Violet’s hair was adorned with a red ribbon that was currently popular in the capital, and she’d never looked more cheerful.
As she left the hotel with Lulu, three servants stood at the end of the carpet next to her carriage: a butler, a chef, and Phillip.
Turin – the chef whom Violet had praised after breakfast this morning – stepped forward and spoke.
“Little Madam, what shall we prepare for dinner tonight?”
“Any sort of meat would be fine.”
“Then, in total, we shall have a total of ten courses including turnip soup, chicken and pork pie, buttered lobster…….”
As the chef spoke, Lulu raised her hand and said,
“She said meat, Turin!”
“There’s pie! Besides, won’t it be a magnificent dish when it’s done?”
“I don’t even know what to say! If that’s what you want to cook then just do it at home!”
“There are material costs! Material costs!”
“Haa, just listen to this. Your real intentions are revealed!”
Violet carefully asked Phillip about the clashing between the two of them.
“Do those two normally not get along?”
“They’ve been quarrelling ever since she started working here.”
“I see”, Violet nodded.
When the argument between the two had partially ended, the horseman opened the carriage door and Violet climbed up. Lulu, who joined her in the carriage, grumbled.
“Anyhow, all cooks like to do things their own way.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Little Madam. I can make a meatloaf better than them! Would you like to try it?”
“Yes. I’d like to try that before I leave.”
At Violet’s soft answer, Lulu replied in a strange tone.
“The Little Madam really is the opposite of the President.”
“Really?”
“Mhm. The Little Madam is just like the aristocrats in the capital.”
In a good way, it meant that she was polite, but it was also bad because she couldn’t actually say what she felt.
Violet nodded her head moderately, just like an aristocrat in the capital.
“And my husband?”
“As for the President, he…… asserts what he wants clearly.”
In other words, <he’s selfish and loud>.
“He makes fast decisions.”
<If things don’t go his way, he gets angry.>
“If there’s a drawback, then maybe it’s that his etiquette is a little lacking…?”
With the way she was spinning her words, there was clearly a limit to how much she could risk saying regarding his ‘drawbacks’, so perhaps she was implying he had no manners?
Violet nodded after reading the meaning behind Lulu’s twisted wording. She couldn’t risk criticising her employer, after all.
Meanwhile, the carriage headed on towards the edge of the capital, where the mouth of the river meets the sea.
The capital city hadn’t changed much in these past three years.
Violet gazed outside the window as a depiction of her older brother, Ash Lawrence, came into sight.
With the money received from Winter Blooming for marrying his younger sister, Larkround overcame the crisis. Ash had gained popularity with the citizens of Larkround by publishing a daily newspaper depicting himself living on a farm and working on the fields. Violet draped the curtain back across the window, not wanting to see her brother.
The carriage came to a halt on an isle at the mouth of the Rekel River which ran through Larkround.
Lulu spoke, taking the lead,
“These days, I heard that it’s famous as a tourist destination, so foreign visitors always stop by.”
“That’s wonderful.”
There were quaint shops both in front of the bridge and across the street. Violet was intoxicated by the feeling of seeing the world for the first time, and unknowingly quickened her pace.
As the day got hotter, Winter took off his jacket and frowned at his wristwatch.
“What does she mean by not arriving yet?”
“There are still 2 minutes left, Sir”, Hael murmured from the side, continuing, “besides, I sent the clothes after 10 o’clock. No wonder it’s taking so long to get ready.”
“Why have you been taking Violet’s side since yesterday?”
When Winter thought about it and questioned Hael, he avoided his eyes. Winter spoke again, clicking his tongue.
“She’ll have picked another pitch-black dress, as usual.”
“That’s true. Why does the Little Madam always wear a black or grey dress? They don’t even have patterns on them.”
“Must be the Princess’ unfathomable taste…….”
Winter’s grumbling faded off towards the end as he spotted Violet in the distance.
Violet was wearing the exact opposite dress and adornments to what Winter had envisioned.
She was like the first flower blooming in spring, fresh and lovely. Violet, too, noticed Winter and walked up to him as gracefully as usual. Violet spoke in a cheerful voice,
“Shall we eat?”
“I thought you’d wear something dark today.”
“……Why did you think that?”
“You like it. The colour black.”
Violet opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then closed it again.
She didn’t have the strength to explain her feelings to him. But it wasn’t that she didn’t possess the strength to speak; rather, she didn’t have the strength to take the cold reply he’d give her. Violet turned away from the topic.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go.”