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Chapter 15: Leave Everything Behind and Come
“Cook the steak until it’s tender, and make sure the lobster doesn’t have any fishy smell. Our girl can’t eat anything that smells fishy. Prepare Violet’s favorite red wine. Only bring two glasses.”
“Miss Edelweiss won’t be drinking?”
“She’s still underage. No wine for a child.”
On her way out of the study, Edelweiss ran into the Marquis of Blossomweaver giving orders to a servant passing through the kitchen.
“Edelweiss will have her coming-of-age ceremony soon. Let her drink just for today, Cesare,”
the Marchioness of Blossomweaver said.
But he firmly placed his hands on his hips and declared,
“Even when she’s of age, not in front of me! Edel, you’re still a kid.”
Being treated like a child was a little embarrassing, but it also warmed her heart. Edelweiss smiled bashfully.
“Oh, I’m so happy. I have two faces I love in front of me.”
The Marchioness sang cheerfully as she beckoned them over.
“But Violet, your shoulder’s soaked. And Edel, why are your eyes so red? Don’t tell me… did you make her cry?”
“You always suspect me first, Cesare.”
“Well, your temper is awful… But still, know this. I love even that part of you.”
When he clung to her, the Marchioness pushed him off with a look of annoyance.
“Cesare. You don’t have much to do these days, do you?”
“…Did I mess up again, Violet?”
The Marquis’s face fell as he looked at her for clues.
Watching him, Edelweiss smiled softly.
She loved this peaceful, ordinary moment.
“Wait… did you find out about the investment? But I did it under the Oberlin name! Even if it fails, Blossomweaver won’t take a hit!”
“You made an investment behind my back?”
The Marchioness’s eyes grew cold and sharp.
At the same time, the Marquis’s face turned ghostly pale.
He looked at Edelweiss with desperate, pleading eyes.
“Aunt, m-my stomach is growling… How about we eat first?”
Edelweiss found a fitting excuse and rescued him.
“…We’ll talk about this again tonight. Let’s head to the dining room.”
The Marchioness of Blossomweaver seemed willing to let it go for now and entered the dining hall.
“I’ll do everything you say! Violet! Please, forgive me!”
The Marquis, now seated, clasped his hands and begged.
“Then prepare Edelweiss’s coming-of-age ceremony perfectly. There’s only a month left, so you’ll have to move without sleeping.”
“Edel’s coming-of-age? Why? Don’t tell me that duke bastard said he wouldn’t do it?”
“No. I adopted her. Just signed the consent form earlier.”
“…? What do you mean, Violet?”
His voice was more like a shout than a question. Edelweiss nervously wondered how he’d react.
‘What if he’s not happy about it…’
When she glanced over, the Marquis was frozen stiff, then suddenly spit out the water he was drinking.
“That’s disgusting, Cesare. What are you doing?”
The stunned Marquis jumped to his feet, pressing his hands on the table.
“You should’ve signed the adoption form with me there! I wanted to see it too!”
“…Sorry.”
The Marchioness apologized curtly, not sounding the least bit sorry.
“That didn’t sound like an apology at all! I’m upset! You know how much I adore Edelweiss, how long I waited to adopt her—and you did it alone?”
He looked genuinely hurt.
“When we go to submit the adoption to the temple, I’m coming too.”
“Of course.”
“I gave Edelweiss ‘Oberlin’ as a middle name. Wanted to surprise her with her new title as Lady of Oberlin.”
“…Fine, I’ll let it go this time.”
Hearing she’d become the Lady of Oberlin, the Marquis instantly softened.
Watching him cutting steak with a pouty face, the Marchioness whispered silently to Edelweiss,
“He’s simple. Easy to handle.”
Edelweiss covered her mouth and giggled.
“Edel, try this too. It’s smoked salmon with lemon cream—your favorite. And this is figs glazed in honey. The steak might be hard to eat, so I’ll cut it for you.”
