Emily with the cleaning and bring refreshments, and left the room.
When Eloise had departed, Mr. Severton looked with satisfaction at the door through which she'd disappeared and walked over to Ryan.
"First, let me thank you again for saving our Eloise."
"What are you saying? As a soldier of Albion, I merely did my duty."
Mrs. Severton gave a short cough and looked at him. There was a veiled question in her expression: *Is that all?*
Mrs. Severton wasn't blind. At first, amid the chaos, she hadn't noticed anything—but after living at Blissbury, she had realized something was developing between her daughter and Sergeant Thornton.
*At first, I didn't think they would succeed.*
Unlike other mothers with daughters, Mrs. Severton had not considered Ryan a candidate for son-in-law.
Of course, she cared for him. But if—like other mothers—she had given in to her feelings and shown interest in him, reproaches would have been directed not at her, but at Eloise.
So she had resolved to look for another military man from his circle...
Mrs. Severton looked at Ryan hopefully.
In Albion, for a man and woman to court, the man had to obtain official permission from the woman's parents—or her family and relatives.
Of course, they might meet beforehand—but without permission, such meetings were always secret.
Having received permission, they no longer had to hide. They could confidently hold hands. At balls, they needn't search for new partners—they could dance with one another.
Mrs. Severton clasped her hands tightly in anticipation.
As if understanding her feelings, Ryan cleared his throat briefly and opened his mouth.
"Mr. Severton. I would like to tell you something important."
"Oh, what is it?"
Mr. Severton, sensing the gravity of his intentions from his tone, straightened and waited for Ryan to speak.
*Bang-bang-bang!*
Someone pounded furiously on the door of Mr. Severton's house.