Chapter 24

Just ten days after Jeffrey became a viscount.

On the dining room table, there are a dozen or so envelopes lined up. They are invitations to tea parties for me and Nonna, and invitations to evening gatherings for us as a couple.

“I have no intention of going to the evening gatherings.”

“Then, I’ll decline the invitations for us as a couple and my personal ones. There are three invitations for Nonna. What should we do?”

“I’m not just going. I’m going to all of them, Mother.”

“All at once? There’s a tea party in the garden, so should I ask Lord Clark to escort you?”

“With Lord Clark? I’d rather meet him when we can play together.”

(Nonna, I don’t think Lord Clark climbs trees or throws stones anymore.)

When I was at a loss, Jeffrey came to my rescue.

“It’s a good opportunity to show Clark that Nonna has grown into a fine lady.”

“Oh, right. Then I’ll go with her. Leave it to me, Mother. When Lady Yolana sees me, a lady who has passed her test, Lord Clark will be surprised.”

I suggested asking Lord Clark to escort Nonna because I thought that if the handsome and well-groomed Lord Clark, whose father is the Foreign Minister, were by her side, even if they were criticized behind their backs, the young ladies who would openly be mean to Nonna would decrease. I was impressed by Jeffrey’s quick thinking in turning this into Nonna’s motivation.

The tea party is in four days. After confirming that Lord Clark’s day off coincided, I asked him to escort Nonna.

◇◇◇

“Have a good day, Nonna. You look like a fine lady.”

“I’m off, Mother, Father.”

Leaning on Lord Clark, who had come to pick her up, Nonna walked toward the carriage. She wore a navy blue dress with a delicate lace collar and a wide sash around her waist, tied into a bow at the back. It wasn’t an extravagant dress for her first tea party, considering her position as a viscount’s daughter, but the dark color suited her blonde hair well.

Just as Nonna was about to get into the carriage, she suddenly made a sharp chopping motion with her hand next to her face.

(Huh?) I looked at her, and she turned back with an embarrassed look.

“I just swatted away a beetle! I didn’t kill it!”

Stunned, I blinked, and Jeffrey reassured me, “She won’t do that to people, don’t worry.”

“Don’t say such obvious things. It just makes me more worried.”

“Sorry, sorry. But I don’t think she’ll do anything to disappoint you.”

“You’re right. Worrying won’t change anything.”

Even though I said that, I was still worried. (Nonna, please come back without causing any trouble.) Nonna would probably return around six in the evening.

Thinking I might be able to hear feedback from people who bought medicine at the convent during that time, I decided to go there.

When I arrived at the convent, I passed an elderly woman with a simple appearance. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. She must have been a parishioner, and the convent’s abbess and a young nun were seeing her off. Without meeting my eyes, the elderly woman bowed and walked out of the grounds.

“Welcome, Mrs. Asher.”

“Hello, Abbess. The lady I just saw seemed to be crying.”

“Yes, she had to leave her longtime home. She came to say goodbye.”

“I see.”

I wondered if she would be taken in by her children, but the abbess’s expression was not good.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, I just heard a sad story. Did you come today to hear about the medicine?”

“Yes. I came without prior notice, hoping to hear from those who used it.”

The abbess smiled.

“The ointment was well-received by the parishioners. They said it worked well for rashes, eczema, and other skin conditions.”

“That’s good to hear. Did you explain how to use it?”

“Yes, I told them to start with a small amount and observe the results before applying more.”

“Thank you. The doctor who taught me how to make it repeatedly emphasized that.”

I was led to a guest room and handed the payment for the ointment. I gave the abbess twenty percent of the profit after deducting the cost of materials, and we exchanged receipts.

“Abbess, please write a receipt each time for our peace of mind.”

“Of course, Mrs. Asher.”

After saying that, the abbess looked distant.

“Abbess?”

“I apologize. Four people have had to leave their homes this year due to old contracts. Even though it’s unavoidable, it’s hard to see people who have been coming here for a long time go.”

That’s strange. Why are old contracts suddenly surfacing?

“May I ask what the story is? You can omit the names of the parishioners.”

According to the abbess’s summary, the elderly woman had to give up her house and land because her parents had borrowed money forty years ago and had not repaid it, causing the interest to accumulate.

“Forty years without repayment?”

“She didn’t even know about the debt. When asked to pay 30,000 small gold coins, there was nothing she could do.”

“Thirty thousand?”

“Exactly 29,000 and a few more, I think.”

“No, that’s not the point. How much did they borrow initially to end up with such an amount?”

“Twenty small gold coins, apparently. At an annual interest rate of twenty percent for forty years, compounded, it would be that much. The money was probably for a new home.”

A new clerk’s monthly salary is two small gold coins, so twenty small gold coins could indeed be the amount a newly married couple would spend on furniture or rent.

“Not paying at all for forty years? Some people might not be able to pay after a while, but wouldn’t they usually pay the first few times?”

“She had a family member who was chronically ill. They prioritized medicine and treatment. But when presented with a contract signed by her father...”

“The other party should have demanded payment earlier, shouldn’t they?”

When I said that, the abbess looked troubled. I shouldn’t have pressed her. I apologized and left the convent, feeling uneasy.

◇◇◇

Nonna came to me while I was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

“I’m back, Mother.”

Nonna was giggling behind me.

“Stop sneaking up on me like that. How was your first tea party?”

“It went well, of course, Mother. Ho ho ho.”

“Stop laughing like that. Really, how was it?”

“It really went well. Lord Clark even praised me for my efforts.”

For some reason, her words made me feel uneasy.

That night, Nonna came to my bedroom with a pillow. She pulled back the covers of my bed and slipped in.

“I thought you were worried, so I came to give a detailed report.”

“Thank you. Please tell me.”

“Today, fifteen people attended the tea party. One of the girls was very bossy and kept giving me dirty looks. So I went to greet her first.”

“Okay. What happened then?”

“She’s Lady Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl of McGrath. She asked me in front of everyone, ‘What were you before you became a viscount’s daughter?’ So I replied, ‘I was a commoner, Lady Elizabeth.’”

I see, so that’s what happened.

“Mother, Lady Yolana was really helpful. She taught me about twenty noble girls I should watch out for and how to respond if they say something about my background.”

“Was Lady Elizabeth one of them?”

“Yes. When Elizabeth let her guard down, I quietly approached her and said, ‘Your grandmother’s story of being loved by your grandfather is lovely, isn’t it?’ She turned red and didn’t say anything more.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Her grandmother was a commoner singer. She wasn’t famous, so not many people know. She became a noble through adoption and then married. It didn’t matter to me, so I wouldn’t have said anything unless Elizabeth was mean to me.”

Lady Yolana... She gave Nonna such information right away.

“Revenge doesn’t feel good. So from now on, I’ll try to ignore them.”

I gently stroked Nonna’s blonde hair.

“Being a lady is so troublesome, Mother.”

“Nonna...”

“I’m glad I’m your child. I’m really glad. I won’t be like those mean people. I want to be like you.”

The sweet scent of the young girl, Nonna, rubbed against my chest and fell asleep quickly. She must have been exhausted from the stress.

Nonna will have to interact with many people in the future. She’s no longer at an age where I can protect her all the time. Since Nonna turned ten, I’ve wished that I could take all the emotional pain she will face in the future. I know it’s not right and impossible, but I can’t help it.

“What a foolish mother’s wish.”

I gently hugged Nonna and went to sleep.

---

The Rain Princess is finally being released nationwide. It’s still hard to believe, even though I have the physical copy in my hands. Why can’t I feel the reality of it? Maybe it’s because it’s too unbelievable.