The Marquis placed a variety of dishes in front of her and even sliced the steak into bite-sized pieces.
“Thank you, Uncle, but that’s a lot. I don’t think I can finish everything. Please eat some too.”
Had she ever smiled and eaten so freely like this before?
Whenever she dined with the Duke of Stern, she’d be tense, worrying he might think she had bad posture.
And he only ever remembered Rosemary’s favorite foods.
“I’m full just watching my daughter eat.”
“You’re just getting old and your digestion’s weak, Cesare. Let’s be honest.”
“Don’t listen to her, Edel. Here, try this too—why have you lost so much weight? Where did those chubby cheeks go? I’m devastated.”
Clang—
“…My daughter…”
Edelweiss blanked out at those words, her hand loosening, the knife falling to the floor.
“S-sorry.”
She quickly bowed her head—but the Marquis immediately dropped his own knife in response.
Then gestured to the waiting maid.
The maid quickly and politely brought fresh knives to both Edelweiss and the Marquis.
“It’s no big deal, Edel. Why apologize over something like that? Look, I dropped mine too.”
He brushed it off to ease her discomfort.
“Don’t lower your head over trivial things. You’re a Blossomweaver now. Never forget that.”
The Marchioness reminded her to never let go of her pride in any situation.
“Oh, Edel, remember when you were little, you didn’t want to eat carrots and tried hiding them under the soup? Violet scolded you for it, remember?”
The Marquis smiled warmly as Edelweiss ate her carrot soup.
“…Aunt told me I couldn’t leave the dining room until I finished all the carrots in my soup. But Uncle secretly ate them for me.”
“Actually, I got caught and got scolded by Violet for that.”
“Cesare, maybe the reason you and Edelweiss get along so well is because you share the same mental age.”
“…Are you saying I’m nineteen years old now?”
“Congratulations on your second youth.”
He squinted, then clapped his hands a couple of times.
“Ah! The coming-of-age ceremony is so soon—what do we do? Edel, let’s go get your dress fitted tomorrow. While we’re out, we’ll stop by a boutique to pick out a set of accessories. Also, we should go over the guest list again. And we should look at hairstyle catalogs ahead of time to decide for the day!”
As the Marquis of Blossomweaver rattled off the growing list of to-dos, Edelweiss felt overwhelmed. The Marchioness gave her a meaningful glance.
“See what I mean? Hang in there, Edelweiss.”
“Oh, right. Want to sleep over tonight, Edel? I had your room cleaned and prepared.”
“…That room still exists?”
She was surprised the room she’d occasionally used as a child was still there.
“You wouldn’t know this, but Cesare checks in on that room often. He changes the curtains and bedding every season, saying he never knows when you might visit. He’s even replaced the furniture.”
“…”
“Every year, he bought dresses and accessories he thought would suit you and left them there. You probably won’t need to pack much when you leave the Duke of Stern’s estate.”
“…”
“Only bring what you truly need—and if possible, leave everything else behind.”
At the Marchioness’s words, Edelweiss nodded quietly.
“Oh, and don’t bring your personal maid. I don’t want a dog that bites its master in my house.”
Likely a reference to Jane having become Rosemary’s spy.
“I won’t.”
“Edel, I’ll handpick a skillful and attentive servant to assign to you personally.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
In fact, not having to see Jane for a while was a relief—no more need to mask her expressions.
After dinner, Edelweiss stepped into the room she had used as a child and was stunned.
There wasn’t a speck of dust, and the curtains and bedding were all in her favorite shade of purple.
Dozens of dresses tailored to her size hung in the wardrobe, alongside numerous accessory sets.
On one brooch entwined with Blossomweaver’s signature blue and white roses, her initials were delicately engraved.
Edelweiss clutched the brooch tightly, trying to calm the surge of emotion rising in her chest.
‘So that’s why Mother signed the adoption papers… She must have known Aunt and Uncle would become such good parents to me.’
